“Chapter 16: Spiritual Strength and Momentum,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Russell M. Nelson (2023)

“Chapter 16,” Teachings: Russell M. Nelson

Chapter 16

Spiritual Strength and Momentum

When the Savior atoned for all mankind, He opened a way that those who follow Him can have access to His healing, strengthening, and redeeming power. These spiritual privileges are available to all who seek to hear Him and follow Him.

From the Life of Russell M. Nelson

As a heart surgeon, Russell M. Nelson “learned to distinguish between the physical and spiritual components of the human soul.” Looking back on those experiences, he recalled: “A patient could be physically weak but spiritually strong, and vice versa. For example, on many occasions I watched the critically ill mobilize great spiritual strength in order to undergo a high-risk operation to correct a physical problem within the heart. In contrast, I saw individuals without physical abnormality who were seriously ill because of spiritual loss of heart.”

With this understanding, President Nelson has devoted much of his apostolic ministry to helping people gain spiritual strength.

In his second general conference address, he urged Latter-day Saints to “protect the spiritual power line that links [them] to the Savior.” Several years later, he gave a talk about “spiritual capacity.”
He has urged religious leaders throughout the world to combat “spiritual drift—our global pandemic.” He has counseled Saints to “wake up from … spiritual slumber.”
He has spoken of the need for “spiritual courage” and has taught that “it takes persistent, rigorous spiritual work to repent and to put off the natural man through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.”
He has promised “spiritual treasures” to the faithful and has pleaded with members of the Church to “strengthen [their] personal spiritual foundations” through temple ordinances and covenants.

President Nelson has taught that all of God’s children can grow in spiritual strength. He said:

“When the Savior atoned for all mankind, He opened a way that those who follow Him can have access to His healing, strengthening, and redeeming power. These spiritual privileges are available to all who seek to hear Him and follow Him.”

Teachings of Russell M. Nelson

Spiritual growth requires self-mastery—“spirit over body”

You consist of two parts—your physical body, and your spirit which lives within your body. You may have heard the expression “mind over matter.” That’s what I would like to talk about—but phrase it a little differently: “spirit over body.” That is self-mastery.

When you arrived as a newborn baby, your little body was master. You had what I call the “I-want-what-I-want-when-I-want-it” philosophy. No amount of discussion could postpone your impatient demands when you wanted to be fed—and now! …

But as you grow older, … concerns shift more toward your spiritual growth, in order that you might achieve your full potential. “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit … and becometh a saint” [Mosiah 3:19].

That requires self-mastery. Remember, “The spirit and the body are the soul of man” [Doctrine and Covenants 88:15]. Both are of great importance. Your physical body is a magnificent creation of God. It is his temple as well as yours, and must be treated with reverence. Scripture declares: “Ye are the temple of God. … If any man defile [it], him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” [1 Corinthians 3:16–17].

Remarkable as your body is, its prime purpose is even of greater importance—to serve as tenement for your spirit. Abraham taught that “these … spirits … existed before, they shall have no end … for they are … eternal” [Abraham 3:18].

… [We] live in mortality through periods of trial and testing. Part of each test is to determine if your body can become mastered by the spirit that dwells within it. …

Since thoughts precede deeds, you must first learn to control your thoughts. “As [a man] thinketh in his heart, so is he” [Proverbs 23:7].

In your quest for self-mastery, full participation in the activities of the Church will help. I’ll mention but a few. A first step comes as we learn together to keep the Sabbath day holy. This is one of the Ten Commandments [see Exodus 20:8; Deuteronomy 5:15]. …

Another step toward self-mastery comes when you are old enough to observe the law of the fast. As funds are contributed from meals missed, the needs of the poor may be met. But meanwhile, through your spirit, you develop personal power over your body’s drives of hunger and thirst. Fasting gives you confidence to know that your spirit can master appetite. …

Fasting fortifies discipline over appetite and helps to protect against later uncontrolled cravings and gnawing habits.

Another step toward self-mastery comes from obedience to the Word of Wisdom [see Doctrine and Covenants 89]. … Indeed, as you develop courage to say no to alcohol, tobacco, and other stimulants, you gain additional strength. You can then refuse conspiring men—those seditious solicitors of harmful substances or smut. You can reject their evil enticements to your body.

