FAIR

General Conference

Why Should I Watch General Conference?

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Why Should I Watch General Conference?

We live in the time of the ongoing Restoration, a time when the heavens are open and God wants to continue to speak to us. And He does! He teaches us both through personal revelation and through His appointed servants at general conference. Twice a year, we have the opportunity to listen as God’s mouthpiece – the prophet – and also other global leaders teach us what God would have us know.

However, our lives become busy, and the commitments on our social and work calendars fill up. It’s hard to take two weekends out of the year and completely step away from the world, tuning in to general conference broadcasts all weekend when there are so many other things we could be doing. Our Heavenly Father knows that it is a big sacrifice. He blesses us for our efforts to hear from Him, no matter how big or small those efforts are. Here are three specific reasons why we should watch general conference:

  1. To find answers to questions
  2. To receive spiritual power
  3. To increase our faith

Finding Answers to Our Personal Questions

General conference is a way for God to speak to us individually. Our leaders are inspired by Him in the messages that they prepare for conference. Even though they may not know us personally, we have a loving Heavenly Father who does. He is aware of every trial, pain, heartache, and question we face. We can come to general conference to find answers to our questions. In the Book of Mormon, the missionary Ammon taught, “And he looketh down upon all the children of men; and he knows all the thoughts and intents of the heart; for by his hand were they all created from the beginning” (Alma 18:32). Just as we receive revelation from the scriptures, listening to our prophet today is our modern-day scripture and revelation for our lives.

Wilford Woodruff invited the Saints in an 1881 discourse,

“Seek after God; call upon Him in your secret places, and do not turn away from righteousness and truth. There is nothing to be gained by doing that, but everything to lose.”[1]

 

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Asking Big Questions: What Can I Do to Prepare to Receive Personal Revelation at General Conference?

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by Scott Hansen

The “Asking Big Questions” series is made in cooperation with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project.

The closest scriptural parallel we have to modern-day general conference is found in the Book of Mosiah. People who gathered to hear the words of King Benjamin “pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which King Benjamin should speak unto them” (Mosiah 2:6). Each April and October, we do our best impersonation by remaining in our pajamas with our attention fixed on the television screen. All kidding aside, this multi-day sermon recorded in the Book of Mormon was a pivotal moment in the lives of everyone in attendance. What can we do to make general conference a pivotal moment in our lives? Here are three ideas:

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Asking Big Questions: How Can I Prepare for General Conference?

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by Shauna Horne

The “Asking Big Questions” series is made in cooperation with the Wilford Woodruff Papers Project.

General conference is a time for members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to hear from the beloved prophet and apostles. Conference weekend is always spiritually uplifting, but preparing beforehand is essential if we want to get the most out of the messages we hear.

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–1995) taught that general conference is a time to strengthen our testimonies and resolve to improve our lives: “Conference time is a season of spiritual revival when knowledge and testimony are increased  and solidified.”

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