AVOIDING TEMPTATION

This was a special lesson "Off book" that was very applicable to my Young Women at the time...

First show the picture of the Nephite and the Lamanite. Talk about the differences in what they are wearing. Ask the girls what they would rather wear into battle. Why?

-Give the girls the example of the Lamamite being “open to temptation” because he isn’t wearing his armor.

-What is our armor today?

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. …

LOINS- girt about with truth

BREASTPLATE- of righteousness;

HELMET- of salvation

SWORD- of truth

FEET- shod with preparation of the gospel

SHIELD-of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

-Elder Maxwell also talks about keeping the law of chastity as being a shield….

“By lowering or losing that shield, the much-needed blessings of heaven are lost. No person or nation can prosper for long without those blessings.”

-A sad example of someone not using the Armor of God is King David.

            -Tell the story of King David and Bathsheba

“There are so many ways to keep the shielding seventh commandment firmly in place. Instructively, for instance, David’s fall, at least in part, was facilitated because he was not where duty lay: “It came to pass, after the year was expired, at the time when kings go forth to battle, … David tarried still at Jerusalem” (2 Sam. 11:1). Then, as you know, came the lustful view from the roof and all the sadness that followed. Implicit, therefore, in the instruction “Stand ye in holy places” is to avoid indulgent tarrying (D&C 87:8; see also Matt. 24:15).

Those who live “after the manner of happiness” (2 Ne. 5:27) also wisely develop protective, spiritual manners. These manners are reflected in their proper dress, language, humor, and music, thereby sending the signal of determined discipleship”. (see Prov. 23:7). –Elder Maxwell

-Why was David tempted?

            -He was not where he was suppose to be. Wrong place at the wrong time.

-At anytime David could have repented, but he kept trying to cover his sins instead of doing what was right

-Because of that he kept committing worse and worse sins, that ultimately ended in murder.

-What ultimately happened to David?

-David temporally didn’t have any consequences. He still remained King, and kept his full power. So on the outside it might look like he could sin and no real consequences.

 But as we know spiritual consequences are often much harder

-      BIBLE DICTIONARY-“Like Saul he was guilty of grave crimes; but unlike Saul, he was capable of true contrition and was therefore able to find forgiveness, except in the murder of Uriah. As a consequence David is still unforgiven, but he received a promise that the Lord would not leave his soul in hell. He will be resurrected at the end of the Millennium. Because of his transgressions, he has fallen from his exaltation (D&C 132:39).”

-A GOOD example of someone putting on the whole armor of God is Joseph in Egypt

            -He was tempted by Potopher’s wife and ran away.

-But even in the example of Joseph he didn’t know right away the consequence of making a good choice. On the outside it may have even looked like he was punished for making the right choice. But little did he know God was laying out an amazing future for him. He would then become 2^nd only to Pharaoh. We may never know how one choice can ripple throughout our lives and change our course for good or evil.

-Joseph had to stand alone for many years before he started seeing the good his making the right choice.

           

In certain times and circumstances, discipleship requires us to be willing to stand alone! Our willingness to do so, here and now, is consistent with Christ’s kneeling alone, there and then, in Gethsemane. In the final atoning process, “none were with [Him]” (D&C 133:50; see also Matt. 26:38–45).

As we take our stand, the faithful will not be alone—not that alone, however. Of necessity, the angel who stood by Christ in Gethsemane to strengthen Him left Him (see Luke 22:43). If we hold aloft the shield of faith in God and faith in His commandments, His angels will be “round about [us], to bear [us] up” and “have charge over [us]” (D&C 84:88; D&C 109:22). Of this promise, I testify. And now, therefore, in terms of the weather in our souls, brothers and sisters, I testify that we set the dial. We so determine the degree of our happiness in this and the next world. I likewise testify that our compliance with God’s commandments, including the seventh, invites God to place His hand on ours as we set the dial. It is the hand of Him who desires to give us all that He hath (see D&C 84:38). –Elder Maxwell

-Another GOOD example is Captain Moroni

-Moroni at that time lead the armies of the Nephites. He wasn’t the ruler or the prophet. He was just a good man who stood up for good and for freedom. He stood alone and single handedly reminded an entire nation of the promises they made to God and to each other. He knew what was right and stood up for it.

-Alma 48:17

-We can stand above the rest like Moroni when we remember the promises we made to Heavenly Father and stand for what we know to be right.

-Give the girls their own “title’s of liberty” to write and remind themselves of their own promises they’ve made to the Lord.