Lesson Notes

Today we discussed Elder Holland's talk from General Conference titled "Safety for the Soul". Elder Holland said, "Prophecies regarding the last days often refer to large-scale calamities such as earthquakes, or famines or floods. These in turn may be linked to widespread economic or political upheavals of one kind or another.

"But there is one kind of latter-day destruction that has always sounded to me more personal than public, more individual than collective - a warning, perhaps more applicable inside the Church than outside it. The Savior warned that in the last days even those of the covenant, the very elect could be deceived by the enemy of truth. I we think of this as a form of spiritual destruction, it may cast light on another latter-day prophecy. Think of the heart as the figurative center of our faith, the poetic location of our loyalties and our values; then consider Jesus's declaration that in the last days 'men's hearts[shall fail] them.'

"The encouraging thing is that our Father in Heaven knows all of these latter-day dangers, these troubles of the heart and soul, and has given counsel and protections regarding them."

We discussed many of the helps that our Father in Heaven has given us such as the scriptures, our families, the temple, the Church, the programs of the Church, and our own testimonies.

The Book of Mormon especially has the answers to all of life's problems. It is amazing how the people of the Book of Mormon so closely mirror the people of our day. They had the same challenges, the same problems, the same adversary as we do today. By studying the Book of Mormon we can better be prepared to face the dangers of our world and find the strength to meet life's challenges.