Closer to Him, Whatever We Carry
From “The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is for All,” by President Dallin H. Oaks · Sunday morning session, October 2026 General Conference
The big idea
Whatever our concerns, questions or doubts, the way to overcome them is to get closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, whose grace is for all.
Objective
Learners will name what President Oaks taught us to do with a concern or doubt and choose one daily or weekly practice that will bring them closer to Jesus Christ.
Before you teach
- Read President Oaks's talk, The Gospel of Jesus Christ Is for All, especially the paragraphs that begin “We all have present or future concerns” and “We are all a work in progress.”
- Bring paper and pens, or invite learners to use a notes app.
- Have learners open the talk in Gospel Library, or bring a few printed copies of those two paragraphs.
- Write on the board: What does the prophet tell us to do with a concern or a doubt?
- Mark Articles of Faith 1:1; 2 Nephi 26:33; 2 Nephi 29:7; and 2 Nephi 9:21.
Lesson plan
Thirty minutes in 6 parts. Times are a guide; let the Spirit and the learners set the pace.
What we carry
- Begin with prayer. If you wish, sing or read one verse of Come unto Jesus.
- Explain that this is the Sunday morning address of President Dallin H. Oaks, President of the Church. He said that we all have present or future concerns or struggles, and that these may include questions or doubts.
- Give everyone one minute of silence to write, privately, one concern, struggle or question they are carrying now. Tell them no one will be asked to share it.
- Read aloud the first key quote (T27.05). Say that today's lesson is about how to do what he describes.
- Why do you think the President of the Church began with the fact that all of us have concerns or struggles?
What the prophet tells us to do
- Form groups of three or four. Ask each group to read the two paragraphs of the talk that begin “We all have present or future concerns” and “We are all a work in progress.”
- Ask each group to list every action President Oaks gives, in his words. Allow four minutes.
- Gather the lists on the board. Look for: get closer to the Savior; focus on developing faith in God and the mission of His Son; try daily, one step at a time; pray; learn from the scriptures; be patient with one another and with ourselves; build faith and strengthen humility; hold on to the first article of faith; wait upon the Lord.
- Read the second key quote (T27.05) and ask the question below. Let several people answer.
- President Oaks said strong faith requires more than strong desire. What has daily trying looked like for you in a hard season?
Hold on to what we know
- Invite someone to read or recite Articles of Faith 1:1. Then read the third key quote (T27.06).
- Point out that this is a direct instruction from the President of the Church: hold on to the first article of faith even if something else is uncertain.
- Give one minute of silent writing: next to the concern you wrote earlier, write what you do know about Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.
- In pairs, share whatever you are comfortable sharing from what you wrote about what you know. The concern itself stays private.
- President Oaks said that waiting upon the Lord includes trusting in His timing as well as in His promises. When has that been true for you?
Patient with one another
- Remind the class that President Oaks said we are all “a work in progress” and at different places on the covenant path, and that we need to be patient with one another and, occasionally, even with ourselves.
- Read President Kimball's words on humility from the aligned quotes. President Oaks quoted them and said President Kimball defined humility as “teachableness.”
- Discuss the questions below as a class. Keep the discussion general; no one should describe another person's struggles.
- How does being teachable help when a question is not answered quickly?
- What does patience sound like when someone we love is at a different place on the covenant path?
His grace is for all
- Ask half the class to read 2 Nephi 26:33 and the other half 2 Nephi 29:7. Each half reports who the Lord includes.
- Share what President Oaks taught from these verses: “His grace is for all.” Then read the fourth key quote (T27.07), spoken to members of diminishing faith, young and old.
- Read 2 Nephi 9:21 together. Explain that President Oaks taught that forgiveness through the Savior's Atonement comes as we comply with the conditions He has prescribed, including faith, repentance and baptism, and that this depends on our desires, our choices and our actions.
- Read Elder Lebethoa's words from the aligned quotes as a second witness from this conference.
