26

against the prevailing evidence that

exists all around us.
Moroni also spoke of the wicked-
ness of our day when he warned:
When ye shall see these things
come among you... ye shall awake
to a sense of your awful situation. ...
Wherefore, I, Moroni, am com-
manded to write these things that evil
may be done away, and that the time
may come that Satan may have no
power upon the hearts of the children
of men, but that they may be per-
suaded to do good continually, that
they may come unto the fountain of
all righteousness and be saved.
3
The descriptions Paul and Moroni
give of our day are so accurate that
they cannot be dismissed. For many it
may be quite disturbing, even discour-
aging. Nevertheless, when I think of
the future, I am overwhelmed with
feelings of positive optimism.
In Pauls revelation, in addition to
the list of challenges and problems, he
also tells us what we can do to protect
ourselves:
Continue thou in the things which
thou hast learned and hast been
assured of, knowing of whom thou
hast learned them;
And that from a child thou hast
known the holy scriptures, which are
able to make thee wise unto salvation
through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
4
The scriptures hold the keys to
spiritual protection. They contain the
doctrine and laws and ordinances
that will bring each child of God to a
testimony of Jesus Christ as the Savior
and Redeemer.
With years of preparation, there
has been an enormous effort to pro-
duce the scriptures in every language,
with footnotes and cross-references.
We seek to make them available to
all who wish to learn. They teach
us where to go and what to do.
Without natural affection, truce-
breakers, false accusers, incontinent,
ferce, despisers of those that are good,
Traitors, heady, highminded,
lovers of pleasures more than lovers
of God;
Having a form of godliness, but
denying the power thereof: from such
turn away.
1
Paul also prophesied, Evil men
and seducers shall wax worse
and worse, deceiving, and being
deceived.
2
These verses serve as a warning,
showing which patterns to avoid. We
must be ever watchful and diligent.
We can review each of these prophe-
cies and put a checkmark by them as
being present and of concern in the
world today:
Perilous timespresent. We live
in very precarious times.
Covetous, boasters, proudall
are present and among us.
Blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, with-
out natural affectionall of these
are well accounted for.
Trucebreakers, false accusers,
and so onall can be checked off
By President BoydK. Packer
President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
A
short time ago, I sealed a young
couple in the temple. This
couple had kept themselves
worthy to arrive at the marvelous day
when a son and a daughter leave the
homes of their youth and become
husband and wife. On this sacred
occasion, they were pure and clean.
In due course, they will begin to raise
children of their own, consistent with
the pattern established by our Father
in Heaven. Their happiness, and
the happiness of future generations,
depends upon living those standards
established by the Savior and set forth
in His scriptures.
Parents today wonder if there is a
safe place to raise children. There is
a safe place. It is in a gospel-centered
home. We focus on the family in
the Church, and we counsel parents
everywhere to raise their children in
righteousness.
The Apostle Paul prophesied and
warned that in the last days perilous
times shall come.
For men shall be lovers of their
own selves, covetous, boasters, proud,
blasphemers, disobedient to parents,
unthankful, unholy,
The Key to Spiritual
Protection
Peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns
to the scriptures and unlocks the promises of protection
and redemption.
27 No v e m b e r 2 0 1 3
They offer hope and knowledge.
Years ago, Elder S.Dilworth Young
of the Seventy taught me a lesson
about reading the scriptures. A stake
was struggling with tensions and
diffculties among the members, and
counsel needed to be given.
I asked President Young, What
should I say?
He answered simply, Tell them to
read the scriptures.
I asked, Which scriptures?
He said, It really doesnt matter.
Tell them to open up the Book of
Mormon, for instance, and begin to
read. Soon the feeling of peace and
inspiration will come, and a solution
will present itself.
Make scripture reading a part of
your regular routine, and the blessings
will follow. There is in the scriptures
a voice of warning, but there is also
great nourishment.
If the language of the scriptures
at frst seems strange to you, keep
reading. Soon you will come to recog-
nize the beauty and power found on
those pages.
Paul said, All scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and is proftable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction,
for instruction in righteousness.
5
You can test this promise for
yourself.
We live in perilous times; neverthe-
less, we can fnd hope and peace for
ourselves and for our families. Those
living in sorrow, despairing at the
possibility of children being rescued
from where the world has taken them,
must never give up. Be not afraid,
only believe.
6
Righteousness is more
powerful than wickedness.
Children taught an understanding
of the scriptures early in life will come
to know the path they should walk
and will be more inclined to remain
on that path. Those who stray will
have the ability to return and, with
help, can fnd their way back.
