Be of Good Cheer

I gave this lesson to my Relief Society in April 2009, the last lesson I taught in Relief Society, since I got married shortly afterwards and left my YSA ward for a married ward and haven't been called to be a Relief Society instructor since then.

Be of Good Cheer—President Thomas S. Monson

Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith.

President Monson starts off his talk by mentioning some of the calamities in the world—the problems with the economy, moral decline, wars, etc. Then he reminds us that we are to have joy.

As we look at these next few quotes, let’s see if we can pick out HOW we can have joy even in troubled times.

President Monson said, “It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” ¹

What stood out to me here were the words “allowed” and “turn.” We need to remember that it is our choice. We can make a conscious decision what to focus on.

President Monson also said, “How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.” ³

For me, that scripture is about recognizing that the Lord is with us; He is the source of our joy, and if we don’t focus on Him and realize His love for us, we’re not going to have joy in our lives.

President Monson also said, “The history of the Church in this, the dispensation of the fulness of times, is replete with the experiences of those who have struggled and yet who have remained steadfast and of good cheer as they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center of their lives. This attitude is what will pull us through whatever comes our way. It will not remove our troubles from us but rather will enable us to face our challenges, to meet them head on, and to emerge victorious.”

What struck me here was the phrase “they have made the gospel of Jesus Christ the center in their lives.” We need to make sure that the Gospel isn’t an afterthought but instead that it is the core of who we are and how we live. In order to have happiness, we have to follow the plan of happiness, and that means that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is in our hearts and minds, that it’s central to our entire existence.

President Monson went on to share three stories from church history with us.

First:

“My maternal great-grandparents Gibson and Cecelia Sharp Condie lived in Clackmannan, Scotland. Their families were engaged in coal mining. They were at peace with the world, surrounded by relatives and friends, and were housed in fairly comfortable quarters in a land they loved. Then they listened to the message of the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and, to the depths of their very souls, were converted. They heard the call to gather to Zion and knew they must answer that call.

“Sometime around 1848, they sold their possessions and prepared for the hazardous voyage across the mighty Atlantic Ocean. With five small children, they boarded a sailing vessel, all their worldly possessions in one tiny trunk. They traveled 3,000 miles (4,800 km) across the waters—eight long, weary weeks on a treacherous sea, watching and waiting, with poor food, poor water, and no help beyond the length and breadth of that small ship.

“In the midst of this soul-trying situation, one of their young sons became ill. There were no doctors, no stores at which they might purchase medicine to ease his suffering. They watched, they prayed, they waited, and they wept as day by day his condition deteriorated. When his eyes were at last closed in death, their hearts were torn asunder. To add to their grief, the laws of the sea must be obeyed. Wrapped in a canvas weighed down with iron, the little body was consigned to a watery grave. As they sailed away, only those parents knew the crushing blow dealt to wounded hearts. ⁴ However, with a faith born of their deep conviction of the truth and their love of the Lord, Gibson and Cecelia held on. They were comforted by the words of the Lord: “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” ⁵

What does this story teach us about being of good cheer?

The fact that they “to the depths of their very souls, were converted” stood out to me. Again, I think this relates to making the Gospel the center of our lives. We need to let the message of the Gospel penetrate our souls.

Another thing I got out of the story was a reminder of what the Lord has done for us. He has overcome the world. Every trial, every struggle, that comes our way, He knows the solution for. He has paid the price so that all things can work together for our good.

The second story is about Meli Mulipola, a blind Polynesian man:

“Brother Mulipola’s vision had been normal until a fateful day when, while working on a pineapple plantation, light turned suddenly to darkness and day became perpetual night. He was depressed and despondent until he learned the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. His life was brought into compliance with the teachings of the Church, and he once again felt hope and joy.