- Who might need to hear from us this week that the Savior invites all and that His grace is for all?
Protect, strengthen and act
- Read the invitations aloud. Be clear about which is which: President Oaks urged us to keep the commandments and be true to our covenants; he invited all to believe the promises of the Book of Mormon; he called upon all to act on these truths and share them.
- Point to his promise about the sacrament, living our covenants and, for those who have been endowed, regular attendance at the temple: “These simple practices will protect and strengthen you.”
- As a check for understanding, ask one or two learners to say in one sentence what the prophet tells us to do with a concern or a doubt.
- Invite everyone to write one thing from the act list they will do this week, next to the concern they wrote at the start.
- Tell the class that next week you will begin by asking who is willing to share how one of these simple practices protected or strengthened them. Close with your testimony of Jesus Christ.
Key passages from the talk
“We all have present or future concerns or struggles we are trying to overcome. Those may include questions or doubts. Whatever they are, the way to overcome them is to get closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ.”
“Strong faith requires more than strong desire. It means daily trying, one step at a time, with prayer and scriptural learning.”
“Hold on to the first article of faith even if something else is uncertain. And while you wait, wait upon the Lord, which includes trusting in His timing as well as in His promises.”
“He is relentless in His loving pursuit of each of you.”
The speaker’s direct invitations
“I urge you to keep the commandments and be true to the covenants so many of you have made to guide you along the covenant path.”
“These promises from the Book of Mormon are true. Millions believe them and have had experiences to affirm their truth. I invite all to believe them.”
“I call upon all to act on these truths and to share them with others that we may all draw closer to Jesus Christ, our Savior.”
The speaker’s direct counsel
Direct instructions in his exact words. They are not counted among the invitations.
“Protect yourself with the weekly renewing of your covenants by partaking of the sacrament and with consistent efforts to live according to those sacred covenants. Those who have been endowed should include regular attendance at the temple. These simple practices will protect and strengthen you.”
Scriptures
- Articles of Faith 1:1 Read or recite it before the third key quote. Then write silently what you know about each member of the Godhead.
- 2 Nephi 26:33 Half the class reads it and reports every group the Savior invites and whether He turns anyone away.
- 2 Nephi 29:7 The other half reads it and reports whom the Lord says He created, remembers and brings His word to.
- 2 Nephi 9:21 Read together after the first two; look for what the Savior asks of all those He came to save.
Other voices that agree
“Teachableness [is] an ability to realize that all virtues and abilities are not concentrated in one’s self.”
“Whatever concerns, challenges, and struggles we may have in our lives, the answer is always Jesus Christ.”
Three things to remember
- Whatever my concern or doubt, the way to overcome it is to get closer to Jesus Christ.
- I can hold on to the first article of faith and wait upon the Lord while other things are uncertain.
- The Savior invites all, and His grace is for all, including me and those I worry about.
Ways to act this week
- Each day this week, take one step with prayer and scripture study aimed at the concern you wrote down.
- Prepare for the sacrament on Sunday by thinking about one covenant you want to live more consistently.
- If you have been endowed, set a date to attend the temple.
- Share one Book of Mormon promise from 2 Nephi 26:33 with someone who may feel left out.
Suggestions written for this lesson, not the speaker’s words.
Music
- Come unto Jesus
- I Believe in Christ
Adapting the lesson
- At home or with two or three people: skip the groups. Read the two paragraphs aloud together and build one list.
- Large class: have groups write their lists on paper and call on three groups only.
- Short on time: keep the first two segments and the last one, and read 2 Nephi 26:33 in place of the fifth segment.
This lesson is an independent study aid written for this site. It is not an official lesson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Quotations are word for word from the official talk; paragraph numbers count the paragraphs of the talk as published at churchofjesuschrist.org, not counting headings or picture captions. The activities, questions and ideas for acting are suggestions; follow the Spirit and adapt them to those you teach.