Fear Not

Sister Oaks and I are delighted to be back on campus with you here at BYU-Idaho. Your conference center is a grand new addition since we were last here. I know of no campus in the country which is blessed with a facility comparable to this one. I pray that I might do it justice with my comments this afternoon.

As we drove onto your campus this morning I felt sheltered and protected, as though we had entered a safe haven from the major cares of the world. Yesterday we left the safe haven of our home in our cul-de-sac in North Salt Lake. I appreciate safe havens since there seem to be fewer and fewer safe spots in the world today.  

Recently, as I was discussing with a friend the state of turmoil of the world, I commented that I do not think the world has been in such disarray as it is today, since the close of World War II. This tension is highlighted by such events as the nuclear uncertainty in Japan, the various painful conflicts in Africa, the political upheavals with accompanying bloodshed in the Middle East, the war in Afghanistan, the increasing tensions with China, the belligerent behavior of North Korea, and all of this under the cloud of a very slow economic recovery from a deep world recession. 

Given this backdrop, a fainthearted person could find fear creeping into their heart. But the gospel of Jesus Christ is not a gospel of fear, but rather a gospel of joy, peace and of hope. In fact, we are told very clearly in section 38 of the Doctrine and Covenants, verse 30, "[I]f ye are prepared ye shall not fear." This is a marvelous promise that is often quoted by the Brethren as they seek to help us shield ourselves from the forces of evil threatening us today. 

As Latter-day Saints we are so fortunate to have the great truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ restored and available for us to use as a foundation for our faith and for our hope in the future. Each day in our prayers we should give thanks to our loving Father in Heaven for the restoration of these grand truths that were lost to mankind and that are now restored.  

For example, we understand that we are His literal, spiritual offspring with the potential to, through the atonement of Jesus Christ and the great plan of happiness, gain a physical body, grow in faith and obedience and return to His side and dwell eternally with Him as celestial beings in an eternal family state. He has promised us all that He has, and that we even have the potential to become like Him. These are all latter-day revealed truths that were previously lost. These truths, along with many others, give purpose and direction to our lives and comfort to our souls. They let us understand who we are in God's plan, what his plan is and how much He loves each of His children. 

But let's circle back to preparation. How can we prepare ourselves that we need not fear, given this tumultuous world in which we live? We could discuss many facets of the gospel as useful preparations to suppress our fear. But I would like to focus on a particular passage of scripture that I think has a special power of preparation. It is found in the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants, verses 45 and 46. You all know it well, but let me read it once more to you:

"Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. 

"The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever."

Let's start this discussion of preparation addressing the promises prominent in this glorious latter-day scripture. First promise: "thy confidence shall wax strong in the presence of God." To me this means simply, we shall stand comfortably before Christ on the day of our personal judgment. This is the day described in 3 Nephi 27:14, "that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil." What a marvelous blessing, to be comfortable while standing at the judgment bar of Christ! 

Second promise: "[T]he doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven." This is a blessing of similar import, but not so readily understood. In fact, I sought for several years to understand the term, "the doctrine of the priesthood." Googling it does not yield much useful instruction. But eventually a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught me that this is simply another term used to describe the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was making the question too difficult. The doctrine of the priesthood of God would cover all truth, and the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fullness is built on the foundation of the most important of these eternal truths. Is this an exhilarating promise, to have these eternal truths settle upon us and be understood by our mind and by our soul? I certainly think so. 

Third promise: "The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion." What an exhilarating promise this is! We do not have time this afternoon to discuss in detail all of the workings of the Holy Ghost, but they are breathtaking. When you can find a few minutes in your schedule take out your copy of Preach My Gospel, turn to the table on pages 96 and 97 and review the summary statements of the listed scriptures regarding the Holy Ghost. I will not read them all, but here are a few of my favorites: 

Wouldn't you like to have a constant companion with these powers? He is available to each of us, a gift given at the time of our confirmation as a member of the Church. With the Holy Ghost at our side I cannot imagine any cause to ever fear. If you would like to understand more about this powerful member of the Godhead, study each of the scriptures on this Preach My Gospel chart over the course of a month. If you do, you will come to treasure even more the promised reward of this special companionship. 

