Elder Neal A. Maxwell on God's help in our challenges of life

Elder Neal A. Maxwell (1926-2004) served as a Seventy from 1976-1981, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve until his death from cancer in 2004.

"God's plans for the development of souls have not changed. They were described to ancient Israel, whose 40 years in the wilderness were 'to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no' (Deut. 8:2). Therefore, disciples today can understand why our faith and patience are tried at times—so that we can be prepared to go Home (see Mosiah 23:21).

"Brothers and sisters, we do not go many hours in our lives without having to decide again 'which way do we face' and whether we will pitch our tents facing Sodom or the holy temple (see Gen. 13:12; Mosiah 2:6).

"God has no distracting hobbies off somewhere in the universe. We are at the very center of His concerns and purposes. What a sharp contrast to those who believe that man lives in an 'unconscious universe' (Bertrand Russell), a 'universe... without a master' (Albert Camus)....

"Brothers and sisters, we dare not hold back the restored gospel's declaratives! We dare not hold back the reassuring revelations and truth-telling translations about 'things as they really are, and... things as they really will be.' These are so needed by those whose weary hands hang down because they suffer from doctrinal anemia, which can best be treated by the red blood cells of the Restoration (see Jacob 4:13). To hold back would be to restrain repentance and to obscure the beckoning spiritual alternative, which will become 'fair as the sun, and clear as the moon' (see D&C 105:31)."

- Neal A. Maxwell, "How Choice a Seer," Ensign, November 2003, pp. 99-102
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The "children of Israel" spent 40 years "wandering in the wilderness"; there were things they needed to learn and experience. They needed to prove their hearts, their willingness to obey. Elder Maxwell suggests that in modern times, we have the same experience—"our faith and patience are tried at times" in order to help in our preparation to return to God. The key question for us, then, is to ascertain, in the scriptural language, which way we face—toward the temple (symbolizing God and the gospel) or towards Sodom (representing the world and its temptations).

I love the description of God having "no distracting hobbies" that make Him oblivious to our needs and challenges. While we often engage in those distractions, He never will. We are always 'at the very center of His concerns and purposes."

In the midst of our individual "wanderings in the wilderness," we can become weary. We can "suffer from doctrinal anemia" if we are not focused enough on "the red blood cells of the Restoration." How critical it is to make sure we are facing the right way in order to receive the greatest benefits from what God promises us!

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin on safety through careful obedience

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin (1917-2008) served as a Seventy from 1976 to 1986, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1986 until his passing in 2008 at age 91.

"With all my heart I echo the Savior's admonition that you choose to hear and heed the word of God. 'Keep the commandments. In this there is safety and peace' (Hymns, 1985, no. 303). In our world today the only protection from 'all the fiery darts of the adversary' (D&C 3:8) is to choose to 'Put on the whole armour of God, that [we] may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil' (Ephesians 6:11).

"And Satan is certainly wily. He is cunning—the master of deception and the father of all lies. Only by keeping all the commandments are you protected by 'the whole armour of God' from Satan's incessant, insidious efforts to lead you carefully into his power....

"And so we must keep all the commandments. You cannot approach the gospel as you would a buffet or smorgasbord, choosing here a little and there a little. You must sit down to the whole feast and live the Lord's loving commandments in their fullness.

"You have been taught the commandments. You know what to do:

"Pray.
"Study the scriptures.
"Fast.
"Pay your tithes and offerings.
"Attend your meetings.
"Partake of the sacrament.
"Magnify your callings and serve others.
"Sustain your Church leaders.
"Do your home teaching and visiting teaching.
"Make and keep sacred covenants.
"Share the gospel.
"Be honest, true, chaste, benevolent, and virtuous.

"The righteous King Benjamin, who loved his people dearly, gathered his people together near the end of his righteous life to share with them the deepest feelings of his heart. After reviewing the basic beliefs and commandments of the gospel of Christ with his beloved people, he offered this simple but powerful exhortation near the conclusion of his great sermon: 'And now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them' (Mosiah 4:10; emphasis added)."

- Joseph B. Wirthlin, "Choose the Right," BYU Fireside, September 4, 1994
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There is safety in obedience; what an important message. The world is becoming ever more dangerous as the adversary increases "fiery darts" of opposition and temptation. But through God's armor we can resist and be safe.

But partial armor is not much better than no armor. We seek "the whole armor of God" that comes from "keeping all the commandments" in their fulness.

Elder Wirthlin reminds us what some of those key aspects of the Lord's feast are, and then reminds us, along with King Benjamin: "And now, if you believe all these things see that ye do them." We all need that reminder regularly!

Elder Quentin L. Cook on defending family time as a priority

Elder Quentin L. Cook (b. September 8, 1940) was called as a Seventy in 1996, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2007.

"Some addictions or predilections, while not inherently evil, can use up our precious allotment of time which could otherwise be used to accomplish virtuous objectives. These can include excessive use of social media, video and digital games, sports, recreation, and many others.

