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Q What is sin? What effects
do our sins have on us?
1. "James said, “To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to
him it is sin” (James 4:17). John described sin as “all unrighteousness” (1
John 5:17) and “the transgression of the law” (1 John 3:4)" (Gospel
Principles).
Sin
robs us of blessings and damages our relationship with God and distorts our
view of Him, ourselves, and the world around us. Sin can bring spiritual,
mental, emotional, and physical pain to ourselves and others around us.
2. "As the Apostle
Paul prophesied, the last days are “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1). The
influence of the adversary is widespread and seductive. But you can defeat
Satan and overcome his temptations. Heavenly Father has given you the gift of
agency—the power to choose good over evil. You can “humble [yourself] before
the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that [you]
may not be tempted above that which [you] can bear” (Alma 13:28). As you
willingly obey the commandments, your Heavenly Father will strengthen you to
withstand temptation" (True to the Faith).
We
can overcome temptation as we become more spiritually, physically, mentally,
and emotionally healthy:
Spiritual Health
Center your life on the Savior
3. “Remember, remember
that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that
ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty
winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty
storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to
the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built,
which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall”
(Helaman 5:12).
"True, enduring
happiness, with the accompanying strength, courage, and capacity to overcome
the greatest difficulties, will come as you center your life in Jesus
Christ" (Richard G. Scott, November 2006 General Conference).
Q What are things we
can do to center our lives on Jesus Christ?
Conditional Blessings of the Atonement of Jesus Christ: Forgiveness, salvation, exaltation, eternal families, hope, overcome weaknesses, godly character/divine attributes, self control, guidance, comfort, joy, peace, strength, healing, etc.
To receive the conditional blessings of the atonement, we must live the Gospel of Jesus Christ:
· Faith- belief in, trust in, and commitment to obey Christ
· Repent- submit will to Christ and change behavior to follow Him; seek forgiveness and a change of heart
· Covenants- make/keep promises by priesthood authority to follow the example of Jesus Christ, such as baptism.
· Holy Ghost- receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, invite and follow His guidance
· Endure to the end- consistently grow our faith, repent, keep our covenants, and receive the Holy Ghost
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Q How does living the Gospel help us to overcome temptation?
4. "When the
resurrected Savior came to the Nephites, He taught the multitude: “Ye must
watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have
you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the
Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:18–19). In the latter days He has given similar
counsel: “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may
conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that
do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5)" (True to the Faith).
Q How does humility
help us overcome temptation (see Alma 13:28 above)?
5. "Our ability to
withstand temptation is now grounded in our continual submission to the will of
the Lord. We express our need for the power available to us through the
Savior’s Atonement, and we begin to feel that power within us, fortifying us
against the next temptation. We have learned to accept life on the Lord’s terms....
Submission to the Lord is hard doctrine. It requires us to rededicate ourselves
to His will at the start of each day and sometimes every hour or even from
moment to moment. As we are willing to do so, we find the grace, or enabling
power, to do what we could not do for ourselves" (Addiction Recovery
Program - A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing).
6. "As you study
gospel truths and apply them in your life, the Lord will bless you with power
to withstand temptation. Nephi taught, “Whoso would hearken unto the word of
God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the
temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness,
to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24; see also Helaman 3:29–30)"
(True to the Faith).
Q How have you seen
daily prayer and scripture study help overcome temptation?
Fill your life with goodness
7. "You have so much good to choose from that you
do not need to partake of evil. When you fill your life with goodness, you leave
no room for anything else" (True to the Faith).
8. "And they said
unto me: What meaneth the river of water which our father saw? And I said unto
them that the water which my father saw was filthiness; and so much was his
mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water"
(1 Ne 15:26-27).
Avoid tempting people, places and situations
9. "You cannot avoid temptation completely, but
you can avoid places or situations where you are likely to be tempted. You can
also avoid inappropriate material in magazines, books, television, movies, and
music and on the Internet" (True to the Faith).
10. "Wherefore if
thy hand or thy foot [cause thee to sin], cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to
enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be
cast into everlasting fire.... And a man's hand is his friend, and his foot,
also" (JST Matthew 18:8-9)
Q What is the
difference between resisting and avoiding temptation? How can we choose to
avoid instead of resist temptation?
Q Sin starts as a
thought. How can we overcome sinful thoughts?
