How To Resist Temptation

So I discovered a true treasure here in Utah this week, and I feel the need to share it. It's a little pamphlet called How To Resist Temptation, and I haven't been able to find it anywhere else online, so I typed it up last night. It was written for the youth of the LDS Church (Kinda like the Strength of Youth), but I think it applies to everyone.

How To Resist Temptation

By

Elder Delbert L. Stapley

of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

…

Published by the Mutual Improvement Associations

The Church of Jesus Christ of

Latter-day Saints

Prepared for the YOUNG PEOPLE OF THE CHUCH.

Printed in U.S.A.

[3]The worldly enticements of our time are glamorous but deceptive, and if we ignore gospel standards and ideals, it is easy to become careless and indifferent and inadvertently depart from the straight and narrow way which leads to eternal life of happiness and joyful companionships. This departure generally is not willful nor immediate, but results from a gradual attrition of unwise indiscretions and small transgressions, which at the time of doing may seem insignificant.

[4] The youth of the Church today are exposed to many enticements which require implicit faith in gospel standards and strong character virtues to resist such temptations and all evil pressures to do wrong.

You are now in the process of preparing your bodies and spirits for the blessings of eternity. The effectiveness of this preparation is most important to your future joy and happiness. “Happiness” taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, “is the object and design of our existence and will be the end thereof if we pursue the path that leads to it.”

Are you willing to practice self-denial, self-restraint, self-mastery, and pay the price of faith, devotion, and good works and follow the path marked out by Jesus to obtain eternal hap[5]piness, free from the sorrows and remorse of wrongdoing?

The Savior counseled Oliver Cowdery, who was the first associate of the Prophet Joseph Smith in setting up God’s Latter-day Kingdom, “Be Faithful and yield to no temptation.” (D&C 3:13) Unfortunately he did not follow this admonition and fell from his high calling.

To be faithful requires that you learn the gospel sufficiently to know what the Lord requires of you and then to do it. Appreciation of gospel principles and standards comes by diligent and continuous use and practice of them, which if you do acceptably you are privileged to enjoy their refining influence and blessings. The true Gospel of Christ enlightens the understanding, expands the mind, and [6] enlarges the soul; therefore, it does refine and sanctify the souls of all who obey its way of life.

“Watch and pray always,” counseled the Savior to the Nephites, “lest ye enter into temptation and lose your reward; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore,” said the Lord to them, “hold up your light that it may shine unto the world. Behold I am the light which ye shall hold up – that which ye have seen me do.” (3 Nephi 18:18, 24; D&C 31:12) Christ is the perfect example for all to follow implicitly for said he “I came not to do my own will but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38)

Alma counseling his son Helaman advised him to teach the people to withstand every temp[7]tation of the devil and for them never to be weary of good works, to evidence faith on the Lord Jesus Christ and to acquire an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity. Now, 2,000 years later, Alma’s instruction is still sound and timely for this generation.

John, the Beloved Apostle of our Lord, informs us that sin is the transgression of God’s law. (1 John 3:4)

Possessing as we do the true Gospel of Christ, if we should yield to temptation and sin when we know better, we would be as one walking in darkness at noon-day and, therefore, guilty of grievous sins before our Heavenly Father. If we are not walking in the light of the Spirit, darkness enshrouds our souls and blinds our eyes to all [8] that is good and beautiful in life.

Where the Light of Christ is in our bodies there can be no darkness which leads to temptation and sin. You cannot take darkness into a lighted room, nor can darkness or doubts be created where true faith exists in the lives of people. Light dissipates and takes the place of darkness, but darkness cannot take the place of light. It is only when the light goes out that darkness prevails. How true this is in the life of an individual! As long as the light of the spirit glows in the life of a person, it will safely guide him through the pitfalls of temptation and error.

