"The Key to Spiritual Protection" by President Boyd K. Packer

Hello there!

Sorry for the long absence. Moving from one area to another is always an adjustment! But I'm settled now and I'm ready for a  new post. The talk I chose for this week is "The key to Spiritual Protection" by President Boyd K. Packer.

President Packer begins his talk with a question all parents have wondered at one time or another: "Is there a safe place to raise children?" The answer is yes and the place is "a gospel-centered home."

Paul prophesied that our days would be perilous times and listed a series of characteristics men would have (from covetous to blasphemers, from incontinent to traitors and so on).
Moroni, the last prophet to write in the Book of Mormon, also warned of the "awful situation" in which the world would be in the last days.
Not only did these prophets warn us, but they both also provided a remedy, a key to spiritual protection: the Holy Scriptures.

Of the scriptures President Packer says: "They teach us where to go and what to do. They offer hope and knowledge."
President Packer also stresses the importance of teaching little children using the scriptures: 

"Children taught an understanding of the scriptures early in life will come to know the path they should walk and will be more inclined to remain on that path. Those who stray will have the ability to return and, with help, can find their way back."

One of the big issues I have found people encounter as they approach the scriptures for the first time is understanding the language. The standard works (other name for the scriptures) are not written in modern English and this might put many off that try to make sense of all those fancy words. Here is President Packer's promise: "If the language of the scriptures at first seems strange to you, keep reading. Soon you will come to recognize the beauty and power found on those pages."

A life lived following following the course prescribed in the scriptures should be our goal:

"Continue forward until the time when the Lord’s blessings will come to you and the Holy Ghost will be revealed as a moving force in your life."

If that's not the kind of life we are living at the moment, there is a way back:

"Jesus Christ has prescribed a very clear method for us to repent and find healing in our lives. The cure for most mistakes can be found by seeking forgiveness through personal prayer. However, there are certain spiritual illnesses, particularly those dealing with violations of the moral law, which absolutely require the assistance and treatment of a qualified spiritual physician." 

I love this truth: it doesn't matter how big or small our sins are, Jesus Christ can lift that weight off our shoulders:

"The gospel teaches us to be happy, to have faith rather than fear, to find hope and overcome despair, to leave darkness and turn toward the light of the everlasting gospel."

We might not be able to end wars or conflicts that rage all throughout the world, but listen to this inspired promise from a servant of the Lord:

"Peace can be settled in the heart of each who turns to the scriptures and unlocks the promises of protection and redemption that are taught therein."

I hope we will all read our scriptures more and more often! Here's the link to all of them. Enjoy!

Until next week :)

-Ottavio