Pornography

1. Let us all improve our personal behavior and redouble our efforts to protect our loved ones and our environment from the onslaught of pornography. - Dallin H. Oakes

2.He would have us believe that the viewing of pornography really hurts no one.-Thomas S. Monson

3. Pornography is especially dangerous and addictive. Curious exploration of pornography can become a controlling habit, leading to coarser material and to sexual transgression. Avoid pornography at all costs. - Thomas S. Monson

4. One of the most damning influences on earth, one that has caused uncountable grief, suffering, heartache, and destroyed marriages is the onslaught of pornography in all of its vicious, corroding, destructive forms. Whether it be through the printed page, movies, television, obscene lyrics, the telephone, or on a flickering personal computer screen, pornography is overpoweringly addictive and severely damaging.- Richard G. Scott

5. Pornography will always repel the Spirit of Christ and will interrupt the communications between our Heavenly Father and His children and disrupt the tender relationship between husband and wife. - Boyd K. Packer

6. Satan has become a master at using the addictive power of pornography to limit individual capacity to be led by the Spirit.-Richard G. Scott

7. all three go together.In the interpretation of Lehi’s dream, we find a rather apt description of the destructiveness of pornography: “And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost." -Thomas S. Monson

8. We also need focus to avoid what is harmful. The abundant information and images accessible on the Internet call for sharp focus and control to avoid accessing the pornography that is an increasing scourge in our society.-Dallin H. Oaks

9. Many carry heavy burdens. Some have lost a loved one to death or care for one who is disabled. Some have been wounded by divorce. Others yearn for an eternal marriage. Some are caught in the grip of addictive substances or practices like alcohol, tobacco, drugs, or pornography. - Dallin H. Oaks

10. Hence, I warn against pornography. It is degrading of women. It is evil. It is infectious, destructive, and addictive. The body has means by which it can cleanse itself from harmful effects of contaminated food or drink. But it cannot vomit back the poison of pornography. Once recorded, it always remains subject to recall, flashing its perverted images across your mind, with power to draw you away from the wholesome things in life. Avoid it like the plague!- Russell M. Nelson

Agency

1. Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness. - Robert D. Hales

2. Whenever we choose to come unto Christ, take His name upon us, and follow His servants, we progress along the path to eternal life. - Robert D. Hales

3. Moral discipline is the consistent exercise of agency to choose the right because it is right, even when it is hard. - D. Todd Christofferson

4. You have agency—“moral agency.” ² You are free to choose your standards. - Boyd K. Packer

5. The very choices made by reason of agency limit one’s agency in the future. You cannot exercise agency and escape accountability and responsibility for each choice. - Russell M. Nelson

6.  As children of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of moral agency, the capacity and power of independent action. Endowed with agency, we are agents, and we primarily are to act and not merely be acted upon—especially as we “seek learning … by study and also by faith”-David A. Bednar

7. Agency—our power to choose—is fundamental to the gospel plan that brings us to earth.- Dallin H. Oaks

8. These mortal challenges allow us and our Heavenly Father to see whether we will exercise our agency to follow His Son. - Robert D. Hales

9. Moral agency itself is in jeopardy! If we all pray fervently, the Lord will surely help us. And with those prayers, teach your children to obey the Word of Wisdom. It is their armor and will protect them from habits which obstruct the channels of personal revelation. Boyd K. Packer

10. Some of the most addictive drugs that, if abused, can hijack the brain and take away one’s agency include nicotine; opiates—heroin, morphine, and other painkillers; tranquilizers; cocaine; alcohol; marijuana; and methamphetamines. - M. Russell Ballard

Atonement

1. We all make mistakes. … It is then in our nature to feel guilt and humiliation and suffering, which we alone cannot cure. That is when the healing power of the Atonement will help. - Boyd K. Packer

2.The power of healing is inherent in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. - Richard G. Scott

3. If we could truly understand the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, we would realize how precious is one son or daughter of God. - M. Russell Ballard


4. Imagine the consoling, liberating, exalting feeling that will come to you when you see the reality of the Atonement and the practical, everyday value of it to you individually - Boyd K. Packer

5. 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

6. The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness. - Dieter F. Uchtdorf

7. There is hope for the addicted, and this hope comes through the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ. - M. Russell Ballard

8. Before we can comprehend the Atonement of Christ, however, we must first understand the Fall of Adam. And before we can understand the Fall of Adam, we must first understand the Creation. These three crucial components of the plan of salvation relate to each other.-Russell M. Nelson

