Custodians of these commanding powers

This post is part of the General Conference Odyssey. This week covers the Priesthood Session of the April 2003 Conference.

Malachi has been writing essays on the idea of a Universal Basic Income (it's for some contest he's doing called International Public Policy Forum—could any name possibly sound more boring?) and it has had me thinking about gospel principles like Consecration, the Law of the Harvest, and how God has a work and a glory. I just don't understand why so many people think getting something for nothing is even possible, let alone desirable! There is something eternally significant about putting in effort to get a reward ("the Lord loves effort"!) 

Neil Peart wrote a line that goes through my head sometimes when I think about doing hard things for the gospel cause—"We will pay the price, but we will not count the cost."  President Faust gave a talk along these lines too:

My dear young friends, there is another great truth that you young men 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 priesthood holders 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.”

He adds, prophetically:

You young men will be working out your eternal destiny at an interesting time. In the future there will continue to be an increase in scientific discoveries and inventions which will make life more comfortable and easier for many. No doubt medical science will continue to find new treatments and cures not available now. In contrast, the worldly influences of evil will likely increase, and more people will become vulnerable to the deceit and enticement of Satan. You young men will need to become stronger spiritually and morally in order to withstand the temptations and snares of the world.…

I also believe that in the future the opposition from Satan will be both more subtle and more open. While in some ways it may be more blatant, it will be masked with greater sophistication and cunning. We will need greater spirituality to perceive all the forms of evil and greater strength to resist it.

It seems like exactly the call we need in our day. There's nothing I'd like more than to "roll back the power of Satan on the earth," but it won't happen without effort and sacrifice on my part. I want to gain enough power through my covenants to stay strong—and help my children stay strong—against his many deceptions!