Isaiah 53-Christ Suffered for Me

President Joseph Fielding Smith, explained what it means that Jesus had “no beauty that we should desire him”:

“There was nothing about [Jesus] to cause people to single him out. In appearance he was like men; and so it is expressed here by the prophet that he had no form or comeliness, that is, he was not so distinctive, so different from others that people would recognize him as the Son of God. He appeared as a mortal man” (Doctrines of Salvation, comp. Bruce R. McConkie, 3 vols. [1954–56], 1:23).

Elder David. A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“There is no physical pain, no spiritual wound, no anguish of soul or heartache, no infirmity or weakness you or I ever confront in mortality that the Savior did not experience first. In a moment of weakness we may cry out, ‘No one knows what it is like. No one understands.’ But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He has felt and borne our individual burdens. And because of His infinite and eternal sacrifice (see Alma 34:14), He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy. He can reach out, touch, succor, heal, and strengthen us” (“Bear Up Their Burdens with Ease,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2014, 90).

President James E. Faust of the First Presidency:

“He suffered so much pain, ‘indescribable anguish,’ and ‘overpowering torture’ [John Taylor, The Mediation and Atonement (1882), 150] for our sake. His profound suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane … caused Him ‘to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit’ [D&C 19:18]. …

“… No one has ever suffered in any degree what He did” (“The Atonement: Our Greatest Hope,” Ensign, Nov. 2001, 19).

Blessings of a Proper Fast

Isaiah 58

11 "And the Lord shall guide thee continually" (constant companionship of the Holy Ghost “…that they may always have His Spirit to be with them)

Parley P. Pratt said, “It (The Holy Ghost) quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections and adapts them by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to give health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” (Key to the Science of Theology, 101-103).

12 And they that shall be of thee (your family)shall build the old waste places: (a place that is not fruitful or productive) thou shalt raise up the foundations of many generations; Elder Bednar added, “Multi-generational families in the Church are essential. If we don’t have them then every generation in the Church is brand new. Most likely to interrupt that cycle is a lack of gospel learning in the home. Learn the gospel and then teach it to your families. Teach them to honour their covenants (the Sabbath is a perpetual covenant between us and the Lord) and live faithfully” (http://www.mormonnewsroom.org.au/article/elder-and-sister-bednar-give-marriage-advice-to-australian-latter-day-saints).

The Sabbath Day

Isaiah 58

13 "If thou turn away thy foot (denotes our steps or actions) from the sabbath, from doing thy (keyword "thy"-in other words, the Sabbath day is not our day. It’s God’s day) pleasure on my holy day; Elder Quentin L. Cook said, “Honoring the Sabbath is a form of righteousness that will bless and strengthen families, connect us with our Creator, and increase happiness. The Sabbath can help separate us from that which is frivolous, inappropriate, or immoral. It allows us to be in the world but not of the world” (Shipshape and Bristol Fashion: Be Temple Worthy—in Good Times and Bad Times, GC, October 2015). and call the sabbath a delight" ("Delight" Hebrew=pleasure or luxury), Elder M. Russell Ballard said, “Another important doctrine that we should cling to is to observe the Sabbath day. This helps us remain unspotted from the world, provides us with physical rest, and gives each of us the spiritual refreshment of worshipping the Father and the Son every Sunday. When we delight in the Sabbath day, it is a sign of our love for Them” (God is at the Helm, GC, October2015)

14 Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord; (then, God’s pleasures become our pleasures) and I will cause thee to ride (ride denotes movement under someone else’s power) the high places (high places=mountains or temples and other places of revelation) of the earth, and feed thee with the heritage (inheritance) of Jacob thy father: (D&C 132:37 tells us that the heritage of Jacob is eternal life, D&C 14:7 says it’s the greatest gift of all the gifts of God) for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it."  D&C 1:38 “What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken and I excuse not myself. And though the heaven and the earth shall pass away, my words shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled.”

God Loves You

"We can escape the consequences of both sin and stupidity--our own or that of others--in whatever form they may come to us in the course of daily living. If we give our heart to God, if we love the Lord Jesus Christ, if we do the best we can to live the gospel, then tomorrow--and every other day--is ultimately going to be magnificent, even if we don’t always recognize it as such. Why? Because our Heavenly Father wants it to be! He wants to bless us. A rewarding, abundant, and eternal life is the very object of His merciful plan for His children! It is a plan predicated on the truth “that all things work together for good to them that love God.” So keep loving. Keep trying. Keep trusting. Keep believing. Keep growing. Heaven is cheering you on today, tomorrow, and forever.
“Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard?” Isaiah cried.
“[God] giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. …
“… They that wait upon [Him] shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles" ("Tomorrow the Lord Will do Wonders among You", Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, General Conference, April 2016).

"It matters not how completely ruined our lives may seem. It matters not how scarlet our sins, how deep our bitterness, how lonely, abandoned, or broken our hearts may be. Even those who are without hope, who live in despair, who have betrayed trust, surrendered their integrity, or turned away from God can be rebuilt. Save those rare sons of perdition, there is no life so shattered that it cannot be restored" ("He Will Place You on His Shoulders and Carry You Home", President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, General Conference, April 2016).

