In the Sunday morning session of the October General Conference, President Russell M. Nelson delivered an address titled “The Temple and your Spiritual Foundation.” In it, he compares the work being done to reinforce the foundation of the Salt Lake City Temple and we as children of God reinforcing our spiritual foundations. In this post, I will share ways President Nelson recommended and ways I implement to reinforce my spiritual foundation.

In the Book of Mormon, Helaman tells his sons Nephi and Lehi the reason why we need a spiritual foundation. “And now, my sons remember, remember that it is upon the rock o our redeemer who is Christ the Son of God that e must build your foundation. That when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over your to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo because of the rock upon which you are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.” (Helaman 5:12)

Helaman explicitly states that we must have that sure foundation in order to withstand the temptations and wiles of the devil. It reminds me of the parable of the wise and foolish man (Matthew 7:24-27). The man who builds his house upon a solid foundation builds it to withstand the elements that inevitably will beat down upon it. The house stands firm and remains a place of shelter and safety. However, the man who builds his house upon a shifting foundation does not have the same type of protection. His house will not hold firm and will fall.

President Nelson put it this way “My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.” Notice, he didn’t say if perils and pressures come. He said they are forthcoming.

Evaluating and Reinforcing Our Spiritual Foundation

“So I ask each of you, how firm is your foundation? And what reinforcements to your testimony and understanding of the gospel are needed?”

President Nelson – “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation” General Conference October 2021

Spiritual Foundation Evaluation

How does one evaluate his/her spiritual foundation? As I pondered that question the following list came to mind:

• Do I have daily prayer?
• Do I read and study the scriptures daily?
• Do I exercise and eat right? – This one may seem weird, but our bodies and minds are part of our soul and feeling good is one way to evaluate our spiritual foundation.
• Do I qualify for a temple recommend? – Meaning how am I doing with regards to the temple recommend questions?
• Do I attend the temple as often as I can?
• Am I magnifying my calling?
• Do I treat my family in alignment with gospel teachings?
• Do I teach and share the gospel with my children?
• Am I strengthening my relationship with my wife?
• If I have a question about the gospel do I study it out and then take the question to God?

I am sure there are more ways to evaluate my spiritual foundation. However, these questions are the first ones to come to mind. This usually means these are the areas where I can improve. In order to have an honest evaluation, I have to answer these questions honestly and then follow up with actions to improve upon them.

Spiritual Foundation Reinforcement

“The temple lies at the center of strengthening our faith and spiritual fortitude because the Savior and His doctrine are the very heart of the temple.” President Nelson recommends increasing our temple attendance as one way of reinforcing our spiritual foundations. But attendance is not enough. He says “When you bring your temple recommend, a contrite heart, and a seeking mind to the Lord’s house of learning, He will teach you.” This means that we need to be active during our temple attendance and open to the things the Lord would have us learn. When we do so, our testimonies are fortified and thus our spiritual foundation is reinforced.

As I said above, when I do an evaluation of my spiritual foundation, it leads me to certain areas of my foundation that need work. If you look at the list of questions above, you can see that I have areas to work on. In order to work on them, I create specific action steps in those areas.

For example, “Do I have daily prayer?” I’ve been a member for over 45 years and have heard the importance of daily prayer for about the same amount of time. So, where do I need to improve? One way is to make sure I’m more “formal” about praying. What I mean is that a lot of times, my praying happens in the moment. I don’t take the time to get on my knees, center myself, and really pray. I don’t give God time enough to really have a two-way conversation. This is then one way I can reinforce my spiritual foundation, by taking time to pray and listen.

Ponder These Three Truths

1. The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again.

2. The ultimate objective of the gathering of Israel is to bring the blessings of the temple to God’s faithful children.

3. As we seek how to accomplish that objective more effectively, the Lord reveals more insights. The ongoing Restoration needs ongoing revelation.

President Nelson – “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation” General Conferenct October 2021

How do the truths above help us reinforce our spiritual foundation? I believe that they help us by better understanding God’s work here on earth. For instance, had the Restoration been a single event, for what would we need continuing revelation? Everything would have been revealed and all we would need to do is administrate the gospel. This would lead to stagnation and, in my opinion, no desire to learn the mysteries of God.

If the Restoration was a single event, then we would know everything there is to know about the temple and its blessings. We would be able to go through the temple as automata and make it a set of rote rites. The meaning, symbolism, and understanding would be lost, replaced with a check box style of worship.

Making a Foundation Last

President Nelson stated that the Salt Lake Temple’s renovations and reinforcements would ensure that the temple’s foundation “will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium.” Likewise, we must also build our spiritual foundations so that “the safest place to be spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!”

In a building, you reinforce a foundation by filling in gaps in the cement, adding supporting features such as rebar, and replacing, where possible, those sections that have deteriorated. It is the same with our spiritual foundation, we fill in the gaps with new habits, add supporting features like Come Follow Me, and replace habits that don’t invite the Spirit into our lives.

Conclusion

Building and reinforcing our spiritual foundations prepare us for the storms that will hit. It allows us to build a stronger relationship with God and Christ. When we do an honest evaluation and identify areas of concern, we can go to Heavenly Father and receive help in fortifying those areas. I know in my own life that I have areas to work on. I also know from numerous experiences that God will help me strengthen the areas I’m weak in. That way my spiritual foundation will be strong like the wise man who built his house upon the rock.