James E. Faust on choosing to stand against the world

President James E. Faust (1920 - 2007) was called as a Seventy in 1976, then as a member of the Quorum of Twelve in 1978. He served as a counselor to President Hinckley from 1995 until his death in 2007 at age 87.

"There is another great truth that you... must learn. It is that everything has a price. There is a price to pay for success, fulfillment, accomplishment, and joy. There are no freebies. If you don't pay the price that is needed for success, you will pay the price of failure. Preparation, work, study, and service are required to achieve and find happiness. Disobedience and lack of preparation carry a terrible price tag.

"As [members] of this Church, part of the price we need to pay is by living differently from the world. We are the possessors and custodians of these commanding powers which can and do roll back the power of Satan on the earth. With all my heart I urge you to please help us push back the world. We must stand against the wind. Sometimes we must be unpopular and simply say, 'This is not right.'"

- James E. Faust, "The Devil's Throat," Ensign, May 2003, pp. 51-53
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"Everything has a price." President Faust calls this "a great truth." We don't often realize that we are paying a price for future results. Sometimes we unwittingly pay a price of negligence or laziness, or disobedience; and are eventually rewarded with exactly what we have earned. "There are no freebies," and there also is no freedom from the consequences of choices and actions.

So the challenge President Faust offers is to live differently from the world. We then will be paying the price of different results from what the world sees.

The call is to "push back the world" as much as we can, individually and collectively in our respective spheres of influence. It's a bold challenge, to be willing to stand for truth and righteousness regardless of the consequences; and one that we should ponder frequently.