Confidence in the Presence of God | Russell M. Nelson | April 2025 General Conference

Summary

In this inspiring talk from the April 2025 General Conference, Russell M. Nelson emphasizes the importance of developing confidence in the presence of God. He highlights the incredible service being done by the youth and speaks fondly of his great-granddaughter, expressing his desire for her to build a strong faith in Jesus Christ. Nelson explains that by living charitably and virtuously, individuals can experience a unique type of confidence that allows them to approach God with assurance. He calls for more peacemaking and less hostility, especially in public discourse, and underscores the importance of regular temple worship in fostering both charity and virtue. Nelson concludes with the announcement of new temples and a call to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Highlights

• Russell M. Nelson praises the youth for their service and missionary work 🌟
• Confidence in the presence of God comes from charity and virtue 💖
• Charity towards all men is essential to progress and godly character 🙌
• Virtue in thoughts leads to a happier, purer life ✨
• Temple worship strengthens charity and virtue, preparing us for Christ's return ⛪
• Anticipating Jesus Christ's Second Coming with readiness and faith ⏳
• Announcing new temples in 15 worldwide locations 🗺️

Key Takeaways

• Confidence in God starts with charity and virtue 🌟
• Youth are rising as leaders in the Church's growth 💪
• Temple worship enhances our connection with God 🌺
• Prepare for the Second Coming with faith and action 🙏
• Peacemaking and charity are essential to discipleship 🤝

Overview

Russell M. Nelson kicked off his General Conference talk with gratitude for the progress seen within the Church, especially due to the youth who are engaging in service and missionary work like never before. He shares a personal moment of meeting his great-granddaughter and emphasizes the significance of building a strong faith in Jesus for future challenges and happiness.

Nelson dives into the theme of confidence before God, anchored in virtuous living and actionable charity. He quotes the Lord's words about how allowing charity and virtue to shape our thoughts will let our confidence "wax strong" before God. Nelson stresses the importance of avoiding contention and embracing peacemaking as a reflection of Christ's teachings.

