How the Temple Offers me Peace and Confidence in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father

The peace and confidence I receive is a result of living in the covenants I have made with Jesus Christ. Each day as I strive to live the higher and holier laws, to think celestial and work and pray to overcome the world, I experience added peace and confidence, even heavenly power from the Lord which prepares me to be able, ready and worthy to receive the Lord when He comes again.

In 2021 Pres Nelson taught;

“The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple. Everything taught in the temple, through instruction and through the Spirit, increases our understanding of Jesus Christ. His essential ordinances bind us to Him through sacred priesthood covenants. Then, as we keep our covenants, He endows us with His healing, strengthening power. And oh, how we will need His power in the days ahead.” (The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, Oct 2021, Nelson)

Being bound to the Saviour through our covenants is a wonderful blessing. Pres Nelson shared this bond is called hesed which describes a special kind of love and mercy the Saviour has with his covenant children.

In Liahona Oct 2022 Pres Nelson taught us,

“Once you and I have made a covenant with God, our relationship with Him becomes much closer than before our covenant. Now we are bound together. Because of our covenant with God, He will never tire in His efforts to help us, and we will never exhaust His merciful patience with us. Each of us has a special place in God’s heart. He has high hopes for us.”(The Everlasting Covenant)

Do not each of us desire this bond, this hesed and thus access to this heavenly power?

Pres Nelson also taught in 2022

“Each person who makes covenants in baptismal fonts and in temples—and keeps them—has increased access to the power of Jesus Christ. Please ponder that stunning truth!

The reward for keeping covenants with God is heavenly power—power that strengthens us to withstand our trials, temptations, and heartaches better. This power eases our way. Those who live the higher laws of Jesus Christ have access to His higher power. Thus, covenant keepers are entitled to a special kind of rest that comes to them through their covenantal relationship with God".(Overcome the World and Find Rest)

In 2020 Pres Nelson said of what we might learn in the temple;

The house of the Lord is a house of learning. There the Lord teaches in His own way. There each ordinance teaches about the Savior. There we learn how to part the veil and communicate more clearly with heaven. There we learn how to rebuke the adversary and draw upon the Lord’s priesthood power to strengthen us and those we love. How eager each of us should be to seek refuge there".(Hear Him, April 2020, Nelson)

General Conference leadership mtg April 2024

Instruction from Pres Nelson- Found on Gospel library app

“Making covenants with God is one of the greatest privileges our Heavenly Father and His Son give to us in this mortal life. 

We need to prepare our people much better for the transcendent blessings of the temple by helping them to understand the covenants or promises to God that they make there and the potential blessings associated with those covenants.

The moral and spiritual power that our people need right now and for the days ahead is the power of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We gain access to Their power by making and keeping covenants with them.”

How well do we know and understand the 5 laws of God?

• Law of Sacrifice
• Law of Obedience
• Law of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
• Law of Chastity
• Law of Consecration

Elder Scott once taught that if we want the blessing then we just need to learn and obey the law which is connected to that specific blessing. D&C 132:5 "For all who will have a blessing at my hands shall abide the law which was appointed for that blessing, and the conditions thereof, as were instituted from before the foundation of the world".

So how do we be better prepared for these transcendent blessings?

In 2021 Pres Nelson shared speaking of our Saviour;

“He is the One who wants you to understand with great clarity exactly what you are making covenants to do. He is the One who wants you to experience fully His sacred ordinances. He wants you to comprehend your privileges, promises, and responsibilities. He wants you to have spiritual insights and awakenings you’ve never had before. This He desires for all temple patrons, no matter where they live.(The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, Oct 2021, Nelson)

How do we understand with greater clarity what we are making covenants to do?

Pres Nelson in 2017 taught;

“We begin by learning about Him. “It is impossible for [us] to be saved in ignorance.” The more we know about the Savior’s ministry and mission—the more we understand His doctrine and what He did for us—the more we know that He can provide the power that we need for our lives….(April 2017, Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into your lives)

So number one is to learn of Jesus Christ, his doctrine and his Atonement. I know when we earnestly feast upon the scriptures daily and make our efforts to learn and understand a priority, we will be blessed with power from on high.

