Christ is My One and Only Foundation

Smithfield YSA Stake Conference

23 September 2018

Good morning! My name is Jordan Falslev and I’m from the 4th Ward. I’m grateful for this opportunity to share my testimony on building a strong foundation with the most powerful and durable cement known throughout all eternity, The Rock, Jesus Christ. 

I love the focus of this Conference, Helaman 5:12.

“And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye 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 you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

The late Boyd K. Packer touched on some of the storms we face; “It was meant to be that life would be a challenge. To suffer some anxiety, some depression, some disappointment, even some failure is normal. There is great purpose in our struggle in life.” 

It is critical to our success in mortality that we learn about the Savior & His role as CONTRACTOR of SECURE FOUNDATIONS.

It is not a matter of if the devil will attack but only a matter of when. Those storms and winds may take the form of death, contention, sin, divorce, disappointment, letdowns, and anything else that would weigh heavily upon us.

When buying or selling a home, there are two words you don’t want to hear. They are ‘foundation issues’. The reason is if there is an issue in the foundation there’s a problem with everything else. 

The point that Helaman is trying to make to his sons and us today, is that a foundation is extremely important because they are the things we build our lives upon. 

Our foundation determines our future. If you have a unstable, weak foundation, at some point a great fall will take place.

There’s a choice we get to make; which type of foundation we are going to build our lives on. The world and satan know all about this. They know that our personal foundations are up for grabs. They know we are looking to build our lives on something. And they want to be the ones to tell us what that something is. 

Don’t build your foundation on things that are not built to last. And there are a lot of them in these latter days. 

Ask yourself: What is my foundation?
What have I built my life upon?
What do I find being drawn to, attracted to, and pulled by?

Jesus is offering to be your foundation. Jesus Christ is saying His teachings and His life can be your foundation today and forever.

Often times, we, including myself, have used Jesus as just a wall. We think, ‘Alright, Jesus is my wall. None of the storms can touch me. I’m safe. Life is an easy street from this moment on because I have Jesus.’

But if you look at the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 4:24-27 both men built a house, and a storm came to both of them. The difference was the type of foundation they had. We cannot have a testimony of Christ like unto a single weak wall. We need that rock solid foundation in Christ in order for a wall to even stand.

What is the process to build this foundation in Christ?
I thought of 3.

1- Know What Jesus Knows: Read the scriptures and the words of living Prophets. Christ has so much to tell us. In His Restored Church, we have the most revealed Word of God and it’s still pouring in like a flood today!

2- Do What Jesus Did: Live the Gospel. Follow His example on how we are supposed to live with one another. How we are to forgive and love and serve and actually put ourselves second. To humble ourselves. To show grace and compassion. We have to do what Jesus asks us to do.

3- We Have to Desire to be Like Christ Each and Every Day

This isn’t a choice you make once and you’re good. This is something you commit to each morning and night. That in every way possible you want to be like Christ. The great news is you don’t have to do this alone. The Atonement of Christ exists in our lives to help us in this process. But it has to come with an inner desire to change, so that your life transforms and looks like Christ’s life. 

It doesn’t matter where you are in your life today, what foundation you have previously built your life upon. You might even be in a middle of a storm today, and if that’s the case we have Christ and Leaders who are willing and wanting to walk with you through those storms, to help you navigate your way through them.

You might have already past through a storm, and all you see when you look around is debris and clutter and destruction and you say ‘What now, I’m too far gone.’

You’re not. Jesus invites us to build our lives on Him each and every day. And it is never too late to rebuild. A life that sticks to the Rock, is a life that can weather through the storms, because God in His Infinite love wants us to survive them. 

If your life is centered on the Savior no matter what the devil throws at you, your life cannot fall apart if you are with Him.

I bear testimony that as natural men and women we make life so much more complicated than it needs to be. The world and the devil try to give us all these weak things to distract us from building this critical foundation. I know that if you just put Jesus Christ and His Gospel above all else, life is much easier to handle and so much more enjoyable. I love my Savior and am so grateful for the daily construction He provides to my soul every minute so I can withstand the storms of life. 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.