taught by Haylee Stewart
Purity is life-giving; impurity is deadly.
Introduce lesson: there is a lot of good, powerful principles in the lesson; review the
lesson at home in your own time. To start off, have someone read quote #1.
QUOTE #1: The plaguing sin of this generation is sexual immorality. This, the
Prophet Joseph said, would be the source of more temptations, more
buffetings, and more difficulties for the elders of Israel than any other. …
Sexual immorality is a viper that is striking not only in the world, but in the
Church today. Not to admit it is to be dangerously complacent or is like
putting one’s head in the sand. …
No sin is causing the loss of the Spirit of the Lord among our people more
today than sexual promiscuity. It is causing our people to stumble, damning
their growth, darkening their spiritual powers, and making them subject to
other sins.
Some of that quote came from an address Pres. Benson gave in 1986—nearly 30
years ago. The rest of it came from a conference talk in 1964—over 50 years ago!
Pres. Benson was truly a seer.
God has established His standard of chastity for His children.
QUOTE #2: The Church has no double standard of morality. The moral code
of heaven for both men and women is complete chastity before marriage and
full fidelity after marriage.
In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Jacob tells us that the Lord delights in
the chastity of His children. Do you hear that, my brothers and sisters? The
Lord is not just pleased when we are chaste; He delights in chastity. Mormon
taught the same thing to his son Moroni when he wrote that chastity and
virtue are “most dear and precious above all things”.
QUESTION: Any thoughts?
The Lord has given us His standard of purity. In order to stay morally clean, we need
to prepare ourselves to resist temptation.
QUESTION: How do we prepare ourselves to resist temptation?
Clean thoughts/pornography
QUOTE #3: Control your thoughts. No one steps into immorality in an instant.
The first seeds of immorality are always sown in the mind. When we allow
our thoughts to linger on lewd or immoral things, the first step on the road to
immorality has been taken. I especially warn you against the evils of
pornography. Again and again we hear from those caught in deep sin that
often the first step on their road to transgression began with pornographic
materials. The Savior taught that even when a man looks upon a woman to
lust after her, or in other words, when he lets his thoughts begin to get out of
control, he has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
Media
QUOTE #4: Consider carefully the words of the prophet Alma to his errant
son, Corianton, “Forsake your sins, and go no more after the lusts of your
eyes.” (Alma 39:9.)
“The lusts of your eyes.” In our day, what does that expression mean?
Movies, television programs, and video recordings that are both suggestive
and lewd.
Magazines and books that are obscene and pornographic.
We counsel you … not to pollute your minds with such degrading matter, for
the mind through which this filth passes is never the same afterwards.20
Be clean. Be virtuous in your thoughts and actions. Read good books. Never
let your minds be subjected to pornography. … In the words of the Lord, “Let
virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong
in the presence of God. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion.”
Prayer
QUOTE #5: Always pray for the power to resist temptation. Temptation will
come to all of us. It will take many forms and appear in many disguises, but
the Lord has given us the key for resisting it. He said to the Prophet Joseph
Smith: “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may
conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan
that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5). It should be part of our daily prayers to
ask the Lord for constant strength to resist temptation, especially
temptations that involve the law of chastity.
Avoid improper situations
QUOTE #6: Men and women who are married sometimes flirt and tease with
members of the opposite sex. So-called harmless meetings are arranged, or
inordinate amounts of time are spent together. In all of these cases, people
rationalize by saying that these are natural expressions of friendship. But
what may appear to be harmless teasing or simply having a little fun with
someone of the opposite sex can easily lead to more serious involvement and
eventual infidelity.
A good question to ask ourselves is this: Would my spouse be pleased if he or
she knew I was doing this?
If you are married, avoid being alone with members of the opposite sex
wherever possible. Many of the tragedies of immorality begin when a man
and woman are alone in the office, or at church, or driving in a car. At first
there may be no intent or even thought of sin. But the circumstances provide
a fertile seedbed for temptation. One thing leads to another, and very quickly
tragedy may result. It is so much easier to avoid such circumstances from the
start so that temptation gets no chance for nourishment.
Modesty
QUOTE #7: Be modest. Modesty in dress and language and deportment is a
true mark of refinement and a hallmark of a virtuous Latter-day Saint. …
Shun the low and the vulgar and the suggestive.
Plant positive activities
QUOTE #8: Overcome evil with good. You can overcome many evil
inclinations through good physical exertion and healthful activities. A healthy
soul, free of the body-and-spirit-dulling influences of alcohol and tobacco, is
in better condition to overthrow the devil.
For those who are single and dating, carefully plan positive and constructive
activities so that you are not left to yourselves with nothing to do but share
physical affection. … This is the principle of filling one’s life with positive
activities so that the negative has no chance to thrive.
Fasting/scripture study
QUOTE #9: Fill your lives with positive sources of power. It is not enough
simply to try to resist evil or empty our lives of sin. We must also fill our lives
with righteousness. We must engage in activities that bring spiritual power.
I speak of such activities as immersing ourselves in the scriptures. There is a
power that flows into our lives when we read and study the scriptures on a
daily basis that cannot be found in any other way. Daily prayer is another
source of great power. Fasting for specific strength or special blessings can
strengthen us beyond our normal ability. Christian service, church
attendance, service in the kingdom—all can add to our storehouse of
strength and power.
And now, of course, to mention the atonement. There is hope, there is power in the
atonement. President Benson said:
“There may be some for whom the counsel to prepare and prevent is too late. You
may already be deeply entangled in serious sin. If this is the case, there is no choice
now but to repair your lives and repent of your sins. To you I would suggest five
important things you can do to come back to a state of moral purity. Flee
immediately from any situation you are in that is either causing you to sin or that
may cause you to sin. Plead with the Lord for the power to overcome. Let your
priesthood leaders help you resolve the transgression and come back into full
fellowship with the Lord. Drink from the divine fountain and fill your lives with
positive sources of power. Remember that through proper repentance, you can
become clean again.
“For those who pay the price required by true repentance, the promise is sure. You
can be clean again. The despair can be lifted. The sweet peace of forgiveness will
flow into your lives. In this dispensation the Lord spoke with clarity when he said,
‘Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord,
remember them no more.’”
Because Pres. Benson said sexual sin would plague this generation, it is imperative
that we teach our children the law of chastity.
Pres. Benson said:
“Parents should give their children specific instructions on chastity at an early age,
both for their physical and moral protection.
“Our homes must become bulwarks of strength through enthroning righteousness
and bringing into them the peace, unity, and unselfishness engendered by personal
purity, unquestioned fidelity, and simple family devotion. Parents must accept
marriage as a divine institution, and honor parenthood. Children must be inspired
by precept and example in preparation for marriage, to guard against unchastity as
against a loathsome disease, and to practice the other fundamental Christian
virtues.”
QUESTION: How do you teach the law of chastity, or how were you taught?
Ultimately, the law of chastity was given to us in order that we may have joy. Pres.
Benson promised:
“When we obey the law of chastity and keep ourselves morally clean, we will
experience the blessings of increased love and peace, greater trust and respect for
our marital partners, deeper commitment to each other, and therefore a deep and
significant sense of joy and happiness.”
Additional Reading: Genesis 39:7–21; 1 Corinthians 6:18–20; Galatians 5:16;Alma 38:12; 39:3–5; 3 Nephi 12:27–30; D&C 42:22–25
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