Fourth promise: "thy scepter (shall be) an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth." A scepter is a ceremonial staff signifying power and authority. To me, this promised token means that the godly eternal traits of righteousness and truth will accompany our every act and thought. You will be prepared, and all will know you are prepared. 

Fifth promise: "thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." In a world of the tumultuous, the transitory, and the temporary don't the words, "everlasting, forever and ever" have a sweet ring when one is seeking to be prepared and free from fear? I certainly think so. 

Now, let's go back and see how we might bring these grand blessings of preparation and promise into our lives.  

As we read earlier, the 45th verse of the 121st section of the Doctrine and Covenants admonishes us to, "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly." In so stating it ties two core values of the gospel of Jesus Christ together to culminate in the promised blessings we have discussed. These core values, charity and virtue, are certainly worthy of our serious discussion.  

Charity, or the pure love of Christ, is very clearly described and defined in both Moroni 7:45 and in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7. A careful reading of these scriptures leads one to the conclusion that the basic elements of charity are patience, kindness, selflessness, purity in thought and to be filled with faith and hope. 

A description of virtue is a bit more elusive. The word is not found in the Bible Dictionary, and the definition in Webster's Dictionary is very general, focusing on moral excellence, righteousness and goodness. 

From all of this, I am confident that if we will strive each day, each hour to have our thoughts garnished with sweet tokens of love for the Lord and for our fellow beings we will be prepared to stand confidently before the Him on our day of judgment, and to receive all of the previously discussed promised blessings. To me, the most obvious of these tokens that we have time to discuss this afternoon are: kindness, selflessness, forgiveness, faith, and purity. We will discuss each of them in some detail. 

It is important that we do not make it sound easy. In fact, I think this is the most difficult of all the commandments in the gospel, to govern our minds unceasingly. Obviously, we will not reach this lofty goal overnight, no matter how dedicated we are, but we should not let that discourage us. This level of mind-management and discipline should be our lifelong goal.  

In 3 Nephi 27:27, Christ advises: "What manner of men ought ye to be, even as I am." He is our perfect exemplar. In pursuit of this very high standard, we are often advised to consider, in particular situations, "What would Christ do?" I have found that to be a very useful pattern of thinking. Similarly, I believe it would be useful to ask ourselves, "What would Christ think?" There is no question in my mind but that virtue garnishes the Savior's mind unceasingly. We should be so inclined and so impelled.  

Well, given all of this, how do we lift ourselves up toward this most lofty goal and prepare ourselves that we have no need to fear?  Let's start with kindness. Kindness embraces gentleness, thoughtfulness, tenderness, and compassion in our treatment of our fellow beings. Christ gave us a superb practical yardstick for measuring our treatment of others in the 10th chapter of Luke, verses 25-37, as he taught the lawyer inquiring as to how he might inherit eternal life, "love thy neighbor as thyself," and then went on, through the parable of the Good Samaritan, to instruct us all on His broad definition of who is "our neighbor." 

This parable is so very instructive, as it tells how the Samaritan gave not only of his substance but also of his time as he bound up the injured man's wounds, took him to an inn and provided for his extended care. Although not recorded in Luke it is reasonable to assume that the Samaritan, by tarrying on the road to Jericho, was significantly increasing his own exposure to the marauding thieves. Of all of the stories that I have ever heard, scriptural or historical, this oft repeated parable explains best the broad limits of Christian compassion and kindness. 

In Isaiah 63:7, the Lord's loving-kindness is discussed, highlighting the obvious truth that in the Lord's calculus and character, love and kindness go hand in hand to describe His very being.  Thus, we are admonished in 2 Peter 1:7 to add, "to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity." Truly, if we can "garnish our thoughts unceasingly" with kindness we will have added significantly to our fear fighting preparations. 

Moving to selflessness, again we can profitably look to the example of Christ for our most powerful instruction. Looking through all of the records of his life, I can find no instance of Him spending any of His time worrying about His perks and His privileges. Rather, He was always engaged in teaching and healing, and, ultimately He was focused on atoning for the sins of all mankind. This atonement stands as the greatest act of loving selflessness in the history of the earth. But this is not surprising; every detail of Christ's life underlines His absolute selflessness accompanying His love. 

