Here are some of those gifts.

Answers to prayers. Wise counsel we often receive before conference is to come prepared with questions. We are promised that as we prayerfully seek for answers while listening to speakers, we will receive the answers we need, either directly from the words of the speakers, or from the enlightenment we receive through the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

Receiving answers to our prayers doesn’t happen automatically. We are counseled to carefully prepare ourselves spiritually, so we can be ready to receive the answers we need. Sometimes, the answers do not come during the conference itself, but come later as we give heed to the counsel to carefully study the conference talks over the course of 6 months.

Aside from the talks given, answers can also be found in the hymns, prayers, and even discussions with our families about impressions they have received during the conference.

Witness of precious truths.  During the October 2018 Sunday morning session, Elder M. Russel Ballard opened the conference with a very powerful message about a vision his great grandfather, Joseph Fielding Smith, received regarding the redemption of the dead. He recounted the many trials and sorrows Joseph F. had to go through to become fully prepared to receive such revelation. At a young age, Joseph F. lost his father, Hyrum Smith, who was martyred at Carthage. Joseph F. also lost his mother, one brother, two sisters, two wives, and thirteen children during his lifetime.

Many of us might not have known what difficult trials Joseph F. Smith had to go through until this last General Conference. His life is a witness to the truthfulness of God’s words that all our trials “shall give [us] experience, and shall be for [our] good.” So great was his lost and so intense was his desire to come to know what happens after this life, that he was spiritually ready for such a powerful vision.

Elder Ballard’s witness of the life and ministry of his great grandfather, along with all the other witnesses given during General Conference, is one of the gifts we can receive when we carefully study and ponder the talks.

Promised Blessings. A frequent promise made during General Conference is that we can receive countless blessings when we prayerfully study the Book of Mormon. In his last General Conference talk, prophet Thomas S. Monson “implore[d] each of us to prayerfully study and ponder the Book of Mormon each day.” He promised that “[a]s we do so, we will be in a position to hear the voice of the Spirit, to resist temptation, to overcome doubt and fear, and to receive heaven’s help in our lives.” What a promise! In today’s world of increasing evil, the Book of Mormon can be our protection. This was the prophet’s last counsel to us before he died. The fact that he chose this counsel over all others says so much about the importance of reading the Book of Mormon.

A similar promise was made by our current prophet Russel M. Nelson, when he said that a prayerful study of the Book of Mormon will enable us to make better decisions and receive answers and direction in our lives. He also added that we “can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions” as we immerse ourselves in the words of the Book.

All of these promises, along with all others, that have been made during General Conferences are God’s promises to all of us. The Lord declared that, “whether by [His] own voice or by the voice of [His] servants, it is the same.”

General Conference is for more than just giving instruction and direction to a worldwide church and the world as a whole. It is also about showering abundant gifts into the lives of all those who are seeking for heaven’s truths, promises, and answers. As we prayerfully study the conference messages for the next 6 months, may we always ask what gifts the heavens have given to us in the form of carefully wrapped conference talks.

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One of Elder Gerrit W. Gong’s most powerful statements during conference, was that, “our covenants and our Savior’s Atonement enable and ennoble. Together, they help us hold on and let go. Together, they sweeten, preserve, sanctify, redeem.” We hear about the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ often. We know that we can experience the power of His Atonement as we repent and seek forgiveness, comfort those who are troubled and oppressed, forgive ourselves and others, cast our burdens at His feet, and lose ourselves in the service of our fellowmen. On the other hand, we rarely hear that our covenants also have enabling power.

The need for moral and spiritual power to thrive in this world is inevitably increasing. The source of this power is God and access to this power is through our covenants with Him. Elder D. Todd Christofferson taught that, “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.” Our covenants with God enable us to weather the storms of life with perseverance, overcome life’s challenges with sustained hope, and recognize the subtle enticements of the adversary. Our covenants give us power to dispel mists of confusion about moral values that the world often tries to distort, and raise our views to see the things of eternity. When we live true to our covenants with God, our lives will be elevated to a great spiritual degree and we will gain the attributes of Godliness that we so desire.

As we seek to keep our covenants, we may find ourselves falling short of our commitment. In these trying times, we can take comfort and access the enabling power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ as we turn to God for forgiveness and the cleansing of our souls. In many scriptural accounts, the Lord shows mercy to all those who offer up a broken heart and a contrite spirit. So will He also show mercy unto us as we look to Him for guidance and correction.

The guidance and correction that we seek often come from the prophet of God. Elder Ulisses Soares testified of the power given to the prophets to become the mouthpiece of God here on Earth. He recounted an experience when He witnessed the hand of the Lord in bringing to pass a miracle and they were right where God needed them to be. Prophets are the instruments by which God performs many mighty miracles. They speak the words of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. The Lord has given us prophets in our day to declare unto us the mind and heart of God regarding all things pertaining to our salvation and exaltation. Elder Ulisses added that “[h]aving prophets is a sign of God’s love for His children.” When we follow the counsel of the prophets, we will feel the love of God in our lives, and our confidence that He is mindful of us will increase.

As we continue to seek inspiration from the words of God spoken by the mouth of His servants during General Conference, may we be blessed with a renewed commitment to pattern our lives in accordance with the covenants we have made with God. May we also find peace and comfort that the grace of God through the Atonement of Jesus Christ is sufficient for all those who come unto Him in faith.

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