The Trial of Wealth, Prosperity, and Ease and How to Counteract It

Helaman 12:2-3 Yea, and we may see at the very time when he doth prosper his people, yea, in the increase of their fields, their flocks and their herds, and in gold...; sparing their lives, and delivering them out of the hands of their enemies; softening the hearts of their enemies that they should not declare wars against them; yea, and in fine, doing all things for the welfare and happiness of his people; yea, then is the time that they do harden their hearts, and do forget the Lord their God – yea, and this because of their ease, and their exceedingly great prosperity. And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with ... they will not remember him.

Elder David A. Bednar, “On the Lord’s Side: Lessons from Zion’s Camp,” July 2017 Ensign

The leaders of the Lord’s Church clearly have identified some of the collective or generational tests we can expect to encounter in our day and generation. As the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in 1977, President Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994) raised a prophetic voice of warning in a meeting of regional representatives. I now quote extensively from President Benson’s message and invite your focused attention on his timely counsel:

“Every generation has its tests and its chance to stand and prove itself. Would you like to know of one of our toughest tests? Hear the warning words of Brigham Young, ‘The worst fear I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and His people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution and be true. But my greatest fear is that they cannot stand wealth.’”

President Benson continues: “Ours then seems to be the toughest test of all, for the evils are more subtle, more clever. It all seems less menacing and it is harder to detect. While every test of righteousness represents a struggle, this particular test seems like no test at all, no struggle and so could be the most deceiving of all tests.

“Do you know what peace and prosperity can do to a people—It can put them to sleep. The Book of Mormon warned us of how Satan, in the last days, would lead us away carefully down to hell.

Elder Oaks – 2017 Mission President Seminar

“The most important thing I can say to you by way of introduction is that we are in an unusual and extremely important transition in our missionary work in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” he said.  This transition is due to several reasons:

1.      Convert baptisms have plateaued. “We must find new ways to do missionary work that will bring the increases in missionary baptisms of which we are capable.”

2.      Significant advancements in technology can accelerate the work, “but we haven’t yet learned to use them effectively.” These technological advances “are begging to be used in the work of the Lord and we are overdue in finding ways this can be done to advance the effectiveness of our missionary work.”

3.      There is a need to protect our youth from “the powerful worldly influences that detract from their spiritual preparation and from their missionary effectiveness.” The rising generation is subject to increasing temptations and distractions—including technological distractions, decreased opportunities for youth to learn how to work, and family disunity.

4.      The greatly increased diversity in mission circumstances is a final example of new complications in the supervising, calling, training, and oversight of missionaries, he said. The Church now has 422 missions that encompass more than 160 countries.

How to Counteract this Trial

Dale G. Renlund – Facebook June 27 at 11:39am · 

At the mission presidents’ seminar this week, the following quote was shared more than once.

President Boyd K. Packer famously said: “True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior” (Oct. 1986 general conference).

As you evaluate your own behavior, have you ever asked yourself, “What specific doctrine, correctly understood, would motivate me to accept and make necessary changes in my life?”

Once you have identified that doctrine, then you have a clear indicator of where your personal scripture study should effectively focus. Then your increased understanding can lead you to necessary behavior modifications.

For missionaries or any of us who want to see a loved one make necessary changes in their lives, the added step to this process is once you correctly understand the doctrine, then you carefully, clearly, and lovingly teach that doctrine.

Elder Robert D. Hales, “Coming to Ourselves: The Sacrament, the Temple, and Sacrifice in Service,” April 2012

As our spiritual desires increase, we become spiritually self-reliant. How, then, do we help others, ourselves, and our families increase our desires to follow the Savior and live His gospel? How do we strengthen our desires to repent, become worthy, and endure to the end? How do we help our youth and young adults let these desires work in them until they are converted and become true “saint[s] through the atonement of Christ”?3

We become converted and spiritually self-reliant as we prayerfully live our covenants—through worthily partaking of the sacrament, being worthy of a temple recommend, and sacrificing to serve others.

Helaman 3:29 We see that whosoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked.