Obedience talk As I contemplated the topic of obedience to the commandments and counsels of the Heavenly Father, I decided to approach

this subject by looking at the barriers that hinder our obedience to the commandments. I will talk about the practical reasons why we at times arent obedient to Heavenly Father, and talk about ways to overcome our barriers and improve our obedience. One challenge to obedience is the worldly view that bending one's will to commandments of God is at odds with freedom. There are many voices among celebrities, authors, politicians, comedians, and philosophers that would blur the line between right and wrong. They claim that morality is relative; that sin is merely a lifestyle choice. They would deny consequences and personal responsibility for ones choices. Elder James E. Faust said in a conference address the following: We hear many persuasive voices demanding freedom from restrictions, particularly from moral restraints. However, we learn from the history of the earth that any successful society has had boundaries. Consider the earth itself. It was formed out of matter and in the beginning was empty, desolate, and dark. Then came order as God commanded that the light should be divided from the darkness. Gods command was obeyed, and the earth had its first day, followed by its first night. Then God ordered the creation of the atmosphere. He organized the sun, the moon, and the stars to shine in their appropriate times and seasons. After a series of commands and obedience to commands, the earth not only became habitable but beautiful. To overcome this barrier, we must realize that obedience is not the opposite of freedom. It is only through obedience to the gospel that we become truly free in this life, and obtain the promise of eternal life. Another obstacle to obedience is our desire for worldly pleasures or instant gratification. As Alma taught his son Corianton in the Book of Mormon: Do not suppose, because it has been spoken concerning restoration, that ye shall be restored from sin to happiness. Behold, I say unto you, wickedness never was happiness. However, if wickedness brings pain and sorrow, the fruit of obedience is joy. Moreover, obedience is the only way to receive spiritual blessings. Elder Joseph B. Worthlin said: The windows of heaven are open wide to the faithful and righteous; nothing closes them faster than disobedience. Diligent, enduring obedience to Gods laws is the key that opens the windows of heaven. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches: There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. Yet another obstacle to our obedience is the lack of self-control, or succumbing to weaknesses of the flesh. Addictions are be counted in this category. To overcome this barrier, we are commanded to avoid harmful and addicting substances. Likewise, we

should be vigilant in avoiding behaviors that could lead to addictions. We are counseled by our church leaders to avoid inappropriate media. If we have challenges with addictions, we should resolve to overcome those issues, and not procrastinate our repentance. We should remember the following scripture from the Book of Mormon: And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; Another barrier might be that obedience to the commandments is often not the easy or popular choice. Satan works hard in opposition to our obedience, tempting and trying us at every turn. Power is to be found in choosing to obey. President Gordon B. Hinckley recounted the following experience he had as a missionary: Years ago I was on a mission in England. I had been called to labor in the European Mission office in London under President Joseph F. Merrill of the Council of the Twelve, then president of the European Mission. One day three or four of the London papers carried reviews of a reprint of an old book, snide and ugly in tone, indicating that the book was a history of the Mormons. President Merrill said to me, I want you to go down to the publisher and protest this. I looked at him and was about to say, Surely not me. But I meekly said, Yes, sir. I do not hesitate to say that I was frightened. I went to my room and felt something as I think Moses must have felt when the Lord asked him to go and see Pharaoh. I offered a prayer. My stomach was churning as I walked over to the Goodge Street station to get the underground train to Fleet Street. I found the office of the president [of the publishing company] and presented my card to the receptionist. She took it and went into the inner office and soon returned to say that the president was too busy to see me. I replied that I had come five thousand miles and that I would wait. During the next hour she made two or three trips to his office; then finally he invited me in. I shall never forget the picture when I entered. He was smoking a long cigar with a look that seemed to say, Dont bother me. I held in my hand the reviews. I do not recall what I said after that. Another power seemed to be speaking through me. At first he was defensive and even belligerent. Then he began to soften. He concluded by promising to do something. Within an hour word went out to every book dealer in England to return the books to the publisher. At great expense he printed and [placed] in the front of each volume a statement to the effect that the book was not to be considered as history, but only as fiction, and that no offense was intended against the respected Mormon people. Years later he granted another favor of substantial worth to the Church, and each year until the time of his death I received a Christmas card from him. I came to know that when we try in faith to walk in obedience to the requests of the priesthood, the Lord opens the way, even when there appears to be no way

We may not always fully understand every reason for each commandment we are given. However, we can know of their truth through personal prayer, and recognize the increased strength and happiness that come to us through living the commandments. We can be certain that Heavenly Father has our best interests in mind. Ultimately, we must obey Heavenly Fathers commandments to be able to receive eternal life. Heavenly Father gives us commandments because he loves us and wants us to become like him and dwell in his presence forever. Obedience does not exclude us from trials, challenges, or difficulties in our lives. However we can take comfort in knowing that even in times of tribulation, we can have spiritual peace. The only real tragedy is sin. When we are obedient to the commandments, we show our love for our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Jesus said: If ye love me, keep my commandments. How can we improve our obedience? One way is to examine our lives. Ask Heavenly Father in prayer what he would like you to change in your life. Something will come to your mind. Write down a specific thing that you will do to become more obedient. It may be a habit to overcome. There may be an aspect of selfishness to improve upon; a relationship to mend; someone to forgive. There may be things we need to clean out of our lives. Often there is a great leap of faith. For example, there may be music or media that we have been prompted to remove from our lives. There will be the moment of truth, when we can either act and be obedient, or rationalize and procrastinate. Only be choosing obedience will we be made stronger. Righteous choices beget more righteous choices. Will we be willing to take the step of faith when presented with the choice of obedience? I know that Heavenly Father does help us when we bend our will to his and seek to change our lives. He is not vengeful; He is loving. He wants us to change, so he will help us do so, but he will not force us to change. He wants to bless us, and we will see blessings of joy come into our lives as we act on the promptings we will receive, if we will go before Heavenly Father in prayer and humility, and ask him to show us what we need to improve upon. It is key to be specific, if we really intend to change. If we only deal with generalities, we will generally fail. You may have had something come into your mind now; something you have felt to change. Take the opportunity for growth by acting on your opportunity to obey a commandment or counsel of God. Resolve to be more obedient today than yesterday, at least in that one thing. Elder Boyd K. Packer had this to say about obedience: Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see I leave this message with you.