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(8/7/04)
"In the Book of Mormon Alma tried to help his son Corianton avoid
unnecessary storms by explaining that 'wickedness never was happiness'
(Alma 41:10).
Unfortunately, sin appears occasionally attractive but hides its
destructive nature until it is too late and harm is already done. We
need to understand how to recognize and avoid the evil and be prepared
to detour around it in time. If we do fail, however, there is hope and
relief made possible through the atonement of Jesus Christ. Sincere
repentance brings us forgiveness and peace in this life and puts us
back on course to live again with our Heavenly Father." - Dieter F.
Uchtdorf, "Happy
Landing," New Era, March 1995, p. 7
(1/7/05)
"Our inconsistency in the present situation is frightening. While
millions accept promiscuity as a new way of life and excuse adultery
even though it wrecks marriages and breaks up homes, at the same time
we make it illegal to offer a prayer in some of our public places.
While we teach sex in schools and publicly portray the vilest of filth
on the movie screen, we virtually make a criminal of a schoolteacher
who would bring a Bible into the classroom or who might ask the
students to recite the Lord's Prayer. So far have we lost our sense of
values! Some Americans protest reference to the Almighty in the Pledge
of Allegiance to the flag, while others would eliminate 'In God We
Trust' from our coins. Church attendance in most denominations is
falling off at a rapid rate. Bible sales are down 25 percent, and some
members of the clergy have lost their faith. The Almighty provided
that we should observe a sacred Sabbath each week. We have flouted
this law to his face, and most of us have turned his holy day into one
of pleasure or of 'business as usual,' and yet the Sabbath was given
as a symbol of allegiance to our Creator. How true it is that 'first
we pity, then endure, then embrace' the repeated and relentless
incursions of iniquity." - Mark E. Petersen, "Warnings
from
the Past," Ensign, June 1971, p. 47
6/22/06
"During his mortal ministry, as the Only Begotten of the Father in the
flesh, Jesus again taught the gospel. At the beginning of this
ministry, we see his perseverance in one of the most stirring dramas
ever recorded. He completely overcame every temptation that the
cunning of Satan could devise (see Matt.
4:1-11). After Jesus had fasted forty days and forty nights,
gathering miraculous inner strength, came a battle of opposing powers
in the wilderness of Judea. First, Satan tempted Jesus by appealing to
the basic appetite of hunger, asking him to transform stones into
bread. Jesus held to his divine course and refused. Satan next tempted
the Savior to cast himself down from a pinnacle of the temple, saying
angels would protect him if he were the Son of God. Jesus refused this
request to misuse his divine power, saying, 'Thou shalt not tempt the
Lord thy God' (Matt.
4:7). Satan seldom gives up. He next appealed to a drive that
causes the downfall of otherwise invulnerable individuals—the almost
irresistible hunger to have great possessions. Satan showed all the
kingdoms of the world and offered them to Jesus if he would worship
him. Jesus commanded Satan to leave, saying, 'Thou shalt worship the
Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve' (Matt.
4:10). This is the type of perseverance in the face of
temptation that each of us can and must exercise if we are to avoid
the misery of sin." - Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Never
Give Up," Ensign (CR), November 1987, p.8
10/25/06
"There is much that is evil and unclean in music, the Internet, movies,
magazines, and in alcohol, drugs, and tobacco. As to any evil and
unclean thing, my young friends, do not even touch it! Disguised in such
things is a hook that sets subtly and much more suddenly than you dare
think—and it can be an excruciatingly painful process to extract the
hook. Alma described that for him the process of repentance was 'nigh
unto death' (Mosiah
27:28); indeed, he stated that 'nothing [could be] so exquisite
and so bitter as were my pains' (Alma
36:21).
"There may be some of you who have been involved with that which is evil
or unclean. Take hope in the doctrinal and historical fact that Alma's
faith in the Lord led him to repent, and as a direct result of his
repentance he experienced such happiness through the power of the
Atonement of Christ that, in his words, 'there can be nothing so
exquisite and sweet as was my joy' (Alma
36:21). Such will be your experience as you seek the Lord through
repentance." - Marcus B. Nash, "The
Great Plan of Happiness," Ensign, November 2006
10/17/09
“Since the beginning there has been in the world a wide range of sins.
