Feeling the Love of the Lord through Self-Mastery

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.

Revelation 3:21: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.”

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “When a man is motivated by great and powerful convictions of truth, then he disciplines himself … because of the knowledge within his heart that God lives; that he is a child of God with an eternal and limitless potential” (“The True Strength of the Church,” Ensign, July 1973, 49).

Alma 37:33: “Teach them to withstand every temptation … , with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.”

President Howard W. Hunter (1907–95): “When we have … an eternal perspective, we can more clearly evaluate what will bring us the greatest happiness in life. We should decide now, in the light of the morning, how we will act when the darkness of night and when the storms of temptation arrive” (“Commitment to God,” Ensign, Nov. 1982, 58).

Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Not an age in life passes without temptation, trial, or torment experienced through your physical body. But as you prayerfully develop self-mastery, desires of the flesh may be subdued” (“Self-Mastery,” Ensign, Nov. 1985, 32).

Alma 38:12: “Bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love.”

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “When … sin, disappointment, failure, and weakness make us less than we should ever be, there can come the healing salve of the unreserved love in the grace of God. It is a love … that lifts and blesses. It is a love that sustains a new beginning” (“A Personal Relationship with the Savior,” Ensign, Nov. 1976, 59).

Kathleen H. Hughes, first counselor in the Relief Society general presidency: “A woman I know was struggling with anger toward someone who had hurt her and her family. Though she told her children not to become embittered and resentful, she fought those feelings herself. After weeks of entreating her Father in Heaven, she finally felt a change. She related: ‘One day, in the midst of my nearly constant prayers, the healing came. I felt a physical sensation spread through my body. After, I felt a sense of security and peace. I knew that regardless of what happened, my family and I would be all right. The anger left me and so did my desire for retaliation’” (“Blessed by Living Water,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2003, 13).

President David O. McKay (1873–1970): “It is glorious when you can lie down at night with a clear conscience, knowing you have done your best not to offend anyone and have injured no man. You have tried to cleanse your heart of all unrighteousness, and if you put forth precious effort, you can sense as you pray … that he accepts your effort. You have a sense that you are God’s child. … You have the strength, the sense of resistance to evil” (Gospel Ideals [1954], 502).

Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”

How does drawing closer to the Savior help you master your thoughts, words, and deeds?
What scriptures or teachings of latter-day prophets have helped you gain self-mastery? What have you been able to change or improve?

Detail from The Lord Appearing unto Abraham, by Keith Larson; photograph by Christina Smith