Speeches
Building Strength Spiritually and Intellectually for Your Future: A Message from Steven J. Lund
Just released as the Young Men General President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Steven J. Lund recently spoke to the Southern Virginia University community about the power of growing both spiritually and intellectually. He testified that in this increasingly complex world, developing faith and knowledge together will bless and prepare one’s life and future.
“Each generation is sent to the world to prepare it,” said Lund. “Each generation comes with individual gifts that qualify them to do the work of the Lord and enable other generations to continue that work with their own gifts.”
In 2020, Lund was called by President Russell M. Nelson to serve as the Young Men General President, a calling he initially met with shock and feelings of inadequacy. Through that experience, he came to understand the importance of not only building intellectual skills for personal growth, but also nurturing the spiritual lives of youths.
“The Church takes very seriously the learnings of humanity, mathematics, sciences, and everything that develops modern civilization. That is what we do in the university called Life,” Lund said. “But there is another path, which is to learn spirituality, because your spiritual life matters too.”
Lund emphasized that the faith and dedication of today’s younger generation is critical for the future growth of the Church–something he has witnessed first-hand around the world as the Young Men General President. While attending a For the Strength of Youth conference in Vietnam with 50 youth in attendance, he felt the depth of their commitment to the gospel and the power of their faith. This commitment, he feels, is present no matter where he goes–even in the Shenandoah Valley.
“The members of your generation are going off with the fire of the Spirit,” Lund testified to the SVU students. “You are going to bring truth shoulder to shoulder with the rest of your generation. We are all in this together because we are working toward a brighter day.”
He also encouraged those in attendance to prepare for the Second Coming, reminding them that faith, prayer, and a knowledge of the gospel provide an important foundation of strength.
“We pray now, but we need to pray more. However sincerely we’re praying, we need to pray more sincerely, and however much we are fasting, we need to fast more,” Lund said. “We need to do more because Heavenly Father wants to share important things that will be a source of deliverance to us.”
“When the dial has been turned up on evil, then the dial on priesthood power has also been turned up,” he added. “When the collision between light and darkness occurs, you need to know the tender mercies of the Lord will strengthen your faith.”
The forum opened with Chamber Singers performing “Praise the Lord, The Almighty,” and concluded with the audience joining together to sing “Love One Another.”