Elder Soares Urges BYU Students to Pursue the Light and Truth of Christ

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught Brigham Young University students on Tuesday, December 6, how to best pursue the light and truth of Jesus Christ.

“Our quest in life is to seek for light and truth and to walk with our Savior and receive the magnificent blessing of having Him walk with us, despite the darkness that exists in the world today,” the leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints told thousands of assembled students in the Marriott Center in Provo, Utah.

The modern world is amassed with mountains of information, but “it has never been harder to discern truth,” Elder Soares said.

“You might be able to walk with incredibly powerful technology in your pocket or backpack, but you cannot simply ask technology for light and truth,” the Apostle continued. “Walking with technology, even with its amazing capabilities, should never be confused with walking with Jesus. Relying on our walk with worldly voices and earthly sources can leave us vulnerable to false philosophies and untruths. These things may be appealing to us, but they do not represent the truth.”

Elder Soares shared teachings from present and past Church leaders about the reality of absolute truth.

“Truth is truth,” President Russell M. Nelson taught in 2019. “Some things are simply true. The arbiter of truth is God — not your favorite social media news feed.”

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895–1985) said absolute truth cannot be “altered by the opinions of men.”

And fellow Apostle Elder David A. Bednar taught that “absolute truth exists in a world that increasingly disdains and dismisses absolutes.”

To maintain a solid foothold on absolute truth, Elder Soares urged students to prioritize a regular study of the Book of Mormon and the words of today’s prophets, and to create consistent time for worship in a house of the Lord.

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The Book of Mormon

“The Book of Mormon is the keystone that sustains my faith in the Lord and my testimony of the doctrine of Jesus Christ,” said Elder Soares, a native of Brazil who first read the book as a teenager. “It is one of the cornerstones that strengthens my witness of the truth of Christ’s divine atoning sacrifice. It is my shield against the adversary’s attempts to weaken my faith and instill disbelief and darkness in my mind.”

Temples

“Temples are literally houses of the Lord,” Elder Soares said. “And when we are there, focused on worshipping Him and seeking for His light and truth, we can feel a distinct impression that we have left the earth behind, and the lone and dreary world is distant from our mind. We feel completely immune to any evil influence from the world. Temples are places of revelation, instruction and refuge from the spiritual storms we face in our day.”

Teachings of Today’s Prophets

“Our greatest safety lies in following the word of the Lord given through His prophets, particularly the current president of the Church,” Elder Soares said. “I promise that as you walk with and listen to latter-day prophets and apostles, you will find yourself walking more with Jesus.”

Elder Soares concluded with an invitation to “embrace the light and truth of the Savior.”

“I pray that each of us will be able to declare with great joy, ‘I will walk with Jesus,’ and that we can confidently say, ‘He will walk with me,’” the Apostle said. “Walking with Him is the road best traveled.”

Watch Elder Soares’s full speech, “Light and Truth,” on byutv.org.