Last updated on October 30th, 2023 at 03:08 pm
General Conference Applied
S2 E3 – Sunday, October 22, 2023 | “Our Constant Companion” by President Henry B. Eyring; October 2023 General Conference
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Corresponding Talk Outline: “Our Constant Companion“
Podcast Episode Outline
Introduction
President Eyring introduced the purpose of his talk in these words:
- “We have heard again President Russell M. Nelson’s warning that ‘in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.’
“That prophetic warning has led me to ponder what I might teach my children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren about how to have that crucial guidance in the difficult days ahead for them.
“So this message today is a brief letter to my descendants that might help them when I am not with them in the exciting days ahead. I want them to know what I have come to know that could help them.
“I have come to better understand what it will take for them to have the constant influence of the Holy Ghost in the days in which they will live. And I have felt impressed to speak today of my personal experience of inviting the Holy Ghost, as nearly as I could, to be my constant companion. My prayer is that I may be able to encourage them.”
First, it was Elder Gary E. Stevenson who shared President Nelson’s warning (‘in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost’) in his October 2023 General Conference address which was entitled “Promptings of the Spirit.” We will discuss this address in General Conference Applied season 2 episode 11. However, in that talk, Elder Stevenson stated:
- “The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest spiritual gifts Latter-day Saints enjoy.”
Second, I was impressed with President Eyring’s statement: “That prophetic warning has led me to ponder.” In the May 30, 2023, episode of the Church News Podcast, President Eyring shared his experience serving as a counselor to three Church Presidents (President Gordon B. Hinckley, President Thomas S. Monson, and President Russell M. Nelson). When talking about President Hinckley, President Eyring stated the following about paying attention to the words shared by the Lord’s prophet:
- “I knew he was the Prophet of God… I listened to his littlest words, with the thought that I could hear the voice of the Lord if I just listened. So what I learned is to listen, and also to feel through [prophets] the Lord’s love… Prophets have that gift… If I’m listening carefully, I’ll get revelation by paying attention to a prophet of God.”
In his October 2022 General Conference address which was entitled “Drawing Closer to the Savior,” Elder Neil L. Andersen stated:
- “In the last general conference, I listened very closely to the words of President Henry B. Eyring: ‘Each of us,’ he said, ‘wherever we are, knows that we live in increasingly perilous times. … Anyone with eyes to see the signs of the times and ears to hear the words of prophets knows that is true.’ The Savior commended His valiant disciples: ‘Blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.’ May this blessing be ours as we listen closely to the words of the Lord through His prophets and others in this conference.”
Third, while watching this session (Sunday Morning) with family at my in-laws’ home, a few of us looked at each other (I think my sister-in-law may have voiced this first) and said, “Is this President Eyring’s farewell talk?” Little did we know that exactly two weeks later, on Sunday, October 15, 2023, Sister Kathleen Johnson Eyring would pass away at age 82. In fact, her funeral was today, Saturday, October 21, 2023, the day I have recorded this podcast episode. Thus, I would like to share a quote from the article announcing Sister Eyring’s passing. This quote teaches us that, just like her husband, Sister Eyring strived for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost:
- “In 1970, as her husband was serving as a bishop and enjoying tenure at Stanford, Kathleen encouraged him to prayerfully consider the direction of his career. While initially ruffled at the suggestion, he heeded her counsel and received the impression to carefully consider new job opportunities with an open mind. Less than a week later, Henry was offered the position to be president of Ricks College, now BYU–Idaho, in Rexburg, Idaho, which he accepted.”
- In this article as well, President and Sister Eyring’s children shared how their mother loved to pray, and how she would pray with each of them individually each day as they were growing up.
- Finally, President Eyring had this to say about the first time he ever saw his wife in the May 30, 2023, episode of the Church News Podcast that I referenced previously:
- “One Sunday, I was speaking up in Rindge, New Hampshire, in a crowd I saw a girl, and a feeling came into me: ‘That’s the best person you have ever seen.’ And it was very specific with the words, ‘That’s the best person you have ever seen.'”
Fourth, President Eyring is speaking about his “personal experience of inviting the Holy Ghost, as nearly as [he] could, to be [his] constant companion.” I take this to mean that the four directives I have identified in this talk, and which I will be introducing shortly, are things that President Eyring has done personally. We have a tremendous opportunity here to follow a prophet, seer, and revelator step-by-step to invite the Holy Ghost to be “our constant companion.”
