THE IMPORTANCE OF OVERCOMING OUR WEAKNESSES

Elder Melvin J. Ballard:
"I grant you that the righteous dead will be at peace, but I tell you that when we go out of this life, leave this body, we will yearn to do a thousand things that we cannot do at all without the body, and how handicapped we will be, and realize then like a man who has suddenly lost both arms and his legs. We will be seriously handicapped, and we will long for the body; we will crave it; we will pray for that early reunion with our bodies. We will know then what advantage it was to have a body. Then, every man and woman who is putting off until the next life the task of correcting and overcoming the weakness of the flesh are sentencing themselves to that man years of bondage, for no man or woman will come forth in the resurrection until they have completed their work, until they have overcome, until they have corrected, until they have done as much as they can do. That is why Jesus said in the resurrection there is neither marriage or giving in marriage, for all such contracts agreements will be provided for those who are worthy of it before men and women come forth in the resurrection of the Lord, and those who are complying in this life with these conditions are shortening their sentences, for every one of us will have a matter of years in that spirit state to complete and finish their salvation. And some may attain, by reason of their righteousness in this life, the right to do post-graduate work, to be admitted into the Celestial Kingdom, but others will lose absolutely the right to that glory, all they can do will not avail after death to bring them into the Celestial Kingdom.
The point I have in mind is that we are sentencing ourselves to long periods of bond- age, separating our spirits from our bodies, or we are shortening that period, according to the way in which we overcome and master ourselves." (Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin J. Ballard, Bryant S. Hinckley. pp. 241-242)

"A man may receive the priesthood and all its privileges and blessings, but until he learns to overcome the flesh, his temper, his tongue, his disposition to indulge in the things God has forbidden, he cannot come into the Celestial Kingdom of God until he overcomes either in this life or in the life to come."

"...it is my judgment that any man or woman can do more to conform to the laws of God in one year in this life than they could in ten years when they are dead." (Ibid pp. 240-241)

" It is true that some have greater power of resistance than others, but everyone has the power to close his heart against doubt, against darkness, against unbelief, against anger, against hatred, against jealousy, against malice, against envy. God has given this power by calling upon Him for that which we lack. If it were not so, how could we be condemned for giving way to wrong influences?" (George Q Cannon, Gospel Truth. pp. 19-20)