I know from the experiences of others

One evening in my youth, my mother sat with me at the foot of her bed and spoke fervently of the importance of living the Word of Wisdom. “I know from the experiences of others, from years ago,” she said, “the loss of spirituality and sensitivity that comes from not following the Word of Wisdom.” She looked right into my eyes, and I felt her words penetrate my heart: “Promise me, Ronnie, today [she called me Ronnie], that you will always live the Word of Wisdom.” I solemnly made that promise to her, and I have held to it all these years.

That commitment served me well when I was in my youth and in later years when I was in business circles where substances flowed freely. I made a decision in advance to follow God’s laws, and I never had to revisit it. The Lord has said, “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” What is He saying to those who abide by the Word of Wisdom? That we will have the promise of health, strength, wisdom, knowledge, and angels to protect us.

Standing by Our Promises and Covenants

October 2019

2010–2019

Ronald A. Rasband

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/29rasband?lang=eng&verse=#p

When we use Come, Follow Me, we are like the children of Israel, marking the side posts of our doors, protecting our families from the influence of the destroyer.

 “When we use Come, Follow Me, we are like the children of Israel, marking the side posts of our doors, protecting our families from the influence of the destroyer.”

Come, Follow Me—the Lord’s Counterstrategy and Proactive Plan

October 2019

2010–2019

Mark L. Pace

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/26pace?lang=eng&verse=#p

When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power.

When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls.

Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2017, 62.

Spiritual safety ultimately lies in “‘never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.’

 Satan does not have a body, and his eternal progress has been halted. Just as water flowing in a riverbed is stopped by a dam, so the adversary’s eternal progress is thwarted because he does not have a physical body. Because of his rebellion, Lucifer has denied himself all of the mortal blessings and experiences made possible through a tabernacle of flesh and bones. One of the potent scriptural meanings of the word damned is illustrated in his inability to continue progressing and becoming like our Heavenly Father.

Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. President Russell M. Nelson has taught that spiritual safety ultimately lies in “‘never taking the first enticing step toward going where you should not go and doing what you should not do.’ … As human beings we all have [physical] appetites necessary for our survival. ‘These appetites are absolutely essential for the perpetuation of life. So, what does the adversary do? … He attacks us through our appetites. He tempts us to eat things we should not eat, to drink things we should not drink, and to love as we should not love!’”

One of the ultimate ironies of eternity is that the adversary, who is miserable precisely because he has no physical body, invites and entices us to share in his misery through the improper use of our bodies. The very tool he does not have and cannot use is thus the primary target of his attempts to lure us to physical and spiritual destruction.

Watchful unto Prayer Continually

October 2019

2010–2019

David A. Bednar

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/22bednar?lang=eng&verse=#p

A half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything

The only way faith grows is for an individual to act in faith....Covenants anchor us to the Savior and propel us along the path that leads to our heavenly home. The power of covenants helps us maintain the mighty change of heart, deepen our conversion to the Lord, and receive Christ’s image more fully in our countenance. But a half-hearted commitment to our covenants will not guarantee us anything. We may be tempted to equivocate, throw our old ways in calm water, or bury our weapons of rebellion with the handles sticking out. But an ambivalent (having mixed feelings or contradictory ideas about something or someone) commitment to our covenants will not open the door to the sanctifying power of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Unwavering Commitment to Jesus Christ

October 2019

2010–2019

Dale G. Renlund

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/16renlund?lang=eng&verse=#p

In matters of faith and conviction, it helps to direct your inquiry toward those who actually have some!

 “It came to pass, that as [Jesus] was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:

“… Hearing [a] multitude pass by, he asked what it meant.

“… They told him, that Jesus of Nazareth passeth by.

“And he cried, saying, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me.”

Startled at his boldness, the crowd tried to silence the man, but “he cried so much the more,” it says. As a result of his persistence, he was brought to Jesus, who heard his faith-filled plea for the restoration of his sight and healed him.

I am moved by this vivid little vignette every time I read it. We can sense the man’s distress. We can almost hear him shouting for the Savior’s attention. We smile at his refusal to be silenced—indeed, his determination to turn the volume up when everyone else was telling him to turn it down. It is, in and of itself, a sweet story of very determined faith. But as with all scripture, the more we read it, the more we find in it.

One thought that struck me only recently is the good sense this man had in having spiritually sensitive people around him. The entire significance of this story hinges on a handful of anonymous women and men who, when asked by their colleague, “What does this commotion mean?” had the vision, if you will, to identify Christ as the reason for the clamor; He was Meaning Personified. There is a lesson in this little exchange for all of us. In matters of faith and conviction, it helps to direct your inquiry toward those who actually have some! “Can the blind lead the blind?” Jesus once asked. “[If so,] shall they not both fall into the ditch?”

The Message, the Meaning, and the Multitude

October 2019

2010–2019

Jeffrey R. Holland

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/11holland?lang=eng&verse=#p

Condemn Others, finding Fault with the Church...while he himself is righteous

 “I will give you one of the Keys of the mysteries of the Kingdom. It is an eternal principle, that has existed with God from all eternity: That man who rises up to condemn others, finding fault with the Church, saying that they are out of the way, while he himself is righteous, then know assuredly, that that man is in the high road to apostasy; and if he does not repent, will apostatize, as God lives.”⁵

Teachings of Presidents of the Church, Joseph Smith, Chapter 27, Beware of the Bitter Fruits of Apostasy

It is Not Easy to Rise Above Such Abuse

This is a day of sometimes merciless attacks in social media and in person against those who seek to uphold the Lord’s standard in dress, entertainment, and sexual purity. It is often the youth and young adults among the Saints, as well as women and mothers, who bear this cross of mocking and persecution. It is not easy to rise above such abuse, but remember the words of Peter: “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified.”

Foot Notes: 1 Peter 4:14. Remember also the promises cited in 2 Nephi 9:18 and 3 Nephi 12:12.

The Joy of the Saints

October 2019

2010–2019

D. Todd Christofferson

The Lord’s commandments are our guide to better choices and happier outcomes.

I haven’t met anyone who found the gospel later in life who didn’t wish it could have been earlier. “Oh, the poor choices and mistakes I could have avoided,” they will say. The Lord’s commandments are our guide to better choices and happier outcomes. How we ought to rejoice and thank Him for showing us this more excellent way.

The Joy of the Saints

October 2019

2010–2019

D. Todd Christofferson

The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]

I’ve shared with you previously an example of this philosophy. I believe it bears repeating. Many years ago, Arthur Gordon wrote in a national magazine, and I quote:

 “When I was around thirteen and my brother ten, Father had promised to take us to the circus. But at lunchtime there was a phone call; some urgent business required his attention downtown. We braced ourselves for disappointment. Then we heard him say [into the phone], ‘No, I won’t be down. It’ll have to wait.’

“When he came back to the table, Mother smiled. ‘The circus keeps coming back, you know,’ [she said.]

“‘I know,’ said Father. ‘But childhood doesn’t.’”²

October 2008, General Conference, Joy in the Journey, Thomas S. Monson