"There could be no condemnation for our doing what we could not help; but we can help yielding to wrong influences and being quarrelsome and selfish. We can help giving way to the spirit of theft, and we can resist the spirit of lust. God has given us power to resist these things, that our hearts may be kept free from them and also from doubt; and when Satan comes and assails us, it is our privilege to say, 'Get thee behind me, Satan, for I have no lot nor portion in you, and you have no part in me. I am in the service of God, and I am going to serve Him, and you can do what you please. It is no use you presenting yourself with your blandishments to me. You come and try to insinuate into my heart evil thoughts about the servants of God or about the work of God, and I will not listen to you; I will close my heart against you. ... Doctrine and Covenants Manual, p.161

"Whenever darkness fills our minds, we may know that we are not possessed of the Spirit of God, and we must get rid of it. When we are filled with the Spirit of God, we are filled with joy, with peace and with happiness no matter what our circumstances may be; for it is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness."

(Gospel Truth, 1:19-20.)

"At a church service I attended in a care center, after the wheelchair-bound residents received the sacrament, a young woman . . . played a solo on her violin. The elderly sisters were so appreciative. They declared aloud their gratitude with comments such as 'Beautiful,' 'Wonderful,' 'I love you.' Such distractions did not deter the violinist; rather, they enabled her to reach new heights in her performance.

"That day she said to me: 'I have never played better in my life. Something seemed to lift me beyond myself and my own abilities. I felt the inspiration of my Heavenly Father's love.' "I reminded her, 'When you are in the service of your fellow beings you are only in the service of your God.' (See Mosiah 2:17.) "She nodded her acknowledgement, carefully placed her violin in its case, and, with tears of joy coursing down her cheeks, returned to her seat. "May we remember to reach outward."

(Thomas S. Monson, "Your Celestial Journey," Ensign, May 1999, 98)

"Writing to the Corinthians, Paul pleaded for unity in the Church and for members to serve one another, 'that there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer . . . ; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice.' (1 Cor. 12:25-26; see also 1 Cor. 12:12-27.) We are only as strong as each member of the body, or church, of Christ. We should do all we can to help every member realize his or her divine potential as 'heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.' (Rom. 8:17.) "In giving our service to others, we need to remember President Hinckley's counsel to extend the hand of fellowship and to share our love with the hundreds of thousands who join the Church as converts each year. The greatest tool the Lord has to welcome new converts warmly and 'keep them in the right way' (Moro. 6:4) is the love each of us extends by taking the time to introduce ourselves to new members, learning their names, listening to them, and learning something about them."

(Joseph B. Wirthlin, "The Time to Prepare," Ensign, May 1998, 15)