Talk Preparation Guide for "Covenant Confidence through Jesus Christ"

In this talk, Elder Ulisses Soares speaks about the power of covenants and the confidence that comes from keeping them. He emphasizes the importance of temples and how they serve as the place where these sacred covenants are made. He also shares personal experiences and scriptural examples to illustrate the blessings that come from faithfulness and covenant-keeping.

Topics

Understanding the Importance of Temples

Elder Soares discusses the significance of temples as houses of the Lord, where sacred covenants are made. He underscores the joy and excitement that comes with the construction of new temples and reminds us of the holier purpose they serve.

The construction of new houses of the Lord across the world, under the inspired leadership of President Russell M. Nelson, has caused great rejoicing among Church members and serves as an important symbol of the expansion of the Lord’s kingdom.

Inscribed on the front of each temple is a solemn statement: “Holiness to the Lord.” These inspired words are a clear invitation that when we enter the Lord’s house, we embark on a sacred journey of learning to become higher and holier disciples of Christ.

Key Points:

Temples are symbols of the Lord's kingdom on earth.
Entering the temple is embarking on a journey to become higher and holier disciples of Christ.

Experiences:

Share a time when you felt the holiness of the temple.
How has attending the temple helped you become a higher and holier disciple of Christ?
What feelings do you have when a new temple is announced or dedicated?

Gaining Confidence through Covenant Keeping

Elder Soares talks about the confidence that comes from keeping the covenants made with God. This covenant confidence strengthens us to face life's challenges and increases our devotion to Jesus Christ.

Such confidence is the pinnacle of our divine connection with God and can help us increase our devotion to and gratitude for Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice.

Dear brothers and sisters, those who gain genuine confidence in the covenants made in the house of the Lord through Jesus Christ possess one of the most powerful forces that we can access in this life.

Key Points:

Covenant confidence is a powerful force that strengthens our connection with God.
Keeping the covenants we make with God increases our devotion to and gratitude for Jesus Christ.

Experiences:

Share an experience when keeping a covenant gave you confidence.
How has keeping your covenants helped you face life's challenges?
In what ways has keeping your covenants increased your devotion to Jesus Christ?

Learning from Nephi's Covenant Confidence

Using Nephi from the Book of Mormon as an example, Elder Soares illustrates the power and blessings that come from having confidence in the Lord's covenants, despite facing setbacks and challenges.

As we have studied the Book of Mormon in Come, Follow Me this year, we have witnessed how Nephi beautifully exemplified the power of this type of covenant confidence through his faithfulness when he faced setbacks and challenges, like getting the plates as commanded by the Lord.

Key Points:

Nephi's confidence in the Lord's promises enabled him to accomplish what he had been commanded to do.
Nephi's example teaches us about the power of covenant confidence.

Experiences:

How has studying Nephi's example influenced your understanding of covenant confidence?
Share a time when you, like Nephi, trusted in the Lord's promises despite facing challenges.
In what ways can you apply Nephi's example of covenant confidence in your life?

Achieving Covenant Confidence through Preparation

Elder Soares emphasizes the importance of preparation in achieving covenant confidence. He shares insights on how we can prepare ourselves to enter the temple and make covenants with God.

How do we gain such confidence through Jesus Christ? It comes through humility, centering our lives on the Savior, living by the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, receiving the ordinances of salvation and exaltation, and honoring the covenants we make with God in His holy house.

Therefore, if we change our preparation to enter the temple, we will change our experience in the temple, which will transform our lives outside of the temple.

Key Points:

Gaining covenant confidence comes through humility, centering our lives on the Savior, living by gospel principles, receiving ordinances, and honoring our covenants.
Changing our preparation to enter the temple can transform our experience in the temple and our lives outside of it.

Experiences:

How has your preparation to enter the temple affected your experience there?
Share a time when living by gospel principles helped you feel more confident in your covenants.
In what ways has honoring your covenants transformed your life?

Experiencing Transformation through Temple Attendance

Elder Soares testifies of the transformative power of attending the temple. He assures us that the spirit of the Lord's house can change us completely and help us to have the Spirit of the Lord unrestrained in our lives.

The house of the Lord is where we can be transformed in higher and holier ways. So, when we walk out of the temple, transformed by our hope in the promises of the covenants, armed with power from on high, we take the temple with us into our homes and lives.

We also know from the temple that if we want the Spirit of the Lord to be unrestrained in our lives, we simply cannot and must not have unkind feelings toward anyone.

Key Points:

Attending the temple can transform us in higher and holier ways.
The spirit of the Lord's house can change us completely and help us to have the Spirit of the Lord unrestrained in our lives.

Experiences:

Share an experience when you felt transformed after attending the temple.
How has attending the temple affected your behavior and feelings towards others?
In what ways has the spirit of the Lord's house changed you?