Elder Ronald A. Rasband on Satan's latter-day tactics

Elder Ronald A. Rasband (born February 6, 1951) served as a Seventy beginning in 2000.  He was the senior president of the Seventy when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in October 2015.

"Brothers and sisters, we are at war with Satan for the souls of men. The battle lines were drawn in our pre-earth life. Satan and a third of our Father in Heaven’s children turned away from His promises of exaltation. Since that time, the adversary’s minions have been fighting the faithful who choose the Father’s plan.

"Satan knows his days are numbered and that time is growing shorter. As crafty and cunning as he is, he will not win. However, his battle for each one of our souls rages on.

"For our safety, we must build a fortress of spirituality and protection for our very souls, a fortress that will not be penetrated by the evil one.

"Satan is a subtle snake, sneaking into our minds and hearts when we have let our guard down, faced a disappointment, or lost hope. He entices us with flattery, a promise of ease, comfort, or a temporary high when we are low. He justifies pride, unkindness, dishonesty, discontent, and immorality, and in time we can be 'past feeling' (1 Nephi 17:45). The Spirit can leave us. 'And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell' (2 Nephi 28:21).....

"When we build a fortress of spiritual strength, we can shun the advances of the adversary, turn our backs on him, and feel the peace of the Spirit. We can follow the example of our Lord and Savior, who, when tempted in the wilderness, said, 'Get thee behind me, Satan' (Luke 4:8). We each have to learn by the experiences of life how to do that."

- Ronald A. Rasband, "Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection," General Conference April 2019
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It's not exaggerating to describe the present conflict between good and evil in the world as "war." The struggle is real, and prophets frequently warn us that Satan's "battle for each one of our souls rages on" and remind us of our need to be prepared and strong.

Elder Rasband described an experience of his great-grandfather who, as one of the early pioneer settlers in the Heber Valley in Utah, helped build a protective wall of cottonwood logs around their homes. He likened that to the need we each have to "build a fortress of spirituality and protection for our very souls," enabling us to better ward off the attacks of the adversary:

The description of Satan as a "subtle snake" who can "[sneak] into our minds and hearts when we have let our guard down, faced a disappointment, or lost hope" is one that we should ponder. At the times when we are most vulnerable, we need to be the most cautious and the most committed to our spiritual fortifications.

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

Boyd K. Packer on appreciating the innocent casualties of war

President Boyd K. Packer (1924-2015) served as an Assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve (a position that no longer exists) from 1961 to 1970, when he was called to the Quorum of Twelve Apostles.  He served as president of that Quorum from 1994 until his death on July 3, 2015 at age 90.

"In armed conflicts there are casualties. Sometimes clean, worthy men, innocent of any desire to kill, devoid of any aggressive will to own that which belongs to someone else, fall victims of the confused, wicked ugliness of war.

"'For,' the prophet Moroni said, 'the Lord suffereth the righteous to be slain that his justice and judgment may come upon the wicked; therefore, ye need not suppose that the righteous will be lost because they are slain; but behold they do enter into the rest of their God.' (Alma 60:13) There are homes among us now where this heartbreak is known.

"I read somewhere some simple lines of verse about a mother—and a telegram. Deep within lies a seed of strength and consolation—understood, perhaps, only by those who have faith. I can read but a few lines.

"'Killed in action—in the line of duty.'
Blind went her eyes with pain.
A moan of mortal agony,
Then all became still again.

"'Oh God! My God! Where were you
When my son was being slain?'
And the scalding tears of bitterness
Drenched her cheeks like the summer rain.

"But a soft voice seemed to whisper
In the twilight's afterglow,
'I had a son—at Calvary
Two thousand years ago.'"

- Boyd K. Packer, "The Member and the Military," Conference Report, April 1968, pp. 33-36; or Improvement Era June 1968, 71:58-61
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President Packer gave this talk in general conference when he was a young general authority serving as an Assistant to the Twelve. It was during the time of US involvement in the Vietnam conflict. He discusses the appropriateness of involvement in the military as we strive to uphold principles of liberty and justice. But he also addresses the sobering reality of the sacrifices that result when casualties occur. This anonymous poem puts that sacrifice into an interesting perspective:

On Memorial Day in the US, we traditionally remember with appreciation the sacrifices of those who served in the military and "gave the last full measure of devotion." How we should appreciate those individuals, and the families they left behind in sadness and sorrow.

Gordon B. Hinckley on remembrance and gratitude for military service

President Gordon B. Hinckley (1910-2008) was called to the Quorum of Twelve in 1961. He served as a counselor in the First Presidency from 1981-1995, then as Church President until his death in 2008.

"I deeply appreciate those who have sacrificed their lives for the cause of human liberty. I hate war, with all its mocking panoply. It is a grim and living testimony that Satan, the father of lies, the enemy of God, lives. War is earth's greatest cause of human misery. It is the destroyer of life, the promoter of hate, the waster of treasure. It is man's costliest folly, his most tragic misadventure....

"Can anyone in a free land be less than grateful for those who have given their lives that liberty might flourish?

"I have stood at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, where are remembered those who have died for the freedom of the United States. I have stood by the Cenotaph at Whitehall in London, where are remembered the dead of Britain. I have seen the flame that always burns beneath the Arch of Triumph in Paris, in remembrance of the men of France who died in the cause of freedom. At each of these sacred places I have felt a deep and moving sense of gratitude to those there remembered. I have stood beside my own brother's grave in the U.S. military cemetery in Suresnes, France, and thanked the Lord for the liberty preserved by the sacrifices of those who gave their lives in the cause of human liberty. I have walked reverently on that quiet ground known as the Punch Bowl in Hawaii, where lie the remains of thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice....

"In such places, hallowed by the blood of patriots, I have thought of a scene in the Maxwell Anderson play Valley Forge. The scene depicts soldiers of the American Revolution, cold, hungry, and filled with despair, burying a dead comrade in the frozen earth. General Washington says with a touch of bitterness: 'This liberty will look easy by and by, when nobody dies to get it.'

"When I was a boy in school, each Armistice Day at eleven o'clock we all stood with bowed heads for a minute of silent and grateful remembrance. I am sorry we have forgotten that practice in the rush of our lives....

"May the Lord bless our brethren in the service, wherever they may be, for their faithfulness. May the Lord remind us of the debt of gratitude we owe them, and may he awaken within us a resolution to live worthy of their sacrifice."

- Gordon B. Hinckley, "In Grateful Remembrance," Ensign, March 1971, p. 20
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This is such a touching tribute and reminder from President Hinckley. He starts with this vivid description of war's "mocking panoply" that he attributes directly to Satan:

President Hinckley then documents his own personal gratitude, giving examples of those who have sacrificed in war to preserve freedom—including his own brother.

This reminder warns that we are losing the patriotism of the past as it subtly fades:

And I think this concluding prayer and challenge sums up the message.