Moses 1; Abraham 3: Lesson 5

Moses 1:12–26

“Get Thee Hence, Satan”

We all have felt Satan’s temptations. However, like Moses, as we remember who we really are, we can receive strength from God to overcome Satan and his temptations in our lives. The purpose of this lesson is to help students draw strength from God to overcome their personal temptations.

Student preparation: Invite students to ponder one of the temptations they personally face and come to class prepared to learn how to overcome it.

Possible Learning Activities

Facing temptation

To prepare students to learn about overcoming temptations, consider sharing the following statement and questions.

President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught:

We speak boldly because Satan is a real being set on destroying you, and you face his influence at a younger and younger age. (“We are All Enlisted,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2011, 45)

• How do you feel about this quote from President Holland?

• What are some of the temptations Latter-day Saint teenagers face?

It may be helpful to write on the board the temptations that students mention. You will ask students to reflect on these later in the lesson.

For the following questions, you may consider inviting students to write their answers in a study journal.

Ponder a temptation you have faced or you might struggle with. Consider the following:

• What makes it difficult for you to resist that temptation?

• What do you do to seek help and strength to resist?

• How effective do you feel you are at overcoming your temptation?

As you study Moses 1:1–26 today, seek guidance from the Holy Ghost to identify truths that can strengthen you as you face temptation.

Moses is tempted by Satan

Invite students to share what they remember from the previous lesson, or they could briefly review Moses 1:1–10 and reflect on what they learned. If needed, remind them that Moses “saw God face to face, and he talked with him” (Moses 1:2) and that God taught Moses three times that he is His son (see verses 4, 6, and 7).

Although Moses was a mighty prophet, he also faced great temptation. Shortly after Moses’s experience with God, he had an extremely difficult experience where “Satan came tempting him” (Moses 1:12). Because of what Moses knew and did, he was able to prevail. Read Moses 1:12–22, looking for what helped Moses overcome Satan’s temptations. Consider marking what you find.

You may consider showing the video “I Am a Son of God” from time code 2:50 to 6:30, or the entire video if you did not show students the first part in the previous lesson. After the video, you could invite students to read the verses, looking for what helped Moses overcome Satan’s temptations. Students could then discuss the following question in pairs or small groups:

• What do you learn from Moses’s experience that can help us overcome our temptations?

Consider writing the following incomplete principle on the board: We can receive God’s help to overcome temptations by … Invite students to come to the board and finish the principle in their own words. If students need help, you could guide them by asking questions such as the following:

• What did Satan call Moses in verse 12, and how did Moses respond in verse 13?

• What did Moses recall from his spiritual experience with God that helped him when he was faced with temptation?

Students may finish the principle in a number of ways, including some of the following:

… remembering that we are children of God

… recalling past spiritual experiences

… calling upon God for strength

After multiple principles have been identified, consider using the following quote and questions to help deepen students’ understanding of the truths they discovered.

President Russell M. Nelson shared the following about the power of remembering we are children of God:

My dear friends, you are literally spirit children of God. You have sung this truth since you learned the words to “I Am a Child of God.” But is that eternal truth imprinted upon your heart? Has this truth rescued you when confronted with temptation? (“Choices for Eternity” [worldwide devotional for young adults, May 15, 2022])

• What do you think it means to have the truth that you are a child of God imprinted on your heart?

• How might remembering we are children of God strengthen us when we face temptation?

• Why do you think we need God’s help to overcome temptation?

Invite students to share examples of when God has strengthened someone against temptation. This could be from scriptures, people close to them, or their own lives. As temptations are personal, remind students not to share any specific temptation.

Overcoming personal temptations

To help your students understand how they can live the principles discussed today, invite them to select one or two temptations that were written on the board earlier in the lesson. As a class or in small groups, invite students to think of practical ways a person facing that temptation could use these principles to overcome that temptation.

Consider inviting students to write their ideas on the board, or you could display some of the following ideas.

Ways to apply what we learn in Moses 1:12–26:

• Record in your journal a time when you felt the Lord’s love and knew you were a child of God. You could review this during times of temptation.

• Memorize and rehearse inspiring scriptures, hymns, or the sacrament prayers to repeat to yourself when you are tempted. (This was a strategy the Savior used in Matthew 4:1–11.)

• Pray daily for the Lord’s strength and power to overcome the temptation. Report to Heavenly Father each evening to thank Him, acknowledge any weaknesses, ask for forgiveness, and pledge to continue trying (see 3 Nephi 18:15, 18).

• Recall past spiritual experiences you have had and write them down in a journal. Refer to these when temptation arises.

