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President D. Todd Christofferson’s talk, “Look to God and Live” from October 2025 General Conference is an excellent reminder for all of us to realign our sights and make sure we are walking on the path that leads to our ultimate chosen destination. He encourages us to not be guilty of declining God’s counsel because it feels too simple like the Israelites that chose not to look at the brass serpent. Let’s dive into this talk more with our personal studies, our families, and in our church classrooms. Free printable study sheets including all the following questions can be found toward the bottom of this post.

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First, let’s review the key points from President Christofferson’s October talk:

President Christofferson begins with the heartbreaking Lesotho bus tragedy and shows how Saints found real comfort by turning to God through prayer, scriptures, and sacred music.
We too can be like those Saints and as Alma said, “look to God and live.” Alma’s examples (the Liahona and the brass serpent) teach that God provides direction and healing in simple ways; if we’re willing to pay attention and turn toward Him.
“Looking to God” shapes our eternity as well as strengthens the way we walk through mortal life’s sorrow, setbacks, and unfairness.
President Christofferson reminds us that the Book of Mormon’s promise of “prospering” is mainly about enjoying the Lord’s presence through His Spirit. The opposite of prospering is not poverty, it’s losing the companionship of the Spirit.
We “look to God” as we keep the commandments, pray continually, counsel with God in our choices, and live with ongoing gratitude.
God’s counsel comes through scriptures and prophetic guidance. Resources like The Family: A Proclamation to the World and For the Strength of Youth are helps for all of us.
President Christofferson emphasizes treating the body as sacred and following the Lord’s standards with purpose and reverence, with hope in Christ’s power to forgive and change.
Let’s make God our highest priority and keep looking to Christ because He can help us endure and ultimately return into our Father’s presence.

Personal pondering

Now, let’s dive into some personal personal reflection. We found these personal pondering questions work best when they start with prayer and a open and honest heart. You can record your answers on our free journal page included in the free printables. Here are a a few questions to get you thinking:

When life hurts, what are my default comfort tools? Am I choosing ones that actually bring lasting peace or am I looking beyond the mark?
How do I “look to God” on an everyday Tuesday, not just Sunday?
What’s one situation right now where I could benefit from looking to God more and spiral less?
If God is my highest priority, are there changes I need to make to my schedule, media, spending, attitude, etc. to reflect that better or am I happy with my current efforts?
Am I treating any of the Lord’s commandments (including the prophet's counsel) like optional suggestions?
When have I felt the Lord’s presence most clearly in the last month? What patterns helped me recognize His presence?
When have I felt the Spirit go quiet in my life? What patterns or lack of were present then?
What role does gratitude play in my daily prayers? Is it a habit or does my gratitude only make an occasional guest appearance?
What’s one “fiery serpent” in my world (temptation, bitterness, anxiety, shame) that Christ can heal if I look to Him?
What boundaries would help me keep my mind and heart cleaner and calmer?
Where have I been tempted to rationalize my choices by pointing to other people’s flaws?
Who needs me to be steadier, kinder, and more anchored and how can looking to God help me show up better for them?

Questions for a Family Discussion

Don’t stop with yourself. Share and discuss the message with your family. These questions are great to use at your next family scripture study, in a text, or even around the dinner table as you discuss your days (share what you studied). We paired this General Conference talk with Come Follow Me’s lesson the week of January 26- February 1 as Enoch learns to look to God to overcome his weaknesses and teaches his people to turn to God as well.

When hard things happen, what helps our family turn toward God instead of arguing or blaming each other?
Alma encouraged his son to “look to God and live.” What are some ways you have seen our family follow this counsel? How can we do better?
If you could ask the Lord one question during a hard season, what would it be?
The Israelites just had to look at the raised serpent to be healed. It seems pretty simple but so many didn’t look. Why do you think we sometimes resist simple things that we know would be good for us?
What are some things people chase for happiness that don’t really deliver (status, drama, scrolling, approval)?
What family habits invite the Spirit and what habits chase Him off like a skunk at a picnic?
What does it mean to our family to make God our highest priority? Are we willing to truly do that? How have you seen the Lord prosper us as we do so?
President Christofferson mentions For the Strength of Youth as guidance for everyone. What’s one principle from it that you think adults should pay better attention to?
Why do you think God cares about how we treat our bodies and others’ bodies?
What are respectful ways to talk about standards (like chastity) without mocking or shaming anyone?
What’s the difference between public opinion and truth? Where do we feel pressure to mix those up? How can we gain clarity when it starts to become confusing?
What helps you feel close to Jesus Christ when you’re stressed, sad, or discouraged?
How can we support friends who are hurting without throwing clichés at them?
If our family had one spiritual course correction to make this month, what would it be?
What does “look unto Christ in every thought” sound like in real life at school/work/home for you?
If you had to pick one thing that helps you personally “look to God,” what is it? (music, prayer, scripture, temple, service, nature, etc.)
What’s one small thing we could do this week to point us more toward Christ?

Print Christofferson's Summary & Questions

Teach it at Church

Looking for ideas for your church lesson? We’ve got some questions to get you started. Break into groups, invite a couple of people to come prepared to answer (they don’t even have to be an official guest, just willing to raise their hands when you do ask), or even turn these questions into a Jeopardy-esque game for your lesson.

President Christofferson starts with a tragic accident in Lesotho. What stands out to you about how the Saints sought comfort and steadiness? What feels transferable to our own hard moments?
Alma doesn’t say “understand everything and live.” He says “look to God and live.” Why might we resist simple solutions? What are modern reasons we refuse to “look” to Christ even though we know He lives?
Discuss “prosper” as the presence/influence of God rather than wealth. How does that reframe things for you?
How would you explain “being cut off from the Lord’s presence” to a youth who assumes it means “God stopped loving me”?
Alma’s description of looking to God includes continual gratitude. How does gratitude affect your spiritual power and resilience?
President Christofferson cites The Family: A Proclamation to the World and For the Strength of Youth as examples of God’s counsel. How can we teach these without turning them into a war of words?
How does the For the Strength of Youth booklet show us how looking to God can give us answers and guidance in all aspects of life? How can we teach standards in a way that emphasizes love, purpose, and agency? What are ways we can use this book personally?
The story of the man who rationalized sin by pointing at leaders’ flaws is relatable. Why is that excuse so tempting and how do we avoid that trap?
President Christofferson warns about being “tossed to and fro” by trends and doctrines. What helps disciples stay anchored without becoming rigid or harsh?
How can “look unto Christ” help someone who feels isolated at school, at work, or even in the Church?
What’s the difference between having God as “a priority” versus “the highest priority”? How would you measure the difference in a normal week?
Alma’s description of “looking to God” includes praying continually, counseling with Him, keeping commandments, and gratitude. What are some things people commonly look to that aren’t necessarily bad but won’t satisfy like “looking to God” will?
What practices help you keep turning toward Christ, especially when you don’t feel strong?