“Brother Mulipola and his loved ones had made a long voyage, having learned that one who held the priesthood of God was visiting among the islands of the Pacific. He sought a blessing, and it was my privilege, along with another who held the Melchizedek Priesthood, to provide that blessing to him. As we finished, I noted that tears were streaming from his sightless eyes, coursing down his brown cheeks and tumbling finally upon his native dress. He dropped to his knees and prayed: “O God, Thou knowest I am blind. Thy servants have blessed me that my sight might return. Whether in Thy wisdom I see light or whether I see darkness all the days of my life, I will be eternally grateful for the truth of Thy gospel, which I now see and which provides the light of my life.”

“He rose to his feet and, smiling, thanked us for providing the blessing. He then disappeared into the still of the night. Silently he came; silently he departed. But his presence I shall never forget. I reflected upon the message of the Master: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” ⁶

What does this story teach us about being of good cheer?

I think we learn that we need to be able to recognize the blessings that we have because of the Gospel, rather than demanding blessings from the Gospel. He did come seeking a blessing, but then, whether or not he ever received his sight again, he knew that he already was blessed because he had the Gospel in his life. And we all have that blessing as well, and when we realize that, we can be of good cheer.

The last story:

“In about March 1946, less than a year after the end of the war, Ezra Taft Benson, then a member of the Quorum of the Twelve, accompanied by Frederick W. Babbel, was assigned a special postwar tour of Europe for the express purpose of meeting with the Saints, assessing their needs, and providing assistance to them. Elder Benson and Brother Babbel later recounted, from a testimony they heard, the experience of a Church member who found herself in an area no longer controlled by the government under which she had resided.

“She and her husband had lived an idyllic life in East Prussia. Then had come the second great world war within their lifetimes. Her beloved young husband was killed during the final days of the frightful battles in their homeland, leaving her alone to care for their four children.

“The occupying forces determined that the Germans in East Prussia must go to Western Germany to seek a new home. The woman was German, and so it was necessary for her to go. The journey was over a thousand miles (1,600 km), and she had no way to accomplish it but on foot. She was allowed to take only such bare necessities as she could load into her small wooden-wheeled wagon. Besides her children and these meager possessions, she took with her a strong faith in God and in the gospel as revealed to the latter-day prophet Joseph Smith.

“She and the children began the journey in late summer. Having neither food nor money among her few possessions, she was forced to gather a daily subsistence from the fields and forests along the way. She was constantly faced with dangers from panic-stricken refugees and plundering troops.

“As the days turned into weeks and the weeks to months, the temperatures dropped below freezing. Each day, she stumbled over the frozen ground, her smallest child—a baby—in her arms. Her three other children struggled along behind her, with the oldest—seven years old—pulling the tiny wooden wagon containing their belongings. Ragged and torn burlap was wrapped around their feet, providing the only protection for them, since their shoes had long since disintegrated. Their thin, tattered jackets covered their thin, tattered clothing, providing their only protection against the cold.

“Soon the snows came, and the days and nights became a nightmare. In the evenings she and the children would try to find some kind of shelter—a barn or a shed—and would huddle together for warmth, with a few thin blankets from the wagon on top of them.

“She constantly struggled to force from her mind overwhelming fears that they would perish before reaching their destination.

“And then one morning the unthinkable happened. As she awakened, she felt a chill in her heart. The tiny form of her three-year-old daughter was cold and still, and she realized that death had claimed the child. Though overwhelmed with grief, she knew that she must take the other children and travel on. First, however, she used the only implement she had—a tablespoon—to dig a grave in the frozen ground for her tiny, precious child.

“Death, however, was to be her companion again and again on the journey. Her seven-year-old son died, either from starvation or from freezing or both. Again her only shovel was the tablespoon, and again she dug hour after hour to lay his mortal remains gently into the earth. Next, her five-year-old son died, and again she used her tablespoon as a shovel.

Her despair was all consuming. She had only her tiny baby daughter left, and the poor thing was failing. Finally, as she was reaching the end of her journey, the baby died in her arms. The spoon was gone now, so hour after hour she dug a grave in the frozen earth with her bare fingers. Her grief became unbearable. How could she possibly be kneeling in the snow at the graveside of her last child? She had lost her husband and all her children. She had given up her earthly goods, her home, and even her homeland.