Many of them involve harm to others, but every sin is against
ourselves and God, for sins limit our progress, curtail our
development, and estrange us from good people, good influences, and
from our Lord.” – “The Teachings of Spencer
W. Kimball,” edited by Edward L. Kimball, p. 153
6/29/10
"There should be
no sin in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No man should
attempt to excuse himself because he has this failing or that. If we
have a failing, if we have a weakness, there is where we should
concentrate, with a desire to overcome, until we master and conquer. If
a man feels that it is hard for him to pay his tithing, then that is the
thing he should do, until he learns to pay his tithing. If it is the
Word of Wisdom, that is what he should do, until he learns to love that
commandment." - Joseph Fielding
Smith, "Conference Report," October 1941, Afternoon Meeting, p. 95
11/21/11
Just as a sewing pattern determines the dress or clothes we wear, so
our present lives determine our future existence. Why do people have
to go through the “school of hard knocks” to learn this truth? The
scriptures and instructions from our spiritual leaders teach us how to
avoid the heartache which always results from sin. - Theodore M.
Burton, "Let
Mercy Temper Justice," Ensign (CR) October 1985
9/29/12
The parable of the prodigal
son is a parable of us all. It reminds us that we are, in some
measure, prodigal sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven. For,
as the Apostle Paul wrote, “all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God” (Rom. 3:23). - Bruce D. Porter, "Redeemer
of Israel," Ensign (CR) November 1995
5/31/14
Strength and resiliency come by righteous living. One is not righteous
who is a saint on Sunday and a slacker the remainder of the week.
Unchecked appetites are destructive and cause men to “trifle … with
sacred things.” President Brigham Young taught, “The sin that will
cleave to all the posterity of Adam and Eve is, that they have not done
as well as they knew how.” - Keith B.
McMullin, “Be
Prepared … Be Ye Strong from Henceforth,” Ensign (CR) November
2005
6/18/14
We
can fill our lives with good, leaving no room for anything
else. We have so much good from which to choose that we need
never partake of evil. Elder Richard L. Evans declared: “There
is evil in the world. There is also good. It is for us to
learn and choose between the two; to increase in
self-discipline, in competence, in kindness; to keep
going—putting one foot in front of the other—one day, one
hour, one moment, one task at a time.” (Richard L. Evans,
Thoughts for One Hundred Days, 5 vols., Salt Lake City:
Publishers Press, 1970, 4:199.) - Joseph
B. Wirthlin, “Seeking
the Good,” Ensign (CR) May 1992
6/26/14
There
have always been two great competing forces in the world. These
began before the world was created. These opposing forces are the
forces of good and evil. Between these two powerful forces each of
us is caught in a tug of war. In simple terms, that which is good
comes from God, and that which is evil comes from the devil. You
can’t have it both ways and find true happiness; some have tried,
but in the long run all have failed. If any of you young men think
you can have it both ways, you are only deceiving yourselves. It
doesn’t work that way. It never has. It never will. - James
E. Faust, “The
Devil’s Throat,” Ensign (CR) May 2003
3/16/15
The
Church and its agencies and institutions constitute a little island
in a great ocean. If we cannot hold the line and keep the floods of
error and sin from entangling us and engulfing us, there is little
hope for the world. Tidal waves of corruption, evil, deceit, and
dishonor are pounding our shores constantly. Unless we can build
breakwaters and solid walls to hold them back, the sea will engulf
us and destroy us also. - Spencer
W. Kimball, "The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball," edited by
Edward L. Kimball, p. 438
4/20/15
The war of good against evil will continue throughout our lives
since the adversary’s purpose is to make all people as miserable as
he is. Satan and his angels will try to shroud our thoughts and
assert control by tempting us to sin. If they can, they will corrupt
all that is good. Nevertheless, it is essential to understand that
they will have power over us only if we allow it. - Ulisses
Soares, “Yes,
We Can and Will Win!” Ensign (CR) April 2015
10/28/16
As we look about us, we see many who are practicing
deception. We hear of prominent officials who have lied about their
secret acts. We learn of honored sports heroes who have lied about
gambling on the
outcome of their games or using drugs to enhance their performance. We
see less well-known persons engaging in evil acts in secret they would
never do in
public. Perhaps they think no one will ever know. But God always
knows. And He has repeatedly warned that the time will come when
“[our] iniquities shall be
spoken upon the housetops, and [our] secret acts shall be revealed” (D&C
1:3; see also Morm.
5:8; D&C
38:7). – Dallin H. Oaks,
“Be
Not
Deceived,” Ensign (CR) November 2004