"How we preserve time for family is one of the most significant issues we face in most cultures. At a time when I was the only member of the Church in our law firm, one woman lawyer explained to me how she always felt like a juggler trying to keep three balls in the air at the same time. One ball was her law practice, one was her marriage, and one was her children. She had almost given up on time for herself. She was greatly concerned that one of the balls was always on the ground. I suggested we meet as a group and discuss our priorities. We determined that the primary reason we were working was to support our families. We agreed that making more money wasn’t nearly as important as our families, but we recognized that serving our clients to the best of our abilities was essential. The discussion then moved to what we did at work that was not necessary and was inconsistent with leaving time for family. Was there pressure to spend time in the workplace that was not essential? We decided that our goal would be a family-friendly environment for both women and men. Let us be at the forefront in protecting time for family."

- Quentin L. Cook, "Lamentations of Jeremiah: Beware of Bondage," General Conference, October 2013
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In this interesting talk, Elder Cook discusses types of bondage we can fall into, particularly in modern times when various forms of addiction or distraction present themselves to us. In this excerpt, he warns of things that are not inherently bad, but to which an excessive focus could distract from things of greater value. His premise is that preserving time for family should be among the highest of our priorities, and things which distract from that goal must be appropriately controlled.

The specific example he shared was from a workplace setting, where a co-worker was struggling to balance her three divergent roles as employee, wife, and mother. In the midst of those unrelenting demands, she had sacrificed "time for herself" as a lesser priority but even so struggled to keep up with the other three. They were able to open discussions that enabled her (and others in the firm) to focus work efforts in ways that minimized unnecessary efforts and pressures. Elder Cook's implied encouragement to each of us is that we would likewise seek ways to "be at the forefront in protecting time for family" in every opportunity. Certainly that would begin with a personal evaluation of where we spend our time and what our priorities are!

Elder Richard G. Scott on the Savior's support in life

Elder Richard G. Scott (1928-2015) served as a Seventy from 1977-1988, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He passed away in September 2015 at the age of 86.

"More important, all of them [the scriptures and prophets], without exception, will lift your vision to the perfect friend—our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus the Christ.

"I love President Benson. I love the Book of Mormon, the Bible, and the other holy scriptures. But I adore this friend.

"I cannot comprehend his power, his majesty, his perfections. But I do understand something of his love, his compassion, his mercy.

"There is no burden he cannot lift.

"There is no heart he cannot purify and fill with joy.

"There is no life he cannot cleanse and restore when one is obedient to his teachings.

"Let my other friends [the living prophet and the scriptures] guide you to him, but find him yourself through humble, sincere prayer, obedience, and faith."

- Richard G. Scott, "True Friends that Lift," Ensign, November 1988, p. 76
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Elder Scott discussed some of the important friends we have in this life to assist in our journey to happiness, including such things as scriptural records, the prophetic teachings they contain, and modern living witnesses. But his message comes to an apex as he introduces "the perfect friend" and shares thoughts about how He can bless our lives as part of the great plan of happiness:

All the other good "friends" of our life will guide us to the Savior, but we also discover Him and build our relationship with Him "through humble, sincere prayer, obedience, and faith."

Elder Neil L. Andersen on being solidly grounded in times of spiritual tornadoes

Elder Neil L. Andersen (b. August 9, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 1993, and was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2009.

"With all the wonderful blessings that are ours in living in this beautiful world, ours is also a time of spiritual tornadoes.... These tornadoes come out of the modern day sky with increasing frequency and test our spiritual foundations. With more opportunities, more time, more freedom, and more privilege come more temptation, and more chance of spiritual destruction from the cares, riches, and pleasures of this life. (See Matthew 13:21; Luke 8:13-14)

"To weather these storms in this environment the Lord has instructed us by His prophets that we must become grounded, rooted, established, and settled in spiritual things. (See Ephesians 3:17; 1 Peter 5:10; Colossians 1:23; 2:7) Christ himself speaking to His disciples said, 'Settle this in your hearts, that you will do the things which I shall teach and command you.' (JST Luke 14:28) Grounded, rooted, established and settled.

"My message today is that we must deepen our faith. Our motives must be real belief. In the environment in which we now live and in which we will live, a simple desire to follow the traditions of our parents will not be sufficient to protect us. There must come into each of our lives a firm conviction that there will be no lasting happiness except in keeping the commandments of God. It will not be sufficient to spiritually live without deep-rooted, powerful testimonies, for the winds and tornadoes of the world will surround us like never before....

"What does it mean to be grounded, rooted, established, and settled spiritually? It means to see 'things as they really are.' (See Jacob 4:13) It means having an eternal perspective, and realizing those things that will shape our lives over much more than the next five, ten, fifteen, or fifty years, but shape and mold our spirits eternally, for our spirits live forever. It is having a faith that is not a generalized feeling but reflects specific experience with interlocking principles. Being grounded and rooted means being able to look forward and backward from this life. A hundred years from now, how will my decisions affect me? A thousand years? A million years? The difficulties that are now mine, how meaningful will they be in a future state?

