Christ can carry us today through difficult times. He did it for the early pioneers, and He will do it now for each one of us. Difficult times are coming...just like the pioneers. Read their stories of faith. Learn from them. They will be honoring YOU for what YOU went through that was harder than what they went through!
Thank you, choir, for singing “Faith in Every Footstep.” The music and words of that song were written in 1996 by Brother Newell Dayley1 in preparation for the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the arrival of the early pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.
Although this song was written in preparation for that celebration, its message applies to the whole world.
1. A marvelous work has begun to come forth among all the children of men. I believe Isaiah's "Marvelous Work and a Wonder" is the end time gathering of the Israel initiated by the God's end-time servant, right before the Second Coming. It's almost here!
O ye that embark in the service of God, give heart, mind, and strength unto him; It is going to take your heart, mind, and strength to serve like you never have before! That service will be how to love all the poor and needy that will become so commonplace and not become anger, bitter or selfish.
For prophets have spoken and angels have come to lift the world from sin,
That Christ may reign over all the earth and bless his gathered kin. Second Coming language and prophecy. The things the prophets wrote that saw our day that thrilled them....are coming! There's great miracles that come with the great judgment.
Chorus
With faith in ev’ry footstep, we follow Christ, the Lord; Keep your eye rivited on the Savior! Let Him rule and reign right now. It will take faith EVERY step of the way. He will lead you step by step, even as you go "not knowing beforehand what you shall do."
And filled with hope through his pure love, we sing with one accord. This is "born again" language. We will be blessed with hope as we are "filled" with His pure love. We'll be able to "sing the song" of redeeming love, like King Benjamin's people. Pray for this.
2. Those marvelous Saints who embraced this great work and shared it in lands far and near; Another reference to the "marvelous work and wonder" spoken of in Moses 7:62 "13 And so great was the afaith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he bspake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the cmountains fled, even according to his command; and the drivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so epowerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him...the end time servant will do the same but the Lord came and adwelt with his people, and they dwelt in righteousness.
17 The afear of the Lord was upon all nations, so great was the bglory of the Lord, which was upon his people. And the Lord blessed the cland, and they were blessed upon the mountains, and upon the high places, and did flourish.
18 And the Lord called his people aZion, because they were of bone heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them...But the Lord said unto Enoch: Zion have I blessed, but the bresidue of the people have I cursed....26 And he beheld Satan; and he had a great achain in his hand, and it veiled the whole face of the earth with bdarkness; and he looked up and claughed, and his dangels rejoiced.
27 And Enoch beheld aangels descending out of heaven, bearing btestimony of the Father and Son; and the Holy Ghost fell on many, and they were caught up by the powers of heaven into Zion....this sounds like what will happen when the 144,000 bring the elect to Zion I am aMessiah, the bKing of Zion, the cRock of Heaven, which is broad as deternity; whoso cometh in at the gate and eclimbeth up by me shall never fall; wherefore, blessed are they of whom I have spoken, for they shall come forth with fsongs of everlasting gjoy...born again language...60 And the Lord said unto Enoch: As I live, even so will I come in the alast days, in the days of wickedness and vengeance, to fulfil the boath which I have made unto you concerning the children of Noah;
61 And the day shall come that the earth shall arest, but before that day the heavens shall be bdarkened, and a cveil of darkness shall cover the earth; think Lehi's "mist" of darkness and the heavens shall shake, and also the earth; and great tribulations shall be among the children of men, but my people will I dpreserve;
62 And arighteousness will I send down out of heaven; and truth will I send forth out of the earth, to bear btestimony of mine Only Begotten; his cresurrection from the dead; yea, and also the resurrection of all men; and righteousness and truth will I cause to sweep the earth as with a flood, to dgather out mine elect from the four quarters of the earth, unto a place which I shall prepare, an Holy City, that my people may gird up their loins, and be looking forth for the time of my coming; for there shall be my tabernacle, and it shall be called eZion, a fNew Jerusalem.
63 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Then shalt thou and all thy acity meet them there, and we will breceive them into our bosom, and they shall see us; and we will fall upon their necks, and they shall fall upon our necks, and we will kiss each other;
Who gave all their heart, mind, and strength to the Lord with wisdom and vision so clear; Total consecration. No "mist" of darkness.
Now stand as examples of virtue and faith, of souls prepared to hear,
Of knowledge sure, born of humble heart, and love that banished fear. We receive "knowledge sure" when we are humble and come before the Lord with a broken heart and contrite spirit. Then we receive that "love that banishes fear" - we are "born again"
3. If we now desire to assist in this work and thrust in our sickles with might,
If we will embark in the service of God to harvest in fields that are white;
Our souls may receive the salvation of God—the fulness of his light,
That we may stand, free of sin and blame, God’s glory in our sight. Pray for this. Desire to be a part of this great end time "work". It will take all your faith and might.