“In this moment of overwhelming sorrow and complete bewilderment, she felt her heart would literally break. In despair she contemplated how she might end her own life, as so many of her fellow countrymen were doing. How easy it would be to jump off a nearby bridge, she thought, or to throw herself in front of an oncoming train.

“And then, as these thoughts assailed her, something within her said, “Get down on your knees and pray.” She ignored the prompting until she could resist it no longer. She knelt and prayed more fervently than she had in her entire life:

“Dear Heavenly Father, I do not know how I can go on. I have nothing left—except my faith in Thee. I feel, Father, amidst the desolation of my soul, an overwhelming gratitude for the atoning sacrifice of Thy Son, Jesus Christ. I cannot express adequately my love for Him. I know that because He suffered and died, I shall live again with my family; that because He broke the chains of death, I shall see my children again and will have the joy of raising them. Though I do not at this moment wish to live, I will do so, that we may be reunited as a family and return—together—to Thee.”

“When she finally reached her destination of Karlsruhe, Germany, she was emaciated. Brother Babbel said that her face was a purple-gray, her eyes red and swollen, her joints protruding. She was literally in the advanced stages of starvation. In a Church meeting shortly thereafter, she bore a glorious testimony, stating that of all the ailing people in her saddened land, she was one of the happiest because she knew that God lived, that Jesus is the Christ, and that He died and was resurrected so that we might live again. She testified that she knew if she continued faithful and true to the end, she would be reunited with those she had lost and would be saved in the celestial kingdom of God. ⁸

If we’re going to be of good cheer, we have to learn to submit our will to the Father’s even when it’s heartbreaking. We have to trust that His plan works and that He will keep His promises.

One thing that I noticed as I listened to President Monson give this talk was that he didn’t tell us the end—he didn’t tell us about some glorious blessing these people received as a result of their faithfulness, something that happens to help them be of good cheer. We don’t find out happens to the family once they reach Zion, or if the man received his sight again, and we don’t know what happened to the poor widow and mother. I think that was intentional—because it’s not about the end. It’s about the journey, about having faith now, about letting that faith grow and sustain us so that we can be of good cheer now. It’s about knowing now that the Atonement is bigger than anything that can happen to us. Yes, it will be glorious later, but the Lord wants us to learn how to be of good cheer now.

President Monson is the Lord’s prophet on the earth, and this message is the Lord’s will for all of us. The Lord has provided the way; He has overcome the world, not just so we can have joy someday but so that our lives can having meaning now and we can be of good cheer now. I also want to testify that the Lord loves us beyond our understanding. He will be with us, and as we will put our faith in Him, that faith will buoy us up and our futures will be bright. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Pray Always

This is a Relief Society lesson I taught back in March 2009.

Pray Always—Elder David A. Bednar

Elder Bednar says, “Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others.”

He then goes on to discuss those three principles in his talk. So what I’d like to think about and discuss today is how we do those things and why they make our prayers more meaningful.

I.            Counseling with the Lord

1.       How do we counsel with the Lord?

First of all, what does it mean to counsel?

I looked up a couple definitions, and I think some of what I found gives good insights into what we’re supposed to be doing.

(noun) 1. Interchange of opinions as to future procedure; consultation; deliberation

(verb) 2. To get our take counsel or advice

A couple things that stood out to me here are that there is an interchange of opinions—this is two-way communication. We need to make sure that when we counsel with the Lord, we actually talk to Him and we let Him talk as well. And then we need to take the advice He gives us.

2.       What should we counsel with the Lord about?

Elder Bednar quotes Alma 37:36-37:

“36 Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

 “37 Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day.”

He emphasizes counseling with the Lord in ALL our doings. I think I have a tendency to only pray about something if I’m having a problem with it. If work is going well, I don’t pray about it. If school is going well, I don’t pray about it. But the instruction isn’t just to counsel with the Lord about the things that are going wrong; it’s to counsel with Him in ALL things. Certainly we should counsel with Him about our problems, but we should also talk to Him about the things that are going well.

