The power of covenants - Church News

Making and keeping covenants with God is the source of strength and power which will be needed in the days ahead, proclaimed Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve during the Saturday morning session of conference.

During the first portion of his talk Elder Christofferson plainly stated the road ahead will not be easy and Church members can acquire necessary fortitude by covenanting with God.

"We need strong Christians who can persevere against hardship, who can sustain hope through tragedy, who can lift others by their example and their compassion, and who can consistently overcome temptations," he said. "We need strong Christians who can make important things happen by their faith and who can defend the truth of Jesus Christ against moral relativism and militant atheism.

"What is the source of such moral and spiritual power, and how do we obtain it? The source is God. Our access to that power is through our covenants with Him. A covenant is an agreement between God and man, an accord whose terms are set by God. In these divine agreements, God binds Himself to sustain, sanctify, and exalt us in return for our commitment to serve Him and keep His commandments."

Elder Christofferson taught that the ordinance of baptism is our foundational covenant, "the one in which we first pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ." Subsequent covenants can be made via temple ordinances.

He devoted the majority of his discourse to highlighting the three aspects of making and keeping covenants with God that "(give) us the power to smile through hardships, to convert tribulation into triumph, to 'be anxiously engaged in a good cause, … and bring to pass much righteousness' (Doctrine and Covenants 58:27)." Those three fruits of covenants he pinpointed are empowering blessings, an endowment of faith and a bestowal of divine power.

Elder Christofferson cited the Word of Wisdom as a commandment which, when observed, empowers Latter-day Saints to properly care for their bodies. He noted that not only does the Word of Wisdom engender healthy bodies, but it also strengthens spirits by preventing the onset of potentially destructive physical addictions. "Obedience," he said, "gives us greater control over our lives, greater capacity to come and go, to work and create."

An increase in faith harvested from covenants kept will directly lead to a more abundant supply of spiritual strength. "Our covenants," he said, "produce faith necessary to persevere and to do all things that are expedient in the Lord."

Near the end of his address, Elder Christofferson taught that the Holy Ghost is a means God utilizes to bless His children with power, His power that flows into their lives when they keep covenants. And when that power is acquired by keeping covenants, the results will be miraculous.

"In times of distress, let your covenants be paramount and let your obedience be exact," he counseled. "Then you can ask in faith, nothing wavering, according to your need, and God will answer. He will sustain you as you work and watch. In His own time and way He will stretch forth His hand to you saying 'Here am I.' "

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