Confide in God Unwaveringly – April 2017 Conferene
If we are steadfast and do not waver in our faith, the Lord will increase our capacity to raise ourselves above the challenges of life.
Ponder with me for a moment—Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of the Father, lived a sinless life and overcame all the temptations, pains, challenges, and afflictions of the world. He shed drops of blood in Gethsemane; He suffered terrible pain beyond any power of description. He took upon Himself all our pains and sicknesses. He stands ready to help—to help each of us—with every burden. Through His life, suffering, death, and Resurrection, He removed every impediment to our rejoicing and finding peace on this earth. The benefits of His atoning sacrifice are extended to all those who accept Him and deny themselves and to those who take up His cross and follow Him as His true disciples. Therefore, as we exercise faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement, we will be strengthened, our burdens will be eased, and through Him we will overcome the world.
Yes, We Can and Will Win! – April 2015 Conference
We must hold ever more tightly to our testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Then we will win the daily battles against evil.
Figuratively, all of us need to transform ourselves into modern Captain Moronis in order to win the wars against evil. I know a very faithful young deacon who transformed himself into a modern Captain Moroni. Inasmuch as he has sought to follow the counsel of his parents and Church leaders, his faith and determination have been tested every day, even at his young age. He told me one day he was surprised by a very difficult and uncomfortable situation—his friends were accessing pornographic images on their cell phones. In that exact moment, this young man had to decide what was most important—his popularity or his righteousness. In the few seconds that followed, he was filled with courage and told his friends that what they were doing was not right. Moreover, he told them that they should stop what they were doing or they would become slaves to it. Most of his classmates ridiculed his counsel, saying that it was a part of life and that there was nothing wrong with it. However, there was one among them who listened to the counsel of that young man and decided to stop what he was doing.
Be Meek and Lowly of Heart – October 2013
Being meek does not mean weakness, but it does mean behaving with goodness and kindness.
Another important step to becoming meek is learning how to control our temper. Because the natural man dwells within each one of us and because we live in a world full of pressure, controlling our temper may become one of the challenges in our lives. Think for a few seconds how you react when someone does not comply with your desires the moment you want them to. What about when people disagree with your ideas, even though you are absolutely sure that they represent the proper solution to a problem? What is your response when someone offends you, critiques your efforts, or is simply unkind because he or she is in a bad mood? At these moments and in other difficult situations, we must learn to control our temper and convey our feelings with patience and gentle persuasion. This is most important within our homes and within our relationships with our eternal companions. During the 31 years I’ve been married to my sweetheart, she has often given me gentle reminders of this as we have faced life’s unsettling challenges.
Abide in the Lord’s Territory! – April 2012
Our daily question must be, “Do my actions place me in the Lord’s or in the enemy’s territory?”
Jesus Christ established the perfect behavior pattern by which we can build upon our attitudes to be able to fulfill these sacred covenants. The Savior banished from His life any influence that might take His focus away from His divine mission, especially when He was tempted by the enemy or by his followers while He ministered here on earth. Although He never sinned, He had a broken heart and a contrite spirit, full of love for our Heavenly Father and for all men. He humbled Himself before our Father in Heaven, denying His own will to fulfill what the Father had asked of Him in all things until the end. Even at that moment of extreme physical and spiritual pain, carrying the burden of the sins of all mankind on His shoulders and shedding blood through His pores, He told the Father, “Nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt” (Mark 14:36).
