1 Samuel 18:3 Be a good friend

President Eyring:
All of us will be tested, and all of us need true friends to love us, to listen to us, to show us the way, and to testify of truth to us, so that we may retain the companionship of the Holy Ghost. You must be such a true friend. (“True Friends” General Conference Report April 2002)

1 Samuel 18:10-12. Envy and jealousy only hurts us.

Elder Holland:

“There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other to see who is the wealthiest or the most talented or the most beautiful or even the most blessed. The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those”

“….Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortune that befalls everyone we know!....So lesson number one from the Lord’s vineyard: coveting, pouting, or tearing others down does not elevate your standing, nor does demeaning someone else improve your self-image. So be kind, and be grateful that God is kind. It is a happy way to live. (“The Laborers in the Vineyard,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2012, 31).

1 Samuel 17:49 We can overcome any enemy that would like to conquer us with the slingshot of truth and the stones of virtue and honor.

President Hinckley:

“There are Goliath's all around you, hulking giants with evil intent to destroy you. These are not nine-foot tall men, but they are men and institutions that control attractive but evil things that may challenge and weaken and destroy you. Included in these are beer and other liquors and tobacco. Those who market these products would like to enslave you into their use. There are drugs of various kinds….There is pornography, seductive and interesting and inviting.“The Giants who are behind these efforts are formidable and skillful. They have gained vast experience in the war they are carrying on. They would like to ensnare you. “It is almost impossible to entirely avoid exposure to their products. You see these materials on all sides. But you need not fear if you have the slingshot of truth in your hands. You have been counseled and taught and advised. You have the stones of virtue and honor and integrity to use against these enemies who would like to conquer you….You can triumph over them…. “Victory will be yours. There is not a person within the sound of my voice who needs to succumb to any of these forces….You have His power within you to sustain you. (President Gordon B. Hinckley, General Conference report, April 1983, 66)

1 Samuel 16:7 The heart of a person describes the effort to better his or her self, and others.

Elder Marvin J Ashton taught"

"We … tend to evaluate others on the basis of physical, outward appearance: their 'good looks,' their social status, ..or their economic situations.

"The Lord, however, has a different standard by which he measures a person…

"When the Lord measures an individual … He measures the heart as an indicator of the person's capacity and potential to bless others...   

"The measure of our hearts is the measure of our total performance.  As used by the Lord, the ‘heart’ of a person describes his effort to better self, or others, or the conditions he confronts.”

(Marvin J. Ashton, in Conference Report, Oct. 1988, 17; or Ensign, Nov. 1988, 15). 

1 Samuel 16:7 The Lord loves you because you are His child.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

“Heavenly Father’s interest in you does not depend on how rich or beautiful or healthy or smart you are. He sees you not as the world sees you; He sees who you really are. He looks on your heart. And He loves you because you are His child” (“Your Wonderful Journey Home,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2013, 128).

1 Samuel 15:24 Be obedient even if it's difficult or embarrassing.

Elder Bruce A. Carlson of the Seventy:

“At times we may rationalize that the Lord will understand our disobedience because our special circumstances make adherence (obedience) to His laws difficult, embarrassing, or even painful. However, faithful obedience, regardless of the apparent size of the task, will bring the Lord’s guidance, assistance, and peace” (“When the Lord Commands,” Ensign, May 2010, 39). 

1 Samuel 3:10 We can hear the voice of the Lord above the other noise

Elder Allan F. Packer of the Seventy:

“When I was a young man in high school, one of my passions was American football. I played middle linebacker. The coach worked the team hard, teaching us the basics. We practiced until the skills became natural and automatic. During one play against our biggest rival, I had an experience that has helped me over the years. We were on defense. I knew my assigned opponent, and as the play unfolded, he moved to my right into the line of scrimmage. There was a lot of noise from players and fans. I reacted as the coach had taught us and followed my man into the line, not knowing if he had the ball. To my surprise, I felt the ball partially in my hands. I gave it a tug, but my opponent didn’t let go. As we tugged back and forth, amid all the noise I heard a voice yelling, ‘Packer, tackle him!’ That was enough to bring me to my senses, so I dropped him on the spot. “I have wondered how I heard that voice above all the other noise. I had become acquainted with the voice of the coach during the practices, and I had learned to trust it. I knew that what he taught worked. “We need to be acquainted with the promptings of the Holy Ghost, and we need to prac­tice and apply gospel teachings until they become natural and automatic. These prompt­ings become the foundation of our testimonies” (“Finding Strength in Challenging Times!” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 17).

