Pornography

Pornography is like a viral disease. It does not destroy the body like the plague does, but rather the human spirit. It is carnal and devilish. I have made an oath to myself to always flee from the grasps of pornography. It is addictive and destructive. Not only should I flee from it, but I should also take measures to help those around me. My Bishop of my young single adult ward advised the relief society to ask every boy we ever date whether or not he views pornography. This way we can address any issues before making decisions. It also allows us to encourage them to refrain from viewing pornography. He also told us as mothers to keep computers in an open area to protect our children. It is a topic that should be spoken openly about in the family. I will never view pornography, and I will take measures to protect people around me.

“We cannot afford husbands and fathers who fail to provide spiritual leadership in the home. We cannot afford to have those who exercise the Holy Priesthood, after the Order of the Son of God, waste their strength in pornography or spend their lives in cyberspace (ironically being of the world while not being in the world). Brethren, we have work to do.”

 –Elder Christofferson, Brethren, We Have Work to Do, October 2012

“I recently had an insightful conversation with a 15-year-old Aaronic Priesthood holder. He helped me understand how easy it is in this Internet age for young people to almost inadvertently be exposed to impure and even pornographic images. He pointed out that for most principles the Church teaches, there is at least some recognition in society at large that violating these principles can have devastating effects on health and well-being. He mentioned cigarette smoking, drug use, and alcohol consumption by young people. But he noted that there is no corresponding outcry or even a significant warning from society at large about pornography or immorality.”

 –Elder Cook, Can Ye Feel So Now? October 2012 General Conference

“Stay completely away from pornography. Do not allow yourself to view it, ever. It has proven to be an addiction which is more than difficult to overcome.”

–President Monson, Priesthood Power, April 2011 General Conference

 “Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit. The onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms has caused great grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages. It is one of the most damning influences on earth. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, vulgarities on the telephone, or flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging. This potent tool of Lucifer degrades the mind and the heart and the soul of any who use it. All who are caught in its seductive, tantalizing web and remain so will become addicted to its immoral, destructive influence.”

 –Elder Scott, To Acquire Spiritual Guidance, October 2009 General Conference

Agency

God has placed us on the Earth to learn and grow. He can teach us life principles in word, but experiencing principles for ourselves is necessary to get a deeper, true understanding of them. To create an environment that promotes self-discovery He did two things: He put in place the veil and gave us agency. The veil blinds us from Heaven. It makes it so we have to learn Heaven for ourselves. Agency allows us to make mistakes so, again, we have to learn Heaven for ourselves. It is easy to get discouraged after making the same mistakes over and over again, but this is how we learn. We must learn that with sin comes despair and with obedience comes joy.

“Though seemingly insignificant when compared to the total, each bee’s one-twelfth of a teaspoon of honey is vital to the life of the hive. The bees depend on each other. Work that would be overwhelming for a few bees to do becomes lighter because all of the bees faithfully do their part.” 
–Elder Ballard, Be Anxiously Engaged, October 2012 General Conference

“Now, brothers and sisters, we have available to us a tool even more remarkable than the best GPS. Everyone loses his or her way at some point, to some degree. It is through the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we can be brought safely back onto the right path, and it is the atoning sacrifice of the Savior that can return us home.”

–Elder Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, April 2012 General Conference

“When I am faced with a very difficult matter, this is how I try to understand what to do. I fast. I pray to find and understand scriptures that will be helpful. That process is cyclical. I start reading a passage of scripture; I ponder what the verse means and pray for inspiration. I then ponder and pray to know if I have captured all the Lord wants me to do. Often more impressions come with increased understanding of doctrine. I have found that pattern to be a good way to learn from the scriptures.”
–Elder Scott, How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration in Your Personal Life. April 2012 General Conference

“Did you, like they, think that this work could be killed simply by killing me? Did you, like they, think the cross and the nails and the tomb were the end of it all and each could blissfully go back to being whatever you were before? Children, did not my life and my love touch your hearts more deeply than this?”
–Elder Holland, The First Great Commandment, October 2012 General Conference