I have always loved the chorus:
With faith in ev’ry footstep, we follow Christ, the Lord;
And filled with hope through his pure love, we sing with one accord.2 Again, my footnote would be Mosiah 5:2 And they all cried with one voice, saying: Yea, we believe all the words which thou hast spoken unto us; and also, we know of their surety and truth, because of the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty achange in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do bevil, but to do good continually.
3 And we, ourselves, also, through the infinite agoodness of God, and the manifestations of his Spirit, have great views of that which is to come; and were it expedient, we could prophesy of all things.
4 And it is the faith which we have had on the things which our king has spoken unto us that has brought us to this great knowledge, whereby we do rejoice with such exceedingly great joy.
5 And we are willing to enter into a acovenant with our God to do his will, and to be obedient to his commandments in all things that he shall command us, all the remainder of our days, that we may not bring upon ourselves a bnever-ending torment, as has been spoken by the cangel, that we may not drink out of the cup of the wrath of God.
Alma 5:14 And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye aspiritually been bborn of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty cchange in your hearts? 26 And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a achange of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the bsong of redeeming love, I would ask, ccan ye feel so now?
Brothers and sisters, I testify that as we follow Jesus Christ with footsteps of faith, there is hope. There is hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. There is hope for all in this life. There is hope to overcome our mistakes, our sorrows, our struggles, and our trials and our troubles. There is hope in repentance and being forgiven and in forgiving others. I testify that there is hope and peace in Christ. He can carry us today through difficult times. He did it for the early pioneers, and He will do it now for each one of us.
This year marks the 175th anniversary of the arrival of the early pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley, which has caused me to reflect on my ancestors, some of whom walked from Nauvoo to the Salt Lake Valley. I have great-grandparents who walked the plains in their youth. Henry Ballard was 20 years old;3 Margaret McNeil was 13;4 and Joseph F. Smith, who later became the sixth President of the Church, was just 9 when he arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.5
They faced deprivations of every kind along the trail, such as cold winters, illness, and lack of adequate food and clothing. Prepare for THESE things! Medicines, food and ways to cook it, clothing, shelter For instance, when Henry Ballard entered the Salt Lake Valley, he rejoiced in seeing the “Promised Land” but lived in fear that someone might see him because the clothing he was wearing was so worn out that it did not completely cover his body. He hid himself behind bushes all day until after dark. He then went to a house and begged for clothing so that he could continue his journey and locate his parents. He was thankful to God that he had reached his future home in safety.6
My great-grandparents followed Jesus Christ with footsteps of faith throughout each of their trials. I am grateful to them for never giving up. Their footsteps of faith have blessed me and subsequent generations, just as your footsteps of faith today will bless your posterity. Focus on Christ. Follow Him Every step of the way through EACH trial that is coming. Never give up. It will bless your children and grandchildren.
The word pioneer is both a noun and a verb. As a noun it can mean a person who is among the first to explore or settle a new territory. As a verb, it can mean to open or prepare the way for others to follow.7
As I think about pioneers who have prepared the way for others, I first think of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Joseph was a pioneer because his footsteps of faith led him to a grove of trees, where he knelt in prayer and opened the way for us to have the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Joseph’s faith to “ask of God”8 on that spring morning in 1820 opened the way for the Restoration of the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which included prophets and apostles called to serve on earth once again.9 I know Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. I know his faith-filled footsteps led him to kneel in the presence of God the Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Have faith to ask God to open the way for you to follow Him every step of the coming journey to Zion. Kneel and ask for their presence.
The Prophet Joseph’s footsteps of faith enabled him to be the Lord’s instrument in bringing forth the Book of Mormon, which is another testament of Jesus Christ and His atoning grace.
Through Joseph Smith’s faith and perseverance in the face of incredible hardship and opposition, he was able to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in establishing the Church of Jesus Christ once again on the earth. Through your faith and perseverance in the face of the incredible hardship and opposition you will face, you too can be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in establishing Zion once again on the earth.
During the last general conference, I spoke about how my full-time missionary service blessed me. I was blessed as I taught about our Heavenly Father’s glorious plan of salvation, Joseph Smith’s First Vision, and his translation of the Book of Mormon. These restored teachings and doctrine guided my footsteps of faith in teaching those who were willing to listen to the message of the Restoration of the gospel. We will get to share this message much more than we are right now.
Our missionaries today are modern-day pioneers because they share this glorious message with people around the world, thus opening the way for our Heavenly Father’s children to know Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. Accepting the gospel of Jesus Christ opens the way for everyone to prepare for and receive ordinances and the blessings of the Church and the temple. My footnote: D&C 84:20 Therefore, in the thereof, the power of is manifest.