1 Samuel 3:4-7 The Spirit doesn't get out attention by shouting or shaking us.

President Boyd K. Packer:

“The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all. . . .“Occasionally it will press just firmly enough for us to pay heed. But most of the time, if we do not heed the gentle feeling, the Spirit will withdraw and wait until we come seeking and listening” (“The Candle of the Lord,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 53).

Ruth 3:11 Living virtuously

Sister Dalton

“Virtue ‘is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards’ It encompasses chastity and moral purity. Virtue begins in the heart and in the mind. It is nurtured in the home. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions. Virtue is a word we don’t hear often in today’s society, but the Latin root word virtus means strength. Virtuous women and men possess a quiet dignity and inner strength” (“A Return to Virtue,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 79).

Judges 16:19-20. Keeping covenants leads to Eternal Life.

President Eyring

The greatest of all the blessings of God, eternal life, will come to us only as we make covenants offered in the true Church of Jesus Christ by His authorized servants. Because of the Fall, we all need the cleansing effects of baptism and the laying on of hands to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost…. Then, with the help of the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost, we can keep all the covenants we make with God, especially those offered in His temples. Only in that way, and with that help, can anyone claim his or her rightful inheritance as a child of God in a family forever. (A Priceless Heritage of Hope. General Conference April 2014).

Judges 6:31 We stand out to the world because we follow the Lord

“May I say to all of you, and particularly to you young people, that as the world moves further and further away from the principles and guidelines given to us by a loving Heavenly Father, we will stand out from the crowd because we are different. We will stand out because we dress modestly. We will be different because we do not use profanity and because we do not partake of substances which are harmful to our bodies. We will be different because we avoid off-color humor and degrading remarks. We will be different as we decide not to fill our minds with media choices that are base and demeaning and that will remove the Spirit from our homes and our lives. We will certainly stand out as we make choices regarding morality—choices which adhere to gospel principles and standards. Those things which make us different from most of the world also provide us with that light and that spirit which will shine in an increasingly dark world.” – President Thomas S. Monson, “Be an Example and a Light”, General Conference, October 2015

Judges 2:3. Change the situation surrounding our sins

President Spencer W. Kimball:

“In abandoning sin one cannot merely wish for better conditions. He must make them. . . . He must be certain not only that he has abandoned the sin but that he has changed the situations surrounding the sin. He should avoid the places and conditions and circum­stances where the sin occurred, for these could most readily breed it again” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 171).

Judges 2:3. Pres Kimball's story of man quitting alcohol to go to the temple with family

President Spencer W. Kimball:

“One man who had been a slave to alcohol most of his adult life became convinced . . . that he must give up the habit and prepare himself for the temple. . . . With great effort he quit drinking. He moved many miles away from the area where his drinking friends lived and, though his body craved and ached and gnawed for [alcohol], he finally conquered. He was at all his Church meetings, and was paying his tithing. His new friends in the Church seemed to fortify him. He felt good in the new activity, and life was glorious. His wife was beaming, because now the whole family was always together. This is what she had dreamed about all their married life.

“They got their temple recommends and the happy day arrived and they drove to the temple city for this great event. They arrived early and each had some errands to do. As it happened, the husband ran into some old friends. They urged him to go with them to the tavern [where alcohol was served]. No, he would not, he said, he had other important things to do. Well, he could just take a soft drink [soda], they urged”

“With the best of intentions he finally relented [and went to the tavern with his old friends]. But by the time he was to meet his wife at the temple he was so incapacitated [or drunk with alcohol] that the family went home in disgrace and sorrow and disap­pointment” (The Miracle of Forgiveness, 171).