Heavenly Father has given us the power and means to resist temptation.

“[When Jesus came] up … out of the water: … the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God [the Holy Ghost] descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

“And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.’

Jesus then went into the wilderness; Lucifer came tempting Him. Jesus deflected each temptation with scripture.

“It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone.”

“It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.”

“It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

Think on it carefully. When facing Perdition himself, the Lord drew upon scriptures for protection. (Elder Boyd K Packer, April 2000)

What can we learn from this episode?

‘The following counsel will help you overcome temptation:

Center your life on the Savior.

The prophet Helaman counseled his sons, “Remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea,
when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over
you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall” (Helaman 5:12).

Pray for strength.

When the resurrected Savior came to the Nephites, He taught the multitude: “Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:18–19). In the latter days He has given similar counsel: “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5).

Study the scriptures daily.

As you study gospel truths and apply them in your life, the Lord will bless you with power to withstand temptation. Nephi taught, “Whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Nephi 15:24; see also Helaman 3:29–30).

Fill your life with goodness.

You have so much good to choose from that you do not need to partake of evil. When you fill your life with goodness, you leave no room for anything else.

Avoid tempting places and situations.

You cannot avoid temptation completely, but you can avoid places or situations where you are likely to be tempted. You can also avoid inappropriate material in magazines, books, television, movies, and music and on the Internet.

Strive to influence others for good.

Just before He suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane, the Savior prayed for His disciples: “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world” (John 17:14–18). As a latter-day disciple of Jesus Christ, you can be in the world but “not of the world.” In addition to avoiding temptation yourself, you can influence others to live good and wholesome lives. You can set a righteous example, be a good friend, participate in community service, and, as appropriate, let your voice be heard in defense of moral values.

Never hesitate in your decisions to withstand temptation.
Strive to follow the example of the Savior, who “suffered temptations but gave no heed unto them” (D&C 20:22). When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, the Lord never wavered. His answer was quick and firm: “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Luke 4:8). Through your righteous thoughts, words, and actions, you can answer the temptations of the adversary with the same conviction. “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you” (James 4:7–8).’ (Temptation, True to the Faith)

Which of these tips (or any others) have you found most helpful in withstanding temptation?

Jesus Christ is the prophesied Messiah.

Watch the video “Jesus Declares He Is the Messiah” (3:24) from The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos.

• How would you summarize the Savior’s message in Nazareth that day? 

• What do you think is the significance of the phrases “he hath anointed me” and “this day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”? 

• How did Jesus fulfill the prophecy from Isaiah that He quoted from (see verses 18–19)?

The commitment to follow Christ means accepting His will and forsaking our own.

Have you ever asked yourself, “Is it really worth it to follow Christ?” Have you ever compared what you get with what those in the world get? You look around and see people devoting their lives to the pleasures of this world. Often they seem to be having a pretty good time. They live well. They have plenty of money. They take nice vacations. They drive new cars. They have all sorts of expensive toys. You look at them and think, “If I were not a member of the Church, I could have some of those things. I wouldn’t have to give a large portion of my income to the Lord’s work. I would have my weekends free to pursue whatever I wanted to do. Is it really worth it to follow Christ?”

Is discipleship a price worth paying?

‘A large crowd followed the Savior as He ministered by the shore of the Sea of Galilee. So that more could hear Him, He got into Peter’s fishing boat and asked to be taken a little way out from the shore. After He had finished speaking, He told Peter, who had fished all night without success, to go out in the lake and let down his nets in the deep water. Peter obeyed, and he caught so many fish that the nets broke. Peter called to his partners, James and John, to come and help. All were amazed at the number of fish that were caught. Jesus said to Peter, “Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.” Luke then tells us, “When they had brought their ships to land, they forsook all, and followed him.” [See Luke 5:1–11] They became the Lord’s disciples.

The word for disciple and the word for discipline both come from the same Latin root—discipulus, which means pupil. It emphasizes practice or exercise. Self-discipline and self-control are consistent and permanent characteristics of the followers of Jesus, as exemplified by Peter, James, and John, who indeed “forsook all, and followed him.”
What is discipleship? It is primarily obedience to the Savior. Discipleship includes many things. It is chastity. It is tithing. It is family home evening. It is keeping all the commandments. It is forsaking anything that is not good for us. Everything in life has a price. Considering the Savior’s great promise for peace in this life and eternal life in the life to come, discipleship is a price worth paying. It is a price we cannot afford not to pay. By measure, the requirements of discipleship are much, much less than the promised blessings.’ (James E Faust, General Conference, October 2006)