Overcoming Temptation
May 22, 2005
In the beginning, God had a plan. He looked around at all of us, his spirit children, and he wanted for us to have the opportunity to become like him. He created a world and provided a way for us to receive bodies and live in this world, to prove us, to see if we would do all the things he would command us. In other words, this life is a test. If we pass, we will become more like our Heavenly Father and receive all the glorious blessings he wants to give us. If we fail, we will fall short of becoming like our Spiritual Father. We will miss out on all those wonderful blessings in the world to come.
In order for this life to be a real test, there had to be opposition. There had to be wrong answers, as well as some reason to choose them. In the Doctrine and Covenants it says, “And it must needs be that the devil should tempt the children of men, or they could not be agents unto themselves; for if they never should have bitter they could not know the sweet.” (D&C 29:39)
In the beginning we had a brother. He was proud and rebellious, and he fought against God’s plan and as at a result, he lost the right to be born on this earth and receive a body, both for himself and also for all those who chose to follow him. He missed this part of the test entirely, and, since misery loves company, he wants to bring all of us down with him. He wants us to fail this test, and he will do all in his power to make us fail. The last Nephite prophet, Moroni, said, “Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.” (Moroni 7:12) Much of what this enemy does is try to make what is good seem evil, and what is evil seem good. He disguises sin as something exciting and fun, while making good things seem boring or unpleasant.
So the first part of our test here on earth is the true or false, or multiple choice part. It is to learn to distinguish between good and evil. Moroni warns us, “Wherefore take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is evil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.” (Moroni 7:14)
In the Garden of Eden, Satan convinced mother Eve to partake of the fruit of knowledge of good and evil, telling her it was delicious and desirable, that if she ate it she would become like the Gods, knowing good and evil. He made it seem like a good thing. So even though God had told her and Adam not to eat it, Eve ate of the fruit. I don’t think Satan knew what he was doing that time, because when he convinced Eve and then Adam to eat the fruit, they gained a conscience. And all their descendants gained a conscience, or the light of Christ that helps all of us to know good from evil. The Doctrine and Covenant tells us “And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.” (D&C 84:46) So now that we have the light of Christ, we can often feel in our hearts if something is good or evil, and that can help us as we face this first part of our earthly test.
In the recent General Conference, Elder Neil L. Anderson of the Seventy gave a talk during the Priesthood session entitled, “Beware of the Evil behind the Smiling Eyes.” He tells a story of a friend of his who was working as an FBI agent. He and another agent approached an apartment where they believed a drug dealer was distributing cocaine. They knocked on the door, and when the suspect opened the door and saw them, he tried to block their view, but they had already seen the cocaine on his table. A man and a woman who were at the table immediately began removing the cocaine. The agents had to stop them from destroying the evidence, so the agent quickly pushed the drug suspect who was blocking the door to the side. As he pushed him, their eyes met. Strangely, the suspect did not appear angry or afraid. He was smiling. His eyes and disarming smile gave the agent the impression that he was harmless, so he turned his back to him and started to move toward the table. At that instant, the FBI agent had the distinct, powerful impression come into his mind: 'Beware of the evil behind the smiling eyes.' He immediately turned back toward the suspect whose hand was in his large front pocket. He grabbed his hand and pulled it from his pocket. Only then did he see the semiautomatic pistol ready to fire. A flurry of activity followed, and he disarmed the man.
The danger lurking behind the suspect’s eyes wasn’t obvious. It was disguised. This is what the enemy does. He disguises evil and danger in guises of innocence and harmlessness. Commercials on the radio and T.V. can make indebtedness appear normal, and even desirable because of the material goods you can enjoy. They make drinking seem like fun, like it will bring you friendship and excitement. Satan tries to make immodesty and immorality seem beautiful and desirable. Some of his deceits can be very difficult to detect. For this reason the Lord tells us repeatedly in the scriptures to watch and pray so we won’t be deceived. Amulek told the Zoramites, “be watchful unto prayer continually, that ye may not be led away by the temptations of the devil.” (Alma 34:39) Jesus told his apostles in Jerusalem, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41) The resurrected Savior told the Nephites, “Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat.” (3 Nephi 18:18) The enemy is clever, and his disguises can be deceiving.
