Mormon Musings

“Everyone is tested. One might think it is unfair to be singled out and subjected to a particular temptation, but this is the purpose of mortal life—to be tested. And the answer is the same for everyone: we must, and we can, resist temptations of any kind.”  ― President Boyd K. Packer 

"If the adversary should take you prisoner due to misconduct, I remind you that you hold the key that will unlock the prison door from the inside. You can be washed clean through the atoning sacrifice of the Savior Jesus Christ. You may in time of trouble think that you are not worth saving because you have made mistakes, big or little, and you think you are now lost. That is never true! Only repentance can heal what hurts. But repentance can heal what hurts, no matter what it is." —Boyd K. Packer, " Counsel to Youth ",  Liahona and Ensign , November 2011

“No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less what it will become, without personal inspiration,” warns President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children,” President Packer says. “It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found,” he teaches, and then quotes from the Book of Mormon: “And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned” (Alma 32:23). President Boyd K. Packer http://www.lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/guided-by-inspiration?lang=eng

“The gift of the Holy Ghost, if you consent, will guide and protect you and even correct your actions. It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought or a feeling put into your heart. … It is not expected that you go through life without making mistakes, but you will not make a major mistake without first being warned by the promptings of the Spirit. This promise applies to all members of the Church.” President  Boyd K. Packer , President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Counsel to Youth,”  Liahona  and  Ensign,  Nov. 2011, 17–18.

None of us lives for himself alone.  Others are following in our footsteps, watching carefully, and taking license from the things we say and the things we do.  When we have doubts, it is wise to keep them to ourselves and to ponder on them and study and pray and inquire.   One by one they are resolved.  When we have questions that are unresolved, it is wise to take them on faith.  Otherwise it may be that we will enjoy the fruits of the Gospel and never stray "too" far, and yet those who come after us who depend upon us most may be robbed of their spiritual inheritance.  They may forsake the standards and become inelegible for those redeeming ordinances that makes life eternally happy. Boyd K. Packer, "Teach Ye Diligently", (Deseret Book Company, 1975), p. 181

Probably the greatest challenge to people of any age, particularly young people, and the most difficult thing you will face in mortal life is to learn to control your thoughts. As a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he.” (   Prov. 23:7 .) One who can control his thoughts has conquered himself. When I was about ten years old, we lived in a home surrounded by an orchard. There never seemed to be enough water for the trees. The ditches, always fresh-plowed in the spring, would soon be filled with weeds. One day, in charge of the irrigating turn, I found myself in trouble. As the water moved down the rows choked with weeds, it would flood in every direction. I raced through the puddles trying to build up the bank. As soon as I had one break patched up, there would be another. A neighbor came through the orchard. He watched for a moment, and then with a few vigorous strokes of the shovel he cleared the ditch bottom and allowed the water to course through the channel he had made. “If you

The crucial test of life, I repeat, does not center in the choice between fame and obscurity, nor between wealth and poverty. The greatest decision of life is between good and evil. We may foolishly bring unhappiness and trouble, even suffering upon ourselves. These are not always to be regarded as penalties imposed by a displeased Creator. They are part of the lessons of life, part of the test. Some are tested by poor health, some by a body that is deformed or homely. Others are tested by handsome and healthy bodies; some by the passion of youth; others by the erosions of age.  Some suffer disappointment in marriage, family problems; others live in poverty and obscurity.  Some (perhaps this is the hardest test) find ease and luxury. All are part of the test, and there is more equality in this testing than sometimes we suspect. Boyd K. Packer, October 1980 General Conference

“Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil. And I have learned to conclude all my prayers with ‘Thy will be done’ (Matthew 6:10; see also Luke 11:2; 3 Nephi 13:10).” Boyd K. Packer ,  “Prayer and Promptings,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 46

by his own words, one of President Packer's most important talks: http://lds.org/ensign/1977/05/the-mediator?lang=eng

We become so accustomed to learning through our physical senses—by sight and sound and smell, by taste and touch—that some of us seem to learn in no other way.  But there are spiritual things that are not registered that way at all. Some things we simply feel, not as we feel something we touch, but as we feel something we  feel.   There are things, spiritual things, that are registered in our minds and recorded in our memories as pure knowledge. A knowledge of “things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass.” (D&C 88:79)  As surely as we know about material things, we can come to know of spiritual things . (emphasis added) President Boyd K. Packer, " The Mediator ," Ensign , May 1977, p. 54

During a very difficult time, the Lord gave the sternest warning that I know of in all scripture. It had to do with the building of the Nauvoo Temple. The Saints knew from experience that to proceed to build a temple would bring terrible persecution, so they delayed. The Lord extended the time and said, 'If you do not these things at the end of the appointment ye shall be rejected as a church, with your dead, saith the Lord your God' (D&C 124:32). Often overlooked in that revelation is a marvelous promise: 'If my people will hearken unto my voice, and unto the voice of my servants whom I have appointed to lead my people, behold, verily I say unto you, they shall not be moved out of their place' (D&C 124:45). Remember this promise; hold onto it. It should be a great comfort to those struggling to keep a family together in a society increasingly indifferent to, and even hostile toward, those standards which are essential to a happy family. The promise is a restat

No work is more of a protection to the Church than temple work and the genealogical research which supports it.  No work is more spiritually refining.  No work we do gives us more power.  No work requires a higher standard of righteousness.  Our labors in the Temple cover us with a shield and a protection, both individually and as a people.   President Boyd K. Packer, " The Holy Temple " page 265

"Now, fathers, I would remind you of the sacred nature of your calling. You have the power of the priesthood directly from the Lord to protect your home. There will be times when all that stands as a shield between your family and the adversary's mischief will be that power. You will receive direction from the Lord by way of the gift of the Holy Ghost." Boyd K. Packer ,  "The Power of the Priesthood," Ensign, May 2010, 9

http://mormonthoughts.wordpress.com/2010/11/13/blessings-of-temple-worship/

...save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the purpose of complete forgiveness.   That is the promise of the atonement of Christ.   How all can be repaired, we do not know.   It may not be accomplished in this life.  We know from visions and visitations that the servants of the Lord continue the work of redemption beyond the veil.   This knowledge should be as comforting to the innocent as it is to the guilty. I am thinking of parents who suffer unbearably for wayward children and are losing hope. Boyd K. Packer, Conference Report, October 1995

"One things is clear: the safest place and the best protection against the moral and spiritual diseases is a stable home and family.  This has always been true; it will be true forever.  We must keep that foremost in our minds.  The scriptures speak of 'the shield of faith wherewith,' the Lord said, 'ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked' (D&C 27:17).  The shield of faith is best fabricated in a cottage industry.  While the shield can be polished in classes in the Church and in activities, it is meant to be handcrafted in the home and fitted to each individual.  The Lord said, 'Take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand' (D&C 27:15). Our young people are in many ways much stronger and better than we were.  They and we should not be afraid of what is ahead.  Encourage our young people.  They need not live in fear (see D&C 6:36).  Fear is the o

“Shortly after I was called as a General Authority, I went to Elder Harold B. Lee for counsel. He listened very carefully to my problem and suggested that I see President David O. McKay. President McKay counseled me as to the direction I should go. I was very willing to be obedient but saw no way possible for me to do as he counseled me to do. I returned to Elder Lee and told him that I saw no way to move in the direction I was counseled to go. He said, ‘The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning.’ I replied that I would like to see at least a step or two ahead. Then came the lesson of a lifetime: ‘You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.’ Then he quoted these 18 words from the Book of Mormon: ‘Dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.’ Those 18 words from Moroni have been like a beacon light to me. Let