Atonement

The grace of Christ covers 100% of our mistakes. His atonement allows all sins to be forgiven so that I can receive the blessings of Eternal Life. Recently I have realized more fully my dependence on Christ. Circumstances that Heavenly Father has so wisely placed me in have allowed me to see my weaknesses and have compelled me to be humble. I am so grateful for Christ and what He did for me. I have partaken of the sacrament so many times without understanding of the significance of it. The bread and water represent Christ’s body and blood. I physically partake of the bread and water and allow my body to use it as sustenance. This represents how I should use the gift of the atonement for my spirit. I would spiritually die without the gift of the atonement. I love Christ and what He did for me.

“In the private sanctuary of one’s own conscience lies that spirit, that determination to cast off the old person and to measure up to the stature of true potential.”
–President Monson, Looking Back and Moving Forward, April 2008 General Conference

“It was understood from the beginning that in mortality we would fall short of being perfect. It was not expected that we would live without transgressing one law or another.”
–President Packer, The Atonement, October 2012 General Conference

 “If you have made no mistakes, then you do not need the Atonement. If you have made mistakes, and all of us have, whether minor or serious, then you have an enormous need to find out how they can be erased so that you are no longer in darkness..”
–President Packer, The Atonement, October 2012 General Conference

"That is the promise of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Atonement: to take anyone who comes, anyone who will join, and put them through an experience so that at the end of their life, they can go through the veil having repented of their sins and having been washed clean through the blood of Christ."

–President Packer, The Atonement, October 2012 General Conference

“We do not know exactly how the Lord accomplished the Atonement. But we do know that the cruel torture of crucifixion was only part of the horrific pain which began in Gethsemane—that sacred site of suffering—and was completed on Golgotha.”
–President Packer, The Atonement, October 2012 General Conference

Family

The family is a social unit that has been instituted by God. God knows what environment that will benefit His children the best, and he has placed us in families. Through the Priesthood, families can be sealed through eternity. My family was sealed in 2008 in the Boise, Idaho Temple. I testify that Priesthood power is real and that I know that I was purposefully placed in a family by God. We should strive to build strong healthy family relationships. Families are a source of strength. Many life principles are learned in the home. I am grateful for my family and love them all so much.

“This son is living not only to qualify for eternal life but also to live surrounded eternally by grateful family members whom he is gathering around him.”
–President Eyring, Help Them Aim High, October 2012 General Conference

“So what can we do to not become lost? First, may I suggest that we prioritize. Put everything you do outside the home in subjection to and in support of what happens inside your home.”

 –Elder Ballard, That the Lost May Be Found, April 2012 General Conference

“Do you young people want a sure way to eliminate the influence of the adversary in your life? Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older, you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life.”
–Elder Scott, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead, October 2012 General Conference

“But what about you? Have you prayed about your own ancestors’ work? Set aside those things in your life that don’t really matter. Decide to do something that will have eternal consequences. Perhaps you have been prompted to look for ancestors but feel you are not a genealogist. Can you see that you don’t have to be anymore? It all begins with love and a sincere desire to help those beyond the veil who can’t help themselves. Check around. There will be someone in your area who can help you have success.”
–Elder Scott, The Joy of Redeeming the Dead, October 2012 General Conference

“What we are speaks so loudly that our children may not hear what we say. When I was nearly five years old, my mother received word that her younger brother had been killed when the battleship on which he was serving was bombed off the coast of Japan near the end of World War II. This news was devastating to her. She was very emotional and went into the bedroom. After a while I peeked into the room to see if she was OK. She was kneeling by the bed in prayer. A great peace came over me because she had taught me to pray and love the Savior. This was typical of the example she always set for me. Mothers and fathers praying with children may be more important than any other example.”

–Elder Cook, In Tune with the Music of faith, April 2012 General Conference