In the spring of 1820, the future Prophet Joseph Smith was visited by God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in the Sacred Grove. They came in the vision as a “pillar of light,” a bold start to the reestablishment of the Lord’s Church on the earth today.
Spiritual experiences do not have to be as grand as the First Vision to build a testimony, though. As Elder Alexander Dushku — a General Authority Seventy — taught, “Rather than sending us a pillar of light, the Lord sends us a ray of light, and then another, and another.”
In his remarks, given during the Saturday morning session of the April 2024 general conference, Elder Dushku testified that there are many ways to receive these heavenly rays of light, from spiritual impressions to a joyful assurance of God’s love.
“The reality and power of one ray of testimony reinforces and combines with another, and then another, and another,” said Elder Dushku. “Line upon line, precept upon precept, here a ray and there a ray — one small, treasured spiritual moment at a time — there grows up within us a core of light-filled, spiritual experiences.”
Elder Dushku was one of several leaders who taught about testimony building in the first three sessions of the 194th Annual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, April 6.
Being valiant in the testimony of Jesus
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles invited listeners of the Sunday afternoon session to “secure [their] place as one who is valiant in the testimony of Jesus. As repentance may be needed, ‘do not procrastinate the day of your repentance’ (Alma 34:33).”
The testimony of Jesus, he said, is “the witness of the Holy Spirit that He is the divine Son of God, the Messiah and Redeemer.” Those who will inherit the celestial kingdom “receive the testimony of Jesus in the fullest sense,” including by being baptized, receiving the Holy Ghost and overcoming by faith.
The Apostle said that being valiant in this testimony “means encouraging others, by word and example, to likewise be valiant, especially those of our own families.” The gospel of Jesus Christ governs their priorities and choices. In other words, “The testimony of Jesus is manifest in what they are and what they are becoming.”
“Being valiant in the testimony of Jesus surely includes nurturing and strengthening that testimony,” said Elder Christofferson. This includes acts like prayer, scripture study, ministering and temple worship.
“True disciples do not ignore the seemingly small things that sustain and strengthen their testimony of Jesus.”
A united testimony around the world
Latter-day Saints from every land unite in their witnesses of the gospel of Jesus Christ and move forward in faith, said Elder Brent H. Nielson of the Presidency of the Seventy in the Saturday afternoon session.
In his last conference before being released as a General Authority Seventy, Elder Nielson testified of having seen the profound Restoration of the Savior’s gospel with his own eyes. He said, “I declare my witness and make a record of what I have both seen and heard during my sacred ministry as a Seventy of the Lord Jesus Christ.”
The “most inspiring miracle of the Restoration” that he has witnessed is the faithful members of the Church around the earth. They, he said, are armed with righteousness and the power of God.
“We are united,” said Elder Nielson. “We are God’s children. We know Him and we love Him. I join all of you, my friends, as we unitedly testify that these things are true.”
Priceless testimony-building experiences
Sister Andrea Muñoz Spannaus, second counselor in the Young Women general presidency, taught in the Saturday evening session that among the strengths people need to be triumphant in their lives is a testimony.
“Our testimony is built by personal spiritual experiences in which we recognize the divine influence in our lives,” she said. “No one can take that knowledge from us.”
The knowledge from these personal experiences is priceless. Sister Spannaus said, “Being true to that knowledge gives us freedom. It gives us joy. If we love the truth, we will seek it, and once we find it, we will defend it.”
Another vital strength to be triumphant, she said, is faith in the Savior, Jesus Christ. “When Jesus Christ came to earth, He suffered for our sins, and he took upon Himself our sorrows, our pains, our weaknesses, and our physical and mental illnesses. That’s why He knows how to help us.”
Just as David defeated Goliath with a stone, “The stone of faith in Jesus Christ will defeat any ‘giant’ in our lives. We can overcome this fallen world because He overcame it first.”
Strengthening testimony through trust
One’s relationship with Heavenly Father “will grow only to the degree we are willing to place our trust in Him,” said Elder Paul B. Pieper, a General Authority Seventy, in the Sunday morning session.
“Each time we accept and act on an invitation,” he said, “our trust in God grows. If we ignore or decline an invitation, our progress stops until we are ready to act on a new invitation.”
Elder Pieper said good coaches know that physical strength can happen only when muscles are stretched. Similarly, “God invites us to grow by trusting His spiritual tutoring through soul-stretching experiences.”
Heavenly Father cares about His children’s growth and progress. Elder Pieper said: “He is the Master Teacher, the complete coach who is always stretching us to help us realize more of our divine potential. That will always include a future invitation to trust Him just a little bit more.”
Some may struggle to trust because of the dishonesty, manipulation or coercion of imperfect mortals, he said. However, “the best way to learn to trust God is simply by trusting Him.”
Deepening testimony through Book of Mormon study
In the Book of Mormon, Jacob testified, “We search the [scriptures], ... and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken” (Jacob 4:6).
“Reading the Savior’s teachings in the scriptures helps us transform our homes into sanctuaries of faith and centers of gospel learning,” added Sunday School General President Mark L. Pace in the Sunday afternoon session. “It invites the Spirit into our homes. The Holy Ghost fills our souls with joy and converts us into lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Studying the scriptures does not always mean learning a new fact, he said. “Sometimes, reading the Book of Mormon is just about feeling connected to God today — nourishing the soul, being strengthened spiritually before heading out to face the world, or finding healing after a rough day out in the world.”
President Pace said that studying the scriptures allows the Holy Ghost to deepen a reader’s conversion to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Reading the Book of Mormon can be a joy and a blessing for God’s children and draw them nearer to the Savior.
“As we study the Book of Mormon and follow the living prophet,” he testified, “there will be no personal apostasy in our lives.”