The sons of Mosiah fought against
the Church for a time but later
repented and underwent a dramatic
change. In Alma we read, These sons
of Mosiah... had waxed strong in
the knowledge of the truth; for they
were men of a sound understanding
and they had searched the scriptures
diligently, that they might know the
word of God.
7
President JosephF. Smith was fve
years old when his father, Hyrum, was
killed in Carthage Jail. Later, Joseph
crossed the plains with his widowed
mother.
At age 15 he was called on a
mission to Hawaii. He felt lost and
alone and said: I was very much
oppressed.... I felt as if I was so
debased in my condition of poverty,
lack of intelligence and knowledge,
just a boy, that I hardly dared look
[anyone] in the face.
While pondering his plight one
night, young Joseph dreamed he
was on a journey, rushing as fast
as he possibly could. He carried
with him a small bundle. Finally,
he came to a wonderful mansion,
which was his destination. As he
approached, he saw a sign which
read, Bath. He quickly went in
and washed himself. He opened his
little bundle and found clean white
clothinga thing, he said, I had
not seen for a long time. He put
them on and rushed to the door of
the mansion.
I knocked, he said, and the door
opened, and the man who stood there
was the Prophet Joseph Smith. He
looked at me a little reprovingly, and
the frst words he said [were]: Joseph,
28
you are late. Yet I took confdence
and said:
Yes, but I am cleanI am clean!
8
And so it can be for each of us.
If you are set on a course of faith
and activity in the Church, stay on
course and keep your covenants.
Continue forward until the time when
the Lords blessings will come to you
and the Holy Ghost will be revealed
as a moving force in your life.
If you are presently on a course
that points away from the one out-
lined in the scriptures, let me assure
you there is a way back.
Jesus Christ has prescribed a very
clear method for us to repent and fnd
healing in our lives. The cure for most
mistakes can be found by seeking
forgiveness through personal prayer.
However, there are certain spiritual ill-
nesses, particularly those dealing with
violations of the moral law, which
absolutely require the assistance
and treatment of a qualifed spiritual
physician.
Years ago there came to my offce
a young woman and her aging father.
She had brought him several hundred
miles to fnd a remedy for the guilt
he felt. As a young man he had made
a serious mistake, and in his old age
the memory came back to him. He
could not shake the feeling of guilt.
He could not go back and undo the
problem of his youth on his own,
but he could start where he was and,
with help, erase the guilt which had
followed him all those years.
I was grateful that by teaching him
principles from the Book of Mormon,
it was as though a tremendous weight
was lifted from his shoulders. When
he and his daughter drove back
home those many miles, the old man
had left behind the guilt of the past
transgression.
If you awake to a sense of your
awful situation
9
and wish to return to
full spiritual health, see your bishop.
He holds the keys and can help you
along the pathway of repentance.
Repentance is individual, and so
is forgiveness. The Lord requires only
that one turn from their sin, and [He]
will forgive their iniquity, and...
remember their sin no more.
10
As the repentance process is com-
pleted, you will come to understand
the meaning of Isaiahs promise about
the Atonement: Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the Lord: though
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be
as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool.
11
Just as chalk can be removed from
a blackboard, with sincere repentance
the effects of our transgression can
be erased through the Atonement of
Jesus Christ. That promise applies in
every case.
The gospel teaches us to be happy,
to have faith rather than fear, to fnd
hope and overcome despair, to leave
darkness and turn toward the light of
the everlasting gospel.
Paul and others warned about the
trials of our time and the days yet to
come. But peace can be settled in the
heart of each who turns to the scrip-
tures and unlocks the promises of pro-
tection and redemption that are taught
therein. We invite all to turn to the
Savior Jesus Christ, to His teachings as
found in the Old Testament, the New
Testament, the Book of Mormon, the
Doctrine and Covenants, and the Pearl
of Great Price.
I bear certain witness of the scrip-
tures as a key to our spiritual protec-
tion. I also bear witness of the healing
power of the Atonement of Jesus
Christ, that through him all might be
saved
12
who will be saved. The Lords
Church has been established on the
earth once again. Of the truthfulness
of the gospel I bear witness. Of Him
I am a witness. In the name of Jesus
Christ, amen.
NOTES
1. 2Timothy 3:15.
2. 2Timothy 3:13.
3. Ether 8:24, 26.
4. 2Timothy 3:1415.
5. 2Timothy 3:16.
6. Mark 5:36.
7. Alma 17:2.
8. JosephF. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed.
(1939), 542.
9. Ether 8:24.
10. Jeremiah 31:34.
11. Isaiah 1:18.
12. Doctrine and Covenants 76:42.
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