So, John and I had to speak in Sacrament meeting in our new ward. The last time I spoke in sacrament meeting was back in 2011. So an eternity ago! Writing a talk is much different than preparing a lesson. Both have their pro's and cons. I actually think I like teaching better though. I like having a topic already picked for me. I like having an outline of what to teach, but having the freedom to stray from it if I so choose. With a talk there is no outline. Especially when they let you pick your own topic. I rewrote my talk 4 different times because I couldn't decide what I wanted to talk about!! But it ended up turning out good I think! :) I was happy with the way it turned out and I wanted to post it. I still need to work on my delivery though. I still sound monotone and like I am reading. But I didn't feel nervous when I was speaking! So... that's a HUGE improvement! :)
So here is my talk! :)
In the October 1987 general conference, President James E. Faust said “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.”
I feel as though what President Faust said 27 years ago is coming to pass. Satan’s power is real and growing stronger on the earth today. We live in a world that is full of confusion and chaos. It can be difficult to keep our focus on the Savior at times when Satan’s temptations and distractions are coming at us in every direction. There are numerous tactics Satan uses to lure us away from the Savior. One of the greatest strategies that I believe he uses, is deceiving us into justifying our petty sins. C.S Lewis gave a perfect description of this tactic in his book ‘The Screwtape letters’. In his book, the master devil is instructing the apprentice devil who is training to become a more experienced devil.
He writes “You will say that these are very small sins; and doubtless, like all young tempters, you are anxious to be able to report spectacular wickedness… it does not matter how small the sins are, provided that their cumulative effect is to edge the man away from the Light and out into the Nothing… Indeed, the safest road to Hell is the gradual one- the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.”
The safest road to Hell is a gradual one. How true is that statement! The choice to stray from the Savior is usually a slow process that is determined by our day to day decisions. Many times we do not even realize what is happening until it is too late.
I heard an analogy once that illustrates this concept perfectly. There are hundreds of species of mushrooms. Many are edible but many are poisonous. Some are even fatal if ingested. The most fatal mushroom is the Amanita phalloides, also known as the ‘destroying angel’. Just one or two in a batch of two dozen edible mushrooms can poison an entire family. The destroying angel tastes just like an edible mushroom and has no immediate effect on the victim. It isn’t until six to fifteen hours later, when the poisons have entered the bloodstream, that the victim experiences symptoms. It eventually destroys the liver and there is no known antidote. The fatality rate is about 90 percent.
Much like the ‘destroying angel’ mushroom, Satan makes sin look appealing and normal. He slowly poisons our spirit and we begin to justify our sins. The First Presidency described Satan as “working under such perfect disguise that many do not recognize either him or his methods. There is no crime he would not commit, no debauchery he would not set up, no plague he would not send, no heart he would not break, no life he would not take, no soul he would not destroy. He comes as a thief in the night; he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
Satan deceives us into thinking that just a few sins are okay. But in 1988, only a few toxic mushrooms in a whole dishful put five Oregon people in the hospital on the verge of death.
In Matthew 6:24, the Savior says “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”
We cannot serve both God and the world. God encourages us to follow him. But Satan urges us to ignore God’s commandments and live of the world. We must center our life on the Savior so that we can resist the temptations of the adversary and be steadfast in serving Christ. What are some things we can do daily to help us resist Satan’s temptations?
First, we can pray for help and guidance. D&C 10:5 says “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work.” Prayer is a great way to receive moral and spiritual strength to resist Satan’s temptations. We should kneel in humble prayer often to communicate the desires of our hearts to our God. He has the ability to give us the resources we need to stand strong against Satan’s power and temptation. All we need to do is ask.
I have a strong testimony that when we pray for strength to overcome the temptations of the adversary that God will help us. About a year ago, John and I started dating. After about 6 wonderful months of dating, we got engaged. After that point, things got really hard for us. I testify that when good things are about to happen to you in your life, especially relating to God’s plan of the family, Satan works extra hard to create failure. This was the first time in my life that I truly understood and recognized the strength and power that Satan has. We were engaged for about 4 months and I learned so much during that time. Some of my hardest days occurred during those four months. But I gained a stronger testimony of prayer. I know that Satan’s power is so real and so powerful, but it’s comforting to know what with God is on our side we can overcome and resist evil. God’s power is unshakable against the adversary.
