Elder David A. Bednar

Elder David A. Bednar is an Apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has served as a General Authority of the Church since 2004 and is known for his emphasis on spiritual self-reliance, technology, and the importance of the family. He has also written several books and given many talks that have been widely shared throughout the church.

“In the process of coming unto the Savior and spiritual rebirth, baptism provides a necessary initial cleansing of our soul from sin. The baptismal covenant includes three fundamental commitments: (1) to be willing to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, (2) to always remember Him, and (3) to keep His commandments. The promised blessing for honoring this covenant is “that [we] may always have his Spirit to be with [us].” Thus, baptism is the essential preparation to receive the authorized opportunity for the constant companionship of the third member of the Godhead.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  Always Retain a Remission of Your Sins

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While I was serving as the president of Brigham Young University–Idaho, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland came to the campus in December 1998…As our time together was drawing to a close, I asked Elder Holland, “If you could teach these students just one thing, what would it be?”

He answered:

“We are witnessing an ever greater movement toward polarity. The middle-ground options will be removed from us as Latter-day Saints. The middle of the road will be withdrawn.

“If you are treading water in the current of a river, you will go somewhere. You simply will go wherever the current takes you. Going with the stream, following the tide, drifting in the current will not do.

“Choices have to be made. Not making a choice is a choice. Learn to choose now.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  "We Will Prove Them Herewith"

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Most frequently, revelation comes in small increments over time and is granted according to our desire, worthiness, and preparation.

Elder David A. Bednar  |  The Spirit of Revelation

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“It is interesting to me that one of the central elements of the word character is created by the letters A, C, and T. As we already have seen in the examples of Christ’s character from the New Testament, the nature and consistency of how one acts reveals in a powerful way his or her true character.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  "The Character of Christ", Jan 25, 2003

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“How can I tell when I’m being prompted by the Spirit?…Quit worrying about it. Quit fussing with it. Quit analyzing it. You be a good boy, you be a good girl, you honor your covenants, you keep the commandments; and I promise you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ that as you press forward with faith in Christ, your footsteps will be guided. As you open your mouth, it will be filled, and you will be where you need to be, and most of the time, you will not even have any idea how you got there.”

Elder David A. Bednar

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“Please be careful of becoming so immersed and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  Things as They Really Are

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“…there are no homosexual members of the Church. We are not defined by sexual attraction. We are not defined by sexual behavior. We are sons and daughters of God and all of us have different challenges in the flesh. . . . Simply being attracted to someone of the same gender is not a sin.”

Elder David A. Bednar

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“The gospel messages you share will be accepted more readily if your Christlike example is evident in the ongoing pattern of your posts.”

Elder David A. Bednar

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One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.

Elder David A. Bednar  |  Watchful unto Prayer Continually (Alma 34:39; Moroni 6:4; Luke 21:36)

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“The most meaningful and spiritual prayers I have experienced contained many expressions of thanks and few, if any, requests.”

Elder David A. Bednar  |  "Pray Always"

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