The LDS Daily WOOL Home Page
(8/20/98)
"God loves us; the devil hates us. God wants us to have a fulness
of joy as He has. The devil wants us to be miserable as he
is. God gives us commandments to bless us. The devil would
have us break these commandments to curse us."
- President Ezra Taft Benson,
"The Great Commandment--Love the Lord," General Conference, April 1988
(8/21/98)
"The devil is strongly against man's repenting and preparing himself for
the kingdom of heaven. The devil's mission and goal is to destroy man's
potential godliness and his preparation to be again with his Heavenly
Father. Repentance will stop the devil and keep him from entering the
hearts of men."- Elder Bernard P. Brockbank, "The Divine Power Of
Repentance," General Conference, October 1974
(8/22/98)
"To complicate the lives of true prophets, there have been false
prophets along the way helping the adversary to fill his role as spoiler
and enemy of truth--often using half truths as the most effective
weapon. Jeremiah had his Hananiah. In our day, Brigham Young had James
Strang, also several others, attempting to cloud the issues of truth and
right. The great common denominator of false prophets seems to be their
obsession to tear down and destroy, with practically no effort to give
hope or enlightenment. This has been so evident during the past couple
of years."- Elder Robert L.
Simpson, "We Thank Thee, O God, for a Prophet," "BYU Speeches of the
Year," 24 June 1986
(8/23/98)
"It would be a victory for the adversary if he could induce the
Latter-day Saints to forget their high calling, and come down to the
standard of their fellow men in the world; the enemy of righteousness
would then have accomplished his purpose. It is his design to impede the
progress of this work. He cannot do it, as far as the majority of this
people are concerned. I feel sure it is impossible for him to
overcome the high authorities of the "Mormon" Church, because of the
purity of their lives and the devotion that they manifest to this work
of the Almighty. I believe it is not possible for the adversary to come
into this congregation, nor any other congregation of the Latter-day
Saints, and successfully combat this work. That is not his plan of
operation; his plan is to influence the individual members of the
Church, some of us with discontent, some with fault finding, some with a
failure to pay tithing, some with neglect of one duty and some with
another, until we lose the spirit of the work and forget our high
calling and destiny."- Elder William T. Jack, General Conference,
October 1911
(8/24/98)
"With skill, hatred, and cunning, Satan pursues his goal. It is the
opposite of the purpose of our Heavenly Father and the Savior. They
would give us perfect union and eternal happiness. Satan, their enemy
and ours, has known the plan of salvation from before the Creation. He
knows that only in eternal life can those sacred, joyful associations of
families endure. Satan would tear us from loved ones and make us
miserable. And it is he who plants the seeds of discord in human hearts
in the hope that we might be divided and separate."- Elder Henry B.
Eyring, "That We May Be One," General Conference, April 1998
(2/5/04)
"We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan's power. He can have no
power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we
stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: 'Submit
yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you.' ( James
4:7 .) And Nephi states
that 'he hath no power over the hearts' of people who are righteous. (
1
Ne. 22:26 .)" - James
E. Faust, " Serving
the Lord and Resisting the Devil ,"
Ensign, Sept. 1995, p. 6
(7/15/04)
"The evil one has attempted on many occasions in all dispensations to
put out of existence, if you will, many of God's children. Sometimes he,
himself, has assumed the deluder's role. Other times he has worked
through those who have stepped to his side of the line. For instance, in
the Book of Mormon, we read of three anti-Christs. Each was deceived,
each preached against those who believed in Christ, and each sought
openly to destroy the church of God. Their patterns of deceit were
similar. They taught false doctrines, spread lies, referred to
prophecies as foolish traditions, accused Church leaders of perverting
the right way of God, and baited the people by referring to their faith
as a foolish and vain hope. (See Jacob
7 ; Alma
1 ; and Alma
30 .)" - Carlos E.
Asay, " Opposition
to the Work of God ,"
Ensign, November 1981, p. 67
(1/1/05)
"The general acceptance of Satan's declaration, 'I am no devil, for
there is none' ( 2
Ne. 28:22 ), accounts in
large measure for the decadence in our deteriorating society." - Marion
G. Romney, " Satan-The
Great Deceiver ,"
Ensign, June 1971, p. 36
(8/17/05)
"A successful baseball pitcher is able to hurl the ball with velocity
and accuracy. His pitches are disguised in order to deceive the batter.