Reminder
In each episode of General Conference Applied, we are attempting to answer two questions:
- What is the speaker inviting me to do?
- How might I consider taking action?
What is the speaker inviting me to do?
Doctrines and Principles
As we have discussed in previous episodes of General Conference Applied, it is important to identify the applicable doctrines and principles of each General Conference address. In “Our Constant Companion,” I identified the doctrines of the Godhead and Revelation, and the principles of The Holy Ghost, Praying to Our Heavenly Father, Repentance, and The Gift of the Holy Ghost. I have included detailed breakdown of these doctrines and principles in the talk outline, but I will share additional insights during this podcast episode.
Promises
- Action: “As we pray and then heed the Spirit’s promptings”
Promise: “we gain greater insights and blessings to guide us through the increasingly difficult days ahead.” - Action: “As a witness of Jesus Christ, I know that He lives and He leads His Church.”
Promise: “You and I have the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion and to have those truths confirmed”
Action: “as we remember and love the Savior, repent, and ask for His love to be in our hearts.”
Invitations
- Though I did not identify an explicit invitation in this talk, I did develop an implicit invitation: Invite the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion.
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
- “Think about and pray about Helaman’s sons, Nephi and Lehi, and the other servants of the Lord laboring with them.”
- “When I feel distant from the Lord, when answers to my prayers seem delayed, I have learned to follow the counsel of President Nelson to review my life for opportunities to repent… If you find yourself having difficulty in feeling the Holy Ghost, you might ponder whether there is anything for which you might repent and receive forgiveness. You can pray with faith to know what to do to be cleansed and thus more nearly qualify for that constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.”
- “If you want to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you must want it for the right reasons. Your purposes must be the Lord’s purposes. If your motives are too selfish, you will find it difficult to receive and sense the promptings of the Spirit. The key for me and for you is to want what the Savior wants. Our motives need to be driven by the pure love of Christ. Our prayers need to be ‘All I want is what you want. Thy will be done.'”
- “I try to remember the Savior’s sacrifice and His love for me. Then, when I pray to Heavenly Father to give thanks, I feel love and assurance that my prayers are heard and that I will receive whatever is best for me and those I love.”
How might I consider taking action?
Invitations
1: Implicit invitation: Invite the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion.
- Gospel Principle: The Gift of the Holy Ghost
- “The gift of the Holy Ghost is the privilege—given to people who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ, been baptized, and been confirmed as members of the Church—to receive continual guidance and inspiration from the Holy Ghost.”
- Let me remind you of the invitations from the General Conference addresses of each of the members of the First Presidency:
- President Nelson (“Think Celestial!”): “Today, to assist you to qualify for the rich blessings Heavenly Father has for you, I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! Thinking celestial means being spiritually minded. We learn from the Book of Mormon prophet Jacob that ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’ … When you make choices, I invite you to take the long view—an eternal view.”
- President Dallin H. Oaks (“Kingdoms of Glory”): Implicit invitation: Choose laws now which align with the kingdom of glory in which you desire to abide.
- And now President Eyring: Implicit invitation: Invite the Holy Ghost to be our constant companion.
- Consistent righteous thoughts (President Nelson) and actions (President Oaks) lead to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost (President Eyring).
- Why is it important to strive to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost?
- Consider this story that President Eyring shared:
- “Years ago I received a phone call from a distraught mother. She told me that her daughter had moved far from home. She sensed from the little contact she had with her daughter that something was terribly wrong. She pleaded with me to help.
“I found out who the daughter’s home teacher was. You can tell by that name that it was a long time ago. I called him. He was young. Yet he told me that he and his companion both had been awakened in the night with not only concern for the daughter but with inspiration that she was about to make choices that would bring sadness and misery. With only that inspiration of the Spirit, they went to see her.
“At first she did not want to tell them about her situation. Under inspiration, they pleaded with her to repent and choose the path the Lord had for her. She realized then, I believe by the Spirit, that the only way they could have known what they knew about her life was from God. A mother turned her loving concerns over to Heavenly Father and the Savior. The Holy Ghost had been sent to those home teachers because they were willing to serve the Lord.”
- “Years ago I received a phone call from a distraught mother. She told me that her daughter had moved far from home. She sensed from the little contact she had with her daughter that something was terribly wrong. She pleaded with me to help.