If you yield to anything that can addict, and thus defy the Word of Wisdom, your spirit surrenders to the body. The flesh then enslaves the spirit. This is contrary to the purpose of your mortal existence. And in the process of such addiction, your life span is likely to be shortened, thereby reducing the time available for repentance by which your spirit might attain self-mastery over your body. …

Because the adversary is keenly aware of the power of physical temptation, Alma instructed his son and all of us: “See that ye bridle all your passions” [Alma 38:12]. …

Prophets have repeatedly cautioned about moral sin. One, for example, warned: “O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal” [2 Nephi 9:39].

Now don’t misunderstand me. I would not want you to neglect your body. It deserves daily care. Physical conditioning through regular exercise requires self-mastery too. …

As you work during the productive years of life, whether at home or in the field, in the factory or at a workbench, reputation is built and character is forged as you develop self-mastery. Faithful payment of tithing is part of that process. It defends you against dishonesty or shabby temptations. Courageous accountability for your own actions becomes a cherished prize.

It really matters what you listen to, what you look at, what you think, say, and do. Select music that will strengthen your spirit. Control your speech; keep it free from profanity and vulgarity. …

To reach your highest destiny, emulate the Savior. He proclaimed, “What manner of men ought ye to be? … Even as I am” [3 Nephi 27:27]. Our loftiest hope is to grow in spirit and attain “the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children” [Ephesians 4:13–14]. …

… Not an age in life passes without temptation, trial, or torment experienced through your physical body. But as you prayerfully develop self-mastery, desires of the flesh may be subdued. And when that has been achieved, you may have the strength to submit to your Heavenly Father, as did Jesus, who said, “Not my will, but thine, be done” [Luke 22:42].

When deepening trials come your way, remember this glorious promise of the Savior: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” [Revelation 3:21].

Christ is our great Exemplar. I declare, as a special witness, that he is the Son of God and “is the life and the light of the world” [Alma 38:9; see also Doctrine and Covenants 11:28]. We develop self-mastery as we become like him.

Study Questions

Think about ways the Savior exemplified self-mastery during His mortal life. Which examples are especially inspiring to you? What do you feel inspired to do to strengthen your spirit?

Because of the Savior’s Atonement, we can overcome the spiritual plagues of the world

Before the Savior submitted Himself to the agony of Gethsemane and Calvary, He declared to His Apostles, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” [John 16:33; emphasis added]. Subsequently, Jesus entreated each of us to do the same when He said, “I will that ye should overcome the world” [Doctrine and Covenants 64:2; emphasis added].

Dear brothers and sisters, my message to you today is that because Jesus Christ overcame this fallen world, and because He atoned for each of us, you too can overcome this sin-saturated, self-centered, and often exhausting world.

Because the Savior, through His infinite Atonement, redeemed each of us from weakness, mistakes, and sin…, as you truly repent and seek His help, you can rise above this present precarious world.

You can overcome the spiritually and emotionally exhausting plagues of the world, including arrogance, pride, anger, immorality, hatred, greed, jealousy, and fear. Despite the distractions and distortions that swirl around us, you can find true rest—meaning relief and peace—even amid your most vexing problems. …

What does it mean to overcome the world? It means overcoming the temptation to care more about the things of this world than the things of God. It means trusting the doctrine of Christ more than the philosophies of men. It means delighting in truth, denouncing deception, and becoming “humble followers of Christ” [2 Nephi 28:14]. It means choosing to refrain from anything that drives the Spirit away. It means being willing to “give away” even our favorite sins [Alma 22:18].

Now, overcoming the world certainly does not mean becoming perfect in this life, nor does it mean that your problems will magically evaporate—because they won’t. And it does not mean that you won’t still make mistakes. But overcoming the world does mean that your resistance to sin will increase. Your heart will soften as your faith in Jesus Christ increases. Overcoming the world means growing to love God and His Beloved Son more than you love anyone or anything else.

How, then, do we overcome the world? King Benjamin taught us how. He said that “the natural man is an enemy to God” and remains so forever “unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord” [Mosiah 3:19; emphasis added]. Each time you seek for and follow the promptings of the Spirit, each time you do anything good—things that “the natural man” would not do—you are overcoming the world.

Overcoming the world is not an event that happens in a day or two. It happens over a lifetime as we repeatedly embrace the doctrine of Christ. We cultivate faith in Jesus Christ by repenting daily and keeping covenants that endow us with power. We stay on the covenant path and are blessed with spiritual strength, personal revelation, increasing faith, and the ministering of angels. Living the doctrine of Christ can produce the most powerful virtuous cycle, creating spiritual momentum in our lives [see 2 Nephi 31]. …

I reaffirm a profound teaching of President Ezra Taft Benson: “Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, … lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace” [Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Ezra Taft Benson (2014), 42–43].