A pitcher, by changing his grip on the ball or the way he releases it
from his hand, makes the ball curve, slide, drop, wobble, or slow down
as it approaches the batter. In baseball, good pitchers, like Nolan
Ryan, are masters at deceiving batters.
"In life, he who is the greatest deceiver of all has tremendous
influence. He has many names but is best known as Satan, or the devil.
And he knows that 'ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood.' (
1
Pet. 2:9 .)
"Make no mistake about it, my young brethren, Satan is the commander in
chief of deception. He is not satisfied with just taking prisoners; he
wants the souls of men. One of his insidious strategies is to
progressively soften our senses regarding what is right and wrong. Satan
would have us convinced it is fashionable to lie and cheat. He
encourages us to view pornography by suggesting that it prepares us for
the real world. He would have us believe immorality is an attractive way
of life and that obedience to the commandments of our Father in Heaven
is old-fashioned. Satan constantly bombards us with deceptive propaganda
desirably packaged and carefully disguised. Satan creates false heroes
which, if emulated, will lead us to the depths of sin." - H. David
Burton, " Heroes,"
Ensign, May 1993, 46
10/2/07
"If we don't have a clear sense of our identity and purpose, we are much
more vulnerable to Lucifer. He of course knows this and accordingly
attempts to blur our vision. He lies. He shades and obliterates truth.
He makes evil look good and good look unenlightened and unsophisticated.
Make no mistake about it: Lucifer will do anything to derail,
disappoint, dishearten, discourage, and deceive us—and particularly
those who have made and are seeking to keep sacred covenants. His
motives are entirely self-centered, selfish, destructive, and evil." - Sheri
L. Dew, "No Doubt About It"
10/4/09
“We don’t always
know the details of our future. We do not know what lies ahead. We
live in a time of uncertainty. We are surrounded by challenges on all
sides. Occasionally discouragement may sneak into our day; frustration
may invite itself into our thinking; doubt might enter about the value
of our work. In these dark moments Satan whispers in our ears that we
will never be able to succeed, that the price isn’t worth the effort,
and that our small part will never make a difference. He, the father
of all lies, will try to prevent us from seeing the end from the
beginning.” - Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “See the
End from the Beginning,” CR, April 2006
5/30/10
"By and large, the men and women of this Church are bright and capable.
But none of us is that smart. None of us is resilient enough to tango
with the adversary. We can never match his cunning or his talent for
deception and diversion. He will outsmart, outmaneuver, and outlast us
every time we willingly consent to a duel. Lucifer is like the ultimate
carnival barker: 'Step right up. Come on in. Don't miss the greatest
show on earth.' But as soon as he has you inside his tent, he will leave
you to twist in agony and isolation and darkness." - Sheri L. Dew,
"No Doubt About It"
The Master not only foresees perfectly the growing power of the opposing
forces but also knows what it is like to be mortal. He knows what it is
like to have the cares of life press upon us. He knows that we are to
eat bread by the sweat of our brows and of the cares, concerns, and even
sorrows that come from the command to bring children to the earth. And
He knows that the trials we face and our human powers to deal with them
ebb and flow. - Henry B. Eyring, "Remembering
Him Always," Liahona, December 2005
2/23/12
Who is it that whispers so subtly in our ear that a gift given to
another somehow diminishes the blessings we have received? Who makes us
feel that if God is smiling on another, then He surely must somehow be
frowning on us? You and I both know who does this—it is the father of
all lies. It is Lucifer, our common enemy, whose cry down through
the corridors of time is always and to everyone, “Give me thine honor.”
- Jeffrey R. Holland, "The Other
Prodigal," Liahona, July 2002
8/9/13
No one is immune from Satan’s
influence and temptations. Do not be so proud to think that you are
beyond the adversary’s influence. Be watchful that you do not fall
prey to his deceptions. Stay close to the Lord through daily
scripture study and daily prayer. We cannot afford to sit back and
take our salvation for granted. We must be anxiously engaged our
whole lives. - Joseph B.
Wirthlin, "Press
On," Ensign (CR) November 2004
9/14/13
Satan can influence us only if we
let him. Each time we resist evil, the Lord blesses us with more
strength to resist. When I do something I shouldn’t, I don’t like
the way I feel. But the first time I say in my mind or by what I do,
“Get thee behind me, Satan,” I feel a surge of strength and power to
resist. It is the Holy Ghost helping me. It’s a wonderfully secure
feeling. Resisting Satan is the appetizer at the banquet table of
the Lord. It prepares us for more of the life-giving sustenance the
Lord has for us. - Michaelene P.
