“Become an Instrument in the Hands of God by Standing Strong and Immovable,” Ensign, June 2007, 49

Visiting Teaching Message:

Become an Instrument in the Hands of God by Standing Strong and Immovable

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.

What Does It Mean to Be Strong and Immovable?

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “It is so tremendously important that the women of the Church stand strong and immovable for that which is correct and proper. … [You] must begin in [your] own homes. [You] can teach it in [your] classes. [You] can voice it in [your] communities” (“Standing Strong and Immovable,” Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 2004, 20).

President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918): “After we have done all we could do for the cause of truth, and withstood the evil that men have brought upon us, … it is still our duty to stand. We cannot give up; we must not lie down. … To stand firm in the face of overwhelming opposition, when you have done all you can, is the courage of faith. The courage of faith is the courage of progress. [Those] who possess that divine quality go on; they are not permitted to stand still if they would. They are not simply the creatures of their own power and wisdom; they are instrumentalities of a higher law and a divine purpose” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph F. Smith [1998], 107–8).

How Can the Lord Use Me When I Stand Strong and Immovable?

D&C 84:106: “If any man among you be strong in the Spirit, let him take with him him that is weak, … that he may become strong also.”

Anne C. Pingree, second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: “The Lord explained that those who ‘shall be received by baptism into his church’ would be, in part, those ‘willing to take upon them the name of Jesus Christ, having a determination to serve him to the end.’ That means remaining ‘steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works’ each day of our lives. … We will be asked to do all we can, in some cases, even more than we know how to do” (“To Grow Up unto the Lord,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2006, 74–75, 76).

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “You cannot today remotely imagine what that decision to be unwaveringly obedient to the Lord will allow you to accomplish in life. Your quiet, uncompromising determination to live a righteous life will couple you to inspiration and power beyond your capacity now to understand. … You can qualify through that divine power to be instruments in the hands of God to accomplish what you could not do alone” (“Making the Right Decisions,” Ensign, May 1991, 34–35).

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “I commend each of you for your day-to-day works of righteousness. Even though your works may be known to only a few, they are recorded in the Lamb’s book of life, which one day will be opened to witness of your dedicated service, devotion, and deeds as ‘instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work’ [Alma 26:3]” (“Instruments in the Hands of God,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2005, 114).