Brandon Weekes—Gospel Study Journal

Brandon

Even as I Am

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Commandment to be perfect even as Heavenly Father is.1Matthew 5:48 Compare the statement by Christ here as the mortal Christ, “even as Heavenly Father is” and after his death and resurrection during his first appearance to the people on the American continent, “Be perfect even as I, or your father.”23 Nephi 12:48 After his ascension to the Father and his return to the people of the American continent and continued teaching of the people, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as I am.”33 Nephi 27:27

Considering all shall be destroyed, what manner of person shall you be…holy in conversation.42 Peter 3:11

Edify in conversation.5Doctrine & Covenants 136: 23, 24

Be ye holy for I am holy.61 Peter 1:15-16

Walk worthy of God who hath called you to his glory.71 Thes 2:12

Understanding Satan is Real

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Thoughts on April 16th, 2018

What’s on my mind Facebook asks… The challenges placed on our youth and young adults. With wonderful wife, Trisha, attending BYU and interacting daily with college students, as the father of four darling daughters, and serving in an LDS Young Single Adult Ward what else could be on my mind. I love and hurt for the youth and young adults.

Listened to this talk this morning from Ezra Taft Benson, given 48 years ago; but still very profound and relevant today.

“A study of Satan’s methods can alert us to his seductions. In his cunning he knows where and how to strike. It is in youth when his victims are most vulnerable. Youth is the springtime of life when all things are new. Youth is the spirit of adventure and awakening. It is a time of physical emerging when the body can attain the vigor and good health that may scorn the caution of temperance. Youth is a time of timelessness when the horizons of age often seem too distant to be noticed. Thus, the “now” generation forgets that the present will soon be the past that looks to a life left in waste or a past rich in works. These are the ingredients in youth that make Satan’s plan of “play now and pay later” so irresistible. Yes, the devil uses many tools.

A state of confusion is an effective environment for Satan. There is much confusion today. He employs several methods to create it. One is the distortion of definitions. To describe a drug experience he uses the term ‘mind expanding’ rather than the more accurate description of ‘reality shrinking.’

Freedom, a word of noble tradition, is a favorite confuser. Riots, bombings, arson, and killings are committed in the name of freedom. Obscenities test the freedom of speech. Pornography, drugs, and immorality are claimed to be manifestations of personal freedom, along with miniskirts and nudity. License and anarchy are products of these false freedoms.

A confusion of definitions includes pornography. A child can identify it, yet some of the supposedly great legal minds of our time cannot define it.

Tolerance is a word valuable in the service of Satan. Alexander Pope warned 200 years ago that:

‘Vice is a monster of so frightful mien
As to be hated needs but to be seen;
Yet seen too oft, familiar with her face,
We first endure, then pity, then embrace.’ “

… that poem, wow…

The complete talk is a sobering reminder of 60+ years of Satan’s open attack on youth and young adults. It is a good read or listen.1Satan’s Thrust—Youth Ezra Taft Benson

Follow the Savior, he will lead you out of darkness

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Woke up early this morning and this talk was on my mind, December 27th, 2017.

When He says to the poor in spirit, “Come unto me,” He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up… It seems clear that the essence of our duty and the fundamental requirement of our mortal life is captured in these brief phrases from any number of scenes in the Savior’s mortal ministry. He is saying to us, “Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going,” He says, “we can talk about where you are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness,” He promises. “I will give you answers to your prayers. I will give you rest to your souls.”1“Broken Things to Mend”

—Jeffery R Holland

Steady improvement rather than toxic perfectionism

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Except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call “toxic perfectionism.” Every one of us aspires to a more Christlike life than we often succeed in living. If we admit that honestly and are trying to improve, we are not hypocrites; we are human. May we refuse to let our own mortal follies, and the inevitable shortcomings of even the best men and women around us, make us cynical. If we persevere, then somewhere in eternity our refinement will be finished and complete.1Facebook post 1/21/2018

—Jeffery R Holland

Managing media in our lives

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Such a powerful forewarning of what we are experiencing today and how to manage the massive influx of media in our lives. I want to highlight this section and how it is a huge concern for Trisha and I as we try to navigate our kids through these times:

With fiber-optic computer technology, it can link homes to an incredible assortment of messages and influences. This highway will be the conduit of information that will have the power to change our culture and, thus, our very lives. As we consider the importance of nourishing our intellects with the promising potential of Superhighway resources, we must be ever cautious about the choices of programs and the impact of media in our lives. Those who understand our Heavenly Father’s eternal plan for the joy and happiness of his children will be better prepared to make good choices as the Information Superhighway rolls across the world. The computer, television, satellite, microchip, and even the telephone, all can bless and enhance our lives—or can make them miserable.1“Answers to life’s questions”

M. Russell Ballard

*Originally posted to Facebook 3/28/2018