Strengthen Yourself First

 Strengthen Yourself First

“He positively and promptly closed the discussion, and commanded: ‘Get thee hence, Satan,’ meaning, likely, ‘Get out of my sight—get out of my presence—I will not listen—I will have nothing to do with you.’ Then, we read, ‘the devil leaveth him.’ [Matthew 4:10–11.]

“This is our proper pattern, if we would prevent sin rather than be faced with the much more difficult task of curing it. As I study the story of the Redeemer and his temptations, I am certain he spent his energies fortifying himself against temptation rather than battling with it to conquer it.”

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Spencer W. Kimball (2006), 108.

Change your situations so you don't sin

 In abandoning sin, one cannot merely wish for better conditions.... He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin, but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin. He should avoid the places and conditions and circumstances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again. He must abandon the people with whom this sin was committed. He may not hate the person's involved, but he must avoid them and everything associated with the sin.

-Spencer W. Kimball, The Miracle of Forgiveness

#aang

Express Opinions without Hate

We, who are sinners, must, like the Savior, reach out to others with compassion and love. 

The message for us is clear: a repenting sinner draws closer to God than does the self-righteous person who condemns that sinner.

Everyone, including people of religion, has the right to express his or her opinions in the public square. But no one has a license to be hateful toward others as those opinions are expressed.

Our Good Shepherd

By Elder Dale G. Renlund

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

Sin- resistant Children

A Sin-Resistant Generation

By Joy D. Jones

Primary General President

We must help them know without question that they are sons and daughters of a loving Heavenly Father and that He has divine expectations of them.

Second, understanding the doctrine of repentance is essential for becoming resistant to sin. Being sin-resistant doesn’t mean being sinless, but it does imply being continually repentant, vigilant, and valiant. 

So a third key to helping children become sin-resistant is to begin at very early ages to lovingly infuse them with basic gospel doctrines and principles—from the scriptures, the Articles of Faith, the For the Strength of Youth booklet, Primary songs, hymns, and our own personal testimonies—that will lead children to the Savior.

Helping children understand, make, and keep sacred covenants is another key in creating a sin-resistant generation.

Teaching children to keep simple promises when they are young will empower them to keep holy covenants later in life.

Brothers and sisters, hold your little ones close—so close that they see your daily religious behavior and watch you keeping your promises and covenants.

The Same Difficulties

"Sometimes in our daily efforts to become more Christlike, we find ourselves repeatedly struggling with the same difficulties. It is as if we were climbing a tree-covered mountain. At times we don't see our progress until we get closer to the top and look back from the high ridges. Don't be discouraged. If you are striving and working to repent, you are in the process of repenting."

Elder Ulisses Soares, "Hold on to the Rod," Ensign, Mar 2015, 61.

Tolerance

“The face of sin today often wears the mask of tolerance. Do not be deceived; behind that façade is heartache, unhappiness, and pain. . . . If your so-called friends urge you to do anything you know to be wrong, you be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone.”

Thomas S. Monson, “Examples of Righteousness,” Ensign, May 2008, 65. 

Remission of Sins

“In order to receive a remission of sins, it is necessary to take each step as taught in the doctrine of Christ. Receiving the ordinance of baptism, therefore, requires that we first develop faith in the Savior and repent of our sins. Then we enter into the required baptismal covenant to keep the commandments and qualify for the promised blessing of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Likewise, to renew the blessing of the constant companionship of the Spirit promised in the sacrament prayers, we continue the ongoing process of developing and exercising faith in Christ, repenting of our sins, and partaking of the sacrament with a determination to keep the commandments.”

Elder Wilford W. Anderson, “Receiving and Retaining a Mighty Change,” Ensign, April 2012, 36-37. 

Purify Our Desires

“Alma taught that God grants unto men according to their desires, whether they be good or evil (see Alma 29:4). Our hope, then, is not just to refrain from sinning but also to turn to the Lord, who has the power to grant a remission of our sins, to purify our desires, and to change our very natures (see Mosiah 5:2).”

Elder Wilford W. Anderson, “Receiving and Retaining a Mighty Change,” Ensign, April 2012, 35. 

Deliverance: Only In God

"Are you struggling with some sin or weakness? It can be something as simple as not having the willpower to rise in the morning early enough to have time for scripture study and prayer. It can be something so powerful, such as Internet pornography or lack or moral self-control, that you feel you have been pulled down into an abyss and there is no hope for you. Do you find yourself hating what you are doing but not able to find the willpower to turn away from it? Then reach out and humble yourself. The Lord's enabling power is sufficient to change your heart, to turn your life, to purge your soul. But you must make the first move, which is to humble yourself and realize that only in God can you find deliverance."

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, "Be Strong in the Lord," Ensign, July 2004, 12.