In 1986 Ezra Taft Benson taught;

"We should make daily study of the scriptures a lifetime pursuit...the most important [thing] you can do...is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. 

   • Search them diligently...

   • Learn the doctrine. 

   • Master the principles...

You must...see that...searching the scriptures is not a burden laid upon [us] by the Lord, but a marvelous blessing and opportunity." (Ensign, Nov. 1986, p. 47)

And in 2011 Elder Bednar warned;

 “Those who ignore or treat lightly the word of God do not have access to that divine compass which points the way to the Savior.” (Ensign, Oct. 2011, 34-35)

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) testified, “The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. The Doctrine and Covenants brings men to Christ’s kingdom, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. … The Book of Mormon is the ‘keystone’ of our religion, and the Doctrine and Covenants is the capstone, with continuing latter-day revelation.”

Cornerstone= Jesus Christ

Keystone= Book of Mormon

Capstone= Doctrine and Covenants

And what of our temple covenants? 
In the temple we covenant to abide in Christ's laws as contained in the holy scriptures, except for the law of consecration which we covenant as contained in the Doctrine and Covenants, my question is how can we covenant to these laws or live fully in our covenants if we only have a basic understanding of them and these scriptures?

In 2021 Pres Nelson pleaded;

…To each of you who has made temple covenants, I plead with you to seek—prayerfully and consistently—to understand temple covenants and ordinances. Spiritual doors will open. You will learn how to part the veil between heaven and earth, how to ask for God’s angels to attend you, and how better to receive direction from heaven. Your diligent efforts to do so will reinforce and strengthen your spiritual foundation. …, whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants! Please believe me when I say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon Jesus Christ, you have no need to fear. As you are true to your covenants made in the temple, you will be strengthened by His power. Then, when spiritual earthquakes occur, you will be able to stand strong because your spiritual foundation is solid and immovable.”(The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation, Oct 2021, Nelson)

Previously Pres Nelson shared the scripture in D&C 131:6 the Lord stating that its impossible to be saved in ignorance and Joseph Smith taught

“Knowledge is necessary to life and godliness. Woe unto you.. who preach that knowledge is not necessary unto life and salvation... Take away knowledge, and you will find yourselves worthy of the damnation of hell. Knowledge is revelation. Hear, all ye brethren, this grand key: knowledge is the power of God unto salvation.”

“… A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth.”

Therefore it is vital to our salvation that we put in the time and effort to study our scriptures and learn the doctrines and principles of the gospel because knowledge = power and power = progression.

In 2021 Pres Nelson shared, “The pure doctrine of Christ is powerful. It changes the life of everyone who understands it and seeks to implement it in his or her life.(Pure Truth, Pure Doctrine and Pure Revelation)

I have found the teaching by President Packer to be true; “the study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behaviour quicker than the study of behaviour will improve behaviour”

How does this work?

I know when I want to change a behaviour or overcome a particular struggle I am experiencing (in other words to repent), if coupled with prayer, I study the doctrines and principles connected to that struggle then two vital things happen.

First I am accessing the enabling power or grace of Jesus Christ by doing all I can to repent and change and

Second I receive the knowledge required, including personal revelation to guide me via the Holy Ghost.

In his very first talk after he was made President of our church, our beloved Prophet taught us how we can receive personal revelation for our daily lives . He said when we pray, we should sit and listen and write down the thoughts which come to us then follow through with the knowledge or direction given. I testify as we do this the Holy Ghost will show us and teach us all we can do.

We read just this week that the Anti-Nephi-Lehies did “all that [they] could do … to repent” (Alma 24:11). From the Institute student manual we read, “In 2 Nephi 25:23 Nephi explained: “It is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.” From the king of the Anti-Nephi-Lehies we learn that part of all we can do is “to repent of all our sins.”(Institute Student Manual) I testify doing all we can do to repent “daily” as our Prophet has asked us to, includes working out our salvation through sincere prayer and fasting and rigorous study. The Lord loves effort and we will not abide the day if we don't do ALL we can to overcome this world. It's when we hunger and thirst after righteousness that we will be filled with the Holy Ghost (3 Nephi 12:6).

