This is a page dedicated for quotes for my Teachings of the Living Prophets course at BYU-Idaho, Fall 2012.
1. Agency
We
have also been given the gift of agency. In a thousand ways we are privileged
to choose for ourselves. Here we learn from the hard taskmaster of experience.
We discern between good and evil. We differentiate as to the bitter and the
sweet. We discover that there are consequences attached to our actions.- Thomas
Monson "Worthy and Willing to Serve" April 2012 General Conference
I testify that by making the same choice to follow the Savior now, while we are here on earth, we will obtain an even greater blessing in the eternities. But let it be known: we must continue to choose to follow the Savior. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life. - Robert D. Hales "Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life" October 2010 General Conference
I testify that by making the same choice to follow the Savior now, while we are here on earth, we will obtain an even greater blessing in the eternities. But let it be known: we must continue to choose to follow the Savior. Eternity is at stake, and our wise use of agency and our actions are essential that we might have eternal life. - Robert D. Hales "Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life" October 2010 General Conference
"You can be wise and happy or stupid and miserable. It is your choice" - Gordon B. Hinckley
As I’ve contemplated the various aspects of choice, I’ve put them into three categories: first, the right of choice; second, the responsibility ofchoice; and third, the results of choice. I call these the three Rs of choice. - Thomas S. Monson "The Three Rs of Choice" October 2010 General Conference
When you were confirmed a member of the Church, you received the right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He can help you make good choices. When challenged or tempted, you do not need to feel alone. Remember that prayer is the passport to spiritual power. - Thomas S. Monson "Preparation Brings Blessings" April 2010 General Conference
"We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. Not one of us would say, “I want to choose evil.” We all want to choose the right. However, the choice of good over evil is not always easy, because evil frequently lurks behind smiling eyes." Neil L. Anderson "Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes" April 2005 General Conference
We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” 1 Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. - Robert D. Hales "Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life" October 2010 General Conference
"Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard." D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline" April 2009 General Conference
Our choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight. - President Henry B. Eyring "Mountains to Climb" April 2012 General Conference
The first gift that Adam and Eve received was agency: “Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17). You have that same agency. Use it wisely to deny acting on any impure impulse or unholy temptation that may come into your mind. Just do not go there, and if you are already there, come back out of it. “Deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32). -Boyd K. Packer "How to Survive in Enemy Territory" January 2012 Seminary Broadcast
Our Heavenly Father expects us to use our agency and inspiration to examine ourselves and our abilities and decide the educational course we should follow. This is especially important for young people who have finished high school and missionary service and now face decisions about further schooling and employment. - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009 CES Fireside
As I’ve contemplated the various aspects of choice, I’ve put them into three categories: first, the right of choice; second, the responsibility ofchoice; and third, the results of choice. I call these the three Rs of choice. - Thomas S. Monson "The Three Rs of Choice" October 2010 General Conference
When you were confirmed a member of the Church, you received the right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He can help you make good choices. When challenged or tempted, you do not need to feel alone. Remember that prayer is the passport to spiritual power. - Thomas S. Monson "Preparation Brings Blessings" April 2010 General Conference
"We can work, study, laugh and have fun, dance, sing, and enjoy many different experiences. These are a wonderful part of life, but they are not central to why we are here. The opportunity to choose good over evil is precisely why we are here. Not one of us would say, “I want to choose evil.” We all want to choose the right. However, the choice of good over evil is not always easy, because evil frequently lurks behind smiling eyes." Neil L. Anderson "Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes" April 2005 General Conference
We teach that agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and “to act for [ourselves] and not to be acted upon.” 1 Agency is to act with accountability and responsibility for our actions. Our agency is essential to the plan of salvation. - Robert D. Hales "Agency: Essential to the Plan of Life" October 2010 General Conference
"Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard." D. Todd Christofferson, "Moral Discipline" April 2009 General Conference
Our choosing the right consistently whenever the choice is placed before us creates the solid ground under our faith. It can begin in childhood since every soul is born with the free gift of the Spirit of Christ. With that Spirit we can know when we have done what is right before God and when we have done wrong in His sight. - President Henry B. Eyring "Mountains to Climb" April 2012 General Conference
The first gift that Adam and Eve received was agency: “Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee” (Moses 3:17). You have that same agency. Use it wisely to deny acting on any impure impulse or unholy temptation that may come into your mind. Just do not go there, and if you are already there, come back out of it. “Deny yourselves of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32). -Boyd K. Packer "How to Survive in Enemy Territory" January 2012 Seminary Broadcast
Our Heavenly Father expects us to use our agency and inspiration to examine ourselves and our abilities and decide the educational course we should follow. This is especially important for young people who have finished high school and missionary service and now face decisions about further schooling and employment. - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009 CES Fireside
2. Atonement
As our youth follow President Monson’s counsel by preparing to serve missions, and as we all live the principles the Savior taught and prepare to meet God,25 we win a much more important race.26 We will have the Holy Ghost as our guide for spiritual direction. For any whose lives are not in order, remember, it is never too late to make the Savior’s Atonement the foundation of our faith and lives." - Elder Quinten L. Cook, October 2012 General Conference "Can Ye Feel So Now?"
"No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ." - Elder Boyd K Packer, October 2012 General Conference "The Atonement"
Think of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane during the Atonement process, suffering agony so great that He bled from every pore. 27 His cry to His Father included the word Abba. 28 This might be interpreted as the cry of a son who is in distress to his father: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” 29 I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us will encounter in this life. At times when we may feel to say, “Hope you know, I had a hard time,” we can be assured that He is there and we are safe in His loving arms. - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference
As our youth follow President Monson’s counsel by preparing to serve missions, and as we all live the principles the Savior taught and prepare to meet God,25 we win a much more important race.26 We will have the Holy Ghost as our guide for spiritual direction. For any whose lives are not in order, remember, it is never too late to make the Savior’s Atonement the foundation of our faith and lives." - Elder Quinten L. Cook, October 2012 General Conference "Can Ye Feel So Now?"