9.We receive the blessings of the Atonement when we repent of our sins and keep the commandments.- Robert D. Hales

10.Because of the Atonement, these consummate blessings can be realized by each of God’s children who obey His eternal laws.-Russell M. Nelson

Family

1. In choosing how we spend time as a family, we should be careful not to exhaust our available time on things that are merely good and leave little time for that which is better or best.- Dallin H. Oaks

2. As your leaders, we call upon members of the Church everywhere to put family first and to identify specific ways to strengthen their individual families.- M. Russell Ballard

3. President Joseph F. Smith made this statement about the priesthood in the home: “In the home the presiding authority is always vested in the father, and in all home affairs and family matters there is no other authority paramount.-Boyd K. Packer

4. The key to strengthening our families is having the Spirit of the Lord come into our homes. The goal of our families is to be on the strait and narrow path. - Robert D. Hales

5. In 1995 the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles issued a proclamation to the world, declaring that “the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children. … Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. … Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, [and] to observe the commandments of God”

6. A family begins when a young man and woman are drawn to one another by an irresistible force of nature. They offer to one another that which distinguishes him as male and her as female, and they want, above all else, to find the one with whom they can completely express their love. They want to have children—to be a family. -Boyd K. Packer

7. There are things vital to the well-being of a family which can be found only by going to Church. There is the priesthood, which empowers a man to lead and bless his wife and children, and covenants which bind them together forever. - Boyd K. Packer

8.Each family has its own special circumstances. But the gospel of Jesus Christ addresses every challenge—which is why we must teach it to our children. -Robert D. Hales

9.Throughout the world, the family is increasingly under attack. If families fail, many of our political, economic, and social systems will also fail. And if families fail, their glorious eternal potential cannot be realized. - Russell M. Nelson

10.“The Family: A Proclamation to the World” and our vast family history efforts are but two evidences of how this Church brings hope and help to the sacred institution of the family. - Russell M. Nelson

Faith

1.Only faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement can bring us peace, hope, and understanding.-Robert D. Hales
2.Faith in God and in His guidance through the Holy Spirit will sustain you in an increasingly more challenging world.-Richard G. Scott
3.Truth, covenants, and ordinances enable us to overcome fear and face the future with faith!-Russell M. Nelson
4.When we choose to follow Christ in faith rather than choosing another path out of fear, we are blessed with a consequence that is consistent with our choice.-Quentin L. Cook
5.While we do not know all the answers, we do know important principles that allow us to face tragedies with faith and confidence.-Quentin L. Cook
6.Go forward in faith in keeping your covenants with God and so claim the promise He has made to you with an oath.-Henry B. Eyring
7.Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth.-Henry B. Eyring
8.Do you, like the pioneers, have the courage and the consistency to be true to the faith and endure to the end?-Dallin H. Oaks
9.We can fortify our foundations of faith, our testimonies of truth, so that we will not falter, we will not fail.-Thomas S. Monson
10.With … faith, we will be able to pray for what we want and appreciate whatever we get. Only with that faith will we pray with the diligence God requires.-Henry B. Eyring

Forgiveness

1.The gift of the Atonement of Jesus Christ provides us at all times and at all places with the blessings of repentance and forgiveness.-Dieter F. Ucthdorft
2.The gospel teaches us that relief from torment and guilt can be earned through repentance. Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fulness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness.-Boyd K. Packer
3. The process is called repentance; the destination is forgiveness. -Richard G. Scott
4.“We know that justification [or forgiveness of sins] through the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is just and true;-D. Todd Christofferson
5.Repentance brings salvation through forgiveness, but it does not come automatically.-Richard G. Scott
6.Without repentance there can be no forgiveness, and without forgiveness all the blessings of eternity hang in jeopardy.-L. Tom Perry
7.We have each felt to some extent these spiritual arms around us. We have felt His forgiveness, His love and comfort. The Lord has said, “I am he [who] comforteth you.-Neil L. Andersen
8.The Savior has made it clear that to receive forgiveness you must forgive others their offenses against you.-Richard G. Scott
9.Forgiveness, for example, can be hard to understand, even more difficult to give.-Richard G. Scott
10. As prerequisites to forgiveness, there must first be recognition, remorse, then confession.-Russell M. Nelson