As I look at my many associations with various people over the course of my life, I find that the most influential souls are those whose actions were characterized, and even driven by their concern for others and their corresponding lack of concern for themselves. Of course none of them rivaled Christ in this dimension, but many were very influential. My parents are at the top of my list, along with my wife and my other family members. They are followed by priesthood leaders, select teachers, and special friends and neighbors. I have two neighbors who stand as great examples of selflessness. For the past several years whenever I arise to find snow in my yard I look to my walks and driveway and find the snow has been removed. They generally remove my snow before they do their own. It may seem like a small thing, but to me this has been a great demonstration of selflessness. True selflessness encompasses elements of love, humility, and service, and when used liberally as a garnish for our thoughts, it will be a vital part of our preparations against fear. 

Moving on, it is impossible to overstate the importance of forgiveness as we list the appropriate garnishments for our thoughts. Christ gave this choice virtue great emphasis as He taught us in the Lord's Prayer, saying, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors." This is a clear indication to us that we cannot expect to be blessed with the Lord's tender mercy of forgiveness if we cannot find it in our hearts to be forgiving. 

President Gordon B. Hinckley often talked about the core value of forgiveness, and has provided us with a most powerful statement on the subject. Please let me read it for your consideration and instruction.

"I think [forgiveness] may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed.  There is so much of meanness and abuse, of intolerance and hatred. There is so great a need for repentance and forgiveness. It is the great principle emphasized in all of scripture, both ancient and modern. Somehow forgiveness, with love and tolerance, accomplishes miracles that can happen in no other way."^[1]

Putting these two thoughts together we can conclude that our own personal salvation is directly dependent on our ability and willingness to forgive those who have offended us in some small or large way. We can also see, through President Hinckley's eyes, the unending need in the world about us for large measures of repentance on the part of all, and of forgiveness on the part of each of us. If this greatest of virtues is garnishing our thoughts as constantly as we can impose it on our minds our likelihood of being overcome with fear will be dramatically reduced. 

It is with excitement that I move on to faith as a Christian virtue capable of calming our fears. Fear can flow from uncertainty and danger as well as from sin. We may have uncertainty regarding the future of our family, our employment, our schooling, our government or our society. We can also have intense uncertainty regarding our relationship with God. Many ask, "Is there life after death?" Some even ask, "Is there a God?" And, continuing along this line they logically ask, "If there is a God, what does He expect of me?" 

Lack of answers to these key questions can certainly prompt deep anxiety and even fear in one's heart. Faith-based confidence that there is "life after death" and that there is "certainly a God" and that we can come to know quite specifically "what He expects of each of us" can dispel this fear. Because of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ we have laid out before us a pattern of truth that will lay a solid foundation for our faith. 

Fearful danger can obviously be found in the acts of nature such as tsunamis taking over 200,000 lives in Indonesia and over 20,000 in Japan, earthquakes taking over 200,000 lives in Haiti and Chile, tornados killing scores across the U.S., or thousands upon thousands killed in the political uprisings in Libya, Syria, Iraq, the Ivory Coast, and Yemen, and earlier in Rwanda and Burundi, as well as over 35,000 persons killed along the U.S./Mexican border in the last five years. Institutions collapse, cities disappear, and fortunes fade. And only the most naïve would claim that the uncertainty and dangers are finished.  

Add to this picture the pangs of guilt and fear at the prospect of being held accountable for our sinful, disobedient acts of disregarding the laws and commandments of the Lord. These fears and feelings can only be dispelled through our faith in the workings of divine mercy through the atonement of Jesus Christ.    

Onto this muddled stage let faith enter. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, with an accompanying understanding of the Atonement and of the Great Plan of Happiness with its joyous promise of forgiveness through repentance and baptism, can chase away fear like sunlight on the morning frost. Faith in God has a remarkable power to put pain, pressures, and problems into perspective. The promise of reunion with loved ones after death has a remarkable salving effect on one the most poignant causes of anguish in life, the loss of a loved one. When death loses its sting, a great cause of fear fades. 