"No matter what our transgressions have been, no matter how much our actions may have hurt others, that guilt can all be wiped out. To me, perhaps the most beautiful phrase in all scripture is when the Lord said, “Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more. That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ." - Elder Boyd K Packer, October 2012 General Conference "The Atonement"
Think of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane during the Atonement process, suffering agony so great that He bled from every pore. 27 His cry to His Father included the word Abba. 28 This might be interpreted as the cry of a son who is in distress to his father: “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” 29 I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us will encounter in this life. At times when we may feel to say, “Hope you know, I had a hard time,” we can be assured that He is there and we are safe in His loving arms. - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference
Atonement. The Atonement of Jesus Christ
is the central act of all human history. It is the core of the plan of
salvation. Without the infinite Atonement, all mankind would be
irretrievably lost. Temple ordinances and covenants teach of the
redeeming power of the Atonement. -Russell M Nelson, Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple October 2010
But if you go for the Lord to bless others, He will see and reward it. If you do this often enough and long enough, you will feel a change in your very nature through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Not only will you feel closer to Him, but you will also feel more and more that you are becoming like Him. - President Henry B. Eyring, October 2012 General Conference, "Where Is the Pavilion?"
The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an indispensable part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His Son’s earthly mission and for our salvation. How grateful we should be that our Heavenly Father did not intercede but rather withheld His fatherly instinct to rescue His Beloved Son. Because of His eternal love for you and for me, He allowed Jesus to complete His foreordained mission to become our Redeemer. - M. Russell Ballard "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul" April 2004 General Conference
Let me suggest that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better. All of our worthy desires and good works, as necessary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us. - David A. Bednar "Clean hands and a Pure Heart" October 2007 General Conference
The Savior’s Resurrection assures all of us that someday we, too, will follow Him and experience our own resurrection. What peace, what comfort this great gift is which comes through the loving grace of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. - M. Russell Ballard "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul" April 2004 General Conference
We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development. We also know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes Alma’s teaching that the Savior would take upon Him our infirmities and “succor his people according to their infirmities.” - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference
"Even so, while therapy can support a person’s will, it cannot substitute for it. Always and ever, there must be an exercise of discipline—moral discipline founded on faith in God the Father and the Son and what They can achieve with us through the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. In Peter’s words, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” - D. Todd Christofferson "Moral Discipline" April 2009 General Conference
But if you go for the Lord to bless others, He will see and reward it. If you do this often enough and long enough, you will feel a change in your very nature through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Not only will you feel closer to Him, but you will also feel more and more that you are becoming like Him. - President Henry B. Eyring, October 2012 General Conference, "Where Is the Pavilion?"
The Atonement of Jesus Christ was an indispensable part of our Heavenly Father’s plan for His Son’s earthly mission and for our salvation. How grateful we should be that our Heavenly Father did not intercede but rather withheld His fatherly instinct to rescue His Beloved Son. Because of His eternal love for you and for me, He allowed Jesus to complete His foreordained mission to become our Redeemer. - M. Russell Ballard "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul" April 2004 General Conference
Let me suggest that hands are made clean through the process of putting off the natural man and by overcoming sin and the evil influences in our lives through the Savior’s Atonement. Hearts are purified as we receive His strengthening power to do good and become better. All of our worthy desires and good works, as necessary as they are, can never produce clean hands and a pure heart. It is the Atonement of Jesus Christ that provides both a cleansing and redeeming power that helps us to overcome sin and a sanctifying and strengthening power that helps us to become better than we ever could by relying only upon our own strength. The infinite Atonement is for both the sinner and for the saint in each of us. - David A. Bednar "Clean hands and a Pure Heart" October 2007 General Conference
The Savior’s Resurrection assures all of us that someday we, too, will follow Him and experience our own resurrection. What peace, what comfort this great gift is which comes through the loving grace of Jesus Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all mankind. - M. Russell Ballard "The Atonement and the Value of One Soul" April 2004 General Conference
We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development. We also know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes Alma’s teaching that the Savior would take upon Him our infirmities and “succor his people according to their infirmities.” - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference
"Even so, while therapy can support a person’s will, it cannot substitute for it. Always and ever, there must be an exercise of discipline—moral discipline founded on faith in God the Father and the Son and what They can achieve with us through the atoning grace of Jesus Christ. In Peter’s words, “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” - D. Todd Christofferson "Moral Discipline" April 2009 General Conference
3. Family
Never let a problem to be solved become more
important than a person to be loved. – President Monson Finding Joy in the
Journey October 2008 conference
If you are still in the process of raising children, be aware that the
tiny fingerprints that show up on almost every newly cleaned surface, the toys
scattered about the house, the piles and piles of laundry to be tackled will
disappear all too soon and that you will—to your surprise—miss them profoundly.
– Thomas Monson Finding Joy in the Journey October 2008 conference
I realize there are many reasons why you may be hesitating to take that step of getting married. If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions. - Thomas S. Monson "Priesthood Power" April 2011 General Conference
Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt. It read, “Choose your love; love your choice.” There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential. -Thomas S. Monson "Priesthood Power" April 2011 General Conference
When you were confirmed a member of the Church, you received the right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He can help you make good choices. When challenged or tempted, you do not need to feel alone. Remember that prayer is the passport to spiritual power. - L. Tom Perry "The Importance of Family" April 2003
The family is the foundation for love and for maintaining spirituality. The family promotes an atmosphere where religious observance can flourish. There is indeed “beauty all around when there’s love at home.” - Quentin L. Cook, "Can Ye Feel So Now?", October 2012 General Conference
The Church and the world and women are crying for men, men who are developing their capacity and talents, who are willing to work and make sacrifices, who will help others achieve happiness and salvation. They are crying, “Rise up, O men of God!” -D. Todd Christofferson, "Brethren, We Have Work to Do" October 2012 General Conference
I realize there are many reasons why you may be hesitating to take that step of getting married. If you are concerned about providing financially for a wife and family, may I assure you that there is no shame in a couple having to scrimp and save. It is generally during these challenging times that you will grow closer together as you learn to sacrifice and to make difficult decisions. - Thomas S. Monson "Priesthood Power" April 2011 General Conference
Choose a companion carefully and prayerfully; and when you are married, be fiercely loyal one to another. Priceless advice comes from a small framed plaque I once saw in the home of an uncle and aunt. It read, “Choose your love; love your choice.” There is great wisdom in those few words. Commitment in marriage is absolutely essential. -Thomas S. Monson "Priesthood Power" April 2011 General Conference
When you were confirmed a member of the Church, you received the right to the companionship of the Holy Ghost. He can help you make good choices. When challenged or tempted, you do not need to feel alone. Remember that prayer is the passport to spiritual power. - L. Tom Perry "The Importance of Family" April 2003
"Stay close to your parents, relatives, and friends. They will help you keep a balance in your life. Build relationships with your family and friends through open and honest communication. Good family relationships can be maintained through gentle, loving, thoughtful communication. Remember that often a glance, a wink, a nod, or a touch will say more than words. A sense of humor and good listening are also vital parts of good communication." - M. Russell Ballard "Keeping Your Life in Balance" September 2012 Liahona
Each family prayer, each episode of family scripture study, and each family home evening is a brushstroke on the canvas of our souls. No one event may appear to be very impressive or memorable. But just as the yellow and gold and brown strokes of paint complement each other and produce an impressive masterpiece, so our consistency in doing seemingly small things can lead to significant spiritual results. - David A. Bednar "More Diligent and Concerned at Home" October 2009 General Conference.
