My Talk on the Word of Wisdom

Bishop Harris offered me some insight as to why he assigned me the topic of the Word of Wisdom for today. He lovingly, and with sincerity of concern said “I have been surprised by the instances of both young men and young women tempted to drink alcohol”. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if, instead of following the Word of Wisdom, we were all incapable of breaking it? If we lacked any desire for caffeine or alcohol? If once we were baptized all systems to sin were shut off? Temptation is irritating, it’s weak, and it seems to be constantly present no matter what we try to do to avoid it.

Rather than focus specifically on the Word of Wisdom and it’s outline in D&C 89, I am going to focus my talk today on WHY the elimination of temptation to break the Word of Wisdom is exactly what you don’t want. Rather, it is the overcoming of temptation that will bring us the happiness our Heavenly Father has planned for us.

In my sport psychology course we are conducting research on Attention. A previous study was done on the atttentional style of marathon runners. Two types of attentional focus were identified: disassociators and associators. Non-elite athletes typically fall into the category of disassociators, where they overcome mid-race pain by focusing their attention elsewhere. Telling a story or writing a letter in their minds, non-elite athletes earn their title by usually becoming distracted and losing the race. Elite athletes are typically associators who instead focus on the exact point of stress in their bodies and overcome the pain by the power of their mind. Focusing on their strength and capacity to withstand, elite athletes earn titles and win races.

This is not unlike the stress of temptation to break the word of wisdom we may all attend to on a daily basis. Some days, the need for caffeine or the stress of alcohol temptation may seem more than one can bare. Focusing our attention away from the real temptation we may say to ourselves “It isn’t that big of a deal.” We may rationalize to ourselves and by so doing avoid the real circumstance. This creates a situation where we become distracted from the promptings of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Ghost speaks softly, and we must pay close attention in order to feel the promptings. We cannot fill our minds with excuses and self-defeating talk. We need to think about our strengths. It is important we remain focused in times of temptation.

Focusing our attention on why we are being tempted provides our first safeguard from Satan. It is basic doctrine that the purpose of life has these four key points:
-This earth was organized so that each man could obtain a body of flesh and bones. Each resurrected person will have his body forever.
-Men come on earth to gain experience and to be tested.
-Men are that they might have joy. Eternal happiness is the object and design of man’s existence.
-All things on the earth have a purpose in their creation.

In the grand design of God’s plan for His children, he gave us our bodies, sent us here to be tested, and through these tests understand joy and happiness. This is a divine plan set about in the eternities. Robert J Matthews said it best:

“it is absolutely essential that we acknowledge and remember that there is a perfect, eternal plan and that it existed in the mind of God” In fact, the plan is mentioned at least 28 times in the scriptures and temptation is a component of the divine plan.

Temptation entered in the plan at the Fall of Adam. In Romans 5:12 we read that “by one-man sin entered into the world, and death by sin, and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned”. The concept of death by sin is further explained in Helaman 14:16 which reads “spiritual death for all mankind, by the fall of Adam being cut off from the presence of the Lord”. Furthermore, Moses clearly states in 6:48 “because that Adam fell, we are; and by his fall came death and we are made partakers of misery and woe”.

This is not to say that all men are chosen to sin. We are not appointed by our Father in Heaven to come to earth to wreak havoc. We are given free agency, and although we are imperfect and will inevitably fail, it is our own agency that brings us failure, not the Father. The Father loves us and knows he can save us, and this is why he created the plan he did. Heavenly Father created Adam as an immortal being. He left it up to Adam to decide his fate of mortality. The agency that Adam used to choose his fallen state is the same agency he can use to repent and rely upon the Lord for his salvation. Robert J Matthews perfectly explains:

“If God had created man mortal (so as to bypass Adam having to fall), then death, sin, and all the circumstances of morality would be God’s doing and would be eternal and permanent in their nature; whereas if man brings the Fall upon himself, he is the responsible moral agent, and God is able to rescue and redeem him from his fallen state.”

Joseph Fielding Smith explained

“Everyone coming into this world came here with the promise that through obedience he would receive the blessings of salvation. No person was forordained or appointed to sin or to perform a mission of evil. No person is ever predestined to salvation or damnation. Every person has free agency.”

