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The Battle is Real
By C.S. Bezas

Elder Henry B. Eyring has stated: “Too many of our students become spiritual casualties… One such tragedy is one too many. And yet the troubles and the temptations our students faced just five years ago pale in comparison with what we see now, and even more difficult times are ahead… We need greater power to get the gospel down into the hearts and lives of our students.”¹

“One such tragedy is one too many.” As seminary teachers those clarion words ring in our ears. They haunt us. Literally, we cannot stand the thought that a student under our watch gets lost. This fuels the choices we make in preparation for being in front of our students; it fuels the activities we engage in when we are not with them at all.

The prophets have foretold our day for eons. These same prophets who reveled in the glory and majesty of the kingdom set up in our day, also bemoaned the filthy reality that would saturate the world. We live during prophetic times, and as Elder Eyring stated, we are losing our youth to them.

Thus, as teachers we arm ourselves in the full armor of God so that we “may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Eph. 6:13). In fact, we stand ready at the front lines of the Lord’s army by virtue of our callings as gospel teachers. We, as the Lord’s teachers of truth, seek the constant companionship of the Spirit. And we do not let a single day of teaching pass by without bearing witness to our students as to the need for our Redeemer and the need for living pure lives.

We understand how crucial it is that these youth choose to clothe themselves with spiritual armor in recognition of the adversary’s fury. How important it is that they recognize the adversary is playing for keeps. The adversary is roaming as an angry beast, eager for his prey. He celebrates when one falls, as do his angels.

We read: “Wo, wo, wo unto this people; wo unto the inhabitants of the whole earth except they shall repent; for the devil laugheth and his angels rejoice…” (3 Ne. 9:2). While Lucifer laughs, he also lengthens his stride. He is ever seeking the destruction of all goodness and especially the destruction of God’s priceless children.

Deadly Serious

As the Lord’s teachers, we understand that Lucifer is deadly serious. He never sleeps. He is trying everything possible to pull down the elect of God. Lucifer is powerful, and he is angry. Whereas some might downplay the overall part that Lucifer plays here on earth, Elder Eyring does not and neither do we. As gospel teachers, we are far too familiar with 2 Nephi 28:21-25 to do so. We read therein as to Lucifer’s potent reality:

And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well — and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell. And behold, others he flattereth away, and telleth them there is no hell; and he saith unto them: I am no devil, for there is none — and thus he whispereth in their ears, until he grasps them with his awful chains, from whence there is no deliverance. Yea, they are grasped with death, and hell…Therefore, wo be unto them that is at ease in Zion! Wo be unto him that crieth: All is well!

Life is not a game, where after the scoreboard lights go out and the crowd goes home, one drives to a convenience store to buy ice cream sandwiches. Not at all. This “game of life,” as some call it, has been described in the scriptures as an actual war.

We read in D&C 76:28-29:

And while we were yet in the Spirit, the Lord commanded us that we should write the vision; for we beheld Satan, that old serpent, even the devil, who rebelled against God, and sought to take the kingdom of our God and his Christ — wherefore, he maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about.

We understand, and on some level our students need to understand, that Lucifer is working to destroy all that is valuable to the Father. Our students have one life to prove their faithfulness to the Lord. This is why choice matters. This is why we teach with such clarion voices. This is why we serve our youth the way we do. Because when they listen and refuse to be ensnared by the adversary, they will avoid unnecessary heartache, thus bringing greater peace to both themselves, their families, and to their Father in Heaven.

Elder Eyring has sounded the alert; Satan is winning over our youth. As Elder Eyring states, we must get the power and potency of the gospel into our students’ hearts and lives so that more do not experience that which is described in D&C 76:30:

And we saw a vision of the sufferings of those with whom he made war and overcame…

Again, we have been told by Elder Eyring that we’re losing some of our youth. Let us do all we can to put a stop to that today! Let us determine that this will never be said of our youth again. Let us lengthen our stride and make our plans to win this war. Obviously, our students will exercise their own agency; it always has been such and always will. Agency is the gift over which the war in heaven was partially fought.

BUT there is more we can be doing as teachers to stop the hemorrhaging and loss of the Lord’s most choice of souls. The new school year will be upon us shortly. Here are a few suggestions to help ensure you and your students are well-armed with solid gospel armament:

Begin now to write your goals for the year. Select two or three things you want all your students to have gained by year-end. Write them on a note card and tape it to your bathroom mirror. Review those goals daily while getting dressed. Make mention of those goals during your personal prayers.
Analyze your goals and pray for the Lord to inspire you to implement them in practical, measurable ways in the classroom. For example, one overall goal might be: Each of my students will have read the entire Doctrine & Covenants by the end of this school year. Now dissect that goal and, utilizing guidance from the Lord, break it up into nine approaches — one per each month of the school year. Write these in your lesson planner — a monthly sub-goal associated with each overall goal. Your purpose in the classroom will be to determine how you can make these monthly goals measurable, attainable, and desirable for your students.
Now take time to pray and ask for guidance to carry out your plan. How will you inspire your students to actually want the fruits that attend each of these efforts? Your purpose as their teacher is to aid your students in these things, thereby helping them not to become casualties in this war being mounted by Satan.