With the influences of evil that surround our children, can we even imagine sending them out in the morning without kneeling and humbly asking together for the Lord’s protection? Or closing the day without kneeling together and acknowledging our accountability before Him and our thankfulness for His blessings? Brothers and sisters, we need to have family prayer. - Neil L. Anderson "Prophets and Spiritual Mole Crickets" October 1999 General Conference
The Church and the world and women are crying for men, men who are developing their capacity and talents, who are willing to work and make sacrifices, who will help others achieve happiness and salvation. They are crying, “Rise up, O men of God!” -D. Todd Christofferson, "Brethren, We Have Work to Do" October 2012 General Conference
Many sacrifices are quietly accomplished: returned missionaries not
delaying the responsibility of finding their eternal companion;
righteous women desiring children and investing their lives in rearing
them in love and truth; families carefully restricting the media and
Internet influences that would tarnish their spirits; husbands and wives
finding more time to be in the temple together. - Neil L. Anderson, "It’s True, Isn’t it?
Then What Else Matters?" April 2007 General Conference
4. Pornography
When it comes to morality, some adults believe that adherence to a single, overriding humanitarian project or principle nullifies the need to comply with the Savior’s teachings. They say to themselves that sexual misconduct is “a small thing … [if I am] a kind and charitable person.”21Such thinking is a gross self-deception. Some young people inform me that in our current culture it is not “cool” to try too hard in many areas, including living strictly in accordance with righteous principles.22 Please do not fall into this trap. - Elder Quentin L. Cook, October 2012 General Conference "Can Ye Feel So Now?"
Care more. It is too easy today with movies you can see and the magazines you can read. It is all tragically, painfully, cunningly convenient. In our time the only restraint left is self-restraint. I ask you to say of this highest, most intimate, most sacred physical expression, "Yes, but not this way." I ask you to be inconvenienced until you've earned the right and paid the divine price to know the body and the soul of the one you love. Excuse me for speaking boldly, but this must be said. Perhaps another time we can say even more. - Jeffrey R. Holland "The Inconvenient Messiah" February 1982 BYU Devotional
“"In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home, most frequently through the husband and father,” - Boyd K. Packer "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" October 2010 General Conference
“Priesthood holders carry with them the antidote to remove the terrible images of pornography and to wash away guilt. The priesthood has the power to unlock the influence of our habits, even to unchain from addiction, however tight the grip. It can heal over the scars of past mistakes.” - Boyd K. Packer "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" October 2010 General Conference
"Why is lust such a deadly sin? Well, in addition to the completely Spirit-destroying impact it has upon our souls, I think it is a sin because it defiles the highest and holiest relationship God gives us in mortality—the love that a man and a woman have for each other and the desire that couple has to bring children into a family intended to be forever." - Jeffrey R. Holland "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul" from an April 2010 General Conference
"The constant, consuming march of the pornography beetle blights neighborhoods just as it contaminates human lives. It has just about destroyed some areas. It moves relentlessly closer to your city, your neighborhood, and your family. Pornography is now more available than ever."-Thomas S. Monson "Pornography, the Deadly Carrier" July 2001 Ensign
"Hence, I warn against pornography. It is degrading of women. It is evil. It is infectious, destructive, and addictive. The body has means by which it can cleanse itself from harmful effects of contaminated food or drink. But it cannot vomit back the poison of pornography. Once recorded, it always remains subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind, with power to draw you away from the wholesome things in life. Avoid it like the plague!" - Russell M. Nelson "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women" April 1999, General Conference
One of the most damning influences on earth, one that has caused uncountable grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages is the onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, the telephone, or on a flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind, heart, and the soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so, will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For many, that addiction cannot be overcome without help. - Richard G. Scott "The Sanctity of Womanhood" April 2000 General Conference
Never having been mortal before, we had no experience dealing with the temptations of mortality. But Heavenly Father knew and understood. He charged us to control our mortal bodies and to make them subject to our spirits. Our spirits would have to master the physical temptations that our bodies would encounter in a temporal world. -M. Russell Ballard "Keeping Covenants" April 1993 General Conference
Pornography can be devastating. Indulgence in it will deprive you of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It will darken your mind. It will weaken and can eventually destroy marriage and family life. Those who indulge in it soon feel alienated, unworthy, and unacceptable to God, to themselves, and to others. They become self-centered and less able to enjoy healthy and righteous interactions with others. They waste valuable time and money, jeopardize their standing in the Church, and diminish their ability to serve others. - Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts, Church Pamphlet
Care more. It is too easy today with movies you can see and the magazines you can read. It is all tragically, painfully, cunningly convenient. In our time the only restraint left is self-restraint. I ask you to say of this highest, most intimate, most sacred physical expression, "Yes, but not this way." I ask you to be inconvenienced until you've earned the right and paid the divine price to know the body and the soul of the one you love. Excuse me for speaking boldly, but this must be said. Perhaps another time we can say even more. - Jeffrey R. Holland "The Inconvenient Messiah" February 1982 BYU Devotional
“"In our day the dreadful influence of pornography is like unto a plague sweeping across the world, infecting one here and one there, relentlessly trying to invade every home, most frequently through the husband and father,” - Boyd K. Packer "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" October 2010 General Conference
“Priesthood holders carry with them the antidote to remove the terrible images of pornography and to wash away guilt. The priesthood has the power to unlock the influence of our habits, even to unchain from addiction, however tight the grip. It can heal over the scars of past mistakes.” - Boyd K. Packer "Cleansing the Inner Vessel" October 2010 General Conference
"Why is lust such a deadly sin? Well, in addition to the completely Spirit-destroying impact it has upon our souls, I think it is a sin because it defiles the highest and holiest relationship God gives us in mortality—the love that a man and a woman have for each other and the desire that couple has to bring children into a family intended to be forever." - Jeffrey R. Holland "Place No More for the Enemy of My Soul" from an April 2010 General Conference
"The constant, consuming march of the pornography beetle blights neighborhoods just as it contaminates human lives. It has just about destroyed some areas. It moves relentlessly closer to your city, your neighborhood, and your family. Pornography is now more available than ever."-Thomas S. Monson "Pornography, the Deadly Carrier" July 2001 Ensign
