Worthiness Is Not Flawlessness

By Bradley R. Wilcox

Second Counselor in the Young Men General Presidency

Some mistakenly receive the message that they are not worthy to participate fully in the gospel because they are not completely free of bad habits. God’s message is that worthiness is not flawlessness.¹¹ Worthiness is being honest and trying. We must be honest with God, priesthood leaders, and others who love us,¹² and we must strive to keep God’s commandments and never give up just because we slip up.¹³ Elder Bruce C. Hafen said that developing a Christlike character “requires patience and persistence more than it requires flawlessness.”....

One young man I’ll call Damon wrote: “Growing up, I struggled with pornography. I always felt so ashamed that I could not get things right.” Each time Damon slipped, the pain of regret became so intense, he harshly judged himself to be unworthy of any kind of grace, forgiveness, or additional chances from God. He said: “I decided I just deserved to feel terrible all the time. I figured God probably hated me because I wasn’t willing to work harder and get on top of this once and for all. I would go a week and sometimes even a month, but then I would relapse and think, ‘I’ll never be good enough, so what’s the use of even trying?’”

At one such low moment, Damon said to his priesthood leader: “Maybe I should just stop coming to church. I’m sick of being a hypocrite.”

His leader responded: “You’re not a hypocrite because you have a bad habit you are trying to break. You are a hypocrite if you hide it, lie about it, or try to convince yourself the Church has the problem for maintaining such high standards. Being honest about your actions and taking steps to move forward is not being a hypocrite. It is being a disciple.”¹⁶ This leader quoted Elder Richard G. Scott, who taught: “The Lord sees weaknesses differently than He does rebellion. … When the Lord speaks of weaknesses, it is always with mercy.”...

Damon said: “The only time I had turned to God in the past was to ask for forgiveness, but now I also asked for grace—His ‘enabling power’ [Bible Dictionary, “Grace”]. I had never done that before. These days I spend a lot less time hating myself for what I have done and a lot more time loving Jesus for what He has done.”...

Instead, they started with small, reachable goals. They got rid of the all-or-nothing expectations and focused on incremental growth, which allowed Damon to build on a series of successes instead of failures....

Elder D. Todd Christofferson has counseled: “To deal with something [very] big, we may need to work at it in small, daily bites. … Incorporating new and wholesome habits into our character or overcoming bad habits or addictions [most] often means an effort today followed by another tomorrow and then another, perhaps for many days, even months and years. … But we can do it because we can appeal to God … for the help we need each day.”...

Remember change is possible, repentance is a process, and worthiness is not flawlessness....

Some mistakenly receive the message that God is waiting to help until after we repent. God’s message is that He will help us as we repent. His grace is available to us “no matter where we are in the path of obedience.”²³ Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf has said: “God does not need people who are flawless. He seeks those who will offer their ‘heart and a willing mind’ [Doctrine and Covenants 64:34], and He will make them ‘perfect in Christ’ [Moroni 10:32–33].”...

His grace is not just a prize for the worthy. It is the “divine assistance” He gives that helps us become worthy. It is not just a reward for the righteous. It is the “endowment of strength” He gives that helps us become righteous.²⁷ We are not just walking toward God and Christ. We are walking with Them....

I promise those blessings and that joy are real and within reach for those who keep all the commandments and “him that seeketh so to do.”²⁹ When you feel like you have failed too many times to keep trying, remember Christ’s Atonement and the grace it makes possible are real.³⁰ “[His] arm of mercy is extended towards you.”³¹ You are loved—today, in 20 years, and forever.

If Our Faith in Jesus Christ Becomes Casual

 

Bonded to Jesus Christ: Becoming the Salt of the Earth

By Elder José A. Teixeira

Of the Presidency of the Seventy

Like salt can lose its essence, we can also lose our spiritual vitality if our faith in Jesus Christ becomes casual. We may look the same on the outside, but without a strong inner faith, we lose our ability to make a difference in the world and bring out the best in those around us...

When our lives are filled with purpose and service, we avoid spiritual apathy; on the other hand, when our lives are deprived of divine purpose, meaningful service to others, and sacred opportunities for pondering and reflection, we gradually become suffocated by our own activity and self-interest, risking losing our savor. The antidote to this is to continue to be involved in service—being anxiously engaged in good works and the betterment of ourselves and the society we live in....

And finally, using digital communication tools with purpose. Today, digital communication tools allow us to connect as never before. Like most of you, I use these tools to connect with brothers and sisters in the Church and with my family and friends. As I connect with them, I feel closer to them; we can minister to each other in times of need when we cannot be physically present. These tools are undoubtedly a blessing, yet these very same tools can drag us away from the depth of meaningful interactions and eventually cause us to be pulled into habits that waste our time in less purposeful activities. Striving to be the salt of the earth includes so much more than an endless scrolling of reels on a six-inch (15 cm) screen.

Replacing Bad Habits with Good Ones

Dang, I needed this article in my life. I need to figure out something good to replace my negative habits when they pop up. Linking the whole article because it was so good. 

 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/digital-only-young-adults/where-are-your-habits-leading-you?lang=eng

Where Are Your Habits Leading You?

By Bradley Salmond and Kate Hansen

Church Magazines

Bad habits are often best overcome by replacing them with something good.

You might have a habit of using bad language in heated situations or having judgmental thoughts about others. The way that we talk in general, and even the way we talk and think about others, can impact our receptiveness to the Spirit. So be intentional about looking for the good in people. If you feel like gossiping, replace judgmental comments with something kind and uplifting.