Therefore, just as the creation, commandments, or salvation is a necessary part of the Eternal plan of God, so is temptation. And as we learn in Alma 42:8 if any part was omitted, the plan would be destroyed. Everything in the plan fits together harmoniously speaking truth and each testifying of the other. Ephesians 4:16 reads “the whole body fitly joined together and compacted according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love”. It is with this understanding that we can agree with Orson F Whitney when he said

“The fall had a twofold direction- downward yet forward.”

Who does the Fall effect? Who is subject to temptation? In Mosiah 27 we read of Alma the Younger who suffered greatly from the temptations of Satan. Even Christ had to counsel His very apostles to “pray that ye may not enter into temptation”. Joseph Smith, and all of the prophets both ancient and latter day are subject to temptation. David O McKay stated:

“Membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints carries with it the responsibility to overcome temptation”

No one is exempt from it, and it is everyone’s responsibility to overcome it.

How do we overcome? In our efforts of remaining focused during times of temptation it is critical that we understand the power we have to overcome and excel.

Remember the importance of the Word of Wisdom. I believe its importance has been made known much more in the current time than at the time it was revealed. I do not doubt Joseph Smith’s awareness of the impact the Word of Wisdom. But I do believe that modern scientific research and technology has provided us a new understanding. Current research on the effects of alcohol has found detrimental results on physiology, psychology, and the anatomy of the brain. Although research isn’t conducted on the human spirit, alcohol infiltrates generations of families infecting lives and the home.

Another example of the importance of the Word of Wisdom is found in the blessings predicated upon it. Of Section 89:21 we read about a promise that the destroying angel will pass by us and not slay us which is a divine blessing of protection.

When focusing on the importance of the Word of Wisdom, we are strengthened in our efforts to withstand temptation to break it.

Perhaps the greatest story of temptation comes from the New Testament. In Matthew 4 we discover Satan’s tactics in tempting us through his temptation of Christ. Of interest, is Satan’s particular tactic to make the Christ question who He is. Versus 3 and 6 read of how Satan tries to make Christ question his deity. “If thou be the Son of God…” Satan so boldly remarks. Trying to place seeds of doubt, Satan knows that if he can locate a spot of weakness, then he is that much closer to victory. Satan tempts each of us the same way. “If you were really a good person, you wouldn’t be tempted to have a drink.” He brings down our spirits and makes us doubt our own deity as sons and daughters of God. Because we all have so much potential and strength, Satan is envious because he will never know such happiness. Remember, ALL people are subject to temptation. Satan is a real component of each and every one of our lives. Even Christ was subject and so too was he capable of giving in. Howard W. Hunter put it best when he said:

“It is important to remember that Jesus was capable of sinning, that he could have succumbed, that the plan of life and salvation could have been foiled, but that he remained true. Had there been no possibility of his yielding to the enticement of Satan, there would have been no real test, no genuine victory in the result.”

Using Christ as our example, we can safeguard ourselves from the inevitable temptations of Satan. He knows just as we do, and in fact to a greater degree, what temptation is. In CS Lewis’ book Mere Christianity, he states:

“A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try and resist temptation know how strong it is…You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness. They have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try and fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means- the only complete realist.”

This brings me to my final point. Christ is the strength through which we can overcome the stress and pain of the temptation to break the Word of Wisdom. Because He knows, He understands, and most importantly because He has the power, He will not allow temptation beyond our capacity. He allows temptation so that we may know our capacity. He has been through all that we have been through. He knows of Satan just as we know him, and even better. It can being us comfort to have an ally in the fight against evil.
So, just as the marathoners focus on their strength and power as they overcome the pain of running, we too must focus on the power of Christ and his plan for us to overcome the temptation to break the Word of Wisdom.

Of the suggestions given in Preach My Gospel to help members or investigators overcome problems with the Word of Widom, FAITH is listed as the source for strength and power. Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, specifically His role as Redeemer is essential in overcoming temptation.

1Corinthians 6: 19-20 reads “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s”

Christ’s role as our Redeemer is tied directly to our obedience to the Word of Wisdom in the first line of the 20th verse, which reads ‘for ye are bought with a price.’ The Atonement was an act of payment that fulfilled the debt created from sin and Christ offered his life as ransom so that we could be forgiven of our sins. We need to protect our bodies, for they were bought at a very dear price.