The Holy Ghost

1.These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon.- David A. Bednar
2.President Wilford Woodruff called the gift of the Holy Ghost the greatest gift we can receive in mortality. -Dallin H. Oaks
3.We should endeavor to discern when we “withdraw [ourselves] from the Spirit of the Lord” … [and] attend to and learn from the choices and influences that separate us from the Holy Spirit.-David A. Bednar
4.In every language, the Spirit of God—the Holy Ghost—guides, or can guide, every member of the Church.-Boyd K. Packer
5.Let us do whatever is required to qualify for the Holy Ghost as our companion.-Henry B. Eyring
6.Follow the example of Joseph Smith and the pattern of the Restoration. Turn to the scriptures. Kneel in prayer. Ask in faith. Listen to the Holy Ghost.-Robert D. Hales
7.What has been told to me … can be told to you by the Holy Spirit … according to your obedience and desires.-Robert D. Hales
8.Every one of us can be guided by the spirit of revelation and the gift of the Holy Ghost.-Boyd K. Packer
9.The light of belief is within you, waiting to be awakened and intensified by the Spirit of God.-Robert D. Hales
10.We declare it is self-evident from the scriptures that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost are separate persons, three divine beings.-Jeffrey R. Holland

Building Your Testimony/The Power of Testimony

1.Your personal security and happiness depend upon the strength of your testimony, for it will guide your actions in times of trial or uncertainty. -Richard G. Scott

2.Our firm personal testimony will motivate us to change ourselves and then bless the world.- Dieter F. Uchtdorf

3.If our testimonies are not firmly enough rooted, such criticisms can cause us to doubt our own beliefs or to waver in our resolves. -Thomas S. Monson

4.Testimony—real testimony, born of the Spirit and confirmed by the Holy Ghost—changes lives.- M. Russell Ballard

5. Testimony requires the nurturing by the prayer of faith, the hungering for the word of God in the scriptures, and the obedience to the truth. - Henry B. Eyring

6. A testimony of the gospel is a personal witness borne to our souls by the Holy Ghost that certain facts of eternal significance are true and that we know them to be true. Such facts include the nature of the Godhead and our relationship to its three members, the effectiveness of the Atonement, and the reality of the Restoration.-Dallin H. Oaks

7.Our testimony comes by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. The testimony received and carried within us enables us to hold a steady course in times of prosperity and to overcome doubt and fear in times of adversity. Each of us needs to know what a testimony is, how we can get it, and what our responsibilities are once we have received a testimony.-Robert D. Hales

8.Brothers and sisters, in general conference we offer our testimonies in conjunction with other testimonies that will come, because one way or another God will have His voice heard. “I sent you out to testify and warn the people,” the Lord has said to His prophets. -Jeffrey R. Holland

9.As faithful children, youth, parents, teachers, and leaders, we may receive personal revelation more frequently than we realize. The more we receive and acknowledge personal revelation, the more our testimonies grow. As a bishop, my testimony grew each time I received revelation to extend callings to ward members. That testimony has been strengthened each time I witness General Authorities and officers, Area Seventies, and stake presidents called or given new assignments. More importantly, I am strengthened by the personal revelations I receive in my role as a son of God, a husband, and a father. I am so thankful for the guidance and direction of the Spirit in our home as we seek for direction in family matters.-Robert D. Hales

10.A study of the scriptures will help our testimonies and the testimonies of our family members.-Thomas S. Monson