Besides watching and praying, there are some other things we can do to help us in this part of the test:
Luckily for us, the test is open book. Take advantage of that. Study the scriptures. Nephi tells us, “Feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.” (2 Nephi 32:3) Learn of the Savior. Learn of the things he taught and the things he did, and gain a testimony of him. The more familiar we are with the scriptures, the more we will understand the differences between good and evil.
Listen to the counsel of our modern prophet. Remember that God speaks to him and through him, and that his guidance can give us direction and help to steer us away from dangerous areas.
Listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit warns us when we are in dangerous circumstances. I grew up in a strong LDS family, but it took me a while before I came to recognize how the Spirit feels. Eventually I came to realize that for me it was almost a normal feeling of peace and calm. I am more sensitive perhaps to its absence than I am to its presence. When the Spirit leaves, that is a warning that we are in the presence of something evil.
Another help that God has given us is our family. Children, listen to your parents. Parents, teach your children what is good, and what is evil, so they will have an advantage in this first part of our earthly test.
Doing all these things will help you to learn what is good and what is evil, but just knowing the difference is not enough. The second part of our test here on earth is the essay portion. It is the part where we show God that we will choose the good, that we will keep his commandments. The Lord told Enoch to tell his people, “Choose ye this day, to serve the Lord God who made you.” (Moses 6:33) We must decide that we want to serve God, and then do it. When we choose to be baptized, we are showing God that we want to do good and we make a covenant with him that we will keep his commandments. And when we keep our side of the covenant, striving to do good, he blesses us with his Spirit, which helps to give us the strength to obey.
Once again, there are things we can do to help ourselves in this task of always choosing the good.
One thing we can do is surround ourselves with others who are also striving to do good. Attend church and church activities. Choose your friends carefully. Try to make friends who have similar values and who will support you in your own efforts to do what is right.
Avoid going places where other people are not doing good. If you attend parties or go to concerts or bars where people are drinking or acting immorally, chances are pretty good that the people there will try to persuade you to do the things they are doing. It is easier to resist if you don’t go there to begin with.
Receive and read your Patriarchal blessing and heed any warnings or advice given there. These blessings are like the words of the Lord directly to you. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows what things will cause you to struggle, and what things would be best to avoid entirely. Pay attention to the things told you through the Patriarch.
Attend the temple regularly. President Thomas S. Monson said, “As we love the temple, touch the temple, and attend the temple, our lives will reflect our faith. As we come to these holy houses of God, as we remember the covenants we make within, we shall be able to bear every trial and overcome each temptation.” (Visiting Teaching message, Ensign July 2003)
One of the most important things you can do is make a plan. Elder Richard G. Scott said, “When you have taken a determined stand for right, when you have established personal standards and made covenants to keep them, when temptations come and you act according to your standards, you will be reinforced and given strength beyond your own capacity if that is needed. Difficulty comes when you enter the battle of temptation without a fixed plan.” (Visiting Teaching message, Ensign July 2003) Decide now that you will never touch alcohol. Decide now that you will never smoke. Decide now what you will do when faced with temptations.
Inevitably, no matter how we have prepared ourselves, temptations will arise. When they do, we must always remember that we can withstand it. President James E Faust said, “We need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat.” (Visiting Teaching message, Ensign July 2003) The prophet Lehi told his sons to “not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom.” (2 Nephi 2:29) It is only when we choose to follow evil that the enemy gains power over us. Doing evil leads to captivity such as addictions. Once we’ve chosen to start drinking or smoking or doing drugs, Satan starts to have power over us. He controls us with the addictions, and uses them to make us do worse things. People steal and even murder for drugs when they are addicted. It is much easier to choose the right to begin with than to try to break free once we’ve already succumbed.
