Eyring - First Presidency Message - Armed with Righteousness - March 2017

President Eyring gives the First Presidency Message in March 2017.  He speaks about the influence of satan in our lives and the need for us to remember that we are at war against the evils of the world.

• He wars against the prophets and apostles. He wars against the law of chastity and the sanctity of marriage. He wars against the family and the temple. He wars against what is good, holy, and sacred.

President Eyring gives us some advice on how to keep ourselves on the right side.  Simple daily acts keep us focused on the things of the Savior and keep us strong in our quest for eternal life.

• How do we arm ourselves with righteousness and power? We keep the Sabbath day holy and honor the priesthood. We make and keep sacred covenants, work on our family history, and attend the temple. We strive continuously to repent and plead with the Lord to “apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins” (Mosiah 4:2). We pray and serve and testify and exercise faith in Jesus Christ.
• We also arm ourselves with righteousness and power as we “treasure up in [our] minds continually the words of life” (D&C 84:85). We treasure up those words by immersing ourselves in the holy scriptures and in the words of the Lord’s chosen servants, who will share His will, mind, and voice (see D&C 68:4) during next month’s general conference.”

He concludes by reminding us that we have help from Heaven to keep the commandments.  We have heavenly support to help us along the path.

• In our battle against evil, we must always remember that we have help from both sides of the veil. Our allies include God the Eternal Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost

Teaching Youth
I Had Already Decided
By Madison Thompson
The author lives in Utah, USA.

• I once received a valuable lesson in a Young Women class on sexual purity—a topic that made a lot of the youth squirm in their seats. I don’t remember everything I learned that day, but I do remember my leader talking about one of her personal standards—to always remain sexually pure. Her words stayed with me, and I then made the conscious decision to adopt it as one of my own personal values.
• One day as I was riding home on a bus from a sporting event, someone on the bus started a game of truth or dare. Bored, some of the other kids and I joined in. When it came to my turn, I was dared to do something that I knew wasn’t right. This could’ve been a hard decision for me to make, but the words of my Young Women leader came to my head, and the choice was easy. I quickly declined. I had already made up my mind on what I would do in that situation.
• I know that when we go to church and make room for the things we are taught there, we will be blessed with greater spiritual strength and protection from the temptations of the world.

Teaching Children
Here are 10 things President Eyring tells us to do to protect ourselves.

• Keep the Sabbath day holy
• Honor the priesthood
• Make and keep covenants
• Work on family history
• Go to the temple
• Repent
• Pray
• Serve others
• Share your testimony
• Read the scriptures