FHE -- The Mists of Darkness. Avoiding Temptation.

                                                        

FHE -- The Mists of Darkness. Avoiding Temptation.

OPENING SONG:  "Choose The Right"  Hymn #239
OPENING PRAYER: (to be assigned.)
SCRIPTURE: 1 Nephi 8, 12:17
Lehi was a prophet who lived long ago. He had a dream about the way to eternal life. In his dream, Lehi saw a beautiful tree. The tree stood for the love our Heavenly Father has for us. Its fruit was eternal life. There was a straight and narrow path leading to the tree. Along the path was a rod of iron. The rod of iron represented the word of God, or his commandments. A river ran beside the path, and it was full of filthy water. The river represented the wickedness and sin in the world that people can fall into. As Lehi watched people moving along the path, there arose mists of darkness that made it hard for them to see where they were going. Many of the people clung to the rod of iron to stay on the path. Others wandered in the mists of darkness and were lost. Those who held to the rod reached the tree.
1 Nephi 12:17  And the mists of darkness are the temptations of the devil, which blindeth the eyes, and hardeneth the hearts of the children of men, and leadeth them away into broad roads, that they perish and are lost.

VIDEO: Leave the Party  6 minutes, 26 seconds

LESSON:
Temptation is a test of a person's ability to choose good instead of evil. It is an enticement to sin and follow Satan instead of God. Part of the experience of this life is to learn to overcome temptation and to choose right over wrong. Modern revelation indicates that Satan does not have power to tempt little children until they begin to be accountable for their actions (see D&C 29:47).
Since the Fall of Adam and Eve, people have had an inclination to follow earthly desires and to succumb to appetites and passions. This life was given as a time in which God's children could learn to use their agency to overcome temptation and to choose of their own free will to follow Jesus Christ.
The last days in which we live are especially “perilous times” (2 Timothy 3:1). The influence of the adversary is widespread and seductive. Satan tries to deceive and to make sin seem appealing. But each individual can defeat Satan and overcome temptation. Each individual has the gift of agency—the power to choose good over evil. Those who humble themselves before God and pray continually for strength will not be “tempted above that which [they] can bear” (Alma 13:28). As they willingly obey the commandments, Heavenly Father strengthens them to withstand temptation.

QUESTION:
What can we do to help us avoid temptation and make righteous choices?

The following are some principles we can use:  (copied from lds.org)  
(Have family members take turns reading these.)

1. Centering one's life on the Savior. The prophet Helaman counseled his sons, “Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).
2.  Praying for strength. When the resurrected Savior came to the Nephites, He taught the multitude: “Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:18-19). In the latter days He has given similar counsel: “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5).
3.  Studying the scriptures daily. Nephi taught, “Whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24; see also Helaman 3:29-30).
4.   Filling one's life with goodness. When life is filled with goodness, no room is left to do evil.
5.   Avoiding tempting places and situations. Places or situations where temptations are likely to come should be avoided. Inappropriate material in magazines, books, television, movies, and music and on the Internet should also be avoided.
6.   Striving to influence others for good. Latter-day disciples of Jesus Christ can be in the world but “not of the world” (see John 17:14-18). They can strive to influence others to live good and wholesome lives by setting a righteous example, being a good friend, participating in community service, and, as appropriate, letting their voices be heard in defense of moral values.
7.   Never hesitating in decisions to withstand temptation. The Savior “suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the Lord never wavered. His answer was quick and firm: “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Luke 4:8). James counseled: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:7-8).  

VIDEO: The Sting of the Scorpion  2 minutes, 50 seconds

CLOSING SONG:  "Keep the Commandments" Children's songbook pg. 146
CLOSING PRAYER: (to be assigned.)

REFRESHMENTS:
Cannoli Cones  from my blog.