The Apostle James taught: “Blessed is the man that resisteth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath [9] promised to them that love him. Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save our souls.” (James 1:12-17, 21. Revised Version)

[10] To resist temptation and receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to all who love him will be a satisfying reward and comforting blessing. God does not tempt his children to evil but, “everything that persuadeth to do good,” taught a Nephite prophet, “is of God, and everything that persuadeth to do evil is of Satan, who is the father of evil and darkness.” The wages of sin is death; therefore, the Apostle James cautions to lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness and receive with meekness the engrafted word of God, which is able to save the soul. Salvation and happiness cannot come in any other way. You are to be doers of the word and not hearers only; otherwise, you are deceiv[11]ing yourselves and seeing, as it were, through a glass darkly.

Robert Louis Stevenson wisely said:

You cannot run away from a weakness; you must some time fight it or perish; and if that be so, why not now?

To recognize inherent weaknesses and do nothing to overcome them before they attack the very foundations of moral virtue and Christian living, is an evidence of character instability. To delay conquering weaknesses is hazardous and often leads to infractions of God’s laws which cause permanent injury to the faith and moral strength of an individual.

I should like to encourage you young people of the Church to humble and prepare yourselves [12] worthily to receive a patriarchal blessing. If prayerfully studied, then remembered and followed, your blessing will be an anchor to your faith and a guide to your life and thus be a bulwark of strength against the time of temptation in your lives.

May I suggest that you avoid the very appearance of evil. Do not expose yourselves to temptation, thinking your strength and power to resist are equal to the test you are subjecting yourself to. Physical attractions and urges can sometimes be so strong and compelling that one’s power to resist is completely swallowed up and weakness of flesh prevails, resulting in sorrow and unhappiness throughout one’s life. Seek only clean and wholesome companionships. Go with the right crowd – young people [13] of your own standards and ideals. Avoid the dark and trysting places. Seek wholesome environments. Search for the good and beautiful in life. Do not compromise principles nor standards of good conduct; avoid compromising or embarrassing situations. You cannot compromise without giving up or making a concession that lessens your moral behavior and standing of respect and honor among your associates. Think clean, wholesome thoughts and act accordingly. Do not subject yourselves to unnecessary hazards or temptations. Safety lies in sweet companionships dominated by love and virtue, as exemplified in the life of Christ our Lord.

A beautiful young girl was once asked if she were given a choice, which of all the beati[14]tudes she would desire for her special gift. She thought for a moment and then replied, “I would like to be pure in heart, because by having that gift I would have to have something of all the others.” How true that statement is! Seek always my young brothers and sisters, to be pure in heart.

We all require some interest that expects and encourages us to live in harmony with the life which God, through revelation, has outlined for us to live. A reactivated brother made this important observation: “Church activity builds up resistance against undesirable things.” This is in harmony with a statement by President David O. McKay to the Quorum of the Twelve recently. He suggested that members of the Church make [15] God the center of their lives, advising that when God becomes the center of our lives we lose self. We covenant to forget self.

“How perfectly,” said President McKay, “our Lord and Savior set the example. He truly sought first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness; he lived in the spirit, he lived for the spirit; he did not seek to perpetuate his physical life but he sought to develop the spirit, living for others with God as the center, and thus he saved his life, perpetuated it eternally: the only perfect man who ever walked the earth; the one who broke the bonds of death and brought eternal life! If we could get that thought over to our young people,” said President McKay, “when temptation comes to them it would be [16] sufficient to preserve them from the temptation. Instead of thinking of themselves in the hour of temptation, if they would just forget self and think of mother and of father, of the good name of the family, and just lose themselves a moment for somebody else, they would have the power to resist temptation.”

What marvelous counsel from our beloved President and Prophet!

The Apostle Paul informs us that to obey father and mother is the first commandment with promise. Youth has an individual and personal responsibility to so live and strengthen themselves in all moral virtues and ethical principles as to resist every persuasion or desire to do wrong. Youth should never go contrary to wishes of faithful [17] parents. To rebel against and fail to accept the teachings and counsel of loving and faithful parents almost always leads to sorrow and heartache which cannot be erased. Stay close to your parents and make them your confidants. You cannot put on and take off gospel ideals and standards as you please without serious consequences upon yourselves and those you love most, your family.