- Gospel Doctrine: Revelation
- “Individuals can receive revelation to help them with their specific needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help strengthen their testimonies. Most revelations to leaders and members of the Church come through impressions and thoughts from the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost speaks to the mind and heart in a still, small voice (see D&C 8:2–3). Revelation can also come through visions, dreams, and visitations by angels.”
- Oftentimes, our Heavenly Father blesses His children through us. Are we listening? Are we living so that we can receive and hear those promptings?
- I can’t tell you how impressed I was by the example of these two home teachers. On the morning of October 18, 2023, I wrote the following in my journal:
- “What needs to happen in my prayers at night – both personally and praying with Morgan – to invite the Holy Ghost to be my constant companion even while I sleep? It seems to me that those individuals who receive inspiration during the night (i.e., President Nelson, as well as the two home teachers President Eyring talked about in his October 2023 General Conference address) are doing something right before bed that is inviting the Holy Ghost to be their constant companion while they sleep. I think identifying and then repenting of my sins might be the key here. Another key is going to be making my prayers transformational rather than transactional (see Elder Joaquin E. Costa’s October 2023 General Conference address).”
Directives (“an official or authoritative instruction”)
1: “Think about and pray about Helaman’s sons, Nephi and Lehi, and the other servants of the Lord laboring with them.”
- In “Our Constant Companion,” President Eyring shared Helaman 11:23. Here is that verse:
- “And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife. But it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi, and many of their brethren who knew concerning the true points of doctrine, having many revelations daily, therefore they did preach unto the people, insomuch that they did put an end to their strife in that same year.”
- This is a powerful verse, and a positive reminder for each of us that we can receive revelation from heaven each day, regardless of the chaos around us. However, I was even more intrigued when I read the two verses preceding Helaman 11:23 – here are verses 21-22:
- “And it came to pass that the seventy and sixth year did end in peace. And the seventy and seventh year began in peace; and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land; and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceedingly great peace in the land; and thus ended the seventy and seventh year. And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets.”
- We live in a day where there are “contentions concerning the points of doctrine.” Are we listening to this contention? Or are we following the examples of Nephi, Lehi, and their brethren, in seeking for daily revelation to withstand the ‘fiery darts of the adversary‘? I believe that President Eyring is inviting us to think and pray about Nephi, Lehi, and those serving with them, because what we are facing in our day is similar to what they were facing in their day. And yet, they still were able to strive for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, and so can we.
2: “When I feel distant from the Lord, when answers to my prayers seem delayed, I have learned to follow the counsel of President Nelson to review my life for opportunities to repent… If you find yourself having difficulty in feeling the Holy Ghost, you might ponder whether there is anything for which you might repent and receive forgiveness. You can pray with faith to know what to do to be cleansed and thus more nearly qualify for that constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.”
- Gospel Principle: Repentance
- “As we repent, the Atonement of Jesus Christ becomes fully effective in our lives, and the Lord forgives our sins. We become free from the bondage of our sins, and we find joy.”
- President Eyring stated: “We need, and you will need, the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. Now, we desire it, yet we know from experience that it is not easy to achieve. We each think and say and do things in our daily lives that can offend the Spirit.”
- On the morning of October 19, 2023, I wrote the following entry in my journal:
- “As I prayed this morning, I had this thought: ‘I want to better control my thought patterns so I can qualify for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.'”
- In a Worldwide Youth Broadcast on May 12, 2015, Elder David A. Bednar stated:
- “All good emanates from Christ [see Moroni 7:12–13, 16]. So if you have a thought to do something good, it’s prompted by the Holy Ghost.”
- Thoughts are important. “According to the National Science Foundation, 80% of our thoughts are negative and 95% of our thoughts are repetitive.” When discussing thoughts, we often focus on impure thoughts – and those will certainly offend the Spirit. But what about negative thoughts? I think that negativity is something that our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ invite us to overcome as well.
- In his book ‘Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness,’ Dr. Daniel G. Amen wrote about what he calls “automatic negative thoughts” or “ANTs.”