A student who is not armed with daily scripture study, prayer, and service is a student who stands at risk in today’s world. We want our students to take part in these activities. You may also feel prompted to incorporate other goals in your service with your students, utilizing the inspiration that will come from the Lord.

Once you have seen what your students can do, your job as a teacher is to figure out how to inspire them to follow through. The battle is real. The sides are drawn. Our students stand in the middle. Let’s make sure the Lord’s army wins…and that none of his soldiers are ever lost again.

Portions taken from C.S. Bezas’ new book, Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers, available in LDS Bookstores September 1, 2006.

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1. “The Spirit Must Be Our Constant Companion” [in An Evening with President Gordon B. Hinckley, 7 Feb 2003], p. 1.

88:63).

Knowledge of another verse could be helpful if a student’s boyfriend were pressing her for physical relations. Whether or not our student shares the verse with him, she can repeat it in her heart: “Prepare yourselves, and sanctify yourselves; yea, purify your hearts, and cleanse your hands and your feet before me, that I may make you clean; that I may testify unto your Father, and your God… that you are clean from the blood of this wicked generation” (D&C 88:73).

There are other temptations in the world I do not desire to discuss, because to do so would not be delicate. But if students read their “handbook to life” on a consistent basis, they will know their scriptures and those scriptures in turn can help them during perilous times. Living this way, they will be far more likely to center their life on Christ, as Paul importuned his saints (and us) in his letter to the Colossians. As teachers of youth, we will not always be available to aid them, nor will their parents. But we certainly can leave a legacy of value for the scriptures.

The Lord’s handbook, that priceless compilation of prophetic utterances, means more to me personally than anything in this world. Today’s youth can feel the same way. They will achieve this by searching it, trying out the scriptural teachings for themselves. As they do this, Christ’s word will dwell richly within them.

A student reading from these pages just a few minutes a day will find greater insights and peace than from any other source, other than perhaps prayer and/or service. Our students need to experience the fruits from gospel scholarship to know those fruits, to appreciate them, to savor them.

Think about it — can an individual remain apathetic to the scriptures and still remain faithful to the Lord through the years? I’m not so sure. There is actual power given us to dismiss sin when we are daily learning of the Lord and his ways via his scriptural texts, coupled with prayer.

As gospel instructors, if we are not using the scriptures in our classes, what are we doing? Talking about the scriptures is not the same thing as reading from them. There is a difference and our students deserve the latter. Just imagine if you were the first gospel teacher in their life to take this seriously — to actually teach from the scriptures, rather than just about them. You will leave an immeasurable love of God’s word for your students.

The students who are willing to walk privately on their own through the scriptural arbors of the Lord’s fields are those students who do not faint under the heat of the world’s sun. At some point students must determine if they will rely on Christ’s word, not on the work, the effort, or the testimony of another. Indeed, the point of spiritual success begins with a youth enthused enough about the gospel (or at least willing enough to trust), that he take of his personal time and use it for private gospel scholarship. These are the students who will reap dividends throughout their lives as they continue to study the word of the Lord in private sessions with Him.

The Colossian saints were admonished to let the word of Christ dwell richly within them. It is the same for us today. As a starting point, the Church as a whole has been asked to read the scriptures together in family units. We are to discuss them and make application of their teachings, thus strengthening the family bond. But not all families do this. And can any group scripture study match the potent hours of private scholarship — when a soul seeks comfort, knowledge, or direction through quiet solace with God’s sacred scriptures and the Lord himself?

When are our students going to learn the joy private scholarship brings? Group study is one thing; private scripture study is something quite different. As we encourage our students to develop a habit of personal scripture study — reading the assigned scripture text in each current year of focus — we give our students a treasure that is immeasurable and that will enrich their lives for all their days on earth.

Notice the difference in the youth who have chosen to enjoy the lush fields of planted gospel truths. The difference is clear; the fruits are strong and apparent in their lives. These are youth whose hearts are filled with the words of Christ; these are youth who can sing of his grace and rejoice in his strength, walking confidently back to his presence.

The apostle Paul admonished the Colossian saints to let the word of Christ dwell richly within them; let us do the same for our students! We do this:

By actually teaching from the scriptures themselves during class time.
By having personal study time ourselves each day and then sharing those moments with our class (thus they see us setting the example). In other words, “You know yesterday, I was reading in D&C 36. I was so moved when the Lord told Joseph Smith…” We then proceed to share a moment that strengthened us or a decision that came, because of our private scripture study.
By inspiring the students to follow suit. One way we can do this is by providing a few minutes during class for students to share the “ah, ha’s!” that came while privately reading in the scriptures the day before. Soon the students will begin to look forward to these class times, in which a few verses are read, testimonies are shared, and lives are strengthened.

When we do our part as seminary teachers, we will strengthen our students in the process the apostle Paul spoke of. We will help our students to have “the word of Christ dwell in [them] richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16). And as Moroni stated in Mormon 9:31, our students will have been able to learn from the experiences of those in the scriptures and be wiser for them! What better reward could there be as we aid our students in their journey back home to heaven!

Watch for C.S. Bezas’ new book, Powerful Tips for Powerful Teachers, available in LDS bookstores September 1, 2006.