Sisters, I'm sorry I've gotten so behind in posting the notes for our lessons! A few new features since my last post: 1) I've added some links at the side of this blog for your convenience; 2) Kathy is now sending me the weekly Prez Says messages to post; 3) I've started putting links to the manual and to scripture references in the body of my post...just click on any words that are a different color to see how it works.
Sondra Soderborg taught our lesson today from the Spencer W. Kimball manual #10: "Fortifying Ourselves Against Evil Influences." Fortify means to strengthen. It comes from the root fortis, which means moral courage, power. President Kimball is very clear in this lesson that the way to fortify ourselves is to learn to resist sin. He says (108-109):
"Right decisions are easiest to make when we make them well in advance, having ultimate objectives in mind; this saves a lot of anguish at the fork, when we’re tired and sorely tempted.
"When I was young, I made up my mind unalterably that I would never taste tea, coffee, tobacco, or liquor. I found that this rigid determination saved me many times throughout my varied experiences. There were many occasions when I could have sipped or touched or sampled, but the unalterable determination firmly established gave me good reason and good strength to resist.
"...The time to decide that we will settle for nothing less than an opportunity to live eternally with our Father is now, so that every choice we make will be affected by our determination to let nothing interfere with attaining that ultimate goal.16
"Develop discipline of self so that, more and more, you do not have to decide and redecide what you will do when you are confronted with the same temptation time and time again. You only need to decide some things once!
"How great a blessing it is to be free of agonizing over and over again regarding a temptation. To do such is time-consuming and very risky.17
"We can push some things away from us once and have done with them! We can make a single decision about certain things that we will incorporate in our lives and then make them ours—without having to brood and redecide a hundred times what it is we will do and what we will not do.
"Indecision and discouragement are climates in which the Adversary lives to function, for he can inflict so many casualties among mankind in those settings. … If you have not done so yet, decide to decide!"
President Kimball was the prophet when Sondra was a teenager. She clearly remembers him saying that there are some things that we only need to decide once. But when temptations come, even if we've decided how we will resist beforehand, the pulls can be very strong. But we can prepare ourselves. She remembers Bill and Joyce Connett's son, Heath, saying that he was afraid of what would happen if he stopped reading his scriptures. He was afraid to break the habit that he'd created for himself. In order to succeed, you only have to try again one more time than you give up or fail. Mortality is an infinite process of trying to be better.
President Kimball talks about Christ's response to the devil's temptations in Matthew 4: 3-10 He says that he believes the Savior was prepared in advance for Satan's attack--he responded quickly and without flirtation. He didn't even entertain the ideas. Satan is really subtle, smart, and powerful. He'll tempt us in the ways we're most vulnerable. When we do certain things, temptations can't reach us in the same ways. Satan knows us. Many of us have counsel about our vulnerabilities in our Patriarchal Blessings. Laurie W. said that Satan exploits our weaknesses, while God strengthens them. Michelle R. said that when we follow prophetic counsel we should ask God for the attendant blessings. Tiffani pointed out that the Savior's response to each of Satan's temptations was a scripture reference. She emphasized the importance of reading the scriptures daily.
Sondra said that in her life, she tends to resist checklists. She is not a highly organized person--she does better if she stays flexible. However, she said, I regret that I've not held myself to a higher checklist standard with certain things in the gospel. There are some things worth checking off. Kathy said that there is a type of therapy they use with their patients in which they tell them to do just what is needed...no more, and no less. Some things are needed and some are optional. We also need to ask ourselves "what do I need" (not the house, our employer, etc.) Andrea (me) said that the idea of doing "perfect" scripture study gets in the way...thinking I need to sit down with a notebook and a red pencil and read for an hour. When I can't do this, I don't do anything. In fact, it would be better to just read a verse than to wait for the perfect opportunity. Sondra said that what we need is a moment with the scriptures. We all struggle with different things--some more obvious, some subtle. Think for a minute about ways that Satan is working on you right now. Pat said that when we compare ourselves to others, we come up short, become discouraged, and stop trying. Sondra said that Satan distorts the natural bonds between women. Ollie said that Satan bothers us most in the areas where our involvement is greatest--the things that we most love and care about, like our children. Sondra said that Satan is psychologically astute. He "plays" us. He is deeply manipulative, and comes back again and again. Natalie said there can be simple answers to the deception. The gospel is not too complicated and we can be helped in simple ways. We don't have to be astute to fight him. Sondra said that we are equipped by the Lord himself. She read us one of her favorite scriptures, Ephesians 6: 11-18. Christ is stronger than Satan. President Kimball says (105):
"He who has greater strength than Lucifer, he who is our fortress and our strength, can sustain us in times of great temptation. While the Lord will never forcibly take anyone out of sin or out of the arms of the tempters, he exerts his Spirit to induce the sinner to do it with divine assistance. And the man who yields to the sweet influence and pleadings of the Spirit and does all in his power to stay in a repentant attitude is guaranteed protection, power, freedom and joy."
The small acts we do have a protecting influence that is real. Committed service to the Church is a way we are fortified.
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