Words of the Living Prophet

“I want to say to every one of you, to every man, woman, and child who has been baptized, that you have taken upon yourself a very serious responsibility in being baptized, an obligation to live the gospel all the days of your life, to be the kind of man or woman that you ought to be. I just have such tremendous respect for you. Be faithful. Be true. Love the Lord. Love the gospel. Say your prayers night and morning; get on your knees and pray to your Father in Heaven and ask Him for His precious blessings.”¹

“I urge you with all the capacity that I have to reach out in a duty that stands beyond the requirements of our everyday lives; that is, to stand strong, even to become a leader in speaking up in behalf of those causes which make our civilization shine and which give comfort and peace to our lives. You can be a leader. You must be a leader, as a member of this Church, in those causes for which this Church stands. Do not let fear overcome your efforts, for as Paul wrote to Timothy, ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind’ (2 Tim. 1:7). Fear comes not from God but from the evil one. The adversary of all truth would put into your heart a reluctance to make an effort. Cast that fear aside and be valiant in the cause of truth and righteousness and faith. If you now decide that this will become the pattern of your life, you will not have to make that decision again. You will put on the ‘armour of God’ and raise your voice in defense of truth, whatever the circumstances now and in all the years that lie ahead (see Eph. 6:11).”²

“You are good. But it is not enough just to be good. You must be good for something. You must contribute good to the world. The world must be a better place for your presence. And the good that is in you must be spread to others. …

“In this world so filled with problems, so constantly threatened by dark and evil challenges, you can and must rise above mediocrity, above indifference. You can become involved and speak with a strong voice for that which is right.”³

“Fathers, mothers, you have nothing more precious than the little children to whom you have given life. Take care of them. Teach them. Love them. Rear them in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. God will hold those accountable who do not do so.”⁴

“My brethren and sisters, we must be loyal. We cannot be found on the sidelines carping and criticizing and finding fault with one another. We must help one another with each other’s burdens. We must share the sorrows of one another. We must rejoice with one another in our victories. We must be loyal to the Church against all its enemies.”⁵

“Every one of us has an obligation to fellowship [converts], to put our arms around them, to bring them into the Church in full activity. It is not enough just to go to church on Sundays; we must reach out each day. I wish with all my heart that … every man, woman, and child who was baptized would remain faithful and active. And that can happen if all of you make up your minds to reach out and help the new convert. There is no point in the missionaries baptizing people, only to have them come into the Church for a little while and then drift off. You have remained faithful, and I thank you for that but again urge that you make an extra effort to reach out to those who have recently been baptized. They cannot do it alone. They are not strong enough yet. They need your help. God bless you to fellowship the new convert. That is so very, very important. That is a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Only as we reach out to help others are we truly Latter-day Saints.”⁶

“You cannot tamper with illegal drugs. We cannot afford to tamper with those things. Our bodies are the temples of our spirits. They are sacred. These are the creation of the Almighty. Man was formed in the image of God. As His son, as His daughter, we ought to take care of our bodies. Let us work with our children, teach our people, to not become shackled and enslaved by drugs which take possession until the individual no longer has power over himself and cannot control his own destiny. They are wrong; they are not good.”⁷