As I discussed earlier, the Fall of Adam brought sin and temptation into the world. As Robert J Matthews explains, “it is necessary to have some idea of the Fall in order to appreciate the Atonement.” In the third chapter of Jesus the Christ James E Talmage beautifully explains

“As the penalty to the fall came upon the race through an individual act, it would be manifestly unjust, and therefore impossible as part of the divine purpose, to make all men suffer the results thereof without provision for deliverance. Moreover, since by the transgression of one man sin came into the world and death was entailed upon all, it is consistent with reason that the atonement thus made necessary should be wrought by one.”

Essentially, because ONE person brought sin to an entire world of people it isn’t fair they ALL suffer because of one man. Furthermore, because ONE person brought sin to an entire world of people, ONE person can pay the price.

King Benjamin identifies the Great Redeemer in vs17 of Mosiah 3

“And moreover I say unto you that there shall be no other name given nor any other way nor means whereby salvation can come unto the children of men, only in and through the name of Christ, the lord omnipotent.”

Because of the necessary existence of sin the Fall brought into the world, Jesus Christ offered his life as our strength to rely upon in times of need. Therefore when temptation to break the word of wisdom may enter into our lives, we can have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that He has the power to give us the strength we need to overcome.

To have such a faith we must be willing to submit our wills to the Father and rely fully upon His Son. Neal A Maxwell explains:

“the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s alter. The many other things we ‘give’ brothers and sisters, are actually things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!”

Having faith in Jesus Christ is an act of submission. By recognizing that we are subject to temptation and we all will fail at one point or another, we must humbly recognize our weaknesses. After knowing our faults, we can turn to the Lord and allow His power to fortify us from sin, since we know we cannot fortify ourselves.

It is also important to remember, along with Boyd K Packer that:
“Save for those few who defect to perdition after having known a fullness, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no offense exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness”

My message today is that when temptation to break the word of wisdom is present in our lives, we can understand the nature of sin and the glory of the atonement and rely upon Christ’s ability to strengthen us. I want to reiterate Howard W Hunter’s words

“I am here tonight to tell you that Despair, Doom and Discouragement are not an acceptable view of life for a Latter-day Saint. However high on the hit parade of contemporary news, we must not walk on our lower lip every time a few difficult moments happen to confront us… I want to say to all within the sound of my voice tonight that you have every reason in this world to be happy and to be optimistic and to be confident.”

The plan of happiness that Heavenly Father created may entail temptation and sin, but if it weren’t for those the plan wouldn’t be. Joseph Smith said

“Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God”

Optimism exemplifies a view where one looks upon the world as a positive place. We need pessimism in order to even define optimism. Thomas S Monson shared this poem about optimism in the face of pessimism, where enduring with a smile is key to life:

Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Beginners are many, but enders are few.
Honor, power, place and praise
Will come, in time, to the one who stays.
Stick to your task ’til it sticks to you;
Bend at it, sweat at it, smile at it too;
For out of the bend and the sweat and the smile
Will come life’s victories, after awhile.

Confidence is wrought by knowing we are not alone in our race of life. We have a Savior who is constantly with us helping us endure. We can walk uprightly and face all of life’s temptations when we remember the Lord. We can take confidence from the hymn:

Fear not I am with thee, oh be not dismayed,
For I am thy God and will still give thee aid,
I’ll strengthen thee help thee and cause thee to stand,
Uphelp by my righteous omnipotent hand,
The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose,
I will not, I cannot, desert to his foes,
That soul, though all hell shall endeavor to shake,
I’ll never, no never, no never forsake!

I am thankful for the Atonement, for the chance that I have to undo my sins. I am thankful for Christ’s presence and awareness in my life. I know temptation is real, moreover, I know the Atonement real. I know that happiness is had when we overcome temptation and obey the commandments of God. I love my Father in Heaven and I know he loves me. I am thankful for the life He has blessed me with, for a loving family and parents that have taught me how best to avoid temptation and sin. I believe in the Psalm 147 “he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars, he calleth them all by their names, great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite”.