I spoke in church today

When I look at a newborn baby, I think how precious and pure is this small sweet soul that so recently was in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Oh, that we could all remain that pure for our earthly lifetime. But our Father in Heaven’s plan is for us to have agency (choices to make) to prove ourselves worthy – worthy when tested, to return to live with him and our loved ones.

How do we prove worthy? one answer: is simple- maintain personal purity- what is personal purity – well if you go with the dictionary definition:

Personal: ones own persons, private life, close, intimate, as a person not abstract
Purity: freedom from physical or moral pollution, undefiled, not corrupt, guiltless,

Keeping ourselves free from moral pollution, guiltless,

How do we do this? We all have the answers at our finger tips (referring to scriptures) and knowing how we maintain personal purity has never been the question its all here we here it all the time..
* We pray and pray often many times a day, pray with and for our families, our food, our decisions, our safety, our souls.
*We read our scriptures, and read often daily and discuss what we read and study and search and pray again for understanding We come to know our Savior Jesus Christ.
* We listen, listen to our parents, our teachers, the prophet, We listen to the spirit.
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*We stand in Holy Places: We are careful where we go and what we do. We don’tot watch offending TV or movies, we go to our meetings, attend the temple we make and keep covenants, we serve, others, when we are obeying the other commandments it makes the decisions as to where we go and with who easier, we have the spirit of discernment with us.
*We guard our minds by guarding our tongues, ears and eyes. Our minds are like stages and unclean thoughts will dance on and this stage it is up to us if we allow them to stay and ‘entertain’ us or we do something about it like hum a hymn to clear our minds.
We speak respectfully to and about others, using no vulgar topics or profanity, we avoid contention.
We guard our ears by walking away from inappropriate conversations & music and replacing those w/uplifting music and good clean associates.
We guard our eyes by seeking after anything that is of good report or praise worthy, and turning away from anything that is offensive, fleeing from pornography as if it were the fire that it truly is, that could not only burn us, but consume and ruin our lives
We follow the commandments; we do not lie or steal
Can you think of any better promise for the future than spoken by King Benjamin: .” (Mosiah 2:41.) “I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness
I seek for this never ending happiness.
· We obey the word of wisdom for the health of our bodies but more so for the health of our spirits by showing obedience,
*We dress modestly, for how we dress affects how we think, act, and how others perceive us. Do not let anyone tell you differently.
We must respect this body that Heavenly Father has provided for us to house our beautiful spirits.
We stay morally clean – when it comes to human intimacy, we must wait! It is reserved for marriage.

Youth, Sexual intimacy or anything like unto it, whether alone or with another is not permitted. We must guard ourselves. And then have complete fidelity after marriage. We must have self-control. Fasting on Sunday and at other times helps to teach us self-control.

The very best gift you can give your eternal companion on your wedding day is your best self – clean and pure, worthy of such purity in return. With all these things we cannot fool ourselves or anyone else if you are striving for good it shows.

You don’t have to tell how you live each day;You don’t have to tell if you work or play;A tried and true barometer stands in its place—You don’t have to tell, it will show in your face. … If you live close to God and His infinite grace—You won’t have to tell, it will show in your face

And if we falter, it shows too, and we have to be quick to repent or we do not see the problem as clearly for what is…not let it become so familiar that it ends up acceptable.
Alexander Pope, English Poet (1688-1744) (a popular quote)
Vice is a monster of such frightful mienAs to be hated needs but to be seen;But seen too oft, familiar with its face,We first endure, then pity, then embrace.
Why? Why are these things important? Jacob 3:1 - BUT behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction.
2 O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.
We feast on his love and We receive His protection when we obey.

Some may ask Why not a little freedom? Jacob 3:3 goes on to say 3 But, wo, wo, unto you that are not pure in heart, that are filthy this day before God; for except ye repent the land is cursed for your sakes; and the Lamanites, which are not filthy like unto you, nevertheless they are cursed with a sore cursing, shall scourge you even unto destruction. We loose that protection when we sin.

(True freedom only comes through Obedience) Section 56:1818 But blessed are the poor who are pure in heart, whose hearts are broken, and whose spirits are contrite, for they shall see the kingdom of God coming in power and great glory unto their deliverance; for the fatness of the earth shall be theirs.
Who does it hurt? Elder Ballard said:a youth told me that some are tempted to be immoral because they want to be accepted by their peers. For the young men, it may mean acceptance based on some sort of image. For the young women, it may be the need to feel they are accepted by having a boyfriend. Acceptance by your peers must not come at the expense of your virtue and self-esteem. King Benjamin indicates that those guilty of sin will “shrink from the presence of the Lord.” (Mosiah 2:38.) In a very real way, those who have been immoral shrink from the presence of others: their friends, their parents, other members of their family, and Church leaders.
(The spirit and body together are the soul of man when separated we cannot receive a fullness of joy and when one uses the body of another we abuse the purpose of life as sanctioned by God. Our spirits are hurt. We cannot have the Holy Ghost w/ us if we sin..
Those who have the idea I can sin now and repent later. This goes w/the misconception that repentance is easy. President Kimball said “one has not begun to repent until he has suffered intensely for his sins. … If a person hasn’t suffered, he hasn’t repented.” You need only talk to a person who has truly repented of serious sin to understand that the momentary pleasure of an immoral act is simply not worth the pain that always follows. As Elder Holland quotes, “Please don’t be so foolish and cruel, you cannot without impunity (serious consequence) crucify Christ afresh.
These are serious words, but the Lord has set boundaries for us that are serious and not to be taken lightly. How we prove ourselves here is so important – Heavenly Father loves us so very much he has provided guidelines so we can be with Him again. We cannot do it on our own – we need the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ to complete our best of this life and return to live w/ Him again –He also has provided for us as imperfect beings a way to be forgiven. For in this life we must always have hope, we do our best, our very, very best and where we fall short we humble ourselves, repent and all is not lost. He loves us that much.
We need to do our best, we need to like a lighthouse and keep our lights burning,
Constantly vigilant. We need to be aware of our circumstances at all times. One of our purposes in this life is to be a light to the world; (Matthew)
If we are a light to the world, we will maintain our personal purity.
Sinning will lessen or remove the light, and what good is a lighthouse w/o its light? It is just another obstacle to bump into in the dark.
So to maintain personal purity surround ourselves w/ uplifting: entertainment, music, Pray, Go to our meetings, study the scriptures, pray, get to know the Savior, Follow the prophet, keep our covenants, pray, and be constantly vigilant. We can do all this by keeping in mind the great love the Lord has for us and that with His help we can overcome anything, we can resist all temptations. I would love to be able to say I am a perfect example of all of these concepts, but I cannot, I need to repent often and be constantly vigilant as all your leaders will tell you they do as well even our prophet says he needs to repent to often.