- “Whenever you notice these automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, you need to crush them or they’ll ruin your relationships, your self-esteem, and your personal power. One way to crush these ANTs is to write them down and talk back to them. For example, if you catch yourself thinking, “My husband never listens to me,” write it down. Then write down a rational response, something like “He’s not listening to me now, maybe he’s distracted by something else. He often listens to me.” When you write down negative thoughts and talk back to them, you take away their power and help yourself feel better…
“Here are nine different ways that your thoughts lie to you to make situations seem worse than they really are. Think of these nine ways as different species or types of ANTs. When you can identify the type of ANT, you begin to take away the power it has over you…
1. “‘Always/never’ thinking: thinking in words like always, never, no one, everyone, every time, everything
2. “Focusing on the negative: seeing only the bad in a situation
3. “Fortune-telling: predicting the worst possible outcome to a situation
4. “Mind reading: believing that you know what others are thinking, even though they haven’t told you
5. “Thinking with your feelings: believing negative feelings without ever questioning them
6. “Guilt beating: thinking in words like should, must, ought, or have to
7. “Labeling: attaching a negative label to yourself or to someone else
8. “Personalizing: investing innocuous events with personal meaning
9. “Blaming: blaming someone else for your own problems…
“Here are some examples of ways to kill these ANTs. I call this my triple column technique – where in the first column you write out the ANT (the automatic negative thought), in the second column you write down the species or type of ANT it is, and in the third column you kill the ANT by talking back to it.”
- “Whenever you notice these automatic negative thoughts, or ANTs, you need to crush them or they’ll ruin your relationships, your self-esteem, and your personal power. One way to crush these ANTs is to write them down and talk back to them. For example, if you catch yourself thinking, “My husband never listens to me,” write it down. Then write down a rational response, something like “He’s not listening to me now, maybe he’s distracted by something else. He often listens to me.” When you write down negative thoughts and talk back to them, you take away their power and help yourself feel better…
3: “If you want to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, you must want it for the right reasons. Your purposes must be the Lord’s purposes. If your motives are too selfish, you will find it difficult to receive and sense the promptings of the Spirit. The key for me and for you is to want what the Savior wants. Our motives need to be driven by the pure love of Christ. Our prayers need to be ‘All I want is what you want. Thy will be done.'”
- Gospel Principle: Praying to Our Heavenly Father
- “As we pray to our Heavenly Father, we should tell Him what we really feel in our hearts, confide in Him, ask Him for forgiveness, plead with Him, thank Him, express our love for Him. We should not repeat meaningless words and phrases (see Matthew 6:7–8). We should always ask that His will be done, remembering that what we desire may not be best for us (see 3 Nephi 18:20).”
- Action: “As we pray and then heed the Spirit’s promptings”
Promise: “we gain greater insights and blessings to guide us through the increasingly difficult days ahead.” - In an April 2006 General Conference address entitled “As a Child,” President Eyring shared the following powerful, personal experience:
- “I have prayed, as you have, to know what to do when choices that I faced would have eternal consequences. Over many years I have seen a recurring pattern in the times when the answers to such a prayer have come most clearly.
“Once, for instance, I prayed through the night to know what I was to choose to do in the morning. I knew that no other choice could have had a greater effect on the lives of others and on my own. I knew what choice looked most comfortable to me. I knew what outcome I wanted. But I could not see the future. I could not see which choice would lead to which outcome. So the risk of being wrong seemed too great to me.
“I prayed, but for hours there seemed to be no answer. Just before dawn, a feeling came over me. More than at any time since I had been a child, I felt like one. My heart and my mind seemed to grow very quiet. There was a peace in that inner stillness.
“Somewhat to my surprise, I found myself praying, ‘Heavenly Father, it doesn’t matter what I want. I don’t care anymore what I want. I only want that Thy will be done. That is all that I want. Please tell me what to do.’
“In that moment I felt as quiet inside as I had ever felt. And the message came, and I was sure who it was from. It was clear what I was to do. I received no promise of the outcome. There was only the assurance that I was a child who had been told what path led to whatever He wanted for me.
“I learned from that experience and countless repetitions that the description of the Holy Ghost as a still, small voice is real. It is poetic, but it is not poetry. Only when my heart has been still and quiet, in submission like a little child, has the Spirit been clearly audible to my heart and mind.”
- “I have prayed, as you have, to know what to do when choices that I faced would have eternal consequences. Over many years I have seen a recurring pattern in the times when the answers to such a prayer have come most clearly.
- This is easier said than done. Our Heavenly Father knows the thoughts and intents of our heart. It’s easy to say ‘Thy will be done.’ It’s harder to actually mean it.
