Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come.

Layout Family Intro 1. Its cold out there 2. Where are holy places: Where the Spirit is Temples, Churches, your homes, your room. 3. Be not Moved 4. Challenges 5. For Strength of Youth challenge to youth,parents 6. Dont just stand, be active. 1 WHALES THE COLD It has been pretty cold recently. And in thinking of the cold, I started to think of creatures that have to live out in the elements and in the cold. As a child I was a fan of marine live, and I began to think about whales. Did you know that some whales live in temperatures of -40 F? How do they do that? Well, as most of you know, whales use a layer of blubber. Whales develop blubber as they eat more and more and turn that food into a layer tissue and fat. As opposed to our skin, the layer is extra thick and provides insulation and protection from the cold, and is a source of energy and buoyancy allowing a whale to stay afloat and go longer periods without eating. When my family went out yesterday, we had long sleeves, coats, hats, gloves, all in preparation of the cold temperatures and to in an attempt to keep our body heat close to us. We tried to do all we could to stay warm, as any parent will tell you, when you have little kids who are cold, any outing can turn bad real quick. Our goal is to try and keep our body heat close to our body and not let the cold in. As the topic of my talk, the youth have been challenged this by this years mutual theme from D&C 87:8 which states stand ye in holy places, and be not moved. The youth (and not so youth) have been invited to step out of the world and into the kingdom of God. Or in other words, protect yourself from the cold with the warmth of the lord,

2. Where are these HOLY PLACES?

Well, you may think first of the temple, and you would be correct. The temple is one of the holiest places on earth, and we are fortunate to be so close to one. Then you might think of the church building we are in right now. Right again. Our homes can definitely be or become holy places. However, we cannot spend all of our time at home, in the temple, or at church. President Harold B. Lee (18991973) taught that holy places have more to do with how one lives than where one lives. Anywhere you are where the Spirit is present can be a holy place. If you live worthy of the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, then you stand in a holy place. As you pray and study the scriptures, strive to keep the commandments, and listen to the promptings of the Spirit, you will be bundling yourself with the warmth of the gospel and righteous decisions. As a

consequence, wherever you are can become a holy place and you will be able to endure the cold that the world has to offer. Just as the whale has prepares itself for life in the cold by developing its protective layer. We must prepare and develop our relationship with the the Holy Ghost becomes which will keep us in holy places and help us withstand the evils of this world. So if we are in a location where the spirit is present, and/or if we are worthy of the Holy Ghosts companionship, we will be in a Holy Place. Does that mean I can go anywhere I want to go? Not exactly, the key is that we have to be somewhere the Holy Ghost can be present.

3. BE NOT MOVED
Of the direction to stand ye in holy places, and be not moved I love the last part of it. It doesnt say, stand in holy places, leave then come back, leave again and come back again. It says, be not moved. If you find yourself somewhere seemed OK or turns bad/or unholy, If you are somewhere that you would feel uncomfortable telling your parents about, or bishop about, you should be move as fast as you can back to holy ground. Just as if someone opens a door and lets in the cold, close it as fast as possible and regain that warmth.

4 CHALLENGES
Our youth face many challenges. These challenges are similar to ones you and I have faced, though the adversary becomes even more efficient and in his means of presenting those challenges. Though with these challenges, there are also many resources to combat them. For the youth, the strength you have is with each other. You can help each other, support each other. Plan activities with each other, and invite others. The spirit you carry with you will create holy places where ever you are, and those who dont have the gospel yet, will feel of the warmth you bring and draw near to it. Just as the Savior prayed that his apostles not be taken out of the world, but kept from the evil of the world, many of us pray that we may be strengthened to withstand the world. We wouldnt want to lose the opportunity of being in the world by being taken out of the world, because this life is a probationary state. The world is our opportunity to prove ourselves. This is part of our Heavenly Fathers plan, to be confronted with the things of the world, that we might overcome them and be strengthened.

5 FOR STRENGTH OF YOUTH

It all begins with you and your decisions, where you go, who you associate with and make friends with. We cannot avoid the troubles of this world, just as we cannot change the weather outside. But we can

prepare ourselves. We can develop our holy places at home, your own room can the first holy place you find yourself in the morning. Is it clean, organized, is it a sanctuary from the world (maybe from your brothers/sisters/parents/or children? Is it a place where you can speak to our heavenly father, free of worldy distractions? One of the best guides I have found to help us is found in the For the strength of youth booklet. I would like to extend this to the not so youth as well. The For the Strength of Youth booklet outlines standards for: Agency & Accountability, Gratitude, Education, Family, Friends, Dress & appearance, Entertainment and the Media, Music and Dancing, Language, Dating, Sexual Purity, Repentance, Honesty, Sabbath Day Observance, Tithes and Offerings, Physical Health, and Service to Others. For example if you find yourself wondering if your taste in music is in line with the lord or with the world, read an excerpt Choose carefully the music you listen to. Pay attention to how you feel when you are listening. Dont listen to music that drives away the Spirit, encourages immorality, glorifies violence, uses foul language. On entertainment and media: Whatever you read, listen to, or look at has an effect on you. Therefore, choose only entertainment and media that uplift you. Good entertainment will help you to have good thoughts and make righteous choices. It will allow you to enjoy yourself without losing the Spirit of the Lord The standards apply to you if you are 2 or 92, I encourage all of you, especially if you have youth in your home, to read and become familiar with these standards and ask yourself how you can improve your lives. Im not saying that the FSOY has all the answers, but it is a great guide of what we should be doing on a daily basis to avoid the influences of the adversary.

6.BE ACTIVE
I would like to make one more addition to the theme of the talk and for your youth this year. Dont just stand in holy places be active in holy places, you are here to be active instruments and tools in the Lords hands. Just as you begin to get warmer and even hotter as you begin to exert yourself, so will the spirit of the Lord burn from within you to accomplish his work and strengthen you in the process. President Harold B. Lee (18991973) said: You cannot lift another soul until you are standing on higher ground than he is. . . . You cannot light a fire in another soul unless it is burning in your own soul (Stand Ye in Holy Places, Ensign, July 1973, 123). How can you bring warmth to another if you yourself are freezing and have no coat?

Take strength with the council found in ISAIAH 41:40 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee (Isaiah 41:10) Testimony

David O. Mckay relates the following concerning Satans temptations of Christ. The evils of the world have a way of presenting themselves in many different ways during our daily associations. They even came to the Savior after His baptism. What were those temptations? When Satan said, Command that these stones be made bread (Matthew 4:3), he was appealing to the appetite. He knew that Jesus was hungry, that He was physically weak, and [he] thought that by pointing to those little lime stones which resemble somewhat a Jewish loaf of bread, he could awaken a desire to eat. Failing in that, when he received the divine word, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matthew 4:4), Satan then tried Him in another way. He dared Himan appeal to His pride, to His vanity. But the Savior answered him in terms of scripture, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God (Matthew 4:7). What was the third? An appeal to His love of power, domain, wealth: All these things [the kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof] will I give thee, said the tempter, if thou wilt fall down and worship me (Matthew 4:9). Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve (Matthew 4:10). The savior provides us an amazing example of self control and obedience to the will of our Heavenly Father, rather than give into the temptations of the world, though it started off basic, with physical hunger, it escalated to all of the money, power, and all the vain things in the world. The savior did not budge, but rather he rebuked the adversary.