• Discuss with parents or trusted adults or friends how these principles have helped them and ways they would recommend you apply them.

Invite students to make a plan to help them overcome temptations they face. You could do this by providing the following instructions:

Recall the temptation you pondered at the beginning of the lesson or another that you struggle with.

Share your testimony about the Lord’s power and strength that you have experienced in your life and of His wish to help your students overcome their temptations. Express your confidence in them and in their ability to overcome their temptations with God’s help.

Asking Heavenly Father for guidance, complete the following statement in your study journal or in your mind: “To help me prepare against this temptation, I will .”

Additional Resources

How can remembering God’s love for me as His child help me when I’m tempted?

President M. Russell Ballard (1928–2023) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said:

Please remember that, first, your Heavenly Father loves you, and, second, your Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, loves you. Get these truths right in your mind and then sink them deep into your heart. They will provide you a compass for how you should act and how you should treat others, and they will give you the strength to overcome temptation and stay on the Church covenant path. (“Children of Heavenly Father” [Brigham Young University devotional, Mar. 3, 2020])

How can recalling our past spiritual experiences help us overcome temptation?

President Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles exhorted:

In moments of fear or doubt or troubling times, hold the ground you have already won, even if that ground is limited. … When those moments come and issues surface, the resolution of which is not immediately forthcoming, hold fast to what you already know and stand strong until additional knowledge comes. … The size of your faith or the degree of your knowledge is not the issue—it is the integrity you demonstrate toward the faith you do have and the truth you already know. (“Lord, I Believe,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 93–94)

Why do temptations often come when I’m trying to make spiritual progress or after I have had spiritual experiences?

The Prophet Joseph Smith (1805–44) taught:

The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes. (in Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967], 132)

President Jeffrey R. Holland explained:

I wish to encourage every one of you today regarding opposition that so often comes after enlightened decisions have been made, after moments of revelation and conviction have given us a peace and an assurance we thought we would never lose. …

We cannot sign on for a moment of such eternal significance and everlasting consequence without knowing it will be a fight—a good fight and a winning fight, but a fight nevertheless. (“Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence” [Brigham Young University devotional, Mar. 1999], 2–3)

How can we resist Satan’s power?

Elder Ulisses Soares of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles shared the following about overcoming temptation:

Fighting against temptation takes a lifetime of diligence and faithfulness. But please know that the Lord is ready to assist us in our personal efforts and promises remarkable blessings if we endure to the end. (“Seek Christ in Every Thought,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2020, 83)

Supplemental Learning Activities

A real-life example of overcoming temptation

To help students who may have already given in to a temptation or are struggling with addiction, consider showing the video “Let God Guide You: From Weakness to Strength” (6:07), the story of a man who received the Lord’s power and strength to overcome his temptations and addiction to pornography. This video may be particularly helpful for students who have already given in to temptation. After the video, ask students what insights they received about overcoming temptation and the role God plays in our ability to overcome them. Consider showing the video right before the “Overcoming personal temptations” section of the lesson.

Moses 1 in the Pearl of Great Price instead of the book of Genesis

If you think students could benefit from discussing why Moses 1 is not in the book of Genesis, invite them to read Moses 1:23, looking for the reason it currently is not included. Consider asking the following questions:

• Why do you think Satan might not have wanted this account to be “had among the children of men” (Moses 1:23)?

• For what reasons are you glad the Lord brought back this chapter through Joseph Smith?

Comparing Moses’s experience with Joseph Smith’s experience

To help students better understand how to resist Satan’s temptations and blessings that can come by doing so, invite students to compare Moses’s and Joseph Smith’s experiences.

In their study journal, students could draw a stick figure labeled Moses and another stick figure labeled Joseph Smith. They could then compare Moses 1:12–22 and Joseph Smith—History 1:13–16, looking for key details in each encounter with Satan, and what Moses and Joseph Smith did to overcome him. They can list these details underneath each drawing.

If students need help, consider displaying questions such as:

• What spiritual experience can you recall the prophet had before his encounter with Satan?

• How did the Prophet ultimately overcome Satan?

• What happened as a result of the Prophet overcoming Satan (see Moses 1:24-25; Joseph Smith—History 1:17)?

Temptation fades as we seek Christ in every thought

To help students see the importance of focusing on Christ during temptation, help them see that Moses focused on Jesus Christ during his encounter with Satan (see Moses 1:13, 16–18). Show the video “Temptation Fades as We Seek Christ in Every Thought” (2:57), and ask students to share any additional insights they gain about overcoming temptation.