11. "Like thieves in
the night, unwelcome thoughts can and do seek entrance to our minds. But we
don’t have to throw open the door, serve them tea and crumpets, and then tell
them where the silverware is kept! (You shouldn’t be serving tea anyway.) Throw
the rascals out! Replace lewd thoughts with hopeful images and joyful memories;
picture the faces of those who love you and would be shattered if you let them
down. More than one man has been saved from sin or stupidity by remembering the
face of his mother, his wife, or his child waiting somewhere for him at home....
Cultivate and be where the Spirit of the Lord is. Make sure that includes your
own home or apartment, dictating the kind of art, music, and literature you
keep there. Most people in
trouble end up crying, “What was I thinking?” Well, whatever they were
thinking, they weren’t thinking of Christ" (Jeffrey R. Holland, April 2010 General Conference).
Serve others, and Strive to influence them for
good.
12. "Just before He
suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed for His disciples:
“They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou
shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from
the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify
them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world,
even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:14–18). As a latter-day
disciple of Jesus Christ, you can be in the world but “not of the world.” In
addition to avoiding temptation yourself, you can influence others to live good
and wholesome lives. You can set a righteous example, be a good friend,
participate in community service, and, as appropriate, let your voice be heard
in defense of moral values" (True to the Faith).
Q Selfishness is at the root of virtually all sins.
How can we overcome our selfishness?
Q How can we be in the
world but not of the world?
13. “We seldom realize
the extent to which we are a product of the culture of our place and time…. All
too often, we are like puppets on a string, as our culture determines what is
‘cool’.... How was it possible that the [Manhattan] temple could be so
reverently silent when the hustle and bustle of the metropolis was just a few
yards away? The answer was in the construction of the temple…. The inner walls
of the temple were connected to the outer walls at only a very few junction
points. That is how the temple (Zion) limited the effects of Babylon, or the
world outside. There may be a lesson here for us. We can create the real Zion
among us by limiting the extent to which Babylon will influence our lives” (David
R. Stone, Ensign, May 2006).
Never hesitate in your decisions to withstand
temptation
14. "Strive to
follow the example of the Savior, who “suffered temptations but gave no heed
unto them” (D&C 20:22). When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the
Lord never wavered. His answer was quick and firm: “Get thee behind me, Satan”
(Luke 4:8). Through your righteous thoughts, words, and actions, you can answer
the temptations of the adversary with the same conviction. “Resist the devil,
and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James
4:7–8)" (True to the Faith).
Q What other practices have you seen help you to be spiritually
healthy? (Fasting, Keep the Sabbath Day Holy).
Physical Health
Live
the Word of Wisdom (D&C 89), Eat, sleep, and exercise appropriately
Mental and Emotional
Health;
the following weakens us to temptation and should be avoided or dealt with in
constructive ways:
·
Being
hungry, bored, lonely, angry, stressed, overwhelmed, burned out, or tired
·
Being
dishonest, manipulative, obsessive, or controlling
·
Being
negative, critical, judgmental, unforgiving, or resentful of ourselves or
others
·
Being
jealous, covetous, or lustful
·
Procrastination
Q How can gratitude
help us to overcome temptation?
Q How can being
merciful and forgiving of others and ourselves make us less vulnerable to temptation?
Turn to Christ When
Tempted
15. "And if men come
unto me I will show unto them their weakness.
I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is
sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble
themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become
strong unto them" (Ether 12:27).
Jesus said, "The
Father... [hath] sent me to bless you in turning away every one of you from his
iniquities" (3 Nephi 20:26).
16. "For in that he
himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are
tempted. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the
feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Hebrews
2:18; 4:15).
17. "We finally
abandoned the idea that we could become perfect by ourselves, and we accepted
the truth that God desires us to conquer our weaknesses in this life by coming
to Christ and being perfected in Him. We found that by His grace, He enabled us
to deny ourselves of all ungodliness and to understand that salvation comes not
by our own power but by His (see Moroni 10:32)" (Addiction Recovery
Program - A Guide to Addiction Recovery and Healing).
"And were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now. But behold, he did deliver them because they did humble themselves before him; and because they cried mightily unto him he did deliver them out of bondage; and thus doth the Lord work with his power in all cases among the children of men, extending the arm of mercy towards them that put their trust in him" (Mosiah 29:19-20).
Key talks about Overcoming Addiction can be found at
Key talks about Repentance can be found at
Key talks about The Atonement of Jesus Christ can be found
at
Key talks about Grace can be found at
Key talks about Gratitude can be
found at
Key talks about Humility can be found at
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