"Hence, I warn against pornography. It is degrading of women. It is evil. It is infectious, destructive, and addictive. The body has means by which it can cleanse itself from harmful effects of contaminated food or drink. But it cannot vomit back the poison of pornography. Once recorded, it always remains subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind, with power to draw you away from the wholesome things in life. Avoid it like the plague!" - Russell M. Nelson "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women" April 1999, General Conference
One of the most damning influences on earth, one that has caused uncountable grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages is the onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, the telephone, or on a flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind, heart, and the soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so, will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence. For many, that addiction cannot be overcome without help. - Richard G. Scott "The Sanctity of Womanhood" April 2000 General Conference
Never having been mortal before, we had no experience dealing with the temptations of mortality. But Heavenly Father knew and understood. He charged us to control our mortal bodies and to make them subject to our spirits. Our spirits would have to master the physical temptations that our bodies would encounter in a temporal world. -M. Russell Ballard "Keeping Covenants" April 1993 General Conference
Pornography can be devastating. Indulgence in it will deprive you of the companionship of the Holy Ghost. It will darken your mind. It will weaken and can eventually destroy marriage and family life. Those who indulge in it soon feel alienated, unworthy, and unacceptable to God, to themselves, and to others. They become self-centered and less able to enjoy healthy and righteous interactions with others. They waste valuable time and money, jeopardize their standing in the Church, and diminish their ability to serve others. - Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts, Church Pamphlet
5. Education
"For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it's a commandment. We are to learn 'of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad' - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Two Principles for Any Economy, November 2009 Ensign
“Our education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail. And we will need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad things we could study we would most wisely learn. We cannot waste time entertaining ourselves when we have the chance to read or to listen to whatever will help us learn what is true and useful. Insatiable curiosity will be our hallmark.” - Henry B. Eyring, Real-life Education, April 2009 New Era
"For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it's a commandment. We are to learn 'of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad' - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Two Principles for Any Economy, November 2009 Ensign
“Our education must never stop. If it ends at the door of the classroom on graduation day, we will fail. And we will need the help of heaven to know which of the myriad things we could study we would most wisely learn. We cannot waste time entertaining ourselves when we have the chance to read or to listen to whatever will help us learn what is true and useful. Insatiable curiosity will be our hallmark.” - Henry B. Eyring, Real-life Education, April 2009 New Era
“I hope that you are not afraid of tough classes. I never did have a
‘cinch’ class. I hope that you are not afraid of lengthy periods of
preparation...ou simply have to apply yourself. I hope that
you want to be so well equipped that you can compete in this competitive
world. I hope that you will learn to take responsibility for your
decisions, whether they be in your courses of study which you elect to
take, or whether they be in the direction of the academic attainments
which you strive to achieve. Should you
become discouraged or feel burdened down, remember that others have
passed this same way; they have endured and then have achieved. When we
have done all that we are able to do, we can then rely on God’s promised
help.” -Thomas S. Monson, Life's Greatest Decisions September 2003, CES Fireside
“You need all the education you can get. You should sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. … Train your mind and your hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your life.” - Gordon B. Hinckley "A Prophet's Prayer and Counsel for Youth" January 2001
" For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Learn!" September 2011 Friend from an October 2009 General Conference
"In our quest for truth, we need to seek the help of our loving Heavenly Father. His Spirit can direct and intensify our efforts to learn and magnify our ability to assimilate truth. This learning with the Spirit is not confined to classrooms or preparation for school examinations. It applies to everything we do in life and every place we do it—at home, at work, and at church." - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009
For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Learn!" September 2011 Friend
May the Lord continue to bless you, my very special brothers and sisters. You are blessed with a royal heritage. You are part of this very wonderful school which has been dedicated to preparing bright minds to go forward and bring positive change to a troubled world. You reflect the light of Christ. - L. Tom Perry "The Church: Scaffolding for Our Lives" BYU-Idaho Devotional January 2012
In our educational choices we should prepare to support ourselves and those who may become dependent upon us. It is necessary that we have marketable skills. Education is mandatory to personal security and well-being. - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009 CES Fireside
This activity this evening is aptly called “Commencement” because you will now be moving on to the next phase of your life, a beginning or commencement, if you will. The conditions in the world you are about to encounter are filled with uncertainty and danger. The economies of the world and of the United States are unstable and unpredictable. The cherished values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are under attack by those who want to restrict agency and make you dependent rather than encouraging your skills and talents to create new and exciting ways of doing things. - M. Russell Ballard "Commencement Remarks" April 2012, BYU-Idaho
“You need all the education you can get. You should sacrifice anything that is needed to be sacrificed to qualify yourselves to do the work of the world. … Train your mind and your hands to become an influence for good as you go forward with your life.” - Gordon B. Hinckley "A Prophet's Prayer and Counsel for Youth" January 2001
" For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Learn!" September 2011 Friend from an October 2009 General Conference
"In our quest for truth, we need to seek the help of our loving Heavenly Father. His Spirit can direct and intensify our efforts to learn and magnify our ability to assimilate truth. This learning with the Spirit is not confined to classrooms or preparation for school examinations. It applies to everything we do in life and every place we do it—at home, at work, and at church." - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009
For members of the Church, education is not merely a good idea—it’s a commandment. We are to learn “of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass; things which are at home, things which are abroad.” -Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Learn!" September 2011 Friend
May the Lord continue to bless you, my very special brothers and sisters. You are blessed with a royal heritage. You are part of this very wonderful school which has been dedicated to preparing bright minds to go forward and bring positive change to a troubled world. You reflect the light of Christ. - L. Tom Perry "The Church: Scaffolding for Our Lives" BYU-Idaho Devotional January 2012
In our educational choices we should prepare to support ourselves and those who may become dependent upon us. It is necessary that we have marketable skills. Education is mandatory to personal security and well-being. - Dallin H. Oaks "Learning and Latter-day Saints" April 2009 CES Fireside
