Editor’s note: This was originally published Saturday, Oct. 3, and updated Sunday, Oct. 4.
Like the Book of Mormon prophet King Benjamin, general authorities and officers speaking in the October 2026 general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints testified of God’s love, invited listeners to trust in His promises and shared the blessings of belief in God.
King Benjamin admonished his people to “believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth” (Mosiah 4:9).
Similar messages were shared throughout the October general conference.
‘Heavenly Father knows us personally’
Elder Gary E. Stevenson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Sunday afternoon session about the fruits of the gospel.
“Heavenly Father knows us personally,” Elder Stevenson said, adding that being a child of a loving Heavenly Father is “your most important identity.”
He told the story of a young boy’s faith during a devotional with members in South America. During the devotional, a young boy got away from his parents and ran up to the stand next to Elder Stevenson, who swooped him up. The young boy then sang the words of “I Am a Child of God” in his “sweet, loud, young voice.”
Said Elder Stevenson: “This testimony was so important and powerful, inviting the Spirit to comfort and testify to all that we are children of a loving Heavenly Father, even in the most difficult of times. The apostle Paul in the New Testament taught, ‘The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God’ (Romans 8:16).”
Elder Stevenson continued that Jesus Christ has done everything necessary to have joy in this life and forever.
“Even when we make mistakes and feel discouraged or wonder if we will ever be good enough,” he said. “There is good news — wonderful, hopeful news. Because God loves us, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who took upon Himself our sins so we can repent, be forgiven and keep progressing.”
‘God invites us to trust Him and His promises’
In his talk during the Saturday afternoon session, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles testified that “we can trust the Lord.”
He spoke about a man who experienced a miraculous recovery after two heart transplants. But afterward, the man lost sight of the big picture and dismissed the miracle while focusing on the cold oatmeal he received in the hospital.
Elder Renlund related this modern phenomenon of losing sight of the bigger picture, to the complaining of the children of Israel.
“As they overlooked both the Lord’s blessings and His promises, their trust eroded in God and in God’s prophet, Moses,” he said. “Scripture records the Lord’s response. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, … how long will it be ere they believe me, for all the signs which I have [shown] among them?’ (Numbers 14:11)."
Elder Renlund said the Lord often reassured the children of Israel — and His covenant people today — of His consistency.
“God invites us to trust Him and His promises,” he said. “We can trust Him.”
The Book of Mormon shows “what great things the Lord hath done … that [we] may know the covenants of the Lord, that [we] are not cast off forever” (title page of the Book of Mormon).
Elder Renlund declared that “the power of the Messiah to save and exalt is profoundly intimate and infinite beyond human comprehension; there is more than enough to cover any breach, need or deficit for all of us, for each of us.”
‘He wants to lift you’
In his talk in the Saturday afternoon session, Elder Patrick Kearon of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the Savior’s ability to lift.
“At the heart of our faith is the glorious truth that we have an adoring Father in Heaven, whose Son, our Savior, loves to lift,” he said.
Elder Kearon spoke of learning to glide, which is flying without an engine, relying on air to rise and sink. He said it is easy to slowly slip from spiritual heights gained when neglecting righteous practices and behaviors.
“We want lift — its joy and blessings — but we may not recognize the quiet cost of neglecting vital communion with our Father, Savior and the Holy Spirit,” he said. “Pay close attention to the sweet, peaceful feelings that come when you choose spiritual lift, the rising forces that bring you into the Savior’s living upward pull.”
Several scriptural accounts show the Savior lifting people from despair.
“With His all-powerful hand, He lifted His beloved Peter from sinking in the waves; He lifted the daughter of Jairus from the depths of death; and after healing the boy plagued with an unclean spirit who was ‘as one dead, … Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up’ (see Mark 9:17–27)."
Elder Kearon invited listeners to identify moments when they have felt undeniable spiritual lifts. He also spoke of moments when one may feel spiritual “sink.” “You likely remember how this felt in contrast. …
“Our Savior constantly sought out the most desperate souls sinking into darkness and dread and lifted them up — and He wants to lift you,” he said.
‘The sacred responsibility to bear witness’
Elder Gérald Caussé of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke during the Saturday morning session of the importance of sharing one’s knowledge and testimony of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
“The sacred responsibility to bear witness of Jesus Christ is not limited to prophets and apostles,” he said. “It extends to all His disciples.”
He added that the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is manifest in the lives of millions of His followers throughout the world.
“Through your testimonies, in word and deed, you demonstrate the reality of a loving Savior and of the blessings that come through His gospel,” he said.
A testimony of God and His Son is a deeply personal gift, Elder Caussé said.
“It is received in the intimacy of our relationship with God and shaped according to our unique experiences, circumstances and needs. It grows through faith, earnest seeking, gospel living and the quiet influence of the Holy Ghost,” he said. “Truly, ‘to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God’ is one of life’s greatest blessings and a precious gift from God.”
This gift is to be shared — with grateful hearts and in a spirit of humility and love.
“At a moment of deep anguish, the young Alma remembered having ‘heard [his] father prophesy … concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ … to atone for the sins of the world,’” Elder Caussé said, quoting from Alma 36:17. “That remembered witness from his father became the spark of hope that led him to repent and completely change his life.”
‘To all who wait for divine deliverance’
Elder Kevin J. Hathaway, General Authority Seventy, spoke during the Saturday morning session about sincere spiritual seeking and divine deliverance.
He said opposition comes to all, even the righteous. It can stir heart-rending questions and deep emotions, like Joseph Smith’s cry from Liberty Jail, “O God, where art thou?”
Said Elder Hathaway: “Such questions and emotions are not sin or weakness; they can create a sacred space where agency is activated and we choose whether to turn toward Jesus Christ.”
Turning to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is done through prayer, purposeful fasting and scripture study, Elder Hathaway said.
While waiting on the Lord and exercising faith in Him, needed growth and spiritual stretching comes, Elder Hathaway said, adding “the Savior delivers us from our afflictions and consecrates them for our gain.”
To all who wait for divine deliverance, Elder Hathaway said: “I testify that the Lord is not delayed, distracted or derelict in His deliverance. He has not forgotten you. He does not take joy in your suffering. However, He knows that lessons learned while waiting can bring converting growth that an earlier rescue might not produce.”
‘We come to Christ to be perfected’
Elder Edward Dube of the Presidency of the Seventy spoke during the Sunday morning session about coming unto Christ.
He said people do not need to be perfect to come unto Christ. “We come to Christ to be perfected.”
Elder Dube pointed to Moroni’s invitation in Moroni 10:32: “Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, … deny yourselves of all ungodliness.”
He added: “Come: It’s an action. We choose to move from our current place to a better place. Deny yourselves: Surrender. Let go of the things that are holding us back. Be perfected in Him: Come as we are with a willing heart. He will give us a new heart.”
Elder Dube told the story of a man who was trying to stop smoking. The man “didn’t perfect himself to come to Christ,” Elder Dube said. “He came to Christ — with prayer, with trust and a willing heart. The Savior, through His grace, helped him to let go of what was holding him back.”