Concluding with a forward-looking message, Nelson announces new temples around the world and reminds believers to prepare for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. He encourages members to build confidence through charity and virtue, promising a profound spiritual empowerment that will exceed expectations, and to approach God with joyful assurance.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction and Message Overview The speaker expresses gratitude for the opportunity to speak at the general conference, acknowledging the challenges of aging eyesight. The speaker shares optimism about the church's forward momentum and progress in various domains, expressing joy in observing these advancements.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Inspiration from the Youth The chapter titled 'Inspiration from the Youth' highlights the remarkable contributions of the younger generation. It notes their enthusiasm and dedication in service, particularly in religious contexts such as temple ordinances and missionary work. The young are described as a pivotal support to the community, actively participating and setting records with their fervent applications for missionary service. The 'rising generation' is characterized as embodying a spirit of service and leadership.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Building Faith in Jesus Christ The chapter emphasizes the importance of building faith in Jesus Christ, highlighting a personal story about the author's great-granddaughter. The author expresses a strong desire to help his great-granddaughter develop her faith as it is crucial for her future happiness, especially given the challenges she may face. Living the gospel is portrayed as essential to achieving this happiness.
• 01:30 - 02:00: Facing Challenges with Confidence The chapter discusses the inevitability of facing challenges such as illness, disappointment, temptation, and loss. It emphasizes the impact these challenges can have on one's self-confidence. Nevertheless, it highlights that disciples of Jesus Christ have access to a unique form of confidence that can help them overcome these challenges.
• 02:00 - 02:30: The Source of Confidence Confidence born of the Spirit comes from making and keeping covenants with God. The Lord's assurance to the Prophet Joseph Smith highlights that such confidence can grow strong, allowing us to be comfortable in God's presence.
• 02:30 - 03:00: Having Confidence Before God This chapter discusses 'Having Confidence Before God,' focusing on the confidence in approaching God through prayer. It emphasizes the understanding that God hears and comprehends our needs better than we do and assures us of His boundless love for us.
• 03:00 - 03:30: Gaining Confidence Through Charity and Virtue This chapter discusses the concept of gaining confidence through the belief that divine help is available. It mentions the idea that angels are sent to assist us and those we care about, and emphasizes the importance of having faith that a higher power desires for us to reach our fullest potential.
• 03:30 - 04:00: Importance of Charity The chapter titled 'Importance of Charity' emphasizes the significance of charity and virtue in spiritual growth. It highlights a quote about the necessity of having charity towards all people and maintaining virtuous thoughts consistently. This practice is presented as a means to strengthen one's confidence before God, according to divine words.
• 04:00 - 04:30: Charity in Public and Private Discourse The chapter "Charity in Public and Private Discourse" opens with a motivational call to action, emphasizing the strength and confidence that believers can have in the presence of God.
• 04:30 - 05:00: Avoiding Contention The chapter 'Avoiding Contention' emphasizes the importance of maintaining calm and charitable discourse, both publicly and privately. It reiterates that anger and hostility are ineffective in persuasion and do not lead to constructive solutions. Peacemakers are characterized by true charity towards all, reinforcing the need for peaceful and kind interactions to achieve inspired outcomes.
• 05:00 - 05:30: Charity as a Godly Attribute In the chapter titled "Charity as a Godly Attribute," there is an emphasis on the importance of charity as a divine quality that should be embraced by all. The speaker appreciates those who have heeded earlier advice but insists that more can be done to improve. The chapter highlights the alarming hostility present in public discourse and social media, cautioning against the destructive power of hateful words, which are likened to deadly weapons.
• 05:30 - 06:00: Charity as a Divine Gift The chapter discusses how contention can prevent the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion. It emphasizes the importance of being peacemakers as followers of Jesus Christ and suggests that as charity becomes integral to our nature, the urge to demean others will diminish.
• 06:00 - 06:30: Understanding Virtue The chapter titled 'Understanding Virtue' focuses on the concept of charity as a fundamental virtue. It emphasizes the importance of refraining from judgment and cultivating charity towards everyone, regardless of their background. Charity is portrayed as the cornerstone of a godly character, essential for personal and spiritual progress. The chapter concludes with an exhortation to seek divine assistance in fostering greater charity, particularly towards individuals who are challenging to love.
• 06:30 - 07:00: Power of Virtue Over Thoughts The chapter discusses the concepts of charity, virtue, and peace from a Christian perspective. Charity is described as a gift from God meant for true followers of Jesus Christ, emphasizing the role of believers as instruments of peace. Moreover, the importance of virtue is highlighted, with a focus on continuously enriching one's thoughts with virtuous ideas as instructed by the Lord.
• 07:00 - 07:30: The Need for Purity This chapter explores the concept of purity, particularly focusing on the power of virtue in enhancing positive thoughts and actions. It contrasts the uplifting effects of virtuous thinking with the negative impacts of adding virtue to impure thoughts, suggesting that virtue inherently makes everything better and happier.
• 07:30 - 08:00: Temple Worship and Spiritual Growth This chapter emphasizes the importance of virtue in driving away negative thoughts, such as cruel and depressing ones, and freeing oneself from anxiety and troublesome thoughts. It highlights the necessity for increased purity in thoughts, words, and actions as the world becomes more wicked.
• 08:00 - 08:30: Preparing for the Second Coming The chapter emphasizes the importance of being filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ towards all men. It highlights the opportunity for individuals to become the people God desires them to be. Regular worship in the house of the Lord is mentioned as a key practice that enhances one's capacity for virtue.
• 08:30 - 09:00: Invitation to Grow in Confidence The chapter discusses the concept of gaining confidence before the Lord through spending time in the temple. It emphasizes that increasing this time in the temple is beneficial for preparing for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Although the exact time of His coming is unknown, there is a strong urging and prompting from the Lord to be ready for this significant event.
• 09:00 - 10:00: Announcing New Temples In the chapter titled 'Announcing New Temples,' the focus is on the importance of having charity and virtue in our lives to build our confidence in approaching God. Readers are encouraged to take intentional steps to grow in their confidence before the Lord.
• 10:00 - 11:00: Conclusion and Testimony The chapter discusses the spiritual journey of approaching Heavenly Father with greater confidence. It emphasizes that by doing so, individuals will be filled with increased joy and their faith in Jesus Christ will grow. The chapter also highlights that this process will lead to experiencing spiritual power that surpasses expectations. Additionally, it expresses gratitude to the Lord for the accelerated pace of temple construction.

