We Are All Enlisted, Hymn #250
Verse 3
"Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go;
We shall gain the vict'ry by and by.
Dangers may gather--why should we fear?
Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.
He will protect us, comfort, and cheer.
We're joyfully, joyfully marching to our home.
We are all enlisted till the conflict is o'er;
Happy are we! Happy are we!
Soldiers in the army there's a bright crown in store;
We shall win and wear it by and by."
Every day, the world grows darker. There are many who seek to destroy the Church and pull us down, using mockery, criticism, lies, and belittling. Not only are people working hard to destroy our faith, but there are those we cannot see--the adversary--who pry, push, shove, and seek to ruin us little by little.
But we can make a difference! We can resist the evil and the world around us. The world can at times be our biggest foe. We want to be like others, to fit in, to feel included. There are many things that we want; worldly things that bring nothing but temporary feelings of happiness. At times like this
we must dare to stand alone, to be "peculiar," to be our true selves! (There's a great video about this by Thomas S. Monson-- https://www.lds.org/youth/video/dare-to-stand-alone?lang=eng)
So what is our responsibility?
Jude, Christ's half-brother, gave us the answer.
"Beloved... [I] exhort
you that ye should
earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." Jude 1:3 (emphasis added)
We, as Latter-Day Saints, need to "earnestly contend for the faith." Think back to Joseph's First Vision. This was an incredible event in history. But there is one part of this event that is often skimmed over briefly, because it can be pretty scary and hard to comprehend. It is the time right before Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph. Also, keep in mind that this was Joseph's first attempt to pray aloud.
"After I had retired to the place where I had previously designed to go, having looked around me, and finding myself alone, I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God. I had scarcely done so, when immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me, and had such an astonishing influence over me as to
bind my tongue so I could not speak. Thick darkness gathered around me, and it seemed to me for a time as if I were doomed to sudden destruction." Joseph Smith--History 1:15 (emphasis added)
This must have been a terrifying experience for Joseph. But there is more; he had the strength to continue praying--pleading--with God to deliver him from the sudden darkness and despair that overtook him. His tongue was bound, but his heart was not. Finally, when he was nearly to the point of giving up, he was saved from his terror, and was rescued by the Light.
The adversary preys upon our weaknesses. But we can make our weaknesses become strengths through Christ and His Light.
We need to "unbind our tongues" and become Lights in the time of trial.
What can we do?
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said,
"From every [person], young and old, ...I ask for a
stronger and more devoted voice, a voice not only against evil and him
who is the personification of it, but a voice for good, a voice for the
gospel, a voice for God. ...Unbind your tongues and
watch your words work wonders in the lives of those 'who are only kept
from the truth because they know not where to find it.'"
Here are some examples I got from seminary:
1. Our example of living the gospel is one important way to contend for the faith.
2. Our Christ-like compassion for others can soften hearts and bless lives.
3. As members of the Church we are to cry repentance to the world by boldly standing up for gospel principles.
In conclusion, Jude said,
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour,
be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." Jude 1:20-25
May you ever have the strength to defeat the adversary and continue in the Light of the Savior!
-JS
This morning, I turned on the computer, preparing to do seminary. As I was waiting for it to warm up, I started to open up my email. But then I remembered a goal that I had set for myself at the beginning of the year. I would set aside all distractions, and close all windows that don't involve seminary, so that I would finish seminary with the Spirit. That very instant, I was conflicted with a choice. Check email, or do seminary? I knew the answer. Without much thought at all, I closed my email before I could be distracted by it. Then I opened up seminary and was able to complete two lessons. If I had chosen to check email before seminary, then I probably would have gotten involved in something else, and seminary would have been pushed aside. But because of my faithful decision, I was able to catch up, and I had plenty of time to spare! This has given me a great reminder of what my ultimate goal is--to return to Heavenly Father! When I learn to accomplish my small goals, I take one step closer to my biggest goal!
Finally, we discussed what we did this past week to fulfill the challenge we were given in our previous live class. (What can you do this week that shows love and support for your family?) All of us had similar experiences. Each person had striven to be kinder to their family, and have positive attitudes, and it helped a lot with strengthening love for each other.
Elder Dallin H. Oaks stated, “Scripture reading puts us in
tune with the Spirit of the Lord. . . . Because we believe that
scripture reading can help us receive revelation, we are encouraged to
read the scriptures again and again. By this means, we obtain access to
what our Heavenly Father would have us know and do in our personal lives
today. That is one reason Latter-day Saints believe in daily scripture study." I, too, believe in daily scripture study! It brings the Spirit, and helps me to have the strength to withstand temptation. No matter how many times I have read specific scriptures, I can always find new lessons to learn from them. For instance, the Book of Mormon. I have read it at least three times, but each time I find something that I either forgot, or something that applies well to my life during that time, or even simple words that touch my heart. When we open our hearts and ask God in faith, the Holy Ghost will help us understand gospel truths. 
.jpg)
"Heavenly?" you might ask, especially during the days that you think should be warm. Maybe "Heavenly" is not your favorite word to describe snowfalls in the spring. By now, you'd probably think there shouldn't be any snow. Just warm, sunny weather; flowers blooming; birds singing; bare feet; and all those fun, springy things. But my chocolate-loving sister has another idea for it. I asked her for a word to describe how things look after (or during) a snowfall. The first thing she said was "heavenly." 