2 Nephi 32:5

For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.

Therefore, it is to the extent of our desire and effort, including the combination of our study and prayer that we are filled with the Holy Ghost. This blessing enables us to live in harmony with the truths learnt and absorbed, thus we experience peace and confidence in our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. 

Also from the Institute Student manual;

“For it is when we are under the influence of the Holy Ghost where our thoughts become a reflection of how Jesus would think. To the extent which we receive the spirit, we have the mind of the Lord and thus know Him and are becoming like Him.”(Student  Institute Manual 1979, 1 Corinthians 2:16)

So to reiterate, as we study the doctrines and principles of the gospel or gain knowledge, the Holy Ghost influences us to think like Jesus and it is in this process we become like Him. This is the edification and sanctification power of the Holy Ghost. It occurs to me that this is what Pres Nelson is asking us to do when he says to ‘think celestial’, it is to learn to have the mind and will of the Lord.

Pres Benson taught in 1983, We must be as Lamoni's father in Alma 22:18 who declared, I will give away all my sins to know thee. It is in becoming to know Him that we become like Him.

Each of us must surrender our sins like King Lamoni if we are to really know Christ, “for we do not know Him until we become like Him.”

Elder Anderson in 1995 shared “We may not always succeed as quickly as we would want, but as we make repentance a constant part of our lives, miracles occur. This is what happens as we see that we really can overcome our sins: Our “confidence [waxes] strong in the presence of God” (D&C 121:45). We kneel in humility before our Father. We tell him openly of our progress, and also of our fears and doubts. As we draw near to him, he draws near to us. He gives us peace and encouragement. He heals our souls. As we continue inch by inch to repent, we determine that nothing will hold us back; we will do our part. We come to feel like that great Lamanite king who cried, “Oh God, … wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee” (Alma 22:18). With this commitment to who we can become, the spiritual doors swing open. There is a new freedom to feel and to know, a freedom to become.” (The Joy of Becoming Clean, April 1995)

Part of the peace and confidence in the Lord we can experience is knowing that our choices in life are in accordance with God(Lectures on Faith, Lecture three).

Last Oct Elder Pingree Jnr from the Seventy taught at GC; “God expects us to seek, recognize, and act on truth. Our ability to receive and apply truth is dependent on

• the strength of our relationship with the Father and the Son, 

• our responsiveness to the influence of the Holy Ghost, and 

• our alignment with latter-day prophets. 

We need to remember that Satan works to keep us from truth. He knows that without truth, we cannot gain eternal life. He weaves strands of truth with worldly philosophies to confuse us and distract us from what is communicated by God.”

Therefore it is most important that we go to the correct sources, to authorized sources to receive our knowledge, just last year our Prophet warned us;

“There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust—from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who “will show unto you all things what ye should do.” Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.(Think Celestial, Oct 2023)

How well do we know about the 5 temple Covenants? There is terrific information on the Church website, library app and church manuals, there are lots of opportunities to study them and know them very well. We dont have to wait to go through the temple doors to learn about the covenants shared there. I invite you to do all you can to increase in your knowledge, your application and thus your power. I testify as we do this our ability to live the laws of God is enhanced and thus our confidence and peace in the Lord increases.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/prophetic-teachings-on-temples?lang=eng

President Nelson taught in 2017;

“We also increase the Savior’s power in our lives when we make sacred covenants and keep those covenants with precision. Our covenants bind us to Him and give us godly power.

Covenant-keeping men and women seek for ways to keep themselves unspotted from the world so there will be nothing blocking their access to the Savior’s power.” (April 2017, Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ into your lives)

The power we receive comes from keeping our covenants. The more obedient we are or the more we sacrifice our will for the Lord, the greater the blessing. Exact obedience brings us God's power. The army of Helaman are a perfect example of being rewarded for their obedience.

Alma 53:20-21

…they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. 

Yea, they were men of truth and soberness, for they had been taught to keep the commandments of God and to walk uprightly before him.