Another thought that I had is that we can involve the Lord in the whole process. We’ve probably all heard that we need to study things out in our minds and make a decision and then take it to see if the decision is right—and that is true. We need to make the decisions. However, we need to realize at the same time that we’re not alone in the decision-making process. I was in a class once, and the teacher asked at what point of the decision-making process we prayed, and may answer was that I pray the whole way through. We can pray for guidance, we can pray for discernment, we can pray to know how to make the decision, etc. For me, I don’t always study things out the same way; sometimes I make a pros and cons list, sometimes I fast and pray, sometimes I need to talk to a particular person and gets some insight. So sometimes, my prayers start out with just asking for help in making the decision, in knowing which approach to take. The Lord doesn’t only help us at the end, either by confirming our decision or letting us know that it’s wrong. He will help us the whole way through, and I think that’s an important part of counseling—to involve the Lord in the whole process.

3.       How does counseling with the Lord make our prayers more meaningful?

Elder Bednar quotes a passage from the Bible Dictionary:

“As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are His children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part.”

For me, counseling with the Lord teaches me about that relationship. As I counsel with Him, I receive promptings, I get guidance, and I receive divine help; this makes me aware that God is working in my life, that my Father does hear my prayers, and that He will help me. It shows me that I really am His daughter and He loves me, and then that in turn changes how I pray. When you know that you’re praying to your Father, prayer is more meaningful.

II.            Gratitude

Elder Bednar’s second principle for making prayer more meaningful is to pray for others.

1.       How do we express gratitude?

Elder Bednar gives one suggestion:

“Let me recommend that periodically you and I offer a prayer in which we only give thanks and express gratitude. Ask for nothing; simply let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts.”

So one thing Elder Bednar says we can do is to have a prayer in which we only express gratitude.

He also gives us some insights into how to express gratitude in general; he says to let our souls rejoice and strive to communicate appreciation with all the energy of our hearts. Even if we’re going to ask God for something in our prayers, we can still express our gratitude with our whole hearts. I was taught that when you pray, you express gratitude first, and you ask for things after, so sometimes there’s a temptation to rush through the gratitude portion and get to what we think we need. But that’s probably not true gratitude; we need to put our hearts into it and express real gratitude.

2.       Why does expressing gratitude make our prayers more meaningful?

Sister Parkin, former Relief Society General President, gave an awesome talk a few years ago, called “Gratitude: A Path to Happiness”, and she had some great insights in there. One thing she mentioned was:

“Gratitude requires awareness and effort, not only to feel it but to express it. Frequently we are oblivious to the Lord’s hand. We murmur, complain, resist, criticize; so often we are not grateful. In the Book of Mormon, we learn that those who murmur do not know “the dealings of that God who … created them.” ³ The Lord counsels us not to murmur because it is then difficult for the Spirit to work with us.

“Gratitude is a Spirit-filled principle. It opens our minds to a universe permeated with the richness of a living God. Through it, we become spiritually aware of the wonder of the smallest things, which gladden our hearts with their messages of God’s love. This grateful awareness heightens our sensitivity to divine direction. When we communicate gratitude, we can be filled with the Spirit and connected to those around us and the Lord.” (emphasis added)

To me, again, this helps me see that Father-daughter relationship with god. It lets me know that He is aware of me and that He loves me, and that always makes my prayers more meaningful. When we are grateful, the Spirit has the opportunity to show us God’s love.

Sister Parkin also talked about the story of the 10 lepers:

“Luke chapter 17 records the experience of the Savior when He healed 10 lepers. As you recall, only one of the cleansed lepers returned to express his appreciation. Isn’t it interesting that the Lord did not say, “Your gratitude has made you whole”? Instead, He said, “Thy faith hath made thee whole.” ⁷

“The leper’s expression of gratitude was recognized by the Savior as an expression of his faith. As we pray and express gratitude to a loving but unseen Heavenly Father, we are also expressing our faith in Him. Gratitude is our sweet acknowledgment of the Lord’s hand in our lives; it is an expression of our faith.”

When we express gratitude, we express faith—and how meaningful can a prayer be if there isn’t any faith in it?

III.            Pray for Others

1.       How?

Elder Bednar says we need to “pray for others with real intent and a sincere heart.”