Confidence in the Presence of God | Russell M. Nelson | April 2025 General Conference Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 My dear brothers and sisters, I am grateful to speak to you today in this important general conference. My eyes continue to get older. Thank you for your understanding as I deliver my message. We live in a day of great momentum in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am filled with joy as I see progress in so many areas.
• 00:30 - 01:00 I am especially inspired by our youth. They are giving service in large numbers. They're seeking their ancestors and performing ordinances in the temple. Our young men and women are submitting applications for missionary service in record numbers. The rising generation is rising up
• 01:00 - 01:30 as stalwart followers of Jesus Christ. Recently I met a new great-granddaughter. When I contemplate the challenges she will experience in her life, I feel a great desire to help her build faith in Jesus Christ. Living His gospel is essential for her future happiness.
• 01:30 - 02:00 She, like each of us, will face challenges. We all will experience illness, disappointment, temptation, and loss. These challenges can knock our self-confidence. However, disciples of Jesus Christ have access to a different kind of confidence.
• 02:00 - 02:30 When we make and keep covenants with God, we can have confidence that is born of the Spirit. The Lord told the Prophet Joseph Smith that our confidence can “wax strong in the presence of God.” Imagine the comfort of having confidence in the presence of God!
• 02:30 - 03:00 When I speak of having confidence before God, I’m referring to having confidence in approaching God right now. I’m referring to praying with confidence that Heavenly Father hears us, that He understands our needs better than we do. I’m referring to having confidence that He loves us more than we can comprehend,
• 03:00 - 03:30 that He sends angels to be with us and with those we love. I’m referring to having confidence that He yearns to help each of us reach our highest potential. Now, how do we gain such confidence? The Lord answers this question with these words.
• 03:30 - 04:00 Quote. “Let thy bowels ... be full of charity towards all men, ... and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.” End quote. There's the key in the Lord's own words. Charity and virtue open the way to having confidence before God.
• 04:00 - 04:30 Brothers and sisters, we can do this. Our confidence can truly wax strong in the presence of God right now. Let's consider both charity and virtue. First charity. Two years ago, I called upon us as covenant followers of Jesus Christ to be peacemakers.
• 04:30 - 05:00 I repeat what I said then: “Anger never persuades. Hostility builds no one. Contention never leads to inspired solutions.” True charity towards all men is the hallmark of peacemakers. It is imperative that we have charity in our discourse, both public and private.
• 05:00 - 05:30 I thank those of you who took my previous counsel to heart. But we can still do better. The present hostility in public dialogue and on social media is alarming. Hateful words are deadly weapons.
• 05:30 - 06:00 Contention prevents the Holy Ghost from being our constant companion. As followers of Jesus Christ, we should lead the way as peacemakers. As charity becomes part of our nature, we will lose the impulse to demean others.
• 06:00 - 06:30 We will stop judging others. We'll have charity for those from all walks of life. Charity towards all men is essential to our progress. Charity is the foundation of a godly character. Let us plead with our Heavenly Father to fill our hearts with greater charity— especially for those who are difficult to love
• 06:30 - 07:00 For charity is a gift from our Heavenly Father for true followers of Jesus Christ. The Savior is the Prince of Peace. We are to be His instruments for peace. Now let us speak of virtue. The Lord tells us to garnish our thoughts unceasingly with virtue.
• 07:00 - 07:30 Imagine the boost you will receive to any positive thought when you enhance it with virtue. Virtue makes everything better and happier! On the other hand, imagine what will happen when you add virtue to an impure thought,
• 07:30 - 08:00 a cruel thought, or a depressing thought. Virtue will drive away those thoughts. Virtue will free you from anxious, troublesome thoughts. Brothers and sisters, as the world grows more wicked, we need to grow increasingly pure. Our thoughts, words, and actions need to be unfailingly virtuous
• 08:00 - 08:30 and filled with the pure love of Jesus Christ towards all men. The great opportunity before us is to become the people God needs us to be. Regular worship in the house of the Lord increases our capacity for both virtue
• 08:30 - 09:00 and charity. Thus, time in the temple increases our confidence before the Lord. Increased time in the temple will help us prepare for the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ. We do not know the day or the hour of His coming, but I do know that the Lord is prompting me to urge us to get ready for that great
• 09:00 - 09:30 and dreadful day. As we diligently seek to have charity and virtue fill our lives, our confidence in approaching God will increase. I invite you to take intentional steps to grow in your confidence before the Lord.
• 09:30 - 10:00 Then as we go to our Heavenly Father with increasing confidence, we will be filled with more joy and your faith in Jesus Christ will increase. We will begin to experience spiritual power that exceeds our greatest hopes. We are grateful to the Lord for the acceleration of temple building
• 10:00 - 10:30 in recent years. Under His direction, today we announce plans to construct a temple in each of these 15 locations. Reynosa, Mexico. Chorrillos, Peru. Rivera, Uruguay. Campo Grande, Brazil.
• 10:30 - 11:00 Porto, Portugal. Uyo, Nigeria. San Jose del Monte, Philippines. Nouméa, New Caledonia. Liverpool, Australia. Caldwell, Idaho. Flagstaff, Arizona. Rapid City, South Dakota.
• 11:00 - 11:30 Greenville, South Carolina. Norfolk, Virginia. Spanish Fork, Utah. I testify that Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of Israel, leads this His Church. He is preparing to come again.
• 11:30 - 12:00 May we likewise prepare to receive Him. For this I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.