Last general conference, President Russell M. Nelson reaffirmed “that the Lord has asked every worthy, able young man to prepare for and serve a mission” and that “a mission is also a powerful, but optional, opportunity” for “young and able sisters.”10
Dear young men and young women, your footsteps of faith will help you to follow the Lord’s invitation to serve missions—to be modern-day pioneers—by opening the way for God’s children to find and stay on the covenant path leading back to His glorious presence.
President Nelson has been a pioneer in the Church. As an Apostle he has traveled to and opened many lands for the preaching of the gospel. Shortly after becoming the prophet and President of the Church, he pled with us to “increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation.”11 He continues to teach us to strengthen our testimonies. In a devotional for young adults, he said:
“I plead with you to take charge of your testimony. Work for it. Own it. Care for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. …
“[Then] watch for miracles to happen in your life.”12 May 2022 WW devotional for YA Look for and expect miracles as you do this.
He is teaching us how to become more spiritually self-reliant. He has said that “in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.”13 (Apr 2018) We have had 5 years to work on this. How are you doing? My footnote: D&C 45:57 For they that are wise and have received the , and have taken the Holy Spirit for their , and have not been deceived—verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the , but shall abide the day. We must not be lazy and rely on only what we hear from the prophet. We must hear the Lord ourselves to survive.
I testify that President Russell M. Nelson is the prophet of God on the earth today.
Our Savior, Jesus Christ, is the ultimate pioneer in preparing the way. Indeed, He is “the way”14 for the plan of salvation to be accomplished so that we can repent and, through faith in Him, return to our Heavenly Father.
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”15 He has promised to not leave us comfortless; I like to read this as "I promise not to leave you without the gift of the Comfortor; the Holy Ghost; the Baptism of the Spirit He will come to us in our trials.16 Here you go -
New Testament 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. This makes me weep! I must trust this promise. God keeps His promises! He will come in our trials. Doubt not! Fear not!
He has invited us to “come unto [Him] with full purpose of heart, and [He] shall heal [us].”17 Footnote: 3 Nephi 18:32Book of Mormon 32 Nevertheless, ye shall not cast him out of your synagogues, or your places of worship, for unto such shall ye continue to minister; for ye know not but what they will return and repent, and come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I shall heal them; and ye shall be the means of bringing salvation unto them. This sounds like the movie "Jesus Revolution" I just saw where the outcasts of society come in to the "church" and repent of their drugs and are healed. We have to be the "means" of bringing salvation to them.
I testify that Jesus Christ is our Savior and our Redeemer, our Advocate with the Father. He pleads your cause. Our Heavenly Father has opened the way for us to return to Him by following His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, with faith in every footstep.
My great-grandparents and other early pioneers faced many obstacles as they came by wagons, handcarts, and walking to the Salt Lake Valley. We too will face challenges in our individual journeys through our lives. We are not pushing handcarts or driving covered wagons over steep mountains and through deep snowdrifts; we are trying as they did to spiritually overcome the temptations and challenges of our day. We have trails to walk; we have hills—and sometimes mountains—to climb. Although the trials today are different than those of the early pioneers, they are no less challenging for us.
It is important to follow the prophet and keep our feet firmly planted on the covenant path of faithfulness, as it was for the early pioneers.
Let us follow Jesus Christ with faith in every footstep. We need to serve the Lord and serve one another. We need to strengthen ourselves spiritually by keeping and honoring our covenants. We should not lose the sense of urgency to keep the commandments. Satan tries to dull our commitment and our love for God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Please remember that if anyone should lose their way, we will never be lost to our Savior. With the blessing of repentance, we can turn to Him. He will help us learn, grow, and change as we strive to stay on the covenant path.
May we ever follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and, with faith in our every footstep, focus on Him, keeping our feet firmly planted on the covenant path, is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Lessons Learned:
Difficult times are here and more are coming
Christ will carry us through if we have faith in Him in every footstep
The “marvelous work and wonder” is coming!
It’s time to give ALL your heart, mind and strength to the Lord. If you don’t choose it now, the coming trials will demand it of you
Have hope that you will be born again in this life, if not now, then it will come in your trials.
Prepare for deprivations of every kind
You will reach Zion safely if you do this
Never give up
Pray to be a “pioneer” that gets to prepare the way for others to follow
Pray to be an instrument in the hands of the Lord through faith and perseverance through the incredible hardship and opposition that is coming.
Prepare to teach others the Gospel
The power of godliness in found in the ordinances of the temple
Take charge of your testimony - work for it, own it, care for it, nurture it, grow it
Watch for miracles
Become more spiritually self-reliant - you won’t survive spiritually without the constant guidance of the Holy Ghost. Pray to be born again and receive the Holy Ghost
Follow Christ. Prepare the way for others to follow Him. He is The Way.
Have faith in His promise to not leave you comfortless (without the Holy Ghost). He will come in our trials.
Open your heart to the outcast; invite them to come to Jesus
Do all this with a sense of urgency.
See the temptations to be complacent, past feeling, dull
Stay firmly planted
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