I think that means we say more than just a casual “Please bless…” It means we really think about others’ needs. It also means we’re willing to help them.

Alma 34:27-28 says,

“27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

 “28 And now behold, my beloved brethren, I say unto you, do not suppose that this is all; for after ye have done all these things, if ye turn away the needy, and the naked, and visit not the sick and afflicted, and impart of your substance, if ye have, to those who stand in need—I say unto you, if ye do not any of these things, behold, your prayer is vain, and availeth you nothing, and ye are as hypocrites who do deny the faith.”

This tells us that we need to pray for others, and then, if we don’t help them, our prayer is in vain.

2.       Why does praying for others make prayer more meaningful?

I think there are several different ways that this can make prayer more meaningful.

In praying for our enemies, I think we need the Lord’s help to do it, and anytime He helps us, then we feel His love and prayer becomes more meaningful when you know you’re praying to someone who loves you.

Also, in praying for others, I think we’re blessed with a sense of His love for others, but that also testifies to use of how much He loves us.

I remember one time, the girl I visit taught was going through a really rough time, and I was sitting in my room one night, and I was going to write her a note just to try to be supportive, and I prayed for you, probably one of the most sincere prayers I’ve ever prayed, and I felt so strongly how much God loved her. There was just this feeling of charity—of pure love—that just filled my entire body. And even though He was letting me see how much He loved her, I also knew that was how much He loves me, too.

God is our Father and He does hear our prayers. He wants us to know about the relationship described in the Bible Dictionary so that prayer will become natural and instinctive on our part. As we counsel with Him, as we express gratitude, and as we pray for others, the Spirit will truly testify to us of that relationship and of how much our Father loves us, and our prayers will be more meaningful. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Return to Virtue

This is a Relief Society lesson I taught in early 2009.

A Return to Virtue—Elaine S. Dalton

        I.            What is virtue?

Virtue is defined as: goodness; power; general moral excellence; right action and thinking; goodness or morality; a specific moral quality regarded as good or meritorious; chastity, especially in women; excellence in general; merit, value; effective power or force; efficacy; potency; especially the ability to heal or strengthen

In Preach My Gospel, we learn this about virtue:

“Virtue originates in your innermost thoughts and desires. It is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. Since the Holy Ghost does not dwell in unclean tabernacles, virtue is prerequisite to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. What you choose to think and do when you are alone and you believe no one is watching is a strong measure of your virtue.

Virtuous people are clean and pure spiritually. They focus on righteous, uplifting thoughts and put unworthy thoughts that lead to inappropriate actions out of their minds. They obey God’s commandments and follow the counsel of Church leaders. They pray for the strength to resist temptation and do what is right. They quickly repent of any sins or wrongdoings. They live worthy of a temple recommend.” (page 118)

President James E. Faust said, “Many people do not fully understand the meaning of virtue. One commonly understood meaning is to be chaste or morally clean, but virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that help us form our character.”

Proverbs 31:10-12, 20, 25-27, 30:

10 ¶Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

 12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.  25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

What are some characteristics of a virtuous woman?

·         cares for her husband, her children, her household (stewardship)

·         willing to work

·         charity

·         strength

·         honor

·         wise

·         kind

·         fears God

      II.            Why is virtue strength? Why is a virtuous woman’s price far above rubies? What can a virtuous person do?

Sister Dalton said, “Virtue is a prerequisite to entering the Lord’s holy temples and to receiving the Spirit’s guidance. Virtue “is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards.” ⁶ It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength. They are confident because they are worthy to receive and be guided by the Holy Ghost.”

A virtuous person can have the Spirit, go to the temple, resist temptation, and set an example for others to follow

When you do those things, you increase God’s influence in your life and you decrease Satan’s influence in your life.

D&C 121:45-46 says:

45 Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

 46 The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever.

A virtuous person can stand with confidence before God; I think she can also stand with confidence before Satan, knowing who she is and that God will assist her.

Sister Dalton said, “I truly believe that one virtuous young woman or young man, led by the Spirit, can change the world, but in order to do so, we must return to virtue.”

