Life needs some blueprint, some map the mind can trust to move ahead. There is no more beautiful sight than a person who glows with the light of the Spirit, who is confident and courageous because one is virtuous. Tremendous stress is laid on the human will. Anyone who is serious about improvement will have to exert oneself enormously. There are virtues that must be developed, passions to be curbed, and evil mind states to be transcended if love and honor is to have a chance. If one understands moral rules as commands, one may argue to the existence of a commander. The commander cannot be the individual human moral agent, for what today I command myself to do, I can tomorrow command myself not to do. I can have absolute moral obligations only if God exists to command them. Because I do have absolute moral obligations, it follows that God exists. The Lord has blessed us with a very clear understanding of who we are and why we are here on the Earth at this time. God loves us, and we love him. It shows in our countenance, in our modesty, and in our commitment to remain virtuous and pure. Whether or not our reason has the power to pull life in the direction it envisions, it clearly holds the power of prohibition; let it not believe something and it will be impossible for the individual to move wholeheartedly in that direction. If we recognize moral authority, we must ipso facto recognize the existence of God as alone able to confer that authority. #RandolphHarris 1 of 7

We judge that the moral law retains its authoritativeness whether particular human wills are at any time actually accepting its rules and principles or not; therefore, the source of its authority must lie altogether outside those human wills. Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goes. You are not alone. You can rely on the strength of the Lord. We must sanctify ourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among us. We simply cannot do the work we have been reserved and prepared to do unless we can access the strength and confidence that comes by living a virtuous life. We are people of great faith. When we came to this Earth, we brought faith with us. The notion of moral law itself is incomplete without reference to God, for law implies lawgiver, a divine legislator. Our very acknowledgment of a moral law, therefore, presupposes theism. We have fought with our faith and testimony to defend the plan that was presented by God. We knew the plan was good, and we knew that the Savior would do what he reported he would do—because we know the Lord! We stood with him, and we were eager for our opportunity to come to Earth. We knew what was going to be required of us. Even though we knew that life would be difficult, we had the confidence that we could accomplish our divine mission and make a difference. #RandolphHarris 2 of 7

People who achieve greatness are almost invariably passionately interested in some one thing. We are choice spirits who were reserved to come forth in the fulness of times to take part in being architects of the foundation of God’s Kingdom on Earth. God has written his laws in our hearts. We are under moral obligation to perfect ourselves and to attain a highest good (summum bonum) that is manifestly unattainable in a life lived under the conditions we know here and now. We can, at best, make a start to moral development that requires very different conditions for its completion. However, since that complete development is demanded for us as duty, it must be attainable. God and immortality are thus presupposed in our actual moral existence. When we seek liberation with single-mindedness and intensity of this order, when we focus our energies on overcoming life’s dislocation, we may expect our steps to turn from a slippery sandbank scramble into strides. We now begin to reach down and take hold of the control mechanisms in our lives. No wonder the wicked have increased the intensity of their attacks on our identity and virtue. If we can be dismayed, discouraged, distracted, delayed, or disqualified from being worthy to receive the guidance of the Holy Ghost or to enter the Lord’s holy temple, the great wicked one wins. An immature moral agent may see one’s duties as commands (parental, for example); but the mark of mature moral judgement is self-commitment to a policy on which one has deliberated. #RandolphHarris 3 of 7

This moral policy may or may not be in harmony with someone’s command; in any case, it does not owe its authenticity to its being commanded.  Because God is a celestial being, if he commands what is right and obligatory, that is cause for thankfulness, and we should be thankful over a truth of logic. Words carry an immeasurable significance: by his word, God created the World, and by our words we worship God. Language furnishes both an indicator of our character and a lever for shifting it. We will do well to begin with language as indicator. Our first move is to become aware of our speech patterns and what they tell us about ourselves. Instead of starting with a resolve to speak nothing but the truth, let us say—a resolve which is likely to prove ineffective anyway at the outset because it is too advanced—we will do well to start further back with a resolve to notice how many times during the day we deviate from the truth and follow this up with an inquiry into why we did so. The same with the lack of charity in our speech; begin not by determining to speak only charitable words but by determining to watch our speech until we are more aware of the motives that prompt the lack of charity in what we say. Deceit is bad because it reduces one’s being. We must choose to heed prophetic counsel, recognize and act upon spiritual promptings, be obedient to God’s commandments, and seek personal revelation. “Let us walk in the light of the Lord,” reports Isiah 2.5. #RandolphHarris 4 of 7

Apostolic voices urge us to prepare ourselves with the powerful light of spiritual strength.  “The Lord will be light unto them that hear his words,” reports 2 Nephi 10.14. God is the authorizer of all our moral judgments—otherwise they would carry no authority; and we find, contrariwise, that God can play the role of authority only if we are able to make certain moral judgments without appealing to any external authority whatsoever. The value of truth is not moral but ontological. People deceive because behind their arguments and defenses the motive is almost always a fear of revealing to others or to themselves what they really are. Each time one gives in to the motive they protect their id and in so doing they move themselves further from life and the long-range prospects of happiness. Speech should move toward being kind and honest. Bearing false witness, idle chatter, abuse, and slander are to avoided not only in their obvious forms, but also in their covert ones, for the latter—subtle, belittling, accidental tactlessness, poisonous with—are often more vicious precisely because their animus is concealed. Understanding one’s behavior is more objectively a prerequisite to improving it. The trainee is to reflect on the things he or she has done, with special focus on the motives which prompted them. In the end, how much kindliness was involved and how much self-seeking? As to direction in which change should proceed, the answer again is given in terms of selflessness and charity. Do not kill. Do not steal. Do not lie. DO not be unchaste. Do not drink nor inhale intoxicants. #RandolphHarris 5 of 7

In our lives, the extended hand of the Savior may take the form of help from a trusted friend, leader, or loving parent. While we are struggling in the darkness, there is nothing wrong with relying temporarily upon the light of those who loves us and have our best interests at heart. When we are struggling and receive a helping hand, it is a lot like a person who has a gas lamp in his or her room, but now uses electric light. They will experience for a long time a definite feeling of please when one pressed the electric light button; this pleasure continues as long as that moment one remembers the complicated arrangements necessary to light the gas lamp (which represents life). The economy which impressed us is an important item in the psychological conception. However, we cannot rely on the light of others forever. The Lord teaches, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and you shall find me; ask, and you shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” We must act, expecting that the Lord will fulfill his promise to lift us from the darkness if we draw near unto him. The adversary, however, will try to convince us that we have never felt the influence of the Spirit and that it will be easier just to stop trying. However, doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith.  There are things many have felt that they cannot explain in any other way except that they are of God. This is spiritual integrity. #RandolphHarris 6 of 7

When faced with questions or tempted to doubt, we should remember the spiritual blessings and feelings that have penetrated our hearts and lives in the past and place our faith in Heavenly Father. Do not doubt the Lord nor his goodness for we have proved in in days that are past. To ignore and discount past spiritual experiences will distance us from God. Our quest for light will be enhanced by our willingness to recognize when it shines in our lives. Modern scripture defines light and gives a promise to those who accept it: “That which is of God is light; and one that receives light, and continues in God, receives more light; and that light grows brighter and brighter until the perfect day.” Like the light at the end of the tunnel, God’s influence will bring us confidence, determination, comfort, and—most important—the power to know that God lives. There is no darkness so dense, so menacing, or so difficult that it cannot be overcome by light. As evil increases in the World, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the World slides from its spiritual foundation, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight. “The Lord will be your light in wilderness,” reports 1 Nephi 17.13. #RandolphHarris 7 of 7