These incomparable privileges follow those who seek the support of heaven to help them overcome this world. To this end, … I plead with you now—to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Work for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with false philosophies of unbelieving men and women. As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.

My plea to you … is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. Let Him know through your prayers and your actions that you are serious about overcoming the world. Ask Him to enlighten your mind and send the help you need. Each day, record the thoughts that come to you as you pray; then follow through diligently. Spend more time in the temple, and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world. …

With the power of the holy apostleship vested in me, I bless you in your quest to overcome this world. I bless you to increase your faith in Jesus Christ and learn better how to draw upon His power. I bless you to be able to discern truth from error. I bless you to care more about the things of God than the things of this world. I bless you to see the needs of those around you and strengthen those you love. Because Jesus Christ overcame this world, you can too.

18:44

Study Questions

President Nelson spoke of spiritual plagues of our day. What consequences of these plagues do you see? How is the Savior helping you overcome them?

Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward on the covenant path

Momentum is a powerful concept. We all have experienced it in one form or another—for example, in a vehicle that picks up speed or with a disagreement that suddenly turns into an argument.

So I ask, what can ignite spiritual momentum? We have seen examples of both positive and negative momentum. We know followers of Jesus Christ who became converted and grew in their faith. But we also know of once-committed believers who fell away. Momentum can swing either way.

We have never needed positive spiritual momentum more than we do now, to counteract the speed with which evil and the darker signs of the times are intensifying. Positive spiritual momentum will keep us moving forward amid the fear and uncertainty created by pandemics, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and armed hostilities. Spiritual momentum can help us withstand the relentless, wicked attacks of the adversary and thwart his efforts to erode our personal spiritual foundation.

Many actions can ignite positive spiritual momentum. Obedience, love, humility, service, and gratitude are but a few.

17:18

Today I would like to suggest five specific actions we can take to help us maintain positive spiritual momentum.

First: Get on the covenant path and stay there. … Ordinances and covenants give us access to godly power. The covenant path is the only path that leads to exaltation and eternal life. …

… My second suggestion: Discover the joy of daily repentance. … Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path. …

My third suggestion: Learn about God and how He works. … With frightening speed, a testimony that is not nourished daily “by the good word of God” can crumble [Moroni 6:4]. Thus, the antidote to Satan’s scheme is clear: we need daily experiences worshipping the Lord and studying His gospel. I plead with you to let God prevail in your life. Give Him a fair share of your time. As you do, notice what happens to your positive spiritual momentum.

Suggestion number 4: Seek and expect miracles. … The Lord will bless you with miracles if you believe in Him, “doubting nothing” [Mormon 9:21]. Do the spiritual work to seek miracles. Prayerfully ask God to help you exercise that kind of faith. I promise that you can experience for yourself that Jesus Christ “giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength” [Isaiah 40:29]. Few things will accelerate your spiritual momentum more than realizing the Lord is helping you to move a mountain in your life.

Suggestion number 5: End conflict in your personal life. … Exercise the humility, courage, and strength required both to forgive and to seek forgiveness. The Savior has promised that “if [we] forgive men their trespasses, [our] heavenly Father will also forgive [us]” [Matthew 6:14]. …

As you act on these pursuits, I promise you the ability to move forward on the covenant path with increased momentum, despite whatever obstacles you face. And I promise you greater strength to resist temptation, more peace of mind, freedom from fear, and greater unity in your families.

God lives! Jesus is the Christ! He lives! He loves us and will help us.

17:18

Study Questions

Think about a time when you had positive spiritual momentum in your life. What helped you gain that momentum? Are there any influences in your life that are limiting your spiritual momentum? What do you feel inspired to do to overcome those obstacles?

Invitations and Promises

To reach your highest destiny, emulate the Savior

I bless you in your quest to overcome this world

I plead with you now—to take charge of your own testimony of Jesus Christ and His gospel. Work for it. Nurture it so that it will grow. Feed it truth. Don’t pollute it with false philosophies of unbelieving men and women. As you make the continual strengthening of your testimony of Jesus Christ your highest priority, watch for miracles to happen in your life.

18:44

Take these five specific actions to move forward on the covenant path

Today I would like to suggest five specific actions we can take to help us maintain positive spiritual momentum.

First: Get on the covenant path and stay there. … Ordinances and covenants give us access to godly power. The covenant path is the only path that leads to exaltation and eternal life. …

… My second suggestion: Discover the joy of daily repentance. … Repenting is the key to progress. Pure faith keeps us moving forward on the covenant path. …