Carefully plan your life, set personal goals according to gospel standards and chart an undeviating course to achieve those goals. Develop the quality of evaluation in your lives, cultivate strengths, self-mastery, self-restraints and stand firm for and live the principles and ideals which the Savior has emphasized “is my doctrine.”

[18] The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “We consider that God has created man with a mind capable of instruction and a faculty which may be enlarged in proportion to the heed and diligence given the light communicated from Heaven to the intellect; and that the nearer man approaches perfection, the clearer are his views and the greater his enjoyments, till he has overcome the evils of his life and lost every desire for sin.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 51)

Remember, young people, as a child of God the power is within you to upgrade yourself by perfecting your own native endowments. The Lord made this truth known to the Prophet Joseph Smith: [19]

Verily, I say man should be anxiously engaged in a good cause and do many things of their own free will and bring to pass much righteousness, for the power is in them wherin they are agents unto themselves. (D&C 58:27-28)

Yes, the power is in you, the power of the Spirit, the power of the priesthood, the power of agency to choose, “And,” said the Lord, “inasmuch as men do good, they shall in nowise lose their reward.” These inherent God-given powers which permit us to do, to achieve, and to conquer, you should never forget, but personally cultivate and employ for fruitful and joyful living. Build a receptive, spiritual conscience and then let it rule your decisions and determine your actions. A carefully [20] and prayerfully developed conscience is a great asset if its impressions are followed, for conscience represents basic convictions and the innermost spiritual expressions of your soul. It is also the foundation of true and noble character.

Your spirit, which is a child of God and lives eternally, will possess your present body forever. What kind of a body or temple do you want your spirit to live in throughout the eternities of time? When the time of resurrection comes, you cannot take out of the grave a different body than the one placed in it. It is impossible to take a body from its natural state and place it in an unnatural state. That is not the meaning of the word restoration. The Apostle Paul, writing the Roman saints, [21] advised that the body was not an instrument of sin, but an instrument of righteousness unto God. “And,” said he, “let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, that you should obey it in the lusts thereof.” (Romans 6:12, 13)

Writing to the Corinthian saints he said, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God and that the spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.” (1 Cor. 3:16, 17)

Our bodies then are temples of God. We should not think of entering one of the temples of our God and desecrating his holy house. The temple of the body which houses a spirit child of God is far more important to [22] him than brick or mortar, for has he not said that his work and his glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man? How important it is, therefore, that you follow the example of Christ who did no sin, and enjoy the light of the Spirit to prevent your stumbling along the pathway of life and yielding to the persuasions of temptation and evil to sin and transgress the laws of God. Our Eternal Father stands ready to bless and will not forsake you so long as you do not forsake him. Even then, he will extend a helping hand to those who honestly and sincerely repent and do the works of righteousness. He is more considerate of us, I am sure, than we are of him. He has given us life: for this we should be eternally grateful and [23] prove that gratefulness and love by serving him and keeping his commandments.

I close with the admonition of Lehi to his sons Laman and Lemuel shortly after leaving Jerusalem, the land of their birth and inheritance. He stood with them in a beautiful valley by the side of a clear, pure stream of water which emptied into the fountain of the Red Sea. He spoke to Laman and admonished:

… Oh that thou mightest be like unto this river, continually running into the fountain of righteousness!

Then turning to his other wayward son, Lemuel, Lehi said:

Oh that thou mightiest be like unto this valley, firm and steadfast, and im[24]movable in keeping the commandments of the Lord! (1 Nephi 2:9-10)

Mountain streams of water are life like: they begin at the source, clear, pure and sparkling; but sidestreams of dirty water enter and other pollutions are gathered on their way to the sea. As we try to prevent the pollution of streams for the protection of health, so youth must guard themselves against the onslaught of worldliness with all its evils and the wicked designs of men who rise up on every hand to tempt and destroy their very souls.

God bless you with strength of spirit to resist temptation and evil and to stand firm and steadfast, and immovable in keeping the commandments of the Lord.