We must also remember the comforting promise in 1 Corinthians 10:13, “God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” God won’t tempt us with something too powerful for us to withstand, but the key word here is “escape”. If we stay in the tempting situation, sooner or later, chances are that we will break down. President J. Reuben Clark Jr. once told of a time when one of his children was leaving on a date and he asked them to come home at a certain time. The teenager complained, “Daddy, what is the matter, don’t you trust me?” and President Clark’s response was, “No, my child, I don’t trust you. I don’t even trust myself.” This was from a man who was a general authority! If he needed to be careful, to watch out for temptation, don’t we? Age and experience don’t mean that we are beyond temptation. When temptation comes, no matter how old, how experienced, we need to escape before we fall.
A sad example of this is King David. This is the same David who slew Goliath. The prophet Samuel called this same David to be king of Israel after Saul. David had desires to build a temple for the Lord, to replace the tabernacle they had since the days of Moses. David was a righteous man. And then one night he was out walking on his roof and he looked out and saw a beautiful woman bathing. Now, warning lights should have been going off here. I don’t know why she was bathing where she could be seen from a rooftop, but she was, and I don’t believe that David should have been watching. But he did. He asked about this woman, and found out she was Bathsheba, and that she was already married. Now, this is definitely the time when he should have escaped, forgotten about her, gone on vacation someplace far away, whatever. But instead of escaping, he sent for her. One thing led to another, first he committed adultery, then murder, and eventually lost all the blessings that God had saved up for him, all because he didn’t escape when he had the chance.
In contrast to the story of David is that of Joseph who was sold into slavery by his brothers and brought to Egypt. Joseph became a slave to a man by the name of Potiphar. Now, Potiphar soon noticed that everything Joseph did prospered, and so he gave Joseph more and more responsibilities, and soon Joseph was in charge of the entire household. Potiphar trusted Joseph so much that he didn’t even bother to keep track of what he had himself; he just trusted that in Joseph’s care all he had would prosper. Now, one day Potiphar’s wife also noticed Joseph, and she wanted him to lie with her. He knew it was a sin and so he told her no. He kept telling her no, and he avoided her as much as possible. And then came the perfect opportunity. No one else was at home. Joseph was going about his business. Potiphar’s wife grabbed hold of Joseph’s clothing, and instead of giving in to temptation, Joseph “fled and got him out.” (Genesis 39:12) Yeah, he got thrown into prison after she lied about what had happened, but the Lord was still with Joseph because he was clean in God’s eyes. He had shown that he would choose the right, and he escaped when he could.
When faced with temptation, try to keep an eternal perspective. Think about the consequences that could result from your actions. Remember the words of Alma to his son Corianton, that “wickedness never was happiness.” (Alma 41:10) And escape from evil as fast as you can. Show God that you want to choose the right and that you will try your best to keep his commandments.
Now, I’m sorry to say it, but sometimes, we will make a mistake during this test we call life. Sometimes the enemy will manage to deceive us. Sometimes we won’t escape soon enough. Luckily God has provided us with an eraser, what we call repentance. Repentance means realizing we’ve made a mistake, fixing the problem, asking forgiveness, and not repeating the error. That last part, not repeating the error, can be the hardest. Once a person has once been addicted to cigarettes, just smoking once again can override all the efforts of stopping. For a former alcoholic, just drinking one beer can cause that addiction to return in full force. Once we’ve shown Satan where our weakness lies, he will work his hardest to breach that weak spot again. We must be strong, and commit ourselves to true repentance, and that means not repeating the sin.
When we have sincerely repented, our older brother, Jesus Christ, will take that sin upon himself. He already paid the price, bleeding in the garden of Gethsemane, so we can be forgiven. As the prophet Isaiah said, “though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” (Isaiah 1:18) The Father will forgive us, and it will be as though we had not committed the sin to begin with. We will still be on our way to becoming like the Father, and we will still receive the blessings he has in store for us.
Brothers and Sisters, the test is real. Temptations come every day. We need to learn to tell the difference between good and evil, even when it is disguised, and we need to choose that which is good. When temptations arise we need to remember what is right and escape from the evil. We can do this. We can pass this test and become more like our Heavenly Father. He wants us to return to him. He is waiting for us so he can say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Enter thou into the joy of thy lord.” (Matthew 25:21)