6 Truths Worth Knowing

Your Spiritual Account
We all live on spiritual credit. In one way or another, the account builds and builds. Because you are being tested, it is expected that you will make mistakes. You, perhaps, may feel inferior in mind and body and are troubled or burdened with the weight of some spiritual account that is marked "past due." If you pay it off as you go, you have little need to worry. Soon you begin to learn discipline and know that there is a day of reckoning ahead. Learn to keep your spiritual account paid off at regular intervals rather than allowing it to collect interest and penalties.

Repentance Gives Relief
The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt can be earned through repentance. We become trapped, and hence comes the pain and torment that only the Savior can heal. No matter what has happened in your life, the Lord has prepared a way for you to come back if you will heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit. You have the power to stop and to be redeemed.

A Rattlesnake Named Pornography
You live in a day when the scourge of pornography is sweeping across the world. It is hard to escape it. There is no part of it that is innocent. To collect it, view it, or carry it around in any form is akin to keeping a rattlesnake in your backpack. One can easily understand, with the world being what it is, that you can almost innocently be exposed to it, to read it, or to view it without realizing the terrible consequences. If that describes you, I warn you to Stop it. Stop it now! If at first you stumble, do not give up. Overcoming discouragement is part of the test. Do not give up. The Lord is always there. He is willing to suffer and pay the penalty if you are willing to accept Him as your Redeemer.

The Savior's Suffering for Our Sins
As  mortals, we may not—indeed cannot—understand fully how Jesus Christ fulfilled His atoning sacrifice. But for now the how is not as important as the why of His suffering. Why did He do it for you, for me, for all of humanity? He did it for the love of God the Father and all mankind. He was willing to take upon  Himself the mistakes, the sins and the guilt, the doubts and fears of all the world. He suffered for us so that we would not have to suffer.

Complete Forgiveness Is Possible
If you have stumbled or even been lost for a time, if you feel that the adversary now holds you captive, you can move forward with faith and not wander to and fro in the world any longer. There are those who stand ready to guide you back to peace and security. I promise that the brilliant morning of forgiveness can come. Jesus Christ is the very kind ruler in the sense that He will always pay the price necessary, but He wants you to do what you should, even if it is painful

Live Faithfully and Remain Worthy
Do not expect that all will go smoothly throughout your life. Even for those who are living as they should, it sometimes will be just the opposite. Meet each of life's challenges with optimism and surety, and you will have the peace and faith to sustain you now and in the future. Remain worthy; be hopeful, patient, and prayerful. Things have a way of working out. The gift of the Holy Ghost will guide you and direct your actions. Have courage. Know that any person who has a body has power over one who has not.

Our Savior, even Jesus Christ: None Were with Him

In April 2009 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, "I speak of those final moments for which Jesus must have been prepared intellectually and physically but which He may not have fully anticipated emotionally and spiritually—that concluding descent into the paralyzing despair of divine withdrawal when He cries in ultimate loneliness, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” The loss of mortal support He had anticipated, but apparently He had not comprehended this.
"With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

"But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful, that He never flees nor fails us. With faith in the God He knew was there, He could say in triumph, “Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.”
"Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: “I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].”"

The Three Great Christian Imperatives

Negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves. We see our own faults, we speak—or at least think—critically of ourselves, and before long that is how we see everyone and everything. No sunshine, no roses, no promise of hope or happiness. Before long we and everybody around us are miserable.I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: “The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.^" We should honor the Savior’s declaration to “be of good cheer.”

Elder Jeffrey R. Hollond said, "The voice that bears profound testimony, utters fervent prayer, and sings the hymns of Zion can be the same voice that berates and criticizes, embarrasses and demeans, inflicts pain and destroys the spirit of oneself and of others in the process. My brethren [and sisters], these things ought not so to be. Our words, like our deeds, should be filled with faith and hope and charity, the three great Christian imperatives so desperately needed in the world today. With such words, spoken under the influence of the Spirit, tears can be dried, hearts can be healed, lives can be elevated, hope can return, confidence can prevail. I pray that my words, even on this challenging subject, will be encouraging to you, not discouraging, that you can hear in my voice that I love you, because I do. More importantly, please know that your Father in Heaven loves you and so does His Only Begotten Son. When They speak to you—and They will—it will not be in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but it will be with a voice still and small, a voice tender and kind^. It will be with the tongue of angels."

Faith and Obedience are still the Answers

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." -Proverbs 3:5-6

"Sometimes, we find that even when we do our best to serve the Lord, we still suffer. You may know someone who faces those most challenging of circumstances: consider the parent whose child becomes ill, for whom everyone prays and fast with all their heart and soul, but who ultimately dies. Or the missionary who sacrifices to go on a mission, than develops a terrible illness that leaves him or her severely disabled or in chronic pain. Or the women who lives her life as faithfully and obediently as she can but is never able to have the children she hopes for. Or the wife who does her very best making a good home for her family and raising her children, but whose husband leaves her. The scriptures have many examples of people who were saved after showing great faith, such as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego in the fiery furnace. But the scriptures also have many examples of devout people who did not get divine interventions during a crisis. Abinadi was burned at the stake; John the Baptist was beheaded; Alma and Amulek's followers were cast into the flames. To do well does not mean everything will always turn out well. The key is to remember that faith and obedience are still the answers—when things go wrong, perhaps especially when things go wrong." -David E. Sorensen
 
Remember the Lord has promised that He will help us as we face adversity. He has particular compassion for those who suffer. It was He who said, "Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are teh merciful: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you." -Matthew 5:3-12