Living in an era of falsehoods, speculation and disguised truth requires humility and staying closer to Jesus Christ, President Dallin H. Oaks said Tuesday in a full Marriott Center at BYU in Provo, Utah.
The new president and prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints talked about the weight of his mantle in what was the first devotional by a church president at the church’s flagship school since 2019.
President Oaks, who is also the new chair of BYU’s board of trustees, also addressed the university’s mission and the way students can learn through both spiritual and scientific methods.
“Never let your secular learning limit your horizons,” he said.
Students began lining up at 4 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., the line stretched from the Marriott Center up to the Harman Conference Center and out to University Parkway by the Missionary Training Center. The doors closed at 10 a.m., but staff allowed in groups of 20 who looked for open seats pointed out by students who turned on their cellphone lights.
Those who didn’t get a seat were routed to overflow locations. The 18,324 who did sang a resounding version of “We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet” to open the devotional.
In Rexburg, Idaho, another 10,649 BYU-Idaho students watched the broadcast of the devotional at the I Center, a university spokeswoman said.
At the pulpit in Provo, BYU President Shane Reese noted the tremendous interest in the talk by President Oaks, a leader he called “the Lord’s living mouthpiece.”
“A lot of universities have arenas like this where people line up for basketball games,” Reese said. “I would note that today, we lined up to a hear a prophet of God speak to us.”
President Oaks was set apart as president and prophet on Oct. 14, 2025, succeeding the late President Russell M. Nelson. He echoed President Nelson’s teaching that spiritual survival today requires the guiding, comforting and constant influences of the Holy Ghost.
“You live in a season where the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don’t have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived,” President Oaks said. “Many obstacles lie ahead. The distractions will be many. Even active members may sometimes have concerns about some historical, doctrinal or social issues connected with the church.
“I want to help all our members overcome present or future doubts. Whatever those doubts, the way to overcome them is to get closer to our Savior Jesus Christ. Again and again, he has taught us that he is the way.”
President Oaks shared four ways people can draw closer to Christ — strengthening faith in him, increasing humility, seeking help from others and being patient.
Faith is built by “daily trying one step at a time with prayer and scripture study,” he said.
Humility is a master virtue, President Oaks added.
“Look to the needs of others and humility follows,” he said.
President Oaks said the mantle of a prophet symbolizes a transfer of priesthood authority.
“To the person who receives that authority, it is very different and very real,” he said, adding, “I felt the heaviness of responsibility settle upon me, along with important impressions of what I was required to do now.”
He said his talk applies “to all who follow the words of a prophet” who need one another’s prayers.
“I feel the positive effect of your prayers,” he said. “I am thankful, and I love you.”
President Oaks was BYU’s president when it celebrated its 100th anniversary and dedicated the Marriott Center. This year, the university is celebrating its 150th.
He repeated his previous directions about BYU’s place in the church and world.
“I firmly believe that it is the destiny of Brigham Young University to become what past and present prophets knew it could become,” he said. “With the consecration and leadership of this community, BYU will become the great university of the Lord — not in the world’s way but in the Lord’s way.”
Secular learning alone is limiting, he said.
“We are grateful to know that there are two methods of gaining needed knowledge,” he said. “One, the arm of flesh in the evolving disclosures of the scientific method and two, truths disclosed by the spiritual method, which begins with faith in God and relies on scriptures, inspired teaching and personal revelation.
“There is no ultimate conflict between knowledge gained by these different methods because God, our omnipotent Eternal Father, knows all truth and beckons us to learn by them both.”
Seeking help from others includes talking with friends and local church leaders, President Oaks said, and can be especially helpful when dealing with “an abundance of speculation and false information in podcasts and on social media (that) surrounds us,” President Oaks said.
“Some may protest or question the truth of church doctrine, without knowing or even understanding the fulness of that doctrine,” he said. “Don’t be persuaded by false or inaccurate information. Discuss your concerns with faithful, well-informed friends, and always take those concerns to the Lord.”
He asked listeners to “seek friends and associates who are striving to follow the Lord, with whom you can feel the Spirit and reinforce your faith.
“Surround yourself with people who believe.”
Being patient is also vital in drawing closer to Christ, President Oaks said.
“We are all a work in progress,” he said. “... We need to be patient with one another, and occasionally, even with ourselves. Overcoming doubt — resolving conflicts between the evolving understanding of science and the sometimes-incomplete teachings of religion can be a lengthy process, like building faith or acquiring humility."
He asked those waiting on the Lord to be service-oriented.
“And while we wait, we should busy ourselves with service,” he said. “Again and again, Jesus taught and demonstrated the power of service to others.”
The BYU Concert Choir and a university instrumental ensemble performed a dynamic and memorable rendition of “All Creatures of Our God and King” that reverberated throughout the Marriott Center.
