The Power and Strength of Virtue

I was asked to give a talk last week at church. I have never had a harder time writing a talk in all my life. The topic was "The Power and Strength of Virtue." By itself, that topic didn't sound to hard, but I was asked to speak about how it applied to the story in the scriptures about the woman with the issue of blood. It specifically says that when she touched Christ, "virtue went out of Him" to heal her. It is this definition of virtue that I was asked to consider.

I read every talk on virtue I could find, searched the scriptures, and prayed, but I could not organize my thoughts and had absolutely nothing written as Sunday got closer and closer. The gospel library on this particular topic is very sparse, and hardly anyone has specifically addressed this story in these terms. I bugged Jonathon almost nightly to help me organize my thoughts and figure out a direction. He encouraged me to keep trying, but I was starting to get really frustrated and almost angry. Finally, on Friday night I sat down at the computer, said a little prayer, and started to dig deeper and deeper into the topic. Finally, inspiration started to come. I felt a "pouring out of the spirit," and I just kept typing as fast as I could. Everyone else went to bed, but I kept writing because finally the direction that I needed to take was clear. I definitely felt a calmness and peace as I gave the talk, which was a blessing in itself.

I wanted to include the full talk here so that I have it recorded somewhere. It is long, but I hope that it will remind me that Heavenly Father wants us to struggle, to dig deep, to really study it out in our minds and hearts... or in other words, to add virtue to our lives. This process will open the gates to inspiration and bring us strength and power. I truly learned and experienced the principle that I was asked to speak about during my preparations. God works in mysterious ways, but it is always for the good of His children. For that I am thankful.

The Power and Strength of Virtue

I would like to start off with a story that many of you probably recognize:

Many years ago, there was a woman who was sick with a disease. She suffered terribly because of this ailment and was an outcast from society. She visited many doctors and spent all of her money trying to get help, but her condition only got worse and worse. 12 years she struggled with this disease. At that time, there began to be rumors in the area of a man who had power to heal the sick. The woman heard of this man’s power and believed.

If you haven’t already guessed, the woman in the story is the “woman with the issue of blood” from the scriptures and the man that had power to heal was Jesus Christ.

One day there was a large crowd following Christ. This woman squeezed her way through the thick crowds and reached toward him, believing that if she could “touch but his clothes, she would be made whole.” As soon as she touched Christ’s clothing, she was immediately healed.

Mark 5:30 “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?”[1]

 The disciples were very confused because there were people everywhere and they didn’t understand how Jesus knew that someone touched Him.

The woman then fell down before Him and told Him the truth and he replied “Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague.”

Today, I would like to focus on one verse in particular. It says that Jesus “felt virtue go out of him” as the woman was healed. So, what is this virtue that the scriptures are describing and why is it important to us?

We often think of virtue in association with moral cleanliness and chastity. These are essential characteristics of virtue, but virtue is so much more.

In this story, we get the sense that virtue is a real physical force that is being transferred. A power that is felt by both Christ and the woman.

The King James Version of the Bible uses the word “virtue” which is translated from the Latin word virtus meaning strength; In the original Greek, the word was dunamis meaning power or strength. So, we can re-read the scripture “And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that power or strength had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said, Who touched my clothes?” 

As she reached out to touch Christ, the woman with the issue of blood had such faith that she was able to access some of Christ’s power, and his power (or virtue) healed her.

Modern prophets, apostles, and church leaders have helped us understand a little bit more about the meaning of virtue.

Elder D. Todd Christopherson said about this story, “Remember that Jesus’s power (virtue) came through His single-minded devotion to the will of the Father.” Because he was virtuous and holy, Christ could freely use God’s power.[2]

According to James E. Faust, “Virtue in its fuller sense encompasses all traits of righteousness that helps us form our character.”[3]

Elaine S. Dalton said, “Virtue is a pattern of thought and behavior based on high moral standards. It is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.”[4]  

If we add those ideas all together, a working definition of virtue for us might be:

“Virtue is consistent righteous (or holy) living that gives us access to power and strength.”

And just a side note here: Virtue and the priesthood are intrinsically connected. We refer to the power of God given to man as the priesthood. Men that hold the priesthood can use God’s power to bless and heal others, but only if they are living in accordance with His teachings, i.e. they are living a virtuous life.  But women can also receive the strength and power of virtue through their own righteous living, as shown by the woman with the issue of blood. God’s power is not reserved or limited.

I have three questions about virtue that I would now like to focus on for the rest of my time.

#1 How can we, like the woman, experience the power and strength associated with virtue?

#2 What does our “reaching out to Christ” look like today?

#3 What blessings do we receive from living a life full of virtue?

As I was studying this topic, one of my favorite scripture stories came to mind, and as I read it again, I gained new meaning from it.

As the mother of three boys, I relate so much to the story of the 2000 stripling warriors.[5] That’s the name that most people know them by, but I prefer to think of them as “the sons of Helaman,” as Helaman himself calls them, because it gives a sense of the tender feelings that he had for these young, righteous boys.

