"Our attitude is more important than our actions. Why we do a thing has more significance than the thing we do. I was reading the Book of Mormon a few days ago, when a familiar passage was clarified. The passage from Moroni teaches:
"'For behold, God hath said a man being evil cannot do that which is good; for if he offereth a gift, or prayeth unto God, except he shall do it with real intent it profiteth him nothing. For behold, it is not counted unto him for righteousness. For behold, if a man being evil giveth a gift, he doeth it grudgingly; wherefore it is counted unto him the same as if he had retained the gift; wherefore he is counted evil before God. And likewise also is it counted evil unto a man, if he shall pray and not with real intent of heart; yea, and it profiteth him nothing, for God receiveth none such. Wherefore, a man being evil cannot do that which is good; neither will he give a good gift' (Moroni 7:6-10)."
This is from Ted L. Gibbons' commentary on Old Testament Lesson 22: The Lord Looketh on the Heart. If you would like to read this article, click this link.
"Some years ago I spoke to the young men of the Church about overcoming the Goliaths in their lives. I would like to apply that same theme to all of us, for few of us do not have at least one Goliath to contend with. As we study the Old Testament this year, we will come to realize that the story of David and Goliath is a wonderful example of what we can learn from the pages of this great book of scripture. I recount only a portion of the story, for I am confident you are already familiar with it. It is the story of David, the son of Jesse.
"As you will recall, the army of Israel under the leadership of King Saul was engaged in a deadly war with the army of the Philistines. One army was poised on one hill, the other on an opposite hill, with a valley in between. Now, the Philistines had among their men a great giant of a man named Goliath of Gath. His height was six cubits and a span. If I have figured correctly, that would put him somewhere in the neighborhood of nine feet tall. What a basketball center he might have made!
"Clad in his armor, he came down to the valley and called out to the army of Israel:
“'Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me.
“'If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us. …
“'I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together.' (1 Sam. 17:8-10.)"
This is an excerpt from an article by President Gordon B. Hinckley entitled "Overpowering the Goliaths in Our Lives," in the January 2002 Ensign magazine. If you would like to read this article, click this link.
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