Addictions

Quotes

1) “The best path for healing (is) to understand and accept that darkness exists—but not to dwell there…healing comes when we move away from the darkness and walk toward the hope of a brighter light.” (Uchtdorf, Dieter F. “The Hope of God’s Light.” General Conference. April 2013.)

2) “Christ’s perfect love overcomes temptations to harm, coerce, bully, or oppress. Christ’s perfect love allows us to walk with humility, dignity, and a bold confidence as followers of our beloved Savior. Christ’s perfect love gives us the confidence to press through our fears and place our complete trust in the power and goodness of our Heavenly Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ.” (Uchtdorf, Dieter F. “Perfect Love Casteth Out All Fear.”

3) “Our own repentance bears testimony of Him and the power of His grace to pardon and cleanse us.” (Christofferson, D. Todd. “Becoming a Witness of Christ.” Ensign. March 2008.)

4) “First, we can all pray for desire…All efforts begin with desire…keep the commandments…have the Savior’s Spirit, (and) pray for inspiration on what we can do in our individual circumstances…Pray with a commitment to act upon the inspiration you receive.” (Oaks, Dallin H. “Sharing the Restored Gospel.” General Conference. October 2016.)

5) “They think no one will know of their involvement, but the user knows… and so does the Lord…The immediate spiritual consequences of such hypocrisy are devastating. Those who seek out and use pornography forfeit the power of their priesthood.” (Oaks, Dallin H. “Pornography.” General Conference. April 2005.)

6) “The test of what is evil is not its degree but its effect. When persons entertain evil thoughts long enough for the Spirit to withdraw, they lose their spiritual protection and they are subject to the power and direction of the evil one…But the good news is that no one needs to follow the evil, downward descent to torment. Everyone caught on that terrible escalator has the key to reverse his course. He can escape. Through repentance he can be clean.” (Oaks, Dallin H. “Pornography.” General Conference. April 2005.)

7) “Faith is a real power, not just an expression of belief.” (Packer, Boyd K. “These Things I Know.” General Conference. April 2013.)

8) “As we faithfully live the gospel, we will have power to be virtuous in every thought, feeling, and action. Our minds become more receptive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and the Light of Christ. We embody Christ not only in what we say and do but also in who we are.” (Hales, Robert D. “Becoming a Disciple of Our Lord Jesus Christ.” April 2017. General Conference.)

9) “The demonstration of righteous courage will often be as subtle as to click or not to click.” (Stevenson, Gary A. “Be Valient in Courage, Strength, and Activity.” General Conference. October 2012.)

10) “God cares a lot more about who we are and who we are becoming than about who we once were. He cares that we keep on trying…For us, because of God’s mercy and the Atonement of Jesus Christ, such a change is not just literary fiction…Even if we’ve been a conscious, deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moment we decide to try again, the Atonement of Christ can help us.” (Renlund, Dale G. “Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying.” General Conference. April 2015.)

11) “Real repentance must involve faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, faith that He can change us, faith that He can forgive us, and faith that He will help us avoid more mistakes. This kind of faith makes His Atonement effective in our lives… Without the Redeemer, the inherent hope and joy evaporate, and repentance becomes simply miserable behavior modification. But by exercising faith in Him, we become converted to His ability and willingness to forgive sin.” (Renlund, Dale G. “Repentance: A Joyful Choice.” General Conference. October 2016.)

12) “Our Redeemer chooses to forgive because of His incomparable compassion, mercy, and love. Our Savior wants to forgive because this is one of His divine attributes…He is joyful when we choose to repent. Even as we feel godly sorrow for our actions, when we choose to repent, we immediately invite the Savior into our lives.” (Renlund, Dale G. “Repentance: A Joyful Choice.” General Conference. October 2016.)

Position Statement

This topic, "Addictions," was a touchy subject for me because I know so many people out there who have suffered because of them. I didn't want to get into all the talks that chastise, but I ended up encountering a lot of quotes that show me that God and Jesus Christ love us anyways. Everyone has the power to escape sin because they have the agency that lets them invite the Savior into their lives to heal them. They love us so much and they want us to repent. They want to see us happy. I feel so happy when I read these quotes. I feel hopeful for the future. If I were to mess up, I know that Christ will catch me and heal me, and that any possible addiction could dissolve because of His infinite love for me. Overall, there's always an escape out of sin, no matter the degree. Repentance allows us to invite the Savior into our lives to heal us.