Some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul

 Great battles can make great heroes, but heroes will make great battle. You will never have a better opportunity to be a greater hero in a more crucial battle than in the battle you will face today and in the immediate future. Be warned that some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul. David’s battles in the field against the foe were not as critical as David’s battles in the palace against a lustful eye. We will each find our own battlefield. The tactics that the enemy will use against us will vary from time to time; he will feel after our weak spots. We must be alert to the devil’s devious designs, to the subtle sins and clever compromises as well as the obvious offenses.

In His Steps, Ezra Taft Bensonof the Quorum of the Twelve ApostlesMarch 4, 1979; Speeches.byu.edu

President David O. McKay counseled: “‘The greatest battle of life is fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.’ … It is a good thing to sit down and commune with yourself, to come to an understanding with yourself and decide in that silent moment what your duty is to your family, to your Church, to your country, and … to your fellowmen.”

Per Thomas S. Monson, Choose You This Day, October 2004

One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures.

Our mortal experience requires that we walk by faith. At times we can become irritated. Family members and those we associate with may disappoint us. We may sometimes feel tired, faint, weary, and tempted on every side. Conditions in this world may cause us to wonder if indeed “the devil laugheth, and his angels rejoice” over our plight (3 Nephi 9:2). Given these situations and trials, particularly in these last days, our enthusiasm for living the gospel can wane if we are not diligent.

But we can follow basic religious practices to protect ourselves, even when life is hard. These personal religious practices are essential to strengthening our faith, maintaining our ability to resist temptation, and remembering our spiritual experiences. They help us grow spiritually and overcome Satan’s tactics.

The testimonies of two latter-day prophets on the blessings of two of these personal religious practices are noteworthy:

President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) testified:

“One of the most important things you can do … is to immerse yourselves in the scriptures. Search them diligently. Feast upon the words of Christ. Learn the doctrine. Master the principles that are found therein. There are few other efforts that will bring greater dividends. … There are few other ways to gain greater inspiration. …

“… When individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, … testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow.”

A Change of Heart: “Can Ye Feel So Now?”

June 2024

Liahona

Brook P. Hales

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/06/come-follow-me/18-a-change-of-heart-can-ye-feel-so-now?lang=eng&verse=#p

When we choose to put God first in our lives, His blessings come in abundance.

When we choose to put God first in our lives, His blessings come in abundance.

Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find eternal life

Chapter 1: The Great Commandment—Love the Lord

Ezra Taft Benson

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/teachings-of-presidents-of-the-church-ezra-taft-benson/chapter-1-the-great-commandment-love-the-lord?lang=eng&verse=#p

The Lord Works from the Inside Out

“The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums. The world would mold men by changing their environment. Christ changes men, who then change their environment. The world would shape human behavior, but Christ can change human nature. …

“Yes, Christ changes men, and changed men can change the world.”⁵

Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson, (2014), 76–88

Every Man Eventually Is Backed Up to The Wall of Faith, And There He Must Make His Stand

Our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively. We are not obligated to answer every objection. Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand. “And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye,” said Nephi, “for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day; and you and I shall stand face to face before his bar; and ye shall know that I have been commanded of him to write these things.” (2 Ne. 33:11.) Every man must judge for himself, knowing God will hold him accountable.

Ezra Taft Benson, “The Book of Mormon Is the Word of God,” May 1988, 6; Ensign, May 1975, 65.

It Is Not Enough To Receive The Priesthood And Then Sit Back Passively And Wait Until Someone Prods Us

President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “It is not enough to receive the priesthood and then sit back passively and wait until someone prods us into activity. When we receive the priesthood, we have the obligation of becoming actively and anxiously engaged in promoting the cause of righteousness in the earth"....Brethren, for a boy or a man to receive priesthood authority but neglect to do what is necessary to qualify for priesthood power is unacceptable to the Lord. Priesthood holders young and old need both authority and power—the necessary permission and the spiritual capacity to represent God in the work of salvation.

 April 2012 General Conference -  The Powers Of Heaven   -  Elder David A. Bednar

Power Which Will Begin to Flow Into Your Lives the Moment You Begin a Serious Study of the Book

It is not just that the Book of Mormon teaches us truth, though it indeed does that. It is not just that the Book of Mormon bears testimony of Christ, though it indeed does that, too. But there is something more. There is a power in the book which will begin to flow into your lives the moment you begin a serious study of the book. You will find greater power to resist temptation. You will find the power to avoid deception. You will find the power to stay on the strait and narrow path. The scriptures are called “the words of life” (D&C 84:85), and nowhere is that more true than it is of the Book of Mormon. When you begin to hunger and thirst after those words, you will find life in greater and greater abundance.

I implore you with all my heart that you consider with great solemnity the importance of the Book of Mormon to you personally.

Ezra Taft Benson, "The Keystone of Our Religion", Ensign January 1992

You Cannot Do Wrong and Feel Right. It Is Impossible.

You cannot do wrong and feel right. It is impossible!

Author: Ezra Taft Benson
Title: To "the Rising Generation"
Where: New Era, June 1986, 4