How can I strengthen my testimony?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

A testimony is a spiritual witness of the truth given by the Holy Ghost. As members of the Church, we have the sacred opportunity and responsibility to obtain our own testimonies. If we seek a testimony through study, prayer, and living the gospel, the Holy Ghost will help us know for ourselves that the gospel is true.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

John 7:16–17 (If we do the Lord’s will, we will gain a testimony)
1 Corinthians 2:9–13; Alma 5:45–46; Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3 (The Holy Ghost testifies of truth)
James 1:5; 1 Nephi 10:17–19; 15:11; 3 Nephi 18:20; Moroni 10:3–5 (To obtain a testimony, we must ask and seek for one)
Mosiah 26:3; Alma 12:11 (Obstacles to obtaining a testimony)
Alma 32:27–34 (Begin with a desire to believe)
Doctrine and Covenants 9:7–9 (We must study for ourselves before we ask)
David F. Evans, “The Truth of All Things,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 68–70
Ronald A. Rasband, “Lest Thou Forget,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2016, 113–15
Thomas S. Monson, “Believe, Obey, and Endure,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 126–29
Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2014, 20–23
“Testimony,” True to the Faith (2004), 178–80
“Face to Face: How can I increase my faith?” (video)

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

How have you gained your own testimony? How has your testimony influenced you in your roles as a daughter of God, such as wife, mother, sister, or teacher?

What do you know about the testimonies of the young women in your class? How will having a strong testimony influence their lives now and in the future? What can you do to encourage them to strengthen their testimonies?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?
Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?
Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

Show the young women seeds and a potted plant. Ask them what needs to happen in order for the seeds to grow into a plant. Read Alma 32:27–34, and ask the young women to compare growing a plant to gaining a testimony. How are their testimonies growing? What can they do to nourish their testimonies? Invite them to write in their journals how their testimonies are growing and what they can do to strengthen them.
Ask some of the young women to read 1 Nephi 10:17–19, and ask others to read Alma 5:45–47. What did Nephi and Alma do to gain their own testimonies? What else can the young women learn from these examples? What other examples can they find in the scriptures? Invite them to share experiences they have had that have strengthened their testimonies. What can they do to seek more experiences like these?
Invite each young woman to make a list of things that might weaken a testimony and ways to keep a testimony strong as the young women read the scriptures in this outline, Elder Ronald A. Rasband’s talk “Lest Thou Forget,” or the 12th and 13th paragraphs of President Thomas S. Monson’s talk “Believe, Obey, and Endure.” Invite the young women to share some of the ideas on their lists, and then discuss as a class how the young women can help others strengthen their testimonies. How can they help family members? friends?
Invite the young women to share challenges that youth their age face with their testimonies. Ask them to think of someone they know who may be struggling with one of the things they discussed. Encourage them to search President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s talk “Receiving a Testimony of Light and Truth” or Elder David F. Evans’s talk “The Truth of All Things,” looking for things that could be helpful to that person. What could they share with that person?
Ask each young woman to read one of the scriptures in this outline or watch the video “Face to Face: How can I increase my faith?” to find ways to gain and strengthen a testimony or things that prevent us from gaining a testimony. After they have shared some ideas, ask them to think about ways they can help others strengthen their testimonies. How can they help family members? friends at school?

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?
Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.
Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.