The Book of Job-Trials and Blessings

Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“When you face adversity, you can be led to ask many questions. Some serve a useful purpose; others do not. To ask, Why does this have to happen to me? Why do I have to suffer this, now? What have I done to cause this? will lead you into blind alleys. It really does no good to ask questions that reflect opposition to the will of God. Rather ask, What am I to do? What am I to learn from this experience? What am I to change? Whom am I to help? How can I remember my many blessings in times of trial? …

“This life is an experience in profound trust—trust in Jesus Christ, trust in His teachings, trust in our capacity as led by the Holy Spirit to obey those teachings. … To trust means to obey willingly without knowing the end from the beginning (see Prov. 3:5–7). To produce fruit, your trust in the Lord must be more powerful and enduring than your confidence in your own personal feelings and experience” (“Trust in the Lord,” Ensign, Nov. 1995, 17).

When President Thomas S. Monson was a youth, his 15-year-old friend and neighbor named Arthur Patton enlisted in the United States Navy to serve in World War II. President Monson recalled:

“Arthur’s mother was so proud of the blue star which graced her living room window. It represented to every passerby that her son wore the uniform of his country and was actively serving. When I would pass the house, she often opened the door and invited me in to read the latest letter from Arthur. Her eyes would fill with tears; I would then be asked to read aloud. Arthur meant everything to his widowed mother. …

“… While at Saipan in the South Pacific, the ship [Arthur served on] was attacked. Arthur was one of those on board who was lost at sea.

“The blue star was taken from its hallowed spot in the front window of the Patton home. It was replaced by one of gold, indicating that he whom the blue star represented had been killed in battle. A light went out in the life of Mrs. Patton. She groped in utter darkness and deep despair.

“With a prayer in my heart, I approached the familiar walkway to the Patton home, wondering what words of comfort could come from the lips of a mere boy” 

“Mrs. Patton gazed into my eyes and spoke: ‘Tommy, I belong to no church, but you do. Tell me, will Arthur live again?’ To the best of my ability, I testified to her that Arthur would indeed live again” 

Twenty-five years later, after President Monson had lost contact with Mrs. Patton, he gave a talk during a general conference of the Church entitled “Mrs. Patton, Arthur Lives!” (see Conference Report, Apr. 1969, 126–29). President Monson recalled:

“I expressed to Mrs. Patton my personal testimony as a special witness, telling her that God our Father was mindful of her—that through sincere prayer she could communicate with Him; that He too had a Son who died, even Jesus Christ the Lord; that He is our advocate with the Father, the Prince of Peace, our Savior and divine Redeemer, and one day we would see Him face-to-face.

“I hoped that my message to Mrs. Patton would reach and touch others who had lost a loved one.

“… I had little or no hope that Mrs. Patton would actually hear the talk. I had no reason to think she would listen to general conference. As I have mentioned, she was not a member of the Church. And then I learned that something akin to a miracle had taken place. Having no idea whatsoever who would be speaking at conference or what subjects they might speak about, Latter-day Saint neighbors of Mrs. Terese Patton in California, where she had moved, invited her to their home to listen to a session of conference with them. She accepted their invitation and thus was listening to the very session where I directed my remarks to her personally.

“… To my astonishment and joy, I received a letter … from Mrs. Terese Patton. I share with you a part of that letter:

“‘Dear Tommy,

“‘… I don’t know how to thank you for your comforting words, both when Arthur died and again in your talk. I have had many questions over the years, and you have answered them. I am now at peace concerning Arthur. … God bless and keep you always’” (“Mrs. Patton—the Story Continues,” 23–24).

Overcoming the Consequences of Sexual Sin

NOT MEANT TO BE A COMPREHENSIVE LIST!

Things to know:

1. Strong attraction to the opposite sex is NOT a sin. This attraction is God-given for a specific purpose.

2. The Atonement can help you. Jesus wants to help you. He already knows what you’ve done and He knows how to heal you.

3. You don’t “overcome” this without Him. If you “go it alone” you will fail alone.

4. The repentance process simply unlocks the power of the Atonement. You are not “healing” yourself.

5. The guilt and suffering you feel is NOT payment for your sins. That’s not possible. (D&C 19:15-20)

6. You can’t do it without confessing to your bishop.

7. Jesus will take it away when He wants to.

 Things to do:

1. Never start. Check your lustful desires immediately. Don’t dwell on inappropriate thoughts. Crash and tell!

2. Get help early/now. Otherwise, it gets more difficult and the sins become more serious (2 Samuel 11:14-17).

3. Never quit. Get up when you fall down.

4. Ignore the lies of the adversary. "You can't do it, you're a loser, God doesn't love you, you're hopeless," etc.

5. Pray, pray, and pray some more. You cannot pray too much. We typically pray too little. Be specific.