How can a virtuous person change the world?

Sister Dalton gave the example of the 2000 stripling warriors (Alma 53:20; see also Alma 56). As I was reading through this lesson, I thought of a line by Alfred Lord Tennyson that President Monson likes to quote: Sir Galahad, who was regarded as one of the best of the knights of King Arthur, said, “My strength is as the strength of ten/Because my heart is pure.” With the stripling warriors, their strength wasn’t in their bodies or in their youth; like Sir Galahad, their strength came from their purity and their absolute determination to have faith and follow God. And because they did that, their people as well as the Nephites were preserved.

Another example: Hyrum Smith

D&C 124:15 says, “And again, verily I say unto you, blessed is my servant Hyrum Smith; for I, the Lord, love him because of the integrity of his heart, and because he loveth that which is right before me, saith the Lord.”

How did Hyrum Smith change the world? We focus on Joseph Smith and what he did a lot, but the Church needed Hyrum, too. Joseph needed Hyrum. Because he always did what was right, because he was virtuous, he was able to support Joseph in his mission here on the earth and also to fulfill his own.

    III.            So, if we’re supposed to change the world by being virtuous, how do we return to virtue?

Sister Dalton said, “What can each of us do to begin our return to virtue? The course and the training program will be unique to each of us. I have derived my personal training program from instructions found in the scriptures: “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.” ¹⁴ “Cleave unto [your] covenants.” ¹⁵ “Stand … in holy places.” ¹⁶ “Lay aside the things of [the] world.” ¹⁷ “Believe that ye must repent.” ¹⁸ “Always remember him and keep his commandments.” ¹⁹ And “if there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, … seek after these things.” ²⁰ Now more than ever before, it is time to respond to Moroni’s call to “awake, and arise” and to “lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing.” ²¹”

Let’s quickly look at some of those thoughts and discuss what they mean.

Let virtue garnish your thoughts: Are we having pure thoughts? What do we do when impure thoughts enter our minds? And remember, virtuous thoughts aren’t just chaste thoughts; if I think, “I can’t stand her,” that isn’t an unchaste thought, but it’s not a pure thought.

Cleave unto your covenants: Stop and think about the covenants you’ve made and if you’re really keeping them. Think about what you can do to keep them more fully. Pick something to work on.

Stand in holy places: This doesn’t just say not to be in unholy places; it says to stand in holy place. We need to make the effort to seek out holy places—to go to the temple, to make our homes holy, etc.

Lay aside the things of the world: Let’s look at our clothing, the media we consume, our language, our beliefs, etc. to see if there’s anything worldly we need to get rid of

Believe that ye must repent: We ALL need to repent, and it’s a blessing that we get to. So let’s examine ourselves and do it.

Always remember Him and keep His commandments: Think about the commandments, not just the Ten Commandments but all of them. Which ones do we need to do better and how will we do that? How often are we remembering our Savior?

Article of Faith 13: Seek out things that are virtuous. Just like we need to seek out holy places, we need to find things that are virtuous to fill our lives.

Awake and arise: Let’s pay attention! Satan tries to be very subtle and crafty in his work. He leads us astray a little at a time, by degrees. We need to constantly be aware of what we’re doing and who we are following.

Lay hold upon every good gift, and touch not the evil gift, nor the unclean thing: Get rid of anything evil or unclean. Don’t even touch it a little bit. Stay away from it.

I want to close with one last thought from Sister Dalton. She said, “Now is the time to prepare by exercising more self-discipline. Now is the time to become “more fit for the kingdom.” ¹³ Now is the time to set our course and focus on the finish. A return to virtue must begin individually in our hearts and in our homes.”

I’d like to testify that we can do this. We can return to virtue, and we can start today. We can each find ways to improve and as we do, we can be forces for good in the world. We are all daughters of God, and He needs us to be virtuous. The world needs us. I also want to testify that we are capable of doing so much more than we imagine. We can do all things with Christ, and that includes changing the world. The Lord loves us and He will help us to do the things He asks us to do. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.