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Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3

Thoughts and Language

"Lesson 43: Thoughts and Language," Aaronic Priesthood Manual 3, 174

OBJECTIVE

Each young man will desire to control his thoughts and use uplifting language.

PREPARATION

SUGGESTED LESSON DEVELOPMENT

There Are Many Ways We Can Keep Our Thoughts and Language Clean

Object lesson and chalkboard discussion

Write the young men's responses on the chalkboard and discuss them. They may include the following:

Many television shows and movies
Many magazines and books
Swearing
Dirty jokes
Pornography
Jealousy
Selfishness

 

As the young men mention each evil influence, add a drop of food coloring to the glass of water. Use several different colors.

Explain that our minds become clouded like the water when we let vulgar and impure thoughts and language into our minds.

Tell the young men that cleaning agents exist to help us keep our minds and language clean.

Ask a young man to pour a little bleach from the bottle marked "Mind and Language Cleaner" into the water containing the food coloring. At the conclusion of the readings, the water should be clear again. Tell the quorum that if we use some of the cleaning agents mentioned below, our minds will be clean like the water. Review and discuss the quotations and ideas.

Sacred Music

"Choose from among the sacred music of the Church, one favorite hymn. ...

"Now, go over it in your mind very thoughtfully a few times. Memorize the words and the music. ... Use this hymn as your emergency channel. Use this as the place for your thoughts to go. ... It will change the whole mood on the stage of your mind. Because it is clean and uplifting and reverent, the baser thoughts will leave" (Boyd K. Packer, Let Virtue Garnish Thy Thoughts, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 26 Sept. 1967], p. 10).

Earnest Prayer

"Through the exercise of self-control and by engaging in earnest prayer, it is possible to learn to govern one's speech" (Henry D. Taylor, in Conference Report, Apr. 1964, p. 89; or Improvement Era, June 1964, p. 494).

Savior's Example

"A person who is striving to pattern his or her life after that of the Savior will be pure in thought and action. His or her speech will then be clean, dignified, and worshipful" (Henry D. Taylor, in Conference Report, Apr. 1964, p. 90; or Improvement Era, June 1964, p. 494).

Good Company

Choose your company so you will not be tempted. Good choices and self-control are often influenced by those with whom we associate.

Mental Control

Visualize your mind as a big television screen or theater stage. When an evil thought enters, mentally change channels or change the scene or set, and think of something uplifting.

Memorized Scripture

Pick a favorite scripture that has special meaning to you and memorize it. When the temptation to think evil enters your mind, quote the scripture over and over until the thought leaves.

Special Rock

A father tells of the time his little girl presented him with a rock as a special gift. It was small and fit nicely into his pocket. Whenever an evil thought entered his mind, he took out the rock and looked at it. It reminded him of the sweet, innocent spirit and personality of his little girl. While he was thinking of her, no evil thought could stay in his mind. Some object, such as a rock, could remind us of a person whom we hold in such esteem that we could not harbor evil thoughts while thinking of him or her.

Avoid Evil

Avoid pictures, books, magazines, movies, or anything else that would bring evil thoughts into your mind.

Quotation

Read the following quotation:

"Thoughts are the tools with which we shape our character, just as truly as a great sculptor with chisel and mallet chips and chips on the rough marble until it's shaped, perhaps, into ... a splendid and perfect work of art. Just so every thought is shaping our character and, consequently, shaping our destiny and our lives. Therefore the result is, in all our thoughts, the creation of a character" (George Q. Morris, The Importance of Habits, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [Provo, 20 May 1953], p. 3).

We Should Use Clean Language in All Situations

Case studies

Explain that it is easy to rationalize the use of some bad language. But young men who are disciples of the Savior should strive to use clean language in all situations, as made clear in the discussion of the following case studies.

Give each young man a solution to one of the following case studies and ask him to read it silently. Then present a case study and allow the young men to discuss it. Afterward, have the young man with the solution share it with the quorum. Do this for each of the case studies.

The Lord emphasized the importance of strengthening each other in our speech as well as in our actions when he said, "Strengthen your brethren in all your conversation, in all your prayers, in all your exhortations, and in all your doings" (D&C 108:7).

Conclusion

Scriptures and discussion

On the chalkboard list Leviticus 19:12 and Matthew 5:34-35; 15:17-20.

Have the young men find the scriptures and read them aloud.

Briefly discuss each scripture, pointing out that because the Lord has commanded us not to swear or profane, we really need no other reason to keep our thoughts and speech clean.

Point out that a spiritually mature young man will do the things his Heavenly Father asks of him, having faith that Heavenly Father will ask him to do only those things that bring happiness. He will keep his language clean.

Challenge

Challenge the class members to try one of the methods suggested to control their thoughts and speech. Emphasize that someday they will serve as examples on their missions and to their children. They now serve as examples to their friends and other family members. With such a responsibility, now is the time to build thought and speech habits worthy of emulation.

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