Patience

1.Patience is not passive resignation, nor is it failing to act because of our fears. Patience means active waiting and enduring. It means staying with something and doing all that we can—working, hoping, and exercising faith; bearing hardship with fortitude, even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well. -Dieter F. Uchtdorf
2. Patience—the ability to put our desires on hold for a time—is a precious and rare virtue. We want what we want, and we want it now. Therefore, the very idea of patience may seem unpleasant and, at times, bitter.- Dieter F. Uchtdorf
3. We should learn to be patient with ourselves. Recognizing our strengths and our weaknesses, we should strive to use good judgment in all of our choices and decisions, make good use of every opportunity, and do our best in every task we undertake. We should not be unduly discouraged nor in despair at any time when we are doing the best we can. Rather, we should be satisfied with our progress even though it may come slowly at times.- Joseph B. Wirthlin
4.Patience may well be thought of as a gateway virtue, contributing to the growth and strength of its fellow virtues of forgiveness, tolerance, and faith.- Robert C. Oaks
5.The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness.-Dieter F. Uchtdorf
6.Finally, a word about patience with our Heavenly Father and his plan of eternal progression. How incredibly foolish to be impatient with him, the Father of our spirits, who knows everything and whose work and glory, through his Son, Jesus Christ, is “to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man” (Moses 1:39). As Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, “Patience is tied very closely to faith in our Heavenly Father. Actually, when we are unduly impatient, we are suggesting that we know what is best—better than does God. Or, at least, we are asserting that our timetable is better than his. Either way we are questioning the reality of God’s omniscience” (Ensign, Oct. 1980, p. 28).-Joseph B. Wirthlin
7.Patience, that heavenly virtue, had brought to humble Saints its heaven-sent reward.-Thomas S. Monson
8.We must have patience in order to withstand pain and grief without complaint or discouragement, which detract from the Spirit. It’s necessary to have patience in the face of tribulation and persecution for the cause of truth, which sets an example because the manner in which we bear our cross will be an influence to others to help lighten their load.-Angel Abrea
9.A patient man also waits on the Lord. We sometimes read or hear of people who seek a blessing from the Lord, then grow impatient when it does not come swiftly. Part of the divine nature is to trust in the Lord enough to “be still and know that [he is] God” (D&C 101:16).-Ezra Taft Benson
10.A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains. -Dutch Proverb

Eternal Marriage

1. Eternal marriage is a principle which was established before the foundation of the world and was instituted on this earth before death came into it. Adam and Eve were given to each other by God in the Garden of Eden before the Fall. The scripture says, “In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them” -F. Burton Howard

2. Marriage is the shelter where families are created. That society which puts low value on marriage sows the wind and, in time, will reap the whirlwind—and thereafter, unless they repent, bring upon themselves a holocaust! -Boyd K. Packer

3.The temple sealing has greater meaning as life unfolds. It will help you draw ever closer together and find greater joy and fulfillment. -Richard G. Scott

4. Yes, marriage is ordained of God, and following that first reference to husband and wife, we find recurring scriptures as evidence that men and women became husbands and wives in marriage ceremonies followed by wedding feasts. We are not here just to “eat, drink, and be merry”(2 Ne. 28:7). We have been given an earth to subdue, and instructions to multiply and replenish it. It is interesting to note that God said “multiply” and not just “replenish” the earth (see Gen. 1:28). -N. Eldon Tanner

5. Marriage is by nature a covenant, not just a private contract one may cancel at will. Jesus taught about contractual attitudes when he described the “hireling,” who performs his conditional promise of care only when he receives something in return. When the hireling “seeth the wolf coming,” he “leaveth the sheep, and fleeth … because he … careth not for the sheep.” By contrast, the Savior said, “I am the good shepherd, … and I lay down my life for the sheep.” ² Many people today marry as hirelings. And when the wolf comes, they flee. This idea is wrong. It curses the earth, turning parents’ hearts away from their children and from each other.-Bruce C. Hafen

6. he scriptures confirm the eternal truth that “marriage is ordained of God.” (D&C 49:15.) And then this: “Neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.” (1 Cor. 11:11.)-Robert L. Simpson

7.  President Joseph F. Smith observed: “Marriage is the preserver of the human race. Without it, the purposes of God would be frustrated; virtue would be destroyed to give place to vice and corruption, and the earth would be void and empty.” (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed., Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Company, 1939, p. 272.)

8.One of the most beautiful, comforting doctrines of the Lord—one that brings immense peace, happiness, and unbounded joy—is that principle called eternal marriage. This doctrine means that a man and woman who love each other deeply, who have grown together through the trials, joys, sorrows, and happiness of a shared lifetime, can live beyond the veil together forever with their family who earn that blessing. That is not just an immensely satisfying dream; it is a reality. Any husband and wife who have shared the joys of marriage here on earth would want that blessing. But only those who meet the requirements established by the Lord will receive that supernal gift. I bear witness that all those things that have and will bring me the greatest happiness in life have roots in the temple ordinances. Decide now to receive the ordinances of the temple at the appropriate time. Don’t let anything overcome that resolve.- Richard G. Scott

9.Marriage itself must be regarded as a sacred covenant before God. A married couple have an obligation not only to each other, but to God. He has promised blessings to those who honor that covenant. . . .-Ezra Taft Benson

10.Men and women joined together in marriage need to work together as a full partnership. However, a full and equal partnership between men and women does not imply the roles played by the two sexes are the same in God's grand design for His children. As the proclamation clearly states, men and women, though spiritually equal, are entrusted with different but equally significant roles- M. Russell Ballard