M Russell Ballard | Follow Jesus Christ with Footsteps of Faith | Oct 2022 General Conference

Follow Jesus Christ with Footsteps of Faith
By President M. Russell Ballard

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

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.

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.

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

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. 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.

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.

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.

The Book of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ
Get your FREE copy 👉http://bit.ly/MyBookofMormon 🙏

Get your FREE copy of The New Proclamation to the World: “The Restoration of the Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ”
🙏🏼http://bit.ly/Restoration200

😇Come Unto Christ - Faith to Act - http://www.faithtoact.com

Why Do We Build Temples? - https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples?lang=eng

Modern Day Temples - https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/library/videos/

⛪ - Find a local Latter-day Saint Church to attend ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/m...

📘 - Request a FREE Book of Mormon ➜ https://www.comeuntochrist.org/reques...

📖 - Request a FREE Holy Bible ➜ https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/c...

⭐ - Learn the beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ➜ https://news-nz.churchofjesuschrist.o...

👪 - Find out about your family history and get to know your relatives ➜ https://www.familysearch.org/en/

This video was created by Kelly Egan.

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