Equally important, when one comes to know the Lord and seeks to align their life with gospel principles a peaceful, permanent calm can descend on that life. Indeed, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the assurance of things not seen. 

If one will let faith be welcome into their everyday thought processes, a major stride will be taken in the preparations necessary to drive out fear. 

Finally, purity of thought. One of the greatest degradations of our society is the lapse in standards of morality as reflected in language, music and most entertainment. The unheard of foul and filthy things of the past have become the common place things of today. Attempts to screen and protect our eyes, ears, and minds are, at best, only partially effective.  

To allow our thoughts to be garnished with virtue we must strive constantly to shun and block out the ever-present barrage of unworthy, teasing, and titillating sleazy ideas and images that confront us. Virtue and vulgarity cannot cohabitate in your mind. The vulgar will drive out the virtuous in the click-beat of the mouse. More specifically, the Holy Ghost cannot linger in the presence of these degrading influences we generally label pornography.  

"But Elder Oaks," you might say, "How can we avoid it? It is everywhere." Indeed, it seems to be everywhere, but if we expect to partake of those promised blessings we discussed earlier we must learn how to best protect our minds from these thoughts and images. Let me offer some suggestions from my experience, and then you go home and build your own list of rules and guidelines on how you can shield your mind from the fiery darts of filth. 

Several years ago after my retirement from the Air Force we were contemplating buying our first computer. I was concerned because I had heard so much about the pollution that could flow through the computer screen. But it quickly became evident that, absent my aide de camp, my Executive Officer and my secretary, I was going to need some administrative assistance. So we bought a computer, but before we had it installed I put a picture of President Gordon B. Hinckley on the shelf behind my shoulder so he could always see what was on my screen. Now that sounds a bit childish, but it worked. Offensive pop-ups were quickly relegated to the trash bin. 

In the same vein, set rules regarding all of your entertainment. Do not watch any R-rated movies or others that have the capability to embarrass you or degrade your thinking and your sensitivities. Read the previews and ratings and avoid embarrassing situations.  

Let me share a sweet, related story. I am currently serving as priest quorum advisor in our ward, and one of our priests related the following: he and a group of his friends had purchased their tickets and were going into a movie. As they were waiting, this young priest texted a friend and asked him to come down to the theater and join the group. His friend texted back that his parents had walked out of that particular movie the evening before and that he was not interested in seeing it.  

Our young priest told his friends of this text from his friend, but they did not think it was a problem, and besides, they already had their tickets. Nevertheless, he tore up his ticket and went to work at his nearby place of employment. He understands threats to virtuous thoughts. 

A very important habit to develop is to choose your friends wisely. In your day-to-day interactions with them they will have a significant impact on your character and attitudes. There is truth in the pickle barrel analogy. Put a cucumber in the pickle barrel long enough and it will become a pickle. Further, there is much truth to the old saw, "You are judged by the company you keep." 

Unfortunately, you will probably not always be successful in your shielding efforts. But the Lord will help you if you will rely on Him. President Henry B. Eyring relates a very instructive experience regarding the Lord's help. He was in a European city and stepped into a seemingly innocent shop.  As soon as he was in the place he knew that he did not belong there, and he turned and walked out. But, for the next couple of days the offensive images on the walls remained in his mind, despite his fervent prayers. Then, finally the Spirit instructed him, that the bubble of his protection had been lifted and that he needed to "pray to be led not into temptation." "To be led not into temptation" should be a regular element of our daily prayers. 

If you have been sloppy in your habits of mind shielding, now is the time to change your course. Great blessings are in store for all who will seek throughout their lives to constantly improve in their ability to "let virtue garnish their thoughts unceasingly." This pattern can be a foundation for personal spiritual preparation. And we have the Lord's promise that, when we are prepared, the turmoil and threats of the world will not bear down upon us and, indeed, we shall not fear. 

I leave you my testimony. I know these things are true. I know that the Lord Jesus Christ lives and He guides this Church through a living prophet on a daily basis. The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and can stand as a pillar of strength in our lives. And I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

Notes

[1]Gordon B. Hinckley, "Forgiveness," Ensign, November 2005, 81, 84