Spiritual Immunity

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu remembered a time in 2020 when lots of people around the world got sick with COVID-19. At his work, doctors and nurses came to teach people how to stay healthy. They kept saying one word: immunity.

Immunity is the way your body fights off germs and keeps you from getting sick. Elder Chigbundu started thinking about spiritual immunity. That is how our spirits can be strong against bad things and hard times.

He said the world has many hard things, like wars and family problems. But we do not need to be afraid. When our spiritual immunity is strong, we have courage.

How do we make our spirits strong? Alma taught his son, “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” Elder Chigbundu shared four small and simple things.

First, read the scriptures. When we read them, we come to know Jesus. Elder Chigbundu was once a mission leader. A new missionary cried and wanted to go home. He did not have a testimony of the Book of Mormon. Elder Chigbundu shared his testimony and asked him to read the Book of Mormon every day. Later the missionary wrote a letter. He said, “I am happy now and do not want to be sent home any longer.”

Second, pray. Jesus said, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me.” Elder Chigbundu visited a sister who was very sick with cancer. She told him that when she prays every day, she feels the Savior’s love. She can feel Him telling her, “My daughter, all is well.”

Third, the sacrament. When we take the sacrament, we promise to remember Jesus and keep His commandments. We can ask, “What would He have me do?”

Fourth, covenants, our promises with God. Going to the temple and keeping our promises keeps us on the covenant path, close to God.

Elder Chigbundu said these small things are like armor that protects us from Satan. Our hard things may not always go away, but God will make us strong enough to carry them.

A scripture for this talk: Doctrine and Covenants 88:63. Jesus says that if we come close to Him, He will come close to us.

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu, a General Authority Seventy, remembered 2020, when a global health crisis disrupted the world and took millions of lives. At his workplace, health professionals taught about COVID-19 and how to prevent infection. One word kept coming up: immunity, the body’s natural ability to defend itself against disease. He began thinking about something else: “Spiritual Immunity”

“We live in troubled times marked by wars, family challenges, and economic uncertainty,” he said. “Yet, as frightening as these challenges may be, we need not fear! As we build our spiritual immunity, we develop the strength and courage to withstand the challenges of life.” He shared President Henry B. Eyring’s teaching that hard moments are not evidence that the Lord has abandoned us. They show He loves us enough to refine and strengthen us. He asked listeners to think about what keeps them awake at night.

The Lord has given us a spiritual compass: small and simple things. Alma taught his son Helaman, “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6). Elder Chigbundu shared four.

1. Scripture study. When we study the scriptures, we come to know the Lord, and His words begin to shape how we think and respond. King Benjamin told his sons to remember that these records are true and to search them diligently. As a mission leader, Elder Chigbundu welcomed a new missionary who began to cry and asked to be sent home. When asked if he had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, he said, “President, I don’t.” Elder Chigbundu bore his testimony and encouraged him to study it. The elder and his trainer made a study plan. Later he wrote, “I am happy now and do not want to be sent home any longer.”

2. Prayer. The Savior invites, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me” Nephi, Joseph Smith, and Jesus Himself show the power of prayer. While serving as an Area Seventy, Elder Chigbundu visited a sister battling cancer. She said, “As I pray daily, I realize that the Savior loves me. I see His hands all around me, telling me, ‘My daughter, all is well.’” He taught, “The burden we carry may not always be removed, but our backs will be built to carry the load placed upon them (see Mosiah 24:14–15).”

3. The sacrament. We promise to take Christ’s name, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. We can ask, “What would He have me do?” As we remember Him all week, our why me questions are replaced by “What can I learn, and what can I change?”

4. Covenants. Making covenants and staying on the covenant path go together. Covenants create a bond with God, and worshipping in the temple helps us stay on the path and receive personal direction.

Elder Chigbundu invited us to always remember scripture study, prayer, the sacrament, and covenants. “While they may seem small and simple, they are truly the armor of God that will help us stand against the tactics of the devil!”

Scripture to look up: Doctrine and Covenants 88:63. “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me.”

Elder Christian C. Chigbundu, a General Authority Seventy, opened with 2020, when a global health crisis disrupted economies and claimed millions of lives. To raise awareness, executives at his workplace invited health professionals to teach about COVID-19 and infection prevention. One word recurred throughout: immunity, the body’s inherent biological ability to defend and protect itself against infectious diseases, harmful substances and foreign invaders. He found himself reflecting not on physical immunity but on what he calls spiritual immunity, and prayed for the Holy Ghost as he described how to build it.

“We live in troubled times marked by wars, family challenges, and economic uncertainty. Yet, as frightening as these challenges may be, we need not fear!” Spiritual immunity gives the strength and courage to withstand the challenges of life. He cited President Henry B. Eyring’s teaching that proving moments are not evidence the Lord has abandoned us but evidence that He loves us enough to refine and strengthen us. He asked listeners to consider what keeps them awake at night, and to know the Lord has provided a spiritual compass to navigate it: small and simple things. As Alma taught Helaman, “By small and simple things are great things brought to pass” (Alma 37:6).

First, scripture study. Scriptures inform us, but more importantly, we come to know the Lord, and as we apply them, His words shape how we think and respond to challenges. King Benjamin counseled his sons to remember that these records are true and to search them diligently that you may profit thereby (Mosiah 1:6–7). Daily, meaningful study invites the Holy Ghost and builds faith to face temptation.

He told of a new missionary who, in his welcome interview, began to cry and asked to be sent home but couldn’t find words to explain why. Asked whether he had a testimony of the Book of Mormon, he said, “President, I don’t.” Elder Chigbundu bore his own testimony and encouraged him to study the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. The missionary and his trainer made a study plan. Later a letter came, testifying that daily scripture study had helped him understand his purpose: “I am happy now and do not want to be sent home any longer.” Little by little, Elder Chigbundu said, study teaches us how to become lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.

Second, prayer. The Savior invites, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me” (D&C 88:63). Nephi, Joseph Smith, and the Savior Himself show the enabling power and miracle of prayers. As an Area Seventy at a stake conference, he and the stake president visited a sister battling cancer. Asked how she felt, she said, “As I pray daily, I realize that the Savior loves me. I see His hands all around me, telling me, ‘My daughter, all is well.’” Praying in faith strengthens spiritual immunity: “The burden we carry may not always be removed, but our backs will be built to carry the load placed upon them (see Mosiah 24:14–15).”

Third, the sacrament, a sacred ordinance that strengthens our relationship with the Savior. We promise to take His name, always remember Him, and keep His commandments, and we can ask ourselves, “What would He have me do?” As we remember Him through the week and strive to obey, our lives are gradually refined and reshaped, and “Our ‘Why me?’ questions will be replaced by ‘What can I learn, and what can I change?’”

Fourth, covenants. Making covenants and staying on the covenant path are inseparable companions. Covenants create a bond with God; staying on the path brings the blessings promised with that bond, and worship in the temple is vital to staying there. He cited President Dallin H. Oaks’s teaching that as we honor covenants by keeping the commandments and following the plan of redemption, the promised blessings enable us to soar to celestial heights. “What a promise, my friends.” Trials will come, but as we worship in the temple and remember our covenants, we receive personal direction from the Lord.

He closed with an invitation to always remember scripture study, prayer, the sacrament, and covenants: “While they may seem small and simple, they are truly the armor of God that will help us stand against the tactics of the devil!” (see Ephesians 6:11). He bore witness of a loving Father in Heaven, of Jesus Christ as Savior and Redeemer, and of President Oaks as God’s prophet today.