We first need to find our way out of the internal wars that are poisoning our thoughts, feelings, and attitudes towards others. If we can't put an end to the violence within us, there is no hope for putting an end to the violence without.
Jim also taught me that every day, you have to “stand guard at the door of your mind.” He taught me that you have to continually feed your mind with knowledge and thoughts that empower you. Gratitude, courage, faith, determination, compassion and love — these are the emotions that we must nurture.
Despite our continuous efforts to seek out the Lord, inappropriate thoughts may penetrate our mind. When such thoughts are permitted and even invited to stay, they can shape the desires of our heart and lead us to what we will become in this life and eventually to what we will inherit for eternity.10 Elder Neal A. Maxwell once emphasized this principle by saying, “Desires … determine the gradations in outcomes, including why ‘many are called, but few are chosen.’”
Our ancient and modern prophets have constantly reminded us to resist temptation in order to avoid losing our spiritual traction and becoming confused, disoriented, and disillusioned in life.
Metaphorically speaking, yielding to temptation is like approaching a magnet with a metal object. The magnet’s invisible force attracts the metal object and holds it tightly. The magnet loses its power over it only when the metal object is placed far from it. Therefore, just as the magnet is unable to exercise power over a faraway metal object, as we resist temptation, it fades away and loses its power over our mind and heart and, consequently, over our actions.