Here is just a bit of the backstory of these young men. These are the sons of the Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s, which were a group of Lamanites that were converted by the great missionary, Ammon. They were so strongly converted that they buried their weapons of war and made a covenant with God to never take them up again. Their sons had not made the covenant, and when the Nephites were in desperate need of reinforcements, these 2000 sons volunteered to fight for their families and their religion.

I want to describe some of the attributes of these young men as mentioned in Alma 53

Exceedingly valiant for courage (v.20)

True at all times

Men of truth and soberness (v. 21)

Kept the commandments

Walked uprightly

In an epistle to Moroni in Alma chapter 56, Helaman says, “Therefore what say ye, my sons, will ye go against them to battle?... They said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall…. Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives.”

The battle with the Lamanites was fierce, and even though the Nephites came out victorious, many people perished. Afterward, Helaman was anxious to find his sons because he feared that they had been killed.

Verse 56 says, “But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites.

When we talk about this story, we often talk about how their strength came from their immense faith, and it most certainly did. But, now I think I understand a little better. These young sons of Helaman not only had great faith, but they were men of virtue. They were pure (clean) in heart and mind because of their consistent righteous living. These young men were granted strength and power (as it says in the scriptures “miraculous strength” and “mighty power”) because of their virtue.

Now we’ve talked about the virtue of Christ and the virtue of the sons of Helaman. These examples might seem hard to live up to and we might feel discouraged. 

But remember, as Sister Dalton said, “Virtue is the accumulation of thousands of small decisions and actions.” We DO NOT have to be perfect to experience the power of virtue. We DO need to try daily to do the things necessary to live a pure life.

Some things that I think must be included in a virtuous (holy) life are:

*Reading and studying the scriptures daily… 2 Nephi 32:3 “Feast upon the words of Christ, for behold the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.”

*Prayer… We have been commanded to “pray always so that we can conquer Satan.”

*Keeping our minds focused on wholesome things… With so much media in the form of television, Internet, and video games available, it can not only become a distraction, but also take away from our virtue if we are not careful.

*Attending or working toward being able to attend the temple… The temple brings its own power to our lives, but we must be worthy to enter by being clean and virtuous.

*Being filled with love for our families and all those around us… President Hinckley said, “Love of God is the root of all virtue, of all goodness, of all strength of character.” If we truly and fully love God, we will also be filled with love for others.

#2 What does our “reaching out to the Savior” look like today?

To be filled with virtue, we must be consistent in righteous living. We must keep trying. We must seek to improve. When we fail, as we surely will, we must repent. We must, like the woman with the issue of blood, continue to reach out to Christ in faith, so that His virtue can strengthen us and help us overcome our own weaknesses.

When I was a Sophomore in college, I was a Relief Society teacher in my student ward. My life at the time was crazy and so busy. I felt like I was drowning in tests, projects, and homework assignments. My next lesson was on scripture study. I felt strongly impressed to challenge the sisters to make scripture study a priority in their lives. As the lesson was approaching, I realized that not only was that message for the sisters, but it was specifically for me and my situation. For a week or two leading up to my lesson, I decided to put my faith to the test and follow those promptings that I had received. I got up early every day and studied my scriptures before I did anything else. I made my scriptures a priority instead of leaving them for the end.

During those two weeks, I was able to accomplish so much more than before. My homework went faster, my days passed more smoothly, and I truly felt an added strength from my meager offering to Heavenly Father. When I taught that lesson, I was able to bear a powerful testimony of scripture study because I had made the effort to act in faith. Even the small increase of virtue in my life that was added by my scripture study brought blessings.

I know that Heavenly Father is so willing to pour out His blessings upon us when we sacrifice to follow Him. With each righteous decision and drop of goodness, we are adding the power of virtue to our lives.

I want to challenge you to think about your own life. What is something that you need help with or something that you need to change that will add virtue to your life. I encourage you to reach out to Christ this week and ask for His power to help you.

 

#3 What blessings do we receive from living a life full of virtue?

The strength and power of a virtuous life can come in many forms. For the woman with the issue of blood, it came in the form of healing. For the sons of Helaman, it came in literal strength and the preservation of their lives. For each of us, it might look different. I would like to mention just 2 of the many blessings that can be ours through virtuous living.

The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost

Since the Holy Ghost does not dwell in unclean tabernacles, virtue is prerequisite to receiving the Spirit’s guidance.

Jonathon’s Grandpa, Reed Hill, was one of the most virtuous men I have had the privilege of knowing. He joined the Navy during World War II to defend our country. Of His testimony of the Gospel, He simply said, “I felt strongly that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was true, and I never compromised my principles or it’s teachings. His virtue was tested many times while he was in the military. His personal history documents many of these instances:

                 

In Charleston Harbor before his group got ready to ship out, he remembers that “The Ancon Gunners Gang asked me frequently to go on liberