Elder D. Todd Christofferson on Satan's traps in our lives

Elder D. Todd Christofferson (born January 24, 1945) was called to the Seventy in 1993, and as a member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in 2008.

"In the premortal world, Lucifer rebelled against God and His plan, and his opposition only grows in intensity. He fights to discourage marriage and the formation of families, and where marriages and families are formed, he does what he can to disrupt them. He attacks everything that is sacred about human sexuality, tearing it from the context of marriage with a seemingly infinite array of immoral thoughts and acts. He seeks to convince men and women that marriage and family priorities can be ignored or abandoned, or at least made subservient to careers, other achievements, and the quest for self-fulfillment and individual autonomy. Certainly the adversary is pleased when parents neglect to teach and train their children to have faith in Christ and be spiritually born again. Brothers and sisters, many things are good, many are important, but only a few are essential."

- D. Todd Christofferson, "Why Marriage, Why Family," General Conference, April 2015
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Elder Christofferson reminds us of an important perspective in our existence. When we understand the eternal plan of God and the broader perspective of our eternal lives, we recognize how critical it is for us to be aware and cautious in this life. Satan's rebellion against God in the premortal world set the stage for the battle that continues into this life. Satan now "fights to discourage marriage and the formation of families." There is an active force behind many of the trends we see in society, and Elder Christofferson explains how subtle Satan's influence can be in how society manipulates the thought processes that turn into actions. Satan rejoices when we fall into those traps, and particularly when we fail to set priorities in our family lives and our teaching of children. And that leads to this most important point:

We must be constantly on guard to focus on the essential things first, and the most important ones; and to we aware and wary of the many traps that are set for us.

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