From YA Weekly
5 Simple Ideas for Preparing Spiritually for General Conference
Cultivate an environment where the Spirit can dwell, and watch how it changes your conference experience!
I get so excited every time general conference rolls around. I love how the messages shared during conference help me learn more about the Savior—especially when it lines up with Easter. Yet it always seems to sneak up on me.
Prophets and apostles have always invited us to prepare spiritually for general conference. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles asked: “What might happen if we as listeners matched the speakers’ preparation with our own? How might our approach to general conference be different if we saw conference as an opportunity to receive messages from the Lord Himself?”
I always try to prepare spiritually to hear from living prophets, but almost without fail, each time I get to conference weekend, I think to myself, “Wow, I should have done more to prepare myself for the flood of uplifting words that are about to hit me.”
My problem is that I make conference prep so complicated that I feel overwhelmed, lose motivation, and put it off until the last second. But I’ve realized that preparation doesn’t have to be over-the-top—it just requires a bit of intention.
The Spiritual Work to Hear the Spirit
It helps me to remember that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want to speak to me, but if I’m not in tune with the Spirit, then it’s going to be harder to hear Them. So, simply inviting the Holy Ghost into my life is one of the best ways to prepare to receive more light, knowledge, and wisdom from heaven.
President Russell M. Nelson (1924–2025) invited us to “choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.”
This spiritual work starts with creating an environment where the Spirit can dwell. And it doesn’t have to be complicated!
Here are five simple ideas to prepare your heart and mind for general conference weekend:
1. Revisit Previous Conferences
Discuss past conference talks with friends and family or revisit your own notes. Think about the inspiration you received previously and how acting on it blessed your life.
By looking back at our past experiences with the Holy Ghost, we become more familiar with how He speaks to us, and we can be ready to hear Him when He speaks to us again.
2. Listen to Uplifting Music
Listen to uplifting music in the weeks leading up to conference. It can be music from the hymnbook, the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, Strive to Be (the official music channel for young followers of Christ), or anything that helps you feel closer to God.
3. Keep Your Questions in Sight
Write down your questions and put them somewhere visible for the days or weeks leading up to conference. You can put them on the bathroom mirror, the fridge, your phone background, anywhere that you will see them regularly.
This can lead to increased pondering and can help you be more receptive to the messages that will be shared during conference.
4. Pray to Know What Questions to Ask
If you don’t feel like you have any questions, pray and ask God to help you know what questions to ask. It can be about anything from anticipating big life changes to making small changes in your everyday habits. He may guide you to ask specific questions or give you the desire to learn more about a gospel topic before conference comes.
Heavenly Father is eager to guide us forward on the covenant path. Praying for questions to ask is one way that He can help us move forward and hear what He wants to tell us through His prophets and apostles.
5. Look to the Examples of Others
Study how prophets (and others) have sought out and received answers through the Holy Ghost. You can study scriptural accounts, conference talks, or devotionals. Pay attention to the stories where these people received answers and look at how they prepared themselves to receive those answers. Try to apply some of their methods to your own preparations.
For example:
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While he was building the ship according to the Lord’s instructions, Nephi went into the mountain and prayed often (see 1 Nephi 18:3).
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Joseph Smith pondered which church to join and studied the scriptures, leading to the First Vision (see Joseph Smith—History 1:10–11).
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President Nelson wanted to learn more about the gathering of Israel, so he “studied the gathering, prayed about it, feasted upon every related scripture, and asked the Lord to increase [his] understanding.”
Doing this can help us get in the right mindset to receive what God has prepared for us.
By carving out and preparing a space for the Holy Ghost, we open ourselves up to hear God’s voice more clearly. Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has promised, “The Holy Ghost can and will reveal everything we need to soar onto and maintain momentum on the covenant path.”
Somehow, I’m even more excited for conference this time around, and not just because it’s Easter time. I can’t wait to try out some of these ideas and see how my preparation changes my experience. See how it can change yours too!