Preparing as Youth to Receive Guidance in These Troubled Times:

At the last Stake General Priesthood Meeting, I was asked to speak/train about the Duty to God program that the young men participate in by setting goals for their personal development. Here are my notes from the presentation:

In 1820, God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to a young boy Joseph Smith in answer to his humble petition. What had Joseph Smith both done and been taught in order to receive such a mighty revelation? What must you and I do in our youth in order to receive our own mighty revelations, in other words, what does Joseph Smith’s experience teach us about our own lives? What established guideposts do we have that will guide us in our lives? In consonance with those thoughts, this evening I would like to discuss a guide post that the young men have in their lives: the Duty to God Program.

In order to illustrate the importance of guideposts in our life’s journey, let me share an experience that I recently had. For work, I was traveling in order to visit with a client of mine and I had printed a map with what I believed to have correct directions to the location of the meeting. When I got to the area where I supposed to end up, I soon recognized that the map and directions that I had printed from the internet had taken me to an incorrect neighborhood and I had no immediate means of knowing which way I needed to go in order to arrive at the agreed upon destination. With the hour of appointment at hand and anxiety mounting in my mind, I called a friend in order to receive guidance, direction and resources that I did not have immediately at hand. My friend was able to get me back on course and assisting me in arriving at the proper destination.

This story illustrates the need for correct guideposts in two ways. First, it is incumbent upon us to know that we have accessed the necessary guideposts to help us arrive and the destination we desire to arrive at. Where is it that we need to arrive at? All of us here know that it is a “better country” that we “desire”, even “an heavenly” (see Hebrews 11:16). Indeed we know that our Father in Heaven has prepared for us Celestial glory. We know the destination and therefore it becomes necessary for you and I to know the necessary guideposts that will point us on the way to that ultimate destination. Guidepost, therefore, serve the purpose of pointing us to that next

"The Duty to God Award will assist young men to meet the future challenges of life and to achieve the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood. . . .

"If you will fulfill the requirements for these priesthood duties and personal attributes, you will prepare yourselves for the Melchizedek Priesthood responsibilities and future challenges in your life. I promise you that your achievement of the Duty to God Award will provide you with a living testimony that will sustain you throughout your life.

"Where available, Scouting can also help you in this effort. We encourage you to participate in Scouting. Many of the Scouting requirements can fill goals and requirements of the Duty to God certificates.

"Scouting is part of the Aaronic Priesthood activity program. The Duty to God Award is a priesthood award, having requirements that will help you develop spiritually and fulfill your priesthood duties.

"Some of the great blessings of these programs that have been developed are that as the youth of the Church, you will have a clear understanding of who you are, you will be accountable for your actions, you will take responsibility for the conduct of your life, and you will be able to set goals so that you might achieve what you were sent to earth to achieve. Our plea is that you strive to do your very best. . . .

" . . . By fulfilling your duty to God, you will bring blessings not only to your own life but to the lives of others.

"Giving service to others is one of the purposes of the Aaronic Priesthood. As a requirement for the Duty to God Award, at least once each year you will have a service project that will provide an opportunity for significant service to your family, the Church, or the community. As you help and serve others, you will learn that the following scripture is a very essential part of the gospel: 'Inasmuch as ye do it unto the least of these, ye do it unto me' (D&C 42:38).

"I hope the parents, and the bishops—who are the presidents of the Aaronic Priesthood—will understand that the young men and young women for whom they have responsibility have been prepared to come to earth at this particular time for a sacred and glorious purpose. It is a great blessing to be able to qualify for and then receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. You young men have noble callings to become righteous men, to grow in strength, and to influence others for good. You young men are the future of the Church. . . .

"Brethren of the Aaronic Priesthood, set your goals now and start working toward earning your Duty to God Award and Eagle Scout Award. You will be blessed for your efforts. . . .

" . . . I promise you that you will be blessed for your faithfulness and declare with the prophet Alma, 'I have said these things unto you that I might awaken you to a sense of your duty to God, that ye may walk blameless before him, that ye may walk after the holy order of God' (Alma 7:22)" ("Fulfilling Our Duty to God," Ensign, Nov. 2001, 39–41).

"With the challenges that are bombarding young men today—Satan’s attempts to weaken them and lead them astray—there has never been a greater need for the blessings that come through achieving the Duty to God Award. A young man who is dedicated to reading the scriptures daily, memorizing the Article of Faith, and accomplishing the other requirements will not only be more focused on that which is good and right and true, but he will be more prepared to shun evil" ("Fulfilling Our Duty to God: A Window of Opportunity," Ensign, Sept. 2006, 36).