While an apostle in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, President Ezra Taft Benson (1899-1994) gave a talk in the October 1971 General Conference about the era in which the youth are being raised. His talk, entitled, "Satan's Thrust--Youth," (Ensign, Dec 1971, 53) addresses the many evils and lures Satan uses to throw off the rising generation. Taught President Benson:
"We love the youth of the Church and we know the Lord loves them. There isn’t anything the Church wouldn’t do that’s right to help our young people—to save them. They are our future. We have faith in them. We want them to be happy. We want them to be successful in their chosen fields. We want them to be exalted in the celestial kingdom.
"We say to them, you are eternal beings. Life is eternal. You cannot do wrong and feel right. It pays to live the good, wholesome, joy-filled life. Live so you will have no serious regrets—no heartaches. Live so you can reach out and tap that unseen Power, without which no man or woman can do their best."
Although this talk was given almost 40 years ago, the principles contained therein are even more relevant, applicable, and urgent to our generation. Read this talk and decide what you can do to better live in the world but not of the world. The Lord is on our side.
Jeremy
"We love the youth of the Church and we know the Lord loves them. There isn’t anything the Church wouldn’t do that’s right to help our young people—to save them. They are our future. We have faith in them. We want them to be happy. We want them to be successful in their chosen fields. We want them to be exalted in the celestial kingdom.
"We say to them, you are eternal beings. Life is eternal. You cannot do wrong and feel right. It pays to live the good, wholesome, joy-filled life. Live so you will have no serious regrets—no heartaches. Live so you can reach out and tap that unseen Power, without which no man or woman can do their best."
Although this talk was given almost 40 years ago, the principles contained therein are even more relevant, applicable, and urgent to our generation. Read this talk and decide what you can do to better live in the world but not of the world. The Lord is on our side.
Jeremy
Prophecy is such an interesting thing. Prophets these days rarely say "Thus saith the Lord" and so we often don't take what they are saying for prophecy. it is when we look back on what has happened that our minds reflect on the things we heard and are in shock that we didn't see "it" coming.
ReplyDeleteBut that is just it! Satan uses that flaxen cord to slowly pull us so that we are not jerked into an alternate reality. We are slowly pulled and allured that way until suddenly, the youth of the church have very fuzzy lines between normal and strange, between what they see as right and wrong, between acceptable and unacceptable.
Anyway, thanks for the post. I enjoyed the talk, too.
Thank you for all your comments Hannah.
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