When it comes to media, consider how the types of media you habitually consume are affecting your emotional and spiritual well-being. Think of the movies, books, TV shows, music, and social media you consume each day. How do they make you feel? How do they influence your thoughts? Do they bring you closer to the Savior?

What we choose to fill our lives with will influence how we think, speak, and behave, which determines our spiritual direction....

Think again about your habits or lifestyle. Are any of them harmful to you spiritually, physically, or emotionally? Susanna Wesley, mother of 18th-century Christian leaders John and Charles Wesley, suggested: “Take this rule: whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.”

Consider what habits are distancing you from Christ. Choose one of those unwanted habits and commit to replacing it with a small and simple act that will bring you closer to the Savior.

Maybe you’ll try replacing negative self-comparison by jotting down things you’re grateful for.

Or you could replace time scrolling on social media with time spent on a walk with someone you love.

Whatever habits you choose to build or break, Jesus Christ will strengthen you as you work toward worthy goals. The daily changes you make will eventually change your nature and deepen your relationship with Him and Heavenly Father.

Holy Habits - Make Them Less of a Checklist

 

Never Give Up an Opportunity to Testify of Christ

By President Bonnie H. Cordon

Young Women General President

I have attended the temple many times, but when I worship in the house of the Lord, it changes me. Sometimes while fasting, I find myself simply going hungry, but other times, I feast on the Spirit with purpose. I sometimes have mumbled prayers that are repetitive and routine, but I have also come eager to receive counsel from the Lord through prayer.

There is power in making these holy habits less of a checklist and more of a witness. The process will be gradual but will grow with daily, active participation and purposeful experiences with Christ. As we consistently act on His teaching, we gain a testimony of Him; we build a relationship with Him and our Heavenly Father. We begin to become like Them.

Make a Healthier Plan to Process Your Feelings

 

Are Your Coping Habits Helping or Harming You?

By Gabrielle Shiozawa

Church Magazines

Remember you engaged in habits for a reason. You wouldn’t cling to bad habits if they weren’t serving you in some way, even if that “service” is a false sense of joy or security. For example, my perfectionistic tendencies used to help me avoid facing my fears about not meeting others’ expectations.

But when I let go of those expectations, I felt so much lighter! When you consciously recognize what problem you’re avoiding with your negative coping mechanisms, you can intentionally make a healthier plan to process your feelings.

Asking yourself these questions can help you become self-aware and respond differently:

• What need is this negative habit attempting to fulfill?

• What emotion is this habit helping me avoid?

• What’s a healthier option I can try in order to meet that need?

Focus on More on the Habits you Want to Develop and Less on the Ones You Want to Lose

The Power of the Book of Mormon in Conversion

By Elder Benjamin M. Z. Tai

Of the Seventy

For 20 years, Brother Huang Juncong struggled with alcohol, cigarettes, and compulsive gambling. When introduced to Jesus Christ and His restored gospel, Brother Huang desired to change for the sake of his young family. His greatest challenge was smoking. A heavy chain-smoker, he had tried to quit many times unsuccessfully. One day these words from the Book of Mormon lodged in his mind: “with a sincere heart, with real intent.”²⁸ Though previous attempts had failed, he felt perhaps he could change with help from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

The full-time missionaries united their faith with his and provided an action plan of practical interventions, along with heavy doses of prayer and studying the word of God. With sincerity and real intent, Brother Huang acted with faithful determination and found that as he focused more on the new habits he wished to develop, such as studying the Book of Mormon, he focused less on the habits he wanted to lose.

Recalling his experience from 15 years ago, he remarked, “I don’t remember when exactly I quit smoking, but as I tried hard every day to do the things I knew I needed to do to invite the Spirit of the Lord into my life and kept doing them, I was no longer attracted to cigarettes and have not been since.” Through applying the teachings of the Book of Mormon, Brother Huang’s life has been transformed, and he has become a better husband and father.

President Russell M. Nelson has promised: “As you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.”²⁹

Dear friends, the Book of Mormon is the word of God, and we will draw nearer to Him if we study it.³⁰ As we experiment upon its words, we will obtain a witness of its truthfulness.³¹ As we consistently live according to its teachings, we will have “no more desire to do evil.”³² Our heart, countenance, and nature will be transformed to become more like the Savior.

How to Tap into our Spiritual Nourishment

An Epistle from an Apostle

By President M. Russell Ballard

Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

From an address, “An Epistle to the Saints of the Utah Salt Lake Area,” delivered at a multistake conference on September 11, 2016.

The Lord outlined simple, personal habits that keep us rooted, grounded, and connected to Him. Such habits, when done with full purpose of heart, real intent, and without hypocrisy and deception, allow us to be unwavering disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

These essential habits include the things that seem to easily slip away in the rush of our very busy lives, even when we are engaged in good things like pursuing an education, working to support a family, and involving ourselves in community and Church service.

They include sincere daily prayer, faithful fasting, regular study and pondering of the scriptures and the words of the living prophets, making the Sabbath day a delight, partaking of the sacrament with humility and always remembering the Savior, worshipping in the temple as often as possible, and, finally, reaching out to the poor and lonely—both those close by and across the world.

When someone stops doing these simple but essential things, they cut themselves off from the well of living water and allow Satan to muddy their thinking with his deceptively polluted water, which clogs arteries of faithfulness and drains the spirit with counterfeit nutrition. Sin and guilt cloud the mind—leading many to deny past inspiration and revelation and causing a “de-conversion” from the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ.