Lessons from the Doctrine and Covenants 2025
Lesson No. Seven

Pray Always for Blessings from God and for Power Against Satan - D&C 10

Satan is cunning and tries to destroy God’s work and the Lord’s servants – A good example is the loss of 116 pages of manuscript from the early translation of the Book of Mormon. The Lord knew of Satan’s plan to alter this manuscript 2,500 years in advance. (See D&C 10:29-33).

The Lord described the desires of Satan and his mortal followers who stole the 116 pages:

- “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that Satan has great hold upon their hearts; he stirreth them up to iniquity against that which is good;

- “And their hearts are corrupt, and full of wickedness and abominations; and they love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil; therefore they will not ask of me.

- “Satan stirreth them up, that he may lead their souls to destruction.

- “And thus he has laid a cunning plan, thinking to destroy the work of God; but I will require this at their hands, and it shall turn to their shame and condemnation in the day of judgment.

- “Yea, he stirreth up their hearts to anger against this work.

- Yea, he saith unto them: Deceive and lie in wait to catch, that ye may destroy; behold, this is no harm. And thus he flattereth them, and telleth them that it is no sin to lie that they may catch a man in a lie, that they may destroy him.

- And thus he flattereth them, and leadeth them along until he draggeth their souls down to hell; and thus he causeth them to catch themselves in their own snare.

- And thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men” (D&C 10:5-6, 20-27).

“I will not suffer that they shall destroy my work” (D&C 10:43) – The Lord took steps to thwart Satan’s plan 2,500 years before the 116 pages were lost. He commanded Nephi to make two sets of records which we refer to as the large plates of Nephi and the small plates of Nephi. (They were called small and large because of their relative number, not the size or dimensions of the plates) The small plates focused on the prophetic ministry of Nephi and his successors down to king Benjamin. The large plates focused on Nephite secular history. (See 1 Nephi 9) Joseph Smith was told not to retranslate the 116 pages taken from the large plates, but to translate the small plates which covered the same time period of the lost manuscript. (See D&C 10:29-46)

God’s work will always succeed. “The works, and the designs, and the purposes of God cannot be frustrated, neither can they come to naught. For God doth not walk in crooked paths, neither doth he turn to the right hand nor to the left, neither doth he vary from that which he hath said, therefore his paths are straight, and his course is one eternal round. Remember, remember that it is not the work of God that is frustrated, but the work of men” (D&C 3:1-3).

Satan is real and has great power – Joseph Smith knew from His First Vision experience that Satan has great power: “But, exerting all my powers to call upon God to deliver me out of the power of this enemy which had seized upon me, and at the very moment when I was ready to sink into despair and abandon myself to destruction—not to an imaginary ruin, but to the power of some actual being from the unseen world, who had such marvelous power as I had never before felt in any being….” (Joseph Smith History 1:14-16).

The Church will never fall into apostacy, but each individual member is at risk. Satan knows our weakness and that is where he attacks. Therefore, we are often commanded to pray always that Satan will have no power in our life. In the following scriptures it is important to remember that the Lord is speaking to each of us individually:

- “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work. Behold, they have sought to destroy you…” (D&C 10:5-6).

- “Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him. Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father in my name” (3 Nephi 18:15, 18-19).

- “What I say unto one I say unto all; pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place” (D&C 93:49).

- “My servant Newel K. Whitney also, a bishop of my church, hath need to be chasten, and set in order his family, and see that they are more diligent and concerned at home, and pray always, or they shall be removed out of their place” (D&C 93:50).

- “Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death. Even so. Amen” (D&C 61:39).

- “Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward” (D&C 31:12).

- “But there is a possibility that man may fall from grace and depart from the living God; Therefore let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation” (D&C 20:32).

What does it mean to “pray always”? This question brings back sweet memories from when I presided over 210 missionaries in the Kentucky Louisville Mission 35 years ago. I was blessed because on many days we did pray, almost always. This was so at zone conferences, when new missionaries arrived, when those who had finished their mission returned home, and days spent visiting every missionary apartment. In each of these cases I interviewed each missionary, and each interview included a prayer. Other possible ways to pray always include:

- Prayer involves our mind, and if throughout the day we “let virtue garnishes [our] thoughts unceasingly” (D&C 121:45), this may be a way that we can “pray always”.

- Prayer involves our heart, and if we pray “with real intent of heart” (Moroni 7:headnote, 6, 9), and If we live as we pray this may be another way that we can “pray always”.

Related ways to “pray always” – Closely related to the Lord’s command to “pray always” is His injunction to, “Look unto me in every thought; doubt not, fear not” (D&C 6:36).

Also closely related to the commandment to “pray always” is Alma’s council to his son Helaman: “Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.

“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:36-37, emphasis added).

Testimony – “Pray always”; “let all thy thought be directed unto the Lord”; and “counsel with the Lord in all thy doings” comes down to one thing, faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Saving faith is total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ and complete reliance on Him.

Released on February 23rd. 2025.