Grassli, "Follow
Him," Ensign (CR) November 1989
2/9/14
This is a day when the adversary has launched an all-out attack
against womanhood, because he knows—he absolutely knows—that the
influence of a righteous woman is enormous and that it spans
generations. He would have us be disinterested in marriage and
motherhood, confused by the world’s view of men and women, too harried
by the pace of life to really live the gospel and to let it penetrate
our souls. At all costs, he wants to keep us at arm’s length from
Jesus Christ. For if we don’t come unto Christ, meaning that we never
turn our lives over to Him, we will go through our probation here on
our own rather than experiencing what the Savior promised when He
said, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I
will give you rest” (Matt.
11:28). - Sheri L. Dew, “Are
You the Woman I Think You Are?” Ensign (CR) November 1997
2/11/14
In
this world of illusions, Satan sows selfishness, unbelief, fear,
doubt, greed, spiritual instability, and a general concern for self
into men’s hearts. He is a master builder of spiritual detours to
waste time, divert attention from that which is good, and diminish
spiritual receptivity. Satan especially desires to deceive the
Latter-day Saints, those who know the truth about him, those who can
particularly influence others in their teaching and living of the
gospel in the home, in the classroom, from the pulpit, and in the
world. In these days of increasing deception, and more to come, one
must be aware of Satan’s spiritual snares and be sure of his own
discernment. - Gene R. Cook, “Spiritual
Guides for Teachers of Righteousness,” Ensign (CR) May 1982
6/10/14
The
adversary presents his principles and arguments in the most approved
style, and in the most winning tone, attended with the most graceful
attitudes; and he is very careful to ingratiate himself into the
favor of the powerful and influential of mankind, uniting himself
with popular parties, floating into offices of trust and emolument
by pandering to popular feeling, though it should seriously wrong
and oppress the innocent. - Brigham
Young, "Discourses of Brigham Young," selected and arranged by
John A. Widtsoe, p.69
7/24/14
While
Satan is determined to destroy us, the Savior says: “… this is
my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and
eternal life of man.” (Moses
1:39.)
He gave his life so that all mankind might enjoy immortality;
and through his gospel and the teachings of the prophets, both
ancient and modern, we are given a clear understanding of the
purpose of life and how to distinguish right from wrong, with
promises of salvation and exaltation to all who keep the
commandments. But remember that Satan has committed himself to
destroy mankind and is continually at work to accomplish this
one thing. - N.
Eldon Tanner, “Thou
Mayest Choose for Thyself,” Ensign (CR) May 1973
8/23/14
I think we will witness increasing evidence of Satan’s power as the
kingdom of God grows stronger. I believe Satan’s ever-expanding
efforts are some proof of the truthfulness of this work. In the
future the opposition will be both more subtle and more open. It
will be masked in greater sophistication and cunning, but it will
also be more blatant. We will need greater spirituality to perceive
all of the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it. But the
disappointments and setbacks to the work of God will be temporary,
for the work will go forward (see D&C
65:2). - James E. Faust, “The
Great Imitator,” Ensign (CR) November 1987
11/19/14
The
scriptures warn that the devil will make war with the Saints of God,
but he never can and he never will overcome them. He will attack
them with all the wicked devices his pornographic mind can devise,
but he never will stop God’s work.
This is not a war for territory or wealth; it is a contest for the
eternal souls of men and women, boys and girls, the literal
offspring of God, our Heavenly Father.
Our forces are strong. We have had many glorious victories and will
yet have more. Our task is to save all who will listen. - Mark
E. Petersen, “Where
Do We Stand?” Ensign (CR) April 1980
1/10/16
There are those who would draw you off course and cause you to waste
time and energies. Satan used a diversion ploy when he tempted
Christ in the wilderness. The Savior's decisive response, "Get thee
hence, Satan" (Matt.
4:10), is a proper example for all of us. - Carlos
E. Asay, "Opposition
to the Work of God," Ensign (CR), November 1981, p.67
10/3/16
And
we need to remember that it is not the Holy Ghost that
tells us we’re so far gone that we might as well give up. – Dale
G. Renlund, “Latter-day
Saints
Keep on Trying,” Ensign (CR) May 2015