This activity this evening is aptly called “Commencement” because you will now be moving on to the next phase of your life, a beginning or commencement, if you will. The conditions in the world you are about to encounter are filled with uncertainty and danger. The economies of the world and of the United States are unstable and unpredictable. The cherished values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness are under attack by those who want to restrict agency and make you dependent rather than encouraging your skills and talents to create new and exciting ways of doing things. - M. Russell Ballard "Commencement Remarks" April 2012, BYU-Idaho
6. Temple
Blessings
The blessings of the temple become most meaningful when our loved ones
are taken in death from our family circles. To know that our period of
separation is but temporary provides peace that passes ordinary
understanding. - Russell M Nelson, Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple October 2010
Inscribed on each temple are the words “holiness to the Lord.” 1 That statement designates both the temple and its purposes as holy. Those who enter the temple are also to bear the attribute of holiness. 2 As temples are prepared for the people, the people need to prepare themselves for the temple. -Russell M Nelson, Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple October 2010
Until you have entered the house of the Lord and have received all the blessings which await you there, you have not obtained everything the Church has to offer. The all-important and crowning blessings of membership in the Church are those blessings which we receive in the temples of God. - Thomas S. Monson, "The Holy Temple-- A Beacon to the World" April 2011 General Conference
I remember well the day he passed away. As Jeanene and I drove from the hospital, we pulled over to the side of the road. I held her in my arms. Each of us cried some, but we realized that we would have him beyond the veil because of the covenants we had made in the temple. That made his loss somewhat easier to accept. - Richard G. Scott "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" April 2011 General Conference
Now, my young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there. I commend those of you who already go to the temple regularly to perform baptisms for the dead, arising in the very early hours of the morning so you can participate in such baptisms before school begins. I can think of no better way to start a day. -Thomas S. Monson, "The Holy Temple-- A Beacon to the World" April 2011 General Conference
Another most significant way to enhance your capacity to understand and live eternal truth is through temple worship. Only by receiving the fullness of temple ordinances and living the covenants made there can you enter into the highest degree of glory and receive the greatest measure of happiness eternally. Temple attendance has a calming, settling, consoling influence that distills peace and contentment. The accompanying family history work to identify ancestors to receive those ordinances yields similar blessings." - Richard G. Scott "Finding Happiness" August 1997 BYU Devotional
Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. - Richard G. Scott "The Joy of Redeeming the Dead" October 2012 General Conference
There is sometimes a wide difference—a gulf of misunderstanding—between the ways we experience the Church from the inside and the ways others look at it from the outside. This is the principal reason we hold open houses for temple dedications. The member volunteers at the temple open houses are simply trying to help others see the Church as they see it from the inside. They recognize the Church is a marvelous work, even a wonder, and they want others to know it too. - L. Tom Perry Ensign, November 2011
Inscribed on each temple are the words “holiness to the Lord.” 1 That statement designates both the temple and its purposes as holy. Those who enter the temple are also to bear the attribute of holiness. 2 As temples are prepared for the people, the people need to prepare themselves for the temple. -Russell M Nelson, Prepare for the Blessings of the Temple October 2010
Until you have entered the house of the Lord and have received all the blessings which await you there, you have not obtained everything the Church has to offer. The all-important and crowning blessings of membership in the Church are those blessings which we receive in the temples of God. - Thomas S. Monson, "The Holy Temple-- A Beacon to the World" April 2011 General Conference
I remember well the day he passed away. As Jeanene and I drove from the hospital, we pulled over to the side of the road. I held her in my arms. Each of us cried some, but we realized that we would have him beyond the veil because of the covenants we had made in the temple. That made his loss somewhat easier to accept. - Richard G. Scott "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" April 2011 General Conference
Now, my young friends who are in your teenage years, always have the temple in your sights. Do nothing which will keep you from entering its doors and partaking of the sacred and eternal blessings there. I commend those of you who already go to the temple regularly to perform baptisms for the dead, arising in the very early hours of the morning so you can participate in such baptisms before school begins. I can think of no better way to start a day. -Thomas S. Monson, "The Holy Temple-- A Beacon to the World" April 2011 General Conference
Another most significant way to enhance your capacity to understand and live eternal truth is through temple worship. Only by receiving the fullness of temple ordinances and living the covenants made there can you enter into the highest degree of glory and receive the greatest measure of happiness eternally. Temple attendance has a calming, settling, consoling influence that distills peace and contentment. The accompanying family history work to identify ancestors to receive those ordinances yields similar blessings." - Richard G. Scott "Finding Happiness" August 1997 BYU Devotional
Any work you do in the temple is time well spent, but receiving ordinances vicariously for one of your own ancestors will make the time in the temple more sacred, and even greater blessings will be received. - Richard G. Scott "The Joy of Redeeming the Dead" October 2012 General Conference
There is sometimes a wide difference—a gulf of misunderstanding—between the ways we experience the Church from the inside and the ways others look at it from the outside. This is the principal reason we hold open houses for temple dedications. The member volunteers at the temple open houses are simply trying to help others see the Church as they see it from the inside. They recognize the Church is a marvelous work, even a wonder, and they want others to know it too. - L. Tom Perry Ensign, November 2011
7. Trials
T"When you are faced with a test of faith, stay within the safety and security of the household of God. There is always a place for you here. No trial is so large we can’t overcome it together." Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith" October 2012 General Conference
"By definition, trials will be trying. There may be anguish, confusion, sleepless nights, and pillows wet with tears. But our trials need not be spiritually fatal. They need not take us from our covenants or from the household of God." Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith" October 2012 General Conference
We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development. 17 We also know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. 18 It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes Alma’s teaching that the Savior would take upon Him our infirmities and “succor his people according to their infirmities.” - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference'
I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop. There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience. Those reasons come from this one fact: in Their perfect love for you, Heavenly Father and the Savior want you fitted to be with Them to live in families forever. Only those washed perfectly clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be there. - Henry B. Eyring "Mountains to Climb" April 2012 General Conference
Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Of Regrets and Resolutions" October 2012 General Conference
At times we may despair that our burdens are too great. When it seems that a tempest is raging in our lives, we may feel abandoned and cry out like the disciples in the storm, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). At such times we should remember His reply: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (v. 40). The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paul—is available for every affliction in mortality. - Dallin H. Oaks "He Heals the Heavy Laden" October 2006 General Conference
Our choice to best help someone through hard trials then becomes, “What course should I follow that will best help the person I love to ‘endure well’?” It is for us to make it more likely that he or she can exercise faith in Christ, keep a bright hope of eternal life, and practice charity, the pure love of Christ, to the end of his or her life. - Henry B. Eyring "The Caregiver" October 2012 Broadcast
So, I urge you to make a commitment to yourself and to Heavenly Father to dedicate your life and consecrate your time and talents to the building up of the Church of Jesus Christ in anticipation of the Savior’s second coming. Let the motive of your thoughts and actions be to glorify God and to bless your fellowman. Let this desire inspire you to greet each new morning with enthusiasm, let it fuel your thoughts and actions throughout each day. If you do this, you will be blessed in the midst of a world that is fast losing its way, and you and your loved ones will be secure and happy. This does not mean that you will not face trials and tests, but it does mean you will have the spiritual power to handle them with faith and trust in the Lord. - M. Russell Ballard "Commencement Remarks" April 6, 2012 BYU-Idaho
T"When you are faced with a test of faith, stay within the safety and security of the household of God. There is always a place for you here. No trial is so large we can’t overcome it together." Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith" October 2012 General Conference
"By definition, trials will be trying. There may be anguish, confusion, sleepless nights, and pillows wet with tears. But our trials need not be spiritually fatal. They need not take us from our covenants or from the household of God." Neil L. Anderson, "Trial of Your Faith" October 2012 General Conference
We know from the scriptures that some trials are for our good and are suited for our own personal development. 17 We also know that the rain falls on the just and the unjust. 18 It is also true that every cloud we see doesn’t result in rain. Regardless of the challenges, trials, and hardships we endure, the reassuring doctrine of the Atonement wrought by Jesus Christ includes Alma’s teaching that the Savior would take upon Him our infirmities and “succor his people according to their infirmities.” - Elder Quentin L. Cook "Hope Ya Know, We Had a Hard Time" October 2008 General Conference'
I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop. There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience. Those reasons come from this one fact: in Their perfect love for you, Heavenly Father and the Savior want you fitted to be with Them to live in families forever. Only those washed perfectly clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be there. - Henry B. Eyring "Mountains to Climb" April 2012 General Conference
Brothers and sisters, no matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "Of Regrets and Resolutions" October 2012 General Conference
At times we may despair that our burdens are too great. When it seems that a tempest is raging in our lives, we may feel abandoned and cry out like the disciples in the storm, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:38). At such times we should remember His reply: “Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith?” (v. 40). The healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ—whether it removes our burdens or strengthens us to endure and live with them like the Apostle Paul—is available for every affliction in mortality. - Dallin H. Oaks "He Heals the Heavy Laden" October 2006 General Conference
Our choice to best help someone through hard trials then becomes, “What course should I follow that will best help the person I love to ‘endure well’?” It is for us to make it more likely that he or she can exercise faith in Christ, keep a bright hope of eternal life, and practice charity, the pure love of Christ, to the end of his or her life. - Henry B. Eyring "The Caregiver" October 2012 Broadcast
So, I urge you to make a commitment to yourself and to Heavenly Father to dedicate your life and consecrate your time and talents to the building up of the Church of Jesus Christ in anticipation of the Savior’s second coming. Let the motive of your thoughts and actions be to glorify God and to bless your fellowman. Let this desire inspire you to greet each new morning with enthusiasm, let it fuel your thoughts and actions throughout each day. If you do this, you will be blessed in the midst of a world that is fast losing its way, and you and your loved ones will be secure and happy. This does not mean that you will not face trials and tests, but it does mean you will have the spiritual power to handle them with faith and trust in the Lord. - M. Russell Ballard "Commencement Remarks" April 6, 2012 BYU-Idaho
8. Missionary
Preparedness
Declaring our testimony of the gospel is good, but being a living example of the restored gospel is better.- President Uchtdorf, October 2012 Conference, Of Regrets and Resolutions
Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and the Relief Society can help parents prepare missionaries who know the Book of Mormon and who will go into the field fully committed. And in each ward and branch, these same quorums can lead out in an effective collaboration with the full-time missionaries who are serving there. - D. Todd Christofferson, "Brethren, We Have Work to Do" October 2012 General Conference
Missionary service is a priesthood duty—an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much.”1 Again he explained that for young sisters, a mission is a welcome option but not a responsibility. - Elder Russell M. Nelson, October 2012 General Conference "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!"
The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come. A desire to serve is a natural outcome of one’s conversion, worthiness, and preparation. - Elder Russell M. Nelson, October 2012 General Conference "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!"
We know that great things happen in the lives of those who faithfully serve full-time missions. Missionary service is not easy, but it is infinitely worth it. Those who serve and return home with honor have established a pattern of living and serving that will bless their own lives and the lives of generations to follow. They return better prepared to be strong leaders and teachers in the organizations of the Church. They return better prepared to be righteous fathers and mothers and able to teach their children the gospel. Full-time missionary service is a blessing for those whom the missionaries find and teach as well as for the missionaries themselves. - M. Russell Ballard "One More" April 1993 General Conference
Melchizedek Priesthood quorums and the Relief Society can help parents prepare missionaries who know the Book of Mormon and who will go into the field fully committed. And in each ward and branch, these same quorums can lead out in an effective collaboration with the full-time missionaries who are serving there. - D. Todd Christofferson, "Brethren, We Have Work to Do" October 2012 General Conference
Missionary service is a priesthood duty—an obligation the Lord expects of us who have been given so very much.”1 Again he explained that for young sisters, a mission is a welcome option but not a responsibility. - Elder Russell M. Nelson, October 2012 General Conference "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!"
