Prepare to Resist Temptation

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

How Can an Eternal Perspective Help Us Resist Temptation?

Alma 34:39: “Be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil, that he may not overpower you, that ye may not become his subjects at the last day; for behold, he rewardeth you no good thing.”

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95): “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’ (Moses 6:33). He has counseled us to yield to his spirit and resist temptation” (“God Will Have a Tried People,” Ensign, May 1980, 25).

Coleen K. Menlove, Primary general president: “Even within the Church there are people who aren’t happy or people who are usually happy but who experience intermittent times of stress, worry, challenge, and discouragement. That, too, is part of the great plan of happiness. Mortality is a time of testing and trial, which means that there must be times when we feel pain and emotional discomfort. However, by patiently trusting in the eternal plan, we can experience daily happiness and have hope for ‘ever-after happiness’” (“Living Happily Ever After,” Ensign, May 2000, 12).

How Can We Prepare Ourselves to Resist Temptation?

Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation.”

President Thomas S. Monson, First Counselor in the First Presidency: “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” (Be Your Best Self [1979], 56).

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat” (“‘The Great Imitator,’” Ensign, Nov. 1987, 35).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “When you have taken a determined stand for right, when you have established personal standards and made covenants to keep them, when temptations come and you act according to your standards, you will be reinforced and given strength beyond your own capacity if that is needed. Difficulty comes when you enter the battle of temptation without a fixed plan” (“Do What Is Right,” Ensign, June 1997, 53).

What Can We Do When We Succumb to Temptation?

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “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” (“Don’t Drop the Ball,” Ensign, Nov. 1994, 48).

Illustration by Sheri Lynn Boyer Doty