In Alma 56:19 Helaman shares they were favoured of the Lord and verse 56 they fought with the strength of God

Alma 57:20-21

…behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted. Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

How do you think their mothers taught them this? If we desire this heavenly power for ourselves and our families, then we too must obey and perform every word of command with exactness. We do this by living by every word that proceedeth forth by the mouth of God(D&C 84:44).  Surely this includes every pleading and suggestion our beloved Prophets and leaders ask of us. 

The Anti nephi lehi’s buried their weapons of rebellion, they would rather die than commit sin.

Alma 23:7

“For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more”

Sins of rebellion= fighting against God

Sins of weakness= fighting against ourselves, trying to overcome the flesh or natural man

“The joyful news for anyone who desires to be rid of the consequences of poor choices is that the Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. Whereas the Lord warns that unrepented rebellion will bring punishment, when the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.” (Richard G. Scott, Personal Strength through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, October 2013 General Conference).

We can bury out swords of rebellion today and promise to obey our Prophets and leaders with exactness just as the sons of Helaman were taught to do.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) taught that abandonment of sins often requires a change in our lifestyle: “In abandoning sin one cannot merely wish for better conditions. He must make them. He may need to come to hate the spotted garments and loathe the sin. He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin. He should avoid the places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again. He must abandon the people with whom the sin was committed. He may not hate the persons involved but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin. … He must eliminate anything which would stir the old memories” (The Miracle of Forgiveness [1969], 171–72).

Brothers and Sisters, we can never be too far in but we can be too far out. Jesus Christ is our perfect example of complete obedience to His Father, we must do likewise.

In D&C 121 we learn that many are called but few are chosen, why are they not chosen, because their hearts are set so much on the things of this world.

I plead with you don't make the mistake I did in the past of prioritising this earthly life, gaining riches and the honours of men over the gospel. As our Prophet has said, we need to overcome this world to find rest, or in other words, we must overcome this world to find Jesus Christ. 

In 2022 Pres Nelson taught;

“What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God.”

And

“Overcoming the world means growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else.”

In Apr 2020 Pres Nelson quoted 1 Ne 14:14 and said that we live in the time that the power of the Lamb of God "would descend upon the covenant people of the Lord". Then just three years later in Apr 2023, he quoted the same verse but said that His power "is descending" upon the covenant-keeping people.

This is directly tied to receiving a fullness of the Holy Ghost which Pres Nelson spoke about just this last April at General Conference. He said “Imagine what that promise means in terms of having the heavens open for each earnest seeker of eternal truth.”

Pres Nelson also said, “Priesthood keys restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith make it possible for every covenant-keeping man and woman to enjoy incredible personal spiritual privileges.”

And in 2022

“In coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power that the world has ever seen. Between now and the time He returns “with power and great glory,” He will bestow countless privileges, blessings, and miracles upon the faithful.”(Overcome the World and Find Rest, Oct 2022)

Why should we desire this Heavenly power and these incredible personal spiritual privileges, blessings and miracles?

Pres Nelson extended this call to us in 2022;

“One crucial element of this gathering is preparing a people who are able, ready, and worthy to receive the Lord when He comes again, a people who have already chosen Jesus Christ over this fallen world, a people who rejoice in their agency to live the higher, holier laws of Jesus Christ. I call upon you, my dear brothers and sisters, to become this righteous people. Cherish and honor your covenants above all other commitments. As you let God prevail in your life, I promise you greater peace, confidence, joy, and yes, rest.”(Overcome the World and Find Rest, Oct 2022)

Also just last conference Elder Soares emphasised “... 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. “Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.(D&C 121:45)”

In summary the temple offers me peace and confidence in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because of my diligence to understand and gain knowledge of the covenants made there. Then as we strive to keep them and live them with exactness or precision as our Prophet asks of us we receive glorious blessings of power, peace and privilege. 

I know Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ live, they love us and desire us to be chosen, as we choose them each and every day we will receive the heavenly power necessary and thus be prepared in the coming days to participate in the promised prophecy to receive our Saviour. I testify of these things and share them in the name of Jesus Christ amen