The decision to serve a mission will shape the spiritual destiny of the missionary, his or her spouse, and their posterity for generations to come. A desire to serve is a natural outcome of one’s conversion, worthiness, and preparation. - Elder Russell M. Nelson, October 2012 General Conference "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!"
We know that great things happen in the lives of those who faithfully serve full-time missions. Missionary service is not easy, but it is infinitely worth it. Those who serve and return home with honor have established a pattern of living and serving that will bless their own lives and the lives of generations to follow. They return better prepared to be strong leaders and teachers in the organizations of the Church. They return better prepared to be righteous fathers and mothers and able to teach their children the gospel. Full-time missionary service is a blessing for those whom the missionaries find and teach as well as for the missionaries themselves. - M. Russell Ballard "One More" April 1993 General Conference
Proclaiming the gospel is not an activity in which we periodically and temporarily engage. And our labors as missionaries certainly are not confined to the short period of time devoted to full-time missionary service in our youth or in our mature years. Rather, the obligation to proclaim the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is inherent in the oath and covenant of the priesthood into which we enter. - David A Bednar "Becoming a Missionary", October 2005 General Conference
Missionaries must be morally clean and spiritually prepared by you to serve the Lord in today’s world. I urge you to follow the instructions precisely and to do all in your power to help young people avoid any sin that could disqualify them for service in the kingdom of God. - M Russell Ballard "Keeping Covenants" April 1993 General Conference
We learned from the missionaries at the Missionary Training Center what would have helped them most to prepare for their mission. Above all else they wished they had:
Missionaries must be morally clean and spiritually prepared by you to serve the Lord in today’s world. I urge you to follow the instructions precisely and to do all in your power to help young people avoid any sin that could disqualify them for service in the kingdom of God. - M Russell Ballard "Keeping Covenants" April 1993 General Conference
We learned from the missionaries at the Missionary Training Center what would have helped them most to prepare for their mission. Above all else they wished they had:
- Learned the doctrine better through focused scripture study.
-
Learned how to study and to pray sincerely.
-
Understood better what is expected.
-
Had more teaching opportunities.
-
And had more searching interviews by bishops and parents. - M. Russell Ballard "One More" April 2005 General Conference
9. Humility vs. Pride
Pride is a switch that turns off priesthood power.
Humility is a switch that turns it on. - Dieter F. Ucthdorf "Pride and the Priesthood" October 2010 General Conference
The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.) Let us choose to be humble. - Ezra Taft Benson "Beware of Pride" April 1989 General Conference
This change, called conversion, is possible only through the Savior. Jesus promised: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. … And my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” As we are made new in Christ, our very natures change and we no longer want to go back to our old ways. - Robert D. Hales "Being a More Christian Christian" October 2012 General Conference
Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous. - Ezra Taft Benson "Beware of Pride" April 1989
I know that if you do this—at home, at school, at work, and at church—the Spirit will guide you, and you will be able to discern those in need of a particular service that only you may be able to give. You will be prompted by the Spirit and magnificently motivated to help pollinate the world with the pure love of Christ and His gospel. - Russell M. Ballard "Be Anxiously Engaged" October 2012 General Conference
The antidote for pride is humility—meekness, submissiveness. (See Alma 7:23.) It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. God will have a humble people. Either we can choose to be humble or we can be compelled to be humble. Alma said, “Blessed are they who humble themselves without being compelled to be humble.” (Alma 32:16.) Let us choose to be humble. - Ezra Taft Benson "Beware of Pride" April 1989 General Conference
This change, called conversion, is possible only through the Savior. Jesus promised: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. … And my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.” As we are made new in Christ, our very natures change and we no longer want to go back to our old ways. - Robert D. Hales "Being a More Christian Christian" October 2012 General Conference
Pride is a sin that can readily be seen in others but is rarely admitted in ourselves. Most of us consider pride to be a sin of those on the top, such as the rich and the learned, looking down at the rest of us. (See 2 Ne. 9:42.) There is, however, a far more common ailment among us—and that is pride from the bottom looking up. It is manifest in so many ways, such as faultfinding, gossiping, backbiting, murmuring, living beyond our means, envying, coveting, withholding gratitude and praise that might lift another, and being unforgiving and jealous. - Ezra Taft Benson "Beware of Pride" April 1989
I know that if you do this—at home, at school, at work, and at church—the Spirit will guide you, and you will be able to discern those in need of a particular service that only you may be able to give. You will be prompted by the Spirit and magnificently motivated to help pollinate the world with the pure love of Christ and His gospel. - Russell M. Ballard "Be Anxiously Engaged" October 2012 General Conference
It is through our Savior’s sacrifice that we can gain exaltation and eternal life. As we accept His ways and overcome our pride by softening our hearts, we can bring reconciliation and forgiveness into our families and our personal lives. God will help us to be more forgiving, to be more willing to walk the second mile, to be first to apologize even if something wasn’t our fault, to lay aside old grudges and nurture them no more. Thanks be to God, who gave His Only Begotten Son, and to the Son, who gave His life for us. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf "One Key to a Happy Family" October 2012 First Presidency Message
When our hearts are no longer set upon the things of this world, we will no longer aspire to the honors of men or seek only to gratify our pride (see D&C 121:35–37). Rather, we take on the Christlike qualities that Jesus taught:
We are gentle and meek and long-suffering (see D&C 121:41).
• We are kind, without hypocrisy or guile (see D&C 121:42).
• We feel charity toward all men (see D&C 121:45).
• Our thoughts are always virtuous (see D&C 121:45).
• We no longer desire to do evil (see Mosiah 5:2).
