Lives Resistant to Sin

In a talk titled Building a Life Resistant to the Adversary, Elder Jorge Zeballos compared the work of creating a structure that is seismic-resistant to building a life that is resistant to sin and the attacks of the adversary. He said, “The engineer makes the calculations that indicate the dimensions, qualities, and characteristics of the foundations, columns, beams, concrete slabs, and other structural elements being designed. These results are translated into plans and technical specifications, which must be strictly followed by the builder in order for the work to materialize and thus fulfill the purpose for which it was designed and is being built.” He continued, “How blessed we are to count on a knowledge of the plan of salvation created by our Heavenly Father, to have the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, and to rely on the inspired direction of living prophets! All the former constitute the divinely designed ‘plans’ and the ‘technical specifications’ that teach us clearly how to construct happy lives—lives that are resistant to sin, resistant to temptation, resistant to attacks from Satan, who is desperately seeking to frustrate our eternal destiny to be together with our Heavenly Father and with our beloved families.” Just as it takes concerted effort to build structures that can handle an earthquake without crumbling, so too it takes significant effort for us to fortify ourselves from the spiritual earthquakes that life and the adversary send our way from time to time. We have to do the spiritual work to strictly follow the gospel plan to be protected from the adversary just as the engineer must strictly follow the “plans and technical specifications” of a seismic-resistant building in order to be safe in the event of an earthquake.   

                Elder Zeballos highlighted two things that the Savior did in particular to ward off the adversary when he was tempted. “First, He had fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, a fast that must have been accompanied by constant prayer. So, although He was physically weak, His spirit was very strong…. Fasting brings us spiritual strength and prepares us to be resistant to the trials of this life.” Fasting and prayer are essential for us to overcome the wickedness of the world and protect ourselves from the temptations of the adversary. At a time when many of the Nephites were wicked and lifted up in pride, persecuting their brethren, the righteous “did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ” (Helaman 3:34-35). Their fasting and prayer helped them to stay strong even at a time when the people were filled with pride. The Savior warned the Nephites later, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him” (3 Nephi 18:15). On the same day he had also taught them to fast and promised them blessings from the Father from fasting (3 Nephi 13:18). In our dispensation the Lord further emphasized our need for persistent prayer: “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” (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5). As we fast often and pray always, we will be empowered to conquer all the symbolic earthquakes that the adversary sends our way.

Elder Zeballos continued, “In the second place, in the account of the temptations to which the Savior was submitted, we see that He always answered Satan having scriptures in His mind, quoting them, and applying them at the right moment.” In the three temptations from the adversary, the Savior replied to all of them, “It is written” and then quoted scriptures He had given to Moses in the law. If the Savior would turn to holy writ to respond to temptations, how much more do we need to internalize the word of God to help us resist the attacks of the adversary. I love this promise of Mormon: “Yea, we see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked— And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven” (Helaman 3:29-30). We must “lay hold upon the word of God” in order to successfully navigate the snares of the devil and be led back to the right hand of God. Nephi similarly promised, “whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24). As we consistently fast, pray, and hold fast to the scriptures, we will be prepared to face whatever challenges and temptations that life will bring us so that we can in the end return back to God in His kingdom.