Second, is having an eternal perspective. By keeping an eternal perspective, we have the ability to see that Satan has nothing more to offer us than temporal pleasures. God extends blessings to us that not only benefit us in this life, but will last for eternity. Satan would have us sell our lives for the petty sins of this world. The Savior, however, calls us, without price, to exchange our sins, to take upon us His countenance. For this we may receive all that God has, which we are told is greater than all the combined treasures of this earth.
Alma 41:10 says “I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness.” The only way to true, eternal happiness is through Christ and his atonement. Nothing that Satan has to give us will provide true happiness.
Third, to have the gift of the Holy Ghost. Through personal revelation, we can be protected by the spirit of discernment through the Holy Ghost. This happens when we are obeying the commandments of God, following our modern day prophets, and repenting of our sins. The Holy Ghost teaches us the truth of all things while Satan uses deception. We need not be deceived by the adversary if we have the spirit with us.
Fourth, temple attendance. President Thomas S. Monson said “As we love the temple, touch the temple, and attend the temple, our lives will reflect our faith. As we come to these holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we shall be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation.”
The Temple is a house of peace and safety. When we enter into the Lords house, we leave the world and all it’s temptations behind. And not only are we able to feel of the spirit while in the temple, but that spirit can dwell with us after we leave and help protect us.
I had an experience not too long ago that showed me just how temple attendance can protect us from the temptations of the world. For our honeymoon, John and I drove to California. We stopped in St. George to stay the first night and the next morning decided to go to the St. George Temple. As we continued on our road trip and started into Las Vegas, I remember feeling a little uneasy because of all the worldly billboards and signs that we were passing by. But then I started to remember the temple experience I had a few hours earlier and the spirit I had felt there and it was almost like a shield of protection from the temptations of the world.
The Fifth way is to decide now to resist temptation. We are all going to endure temptation throughout the duration of our lives. President Howard W. Hunter said“ Without temptation, sickness, pain, and sorrow, there could be no goodness, virtue, appreciation for well-being, or joy. The law of opposition makes freedom of choice possible; therefore, our Heavenly Father has commanded his children, ‘Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you’. He has counseled us to yield to his spirit and resist temptation”.
I’m sure most of us are familiar with the story in Luke where Jesus is in the wilderness and is fasting for forty days when the devil comes to tempt him into turning the stones into bread. I LOVE Jesus’s response to Satan’s temptation. “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan. For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”
We should all approach temptation like the Savior did. That’s why we are here on this earth, to become like the Savior. None of us are perfect at it. I know I’m very far from being perfect at resisting temptations. That’s why this gospel is so wonderful! When we succumb to temptation, because of the Atonement of our Savior, we can repent over and over again!
President Gordon B. Hinckley said “Occasionally we may stumble. I thank the Lord for the great principle of repentance and forgiveness. When we drop the ball, when we make a mistake, there is held out to us the word of the Lord that he will forgive our sins and remember them no more against us” The atonement is readily available to us whenever we want and need to use it.
I know that Satan’s temptations are stronger than ever and that his power upon this earth is real. I’m thankful that God has given us so many resources to help us thwart the powers of Satan and to stand tall against the many temptations we will face in this life. I know that if we pray for the spirit to be with us, have an eternal perspective in all that we do, and apply the atonement into our lives that God will never leave us defenseless against the adversary. I know that this gospel is the ONLY way to true, eternal happiness. Nothing that Satan can give us is worth giving up the eternal blessings the Lord has promised us. Nothing. We have to decide now who we want to serve, so that when temptation arises, we will be ready. Will it be Satan, the author of deceit and lies, whose whole purpose is to destroy us and make us miserable? Or Heavenly Father who loves us with all his heart, and is the source of all happiness and truth and wants nothing more than to reward us with eternal blessings?
I’m thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who are always there when I need them. This gospel brings me so much happiness and I’m so thankful for it! I have a strong testimony that if we have the Lord on our side, we can resist any temptation. I’m thankful for the atonement and that because of it we can always be forgiven of our sins when we give in to temptation. I’m thankful for my Savior who died for each one of us and who knows each one of us individually. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
