4/24/03
On the other hand, those who accept Christ's grace by their faith, repentance, baptism, and continued striving will yield to the "enticings of the Holy Spirit," put off "the natural man," and become "saint[s] through the atonement of Christ the Lord." (Mosiah 3:19.) Thus, after taking the initiative by faith to accept the grace made available by the Atonement, one may then nourish one's faith by obedience that interacts with grace until one "becomes a saint" by nature, thereby enjoying eternal or godlike life. — Bruce C. Hafen, "The Belonging Heart: The Atonement and Relationships with God and Family," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1994], p. 111
4/25/03
Striving to incorporate these cardinal qualities makes us more saintly and helps us immeasurably to endure it well. Significantly, submissiveness, that reverent expression of enduring, is mentioned twice. Giving enduring extra emphasis is capped by directing that we "submit to" and endure "all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon [us], even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 3:19). Much of enduring well requires this reverent submissiveness. The living Church greatly facilitates living discipleship in which opportunities and reminders of the needed virtues are all about us. — Neal A. Maxwell, "If Thou Endure It Well," [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1996], p. 33
4/26/03
We must yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit; we must learn to submit to the will of the Lord; and, we must cultivate the fruits of the Spirit—if we hope to become saints through the atonement of Christ the Lord. — Carlos E. Asay, "In the Lord's Service: A Guide to Spiritual Development," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1990], p. 54
4/27/03
This ascendancy of the natural man, this rejection of God's call to repentance, has caused the destruction of entire civilizations. In the early generations it is true that those who were sufficiently righteous followed Enoch to a translated life; but only eight, Noah and sons and their four wives, were preserved later through the great flood, all others being drowned. In their debauchery, the unrepentant Babylonians lost their kingdom, and the individuals of the nation placed their souls in serious jeopardy when they did not repent. Likewise Sodom and Gomorrah, the cities of the plain, were destroyed. They had their chance also to repent but ignored the warning voices of the prophets who came to them. — Spencer W. Kimball, "The Miracle of Forgiveness," [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969], p. 136
11/22/16
Submissiveness to God is not a weakness; it represents the learning of an eternal principle. — Robert E. Wells, "The Mount and the Master," [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1991], p. 32
11/27/16
The precise nature of the test of mortality, then, can be summarized in the following question: Will I respond to the inclinations of the natural man, or will I yield to the enticings of the Holy Spirit and put off the natural man and become a saint through the Atonement of Christ the Lord (see Mosiah 3:19)? That is the test. Every appetite, desire, propensity, and impulse of the natural man may be overcome by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are here on the earth to develop godlike qualities and to bridle all of the passions of the flesh. – David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste," Ensign (CR) May 2013