Doctrine and Covenants 63
At this time in the early restored church the saints were very anxious to receive any revelation that might bring them closer to the new ‘Zion’. Perhaps it is because they became a little too focused on Zion being a physical place rather than a state of being that the revelations they received were more focused on becoming rather than inheriting. Not too unlike the Hebrew during their sojourn in the wilderness. The lesson is that Zion cannot be inherited until we have made it of ourselves.
One condition that was called out in chapter 63 admonished the saints to value chastity, recalling the Sermon on the Mount verses of Matthew 5:27-28.
27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.
Satan the great deceiver desires that we are miserable like unto himself, 2 Nephi 2:18.
18 And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
To achieve this, Satan will create a false copy of the good things God has created for us. Satan will use his false copy to distract, confuse, distort our perspective and ultimately lead us away from the things that would provide us enduring happiness. Just as love leads us to the Savior, Satan will use a false copy of love, to lead us away. The false copy of love is called lust.
Love makes us instinctively reach out to God and other people. Lust, on the other hand, is anything but godly and celebrates self-indulgence. Love comes with open hands and open heart; lust comes with only an open appetite. -Elder Holland
The objective of lust is to satisfy one’s own desires. It is entirely selfish because it reduces others to objects in our minds for the purposes of satisfying ourselves. Lust is portrayed in stories, books, images, videos and movies. It is now common, normal and accepted by a morally ambiguous society to see and hear lust in all its forms. Lust is even falsely called Love causing further confusion and distraction. Pornography is lust in every sense and triggers some of our most powerful natural instincts, and thus it is so addictive. Pornography will distort the perception of its viewer, who may begin thinking the way men and women are portrayed in pornography is normal, desired and socially meaningful, but in reality, it is a destructive false copy. Allowing pornography to have a place in our lives will cause the inability to distinguish between love and lust, making real and meaningful relationships impossible to maintain. The rapid increase in societal depression, anxiety and loneliness can drive many to seek secret, temporary stimulation through pornography but in doing so the very symptoms they seek to relieve will compound into something even more visceral and damaging.
Lust and pornography must be actively combatted against. For some, as it is with many other types of addictions, it may be a lifelong battle. There is a way to achieve victory over temptation and addiction, through Jesus Christ. His love is selfless, it is giving. Love seeks to serve to meet the needs of others. Through love we can experience the highest and most enduring level of joy. Selfless love allows us to become the best versions of ourselves, we can become the Zion we seek.
20 Nevertheless, he that endureth in faith and doeth my will, the same shall overcome, and shall receive an inheritance upon the earth when the day of transfiguration shall come;
23 But unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom, and the same shall be in him a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.
Doctrine and Covenants 63:20,23