"This perspective of seeing the spiritual all around us, seeing the purposes of life, does not come merely because we want to believe these things. If we have not grounded and settled these things deep within the foundation of our soul, when the tornadoes come we will find ourselves carried away."

- Neil L. Andersen, "Grounded, Rooted, Established, Settled," LDS Business College devotional, January 14, 1998
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I recently came across this talk by Elder Andersen, given when he was serving as a Seventy before his call to the Twelve. I loved his examples and analogies as he discussed the destructive power of tornadoes, and then considered the "spiritual tornadoes" of our time and the different but equally devastating destructive influence they can have if we are not prepared for their onslaught.

I believe it was Elder Neal A. Maxwell who, in a 1981 BYU devotional, first brought together adjectives from the teachings of Peter and Paul to discuss the hope for each of us to be "grounded, rooted, established, and settled" in our gospel maturity. That kind of spiritual anchoring and stability becomes the key in resisting the force of spiritual tornadoes:

Elder Andersen specifies some of the evidences of one who is "grounded, rooted, established, and settled" as:

• having deep-rooted, powerful testimonies
• seeing things as they really are (the spiritual perceptiveness to understand truth)
• having eternal perspective on life and the events that befall us
• having specific, detailed, reinforced faith
• seeing life in the context of time both backwards and forwards
• knowing that events and circumstances might seem serious, but being able to keep the long-term perspective of what their true impact will be

Being grounded and settled happens "deep within the foundations of our soul." We would be wise to carefully examine our souls and consider how we can strengthen our spiritual moorings.

President Boyd K. Packer on personal prayer and revelation

President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve (a position that no longer exists) from 1961 to 1970, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He served as president of that Quorum from 1994 until his death on July 3, 2015 at age 90.

"You have your agency, and inspiration does not—perhaps cannot—flow unless you ask for it, or someone asks for you.

"No message in scripture is repeated more often than the invitation, even the command, to pray—to ask.

"Prayer is so essential a part of revelation that without it the veil may remain closed to you. Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees.

"You must begin where you are. Pray, even if you are like the prophet Alma when he was young and wayward, or if you are like Amulek, of the closed mind, who 'knew concerning these things, yet... would not know' (Alma 10:6).

"Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil (see Rev. 3:20)."

- Boyd K. Packer, "Personal Revelation: The Gift, the Test, and the Promise," Ensign, Nov. 1994, 59-60
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President Packer identifies one of the key blessings that comes when we exercise our agency and heed the invitation to pray: the inspiration and revelation that will begin to flow. And so it becomes critical that we learn to pray often and in every setting and opportunity.

The reluctance to pray enough puts us in the same category as Amulek; President Packer quotes a part of that early convert's admission of his own stubbornness:

Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart.... (Alma 10:6).

The heart that knows, but stubbornly refuses to act, is one that desperately needs to be softened and changed. If we are not unlocking the precious door of heaven with our prayers, frequently and consistently, we are invited to repent and begin to claim the greater blessings that are ours.

Elder Marvin J. Ashton on the blessings of plainness

Elder Marvin J. Ashton (1915-1994) served as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles from 1971 until his death in 1994 at age 78.

"'For my soul delighteth in plainness; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men.' (2 Ne. 31:3.) 'I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell.' (2 Ne. 33:6.) 'My soul delighteth in plainness unto my people, that they may learn.' (2 Ne. 25:4.) Through this great prophet Nephi, along with other leaders and wise teachers, we come to realize that we learn more readily if principles are taught and explained in plainness. Brigham Young once said that if he could do but one thing to bless the Saints, he believed it would be to give them 'eyes with which to see things as they are.' (Journal of Discourses, 3:221.)

"Plainness is best comprehended by the humble, the teachable, the intelligent, the wise, and the obedient. Often plain truths are perverted by the pretentious, the crude, the low, the critical, the contentious, the haughty, and the unrighteous. More so than in any other time in our history, there is an urgency in today's society for men and women to step forward and teach the gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of plainness. God delights when His truths are taught clearly and understandably with no conspicuous ornamentation. Plainness in life, word, and conduct are eternal virtues. When the plainness of Christian teaching and living is lost, apostasy and suffering result. People walk in darkness when the light of plainness is taken from their lives....

"The truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ are plain, precious, and powerful. The lives of the worthy are plain, precious, and powerful."

- Marvin J. Ashton, "The Power of Plainness," Ensign, May 1977, pp. 66-68
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This was one of the classic talks by Elder Ashton. Noting the powerful teachings of Nephi about the importance of plainness, he applied the concept to our modern times and situation.

I've always loved Nephi's personal expression of love for the Savior as expressed in this memorable phrase: "I glory in plainness; I glory in truth; I glory in my Jesus, for he hath redeemed my soul from hell." He spoke of "my Jesus" even though this was hundreds of years before the mortal life of the Savior; but yet Nephi already had the depth of personal understanding and conviction to recognize Jesus as his personal Redeemer and to hold Him close in esteem. This is plain and pure doctrine.

As we focus on the plain and simple truths of the Gospel, and their direct application to our lives, we are deeply blessed.