Chapter 9: The Precious Gift of Testimony “We speak different tongues. We live under a variety of circumstances. But in the heart of each of us beats a common testimony.”

From the Life of Gordon B. Hinckley “The earliest instance of which I have recollection of spiritual feelings,” said President Gordon B. Hinckley, “was when I was about five years of age, a very small boy. I was crying from the pain of an earache. … My mother prepared a bag of table salt and put it on the stove to warm. My father softly put his hands upon my head and gave me a blessing, rebuking the pain and the illness by authority of the holy priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ. He then took me tenderly in his arms and placed the bag of warm salt at my ear. The pain subsided and left. I fell asleep in my father’s secure embrace. As I was falling asleep, the words of his administration floated through my mind. That is the earliest remembrance I have of the exercise of the authority of the priesthood in the name of the Lord.

As Latter-day Saints, we are united in our testimony of Jesus Christ.

Testimony is the great strength of the Church and the wellspring of faith and activity. We have become as a great family spread across this vast world. We speak different tongues. We live under a variety of circumstances. But in the heart of each of us beats a common testimony: You and I know that God lives and is at the helm of this His holy work. We know that Jesus is our Redeemer, who stands at the head of this Church which carries His name. We know that Joseph Smith was a prophet and is a prophet who stands at the head of this the dispensation of the fulness of times. We know that the priesthood was restored upon his head and that it has come down to us in this day in an unbroken line. We know that the Book of Mormon is a true testament of the reality and divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ.2 (John 3:8). In what ways does your personal testimony contribute to the strength of the Church?

Testimony is a quiet, encouraging voice that sustains us as we walk in faith and impels us to action. Personal testimony is the factor which turns people around in their living as they come into this Church. This is the element which motivates the membership to forsake all in the service of the Lord. This is the quiet, encouraging voice which sustains without pause those who walk in faith down to the last days of their lives. “Who can refute or deny the quiet voice of the inner soul speaking with personal conviction?” How has your testimony sustained you? How has your testimony influenced your actions?

Each of us can obtain a testimony of the reality of God and His Beloved Son and the restoration of Their work. This witness, this testimony, can be the most precious of all the gifts of God. It is a heavenly bestowal when there is the right effort. It is the opportunity, it is the responsibility of every man and woman in this Church to obtain within himself or herself a conviction of the truth of this great latter-day work and of those who stand at its head, even the living God and the Lord Jesus Christ. (John 7:16–17), (John 6:60), (John 6:66–69) We grow in faith and knowledge as we serve, as we study, as we pray. What experiences have helped you gain your testimony? What can we do to strengthen our testimonies?

We must live up to our testimony and share it with others. Said Paul to Timothy: “Take heed unto thyself”—listen to this—“and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4:16). What a wonderful direction Paul gave to young Timothy. He went on to say this: “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power—the power of the message; and of love—love for the people, love for what we have to offer; a sound mind—the simple, understandable principles of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Timothy 1:8) How have you overcome feelings of fear about sharing your testimony? Why do you think our testimonies grow stronger when we share them? How have you been blessed by the testimonies of others?