Elder Jeffrey R. Holland on trusting God when opposition occurs

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland (born December 3, 1940) served as Church Commissioner of Education from 1976-1980, as the president of BYU from 1980-1989, as a Seventy from 1989-1994, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles since 1994.

"Opposition turns up almost any place something good has happened. It can happen when you are trying to get an education. It can hit you after your first month in your new mission field. It certainly happens in matters of love and marriage. It can occur in situations related to your family, Church callings, or career.

"With any major decision there are cautions and considerations to make, but once there has been illumination, beware the temptation to retreat from a good thing. If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts. Certainly don’t give in to that being who is bent on the destruction of your happiness. Face your doubts. Master your fears. 'Cast not away therefore your confidence' (Hebrews 10:35). Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."

- Jeffrey R. Holland, "Cast Not Away  Therefore Your Confidence," BYU Devotional address March 2, 1999; reprinted in Ensign, March 2000
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This address was originally given to students at BYU. Elder Holland addressed many of the concerns and worries of that time of life. But the counsel applies to many of us at all stages of life; we can encounter very similar situations and challenges.

We all encounter opposition to the good things we choose to do in life. The adversary works to discourage us, to distort our vision, to confuse our goals and priorities. Elder Holland cautions us to be aware of temptations that can distract us from the choices and commitments we have made:

We too often second-guess ourselves, including in matters of supreme importance. Elder Holland reminds us to trust our initial spiritual promptings; once we have received a witness, we must cling to that knowledge and move forward in its light. Blessings come as we trust ourselves. "Stay the course and see the beauty of life unfold for you."

(Compilation and commentary by David Kenison, Orem, Utah, 2019)