- “Your purposes must be the Lord’s purposes.” This phrase is important. We know the Lord’s purpose – it is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” Keep in mind that hard things happen in our lives for a reason. In the moment, I wouldn’t have chosen those hard things. But looking back, I can see that a wise Father in Heaven has allowed me to pass through hard things to become more like Him. How might we more align our will with His?
4: “I try to remember the Savior’s sacrifice and His love for me. Then, when I pray to Heavenly Father to give thanks, I feel love and assurance that my prayers are heard and that I will receive whatever is best for me and those I love.”
- Gospel Principle: The Holy Ghost
- “The mission of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of the Father and the Son and of the truth of all things. The Holy Ghost will witness to us that Jesus is our Savior and Redeemer (see 3 Nephi 28:11; D&C 20:27).”
- Action: “As a witness of Jesus Christ, I know that He lives and He leads His Church.”
Promise: “You and I have the opportunity to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion and to have those truths confirmed”
Action: “as we remember and love the Savior, repent, and ask for His love to be in our hearts.” - This is an interesting directive. It took time, but I was ultimately led to the Sacrament prayers (see Doctrine and Covenants 20:77 and 20:79). In the Sacrament prayers, we witness unto God that we are willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments which He has given us. As we do this, the promise is that we may always have His Spirit to be with us. Taking Jesus Christ’s name upon us and remembering Him always leads to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
- I like this powerful personal experience that Elder Kevin W. Pearson shared in his talk “Are You Still Willing?” in the October 2022 General Conference:
- “One Sunday, while I was preparing to partake of the sacrament after several weeks of stake conference assignments, an interesting and powerful thought passed through my mind.
“As the priest began offering the blessing on the bread, words I had heard so many times before pressed forcefully upon my mind and heart. ‘And witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him and keep his commandments which he has given them; that they may always have his Spirit to be with them.’ How many times have we witnessed unto God that we are willing?
“As I pondered the significance of those sacred words, the word willing impressed me as never before. A flood of sweet and sacred experiences filled my mind and heart with love and gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of the Savior and His crucial role in the Father’s plan of redemption for my family and me. Then I heard and felt the penetrating words of the prayer on the water: ‘That they may witness unto thee … that they do always remember him.’ I understood clearly in that moment that keeping my covenants must be more than good intentions.
“Partaking of the sacrament is not a passive religious ritual implying our mere consent. It is a powerful reminder of the reality of the Savior’s infinite Atonement and the need to always remember Him and keep His commandments. Willingness to focus on the Savior is so crucial it is the central message of the two most quoted scriptures in the Church: the sacrament prayers. Understanding the truth of what Heavenly Father so willingly offers each of us through His Only Begotten Son should evoke our utmost efforts to always be willing in return.”
- “One Sunday, while I was preparing to partake of the sacrament after several weeks of stake conference assignments, an interesting and powerful thought passed through my mind.
- What is it that Heavenly Father “so willingly offers each of us?” It is the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost.
- When we feel love and assurance, that invites the presence of the Holy Ghost; when we think of Jesus Christ, that invites the presence of the Holy Ghost; this is why we have been instructed to always remember Him (see General Conference Applied season 1 episode 10 which was a deep-dive into Elder Neil L. Andersen’s April 2023 General Conference address which was entitled “My Mind Caught Hold upon This Thought of Jesus Christ”).
This Week’s Action Item
“That which is measured improves. That which is measured and reported improves exponentially.”
Karl Pearson, an early 20th-century British mathematician
“Those who measure their progress improve. Those who measure and report their progress improve exponentially.”
Dan Sullivan, founder and president of The Strategic Coach Inc.
“Do something, do anything! But to start, just do ONE thing.”
Mitch Peterson
I desire the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. This week I will:
- “Think about and pray about Helaman’s sons, Nephi and Lehi, and the other servants of the Lord laboring with them.” Then, I will write in my journal the impressions that come.
- “Ponder whether there is anything for which [I] might repent and receive forgiveness. [I will] pray with faith to know what to do to be cleansed.” Then, I will write in my journal the impressions that come.
- During my prayers this week, I will contemplate “if [my] motives are too selfish” as I ask Heavenly Father for various things. Then, I will write in my journal the impressions that come.
- Before each prayer this week, “I [will] try to remember the Savior’s sacrifice and His love for me.” Then, I will write in my journal how my prayers changed because of this focus on my Savior.
- I will share my experiences with my accountability partner, and I will also share with you at the beginning of General Conference Applied season 2 episode 4.