• The Holy Ghost is our constant companion, and the doctrines of the priesthood distill upon our souls as the dews from heaven (see D&C 121:45–46). - M. Russell Ballard "Be Anxiously Engaged" October 2012 General Conference
10. Motherhood/
Womanhood
You are each unique and precious. Each of you has your own burdens and challenges, which give you the blessing of turning to the Lord for help. We also have the opportunity to assist the Lord by providing relief for others, which is the greatest, fastest solution to loneliness and hopelessness and a sure way to obtain the companionship of the Spirit. All we need to do to start offering relief is get on our knees and ask, “Who needs my help?” Every sister—married or single, young or old—is needed in this relief effort, and it is what we should do better than anyone else. - Julie B. Beck, What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best: Stand Strong and Immovable, October 2007
Among many truths the speaker discussed, she said that a woman needs to be told she is beautiful. She needs to be told she is valued. She needs to be told she is worthwhile. - President Thomas S. Monson, October 2012 General Conference
Sisters, we love you. We pray for you. Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now. - Dieter F. Ucthdorf "Your Happily Ever After" April 2010 General Conference (Young Women Meeting)
Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” - Quinten L. Cook "LDS Women Are Incredible!" April 2011 General Conference
"Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child." -Dallin H. Oaks "Unselfish Service" April 2009 General Conference
"As fathers we should have love unbounded for the mothers of our children. We should accord to them the gratitude, respect, and praise that they deserve. Husbands, to keep alive the spirit of romance in your marriage, be considerate and kind in the tender intimacies of your married life. Let your thoughts and actions inspire confidence and trust. Let your words be wholesome and your time together be uplifting. Let nothing in life take priority over your wife—neither work, recreation, nor hobby."- Russell M. Nelson "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women" April 1999, General Conference
Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. -Gordon B. Hickley
Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good. Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children. Who can justly measure the righteous influence of a mother’s love? What enduring fruits result from the seeds of truth that a mother carefully plants and lovingly cultivates in the fertile soil of a child’s trusting mind and heart? As a mother you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child’s special talents and unique capacities. With your husband you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower. - Richard G. Scott "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" April 2011 General Conference
Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself. We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high. - Jeffrey R. Holland "Because She is a Mother" April 1997 General Conference
They create opportunities for sisters to endure trials well as they care for each other in the pure love of Christ. That may include gentle urging of the tired giver of care to rest and accept the help of others. The sisters make that possible by being slow to judge those going through trials. Most people carrying heavy loads begin to doubt themselves and their own worth. We lighten their loads as we are patient with their weaknesses and celebrate whatever goodness we can see in them. The Lord does that. And we could follow His example—He the greatest nurturer of all. - Henry B. Eyring "The Caregiver" October 2012 Broadcast
You are each unique and precious. Each of you has your own burdens and challenges, which give you the blessing of turning to the Lord for help. We also have the opportunity to assist the Lord by providing relief for others, which is the greatest, fastest solution to loneliness and hopelessness and a sure way to obtain the companionship of the Spirit. All we need to do to start offering relief is get on our knees and ask, “Who needs my help?” Every sister—married or single, young or old—is needed in this relief effort, and it is what we should do better than anyone else. - Julie B. Beck, What Latter-day Saint Women Do Best: Stand Strong and Immovable, October 2007
Among many truths the speaker discussed, she said that a woman needs to be told she is beautiful. She needs to be told she is valued. She needs to be told she is worthwhile. - President Thomas S. Monson, October 2012 General Conference
Sisters, we love you. We pray for you. Be strong and of good courage. You are truly royal spirit daughters of Almighty God. You are princesses, destined to become queens. Your own wondrous story has already begun. Your “once upon a time” is now. - Dieter F. Ucthdorf "Your Happily Ever After" April 2010 General Conference (Young Women Meeting)
Our women are not incredible because they have managed to avoid the difficulties of life—quite the opposite. They are incredible because of the way they face the trials of life. Despite the challenges and tests life has to offer—from marriage or lack of marriage, children’s choices, poor health, lack of opportunities, and many other problems—they remain remarkably strong and immovable and true to the faith. Our sisters throughout the Church consistently “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.” - Quinten L. Cook "LDS Women Are Incredible!" April 2011 General Conference
"Mothers suffer pain and loss of personal priorities and comforts to bear and rear each child." -Dallin H. Oaks "Unselfish Service" April 2009 General Conference
"As fathers we should have love unbounded for the mothers of our children. We should accord to them the gratitude, respect, and praise that they deserve. Husbands, to keep alive the spirit of romance in your marriage, be considerate and kind in the tender intimacies of your married life. Let your thoughts and actions inspire confidence and trust. Let your words be wholesome and your time together be uplifting. Let nothing in life take priority over your wife—neither work, recreation, nor hobby."- Russell M. Nelson "Our Sacred Duty to Honor Women" April 1999, General Conference
Of all the creations of the Almighty, there is none more beautiful, none more inspiring than a lovely daughter of God who walks in virtue with an understanding of why she should do so, who honors and respects her body as a thing sacred and divine, who cultivates her mind and constantly enlarges the horizon of her understanding, who nurtures her spirit with everlasting truth. -Gordon B. Hickley
Pure love is an incomparable, potent power for good. Righteous love is the foundation of a successful marriage. It is the primary cause of contented, well-developed children. Who can justly measure the righteous influence of a mother’s love? What enduring fruits result from the seeds of truth that a mother carefully plants and lovingly cultivates in the fertile soil of a child’s trusting mind and heart? As a mother you have been given divine instincts to help you sense your child’s special talents and unique capacities. With your husband you can nurture, strengthen, and cause those traits to flower. - Richard G. Scott "The Eternal Blessings of Marriage" April 2011 General Conference
Yours is the grand tradition of Lois and Eunice and the mothers of the 2,000 stripling warriors. Yours is the grand tradition of Mary, chosen and foreordained from before this world was, to conceive, carry, and bear the Son of God Himself. We thank all of you, including our own mothers, and tell you there is nothing more important in this world than participating so directly in the work and glory of God, in bringing to pass the mortality and earthly life of His daughters and sons, so that immortality and eternal life can come in those celestial realms on high. - Jeffrey R. Holland "Because She is a Mother" April 1997 General Conference
They create opportunities for sisters to endure trials well as they care for each other in the pure love of Christ. That may include gentle urging of the tired giver of care to rest and accept the help of others. The sisters make that possible by being slow to judge those going through trials. Most people carrying heavy loads begin to doubt themselves and their own worth. We lighten their loads as we are patient with their weaknesses and celebrate whatever goodness we can see in them. The Lord does that. And we could follow His example—He the greatest nurturer of all. - Henry B. Eyring "The Caregiver" October 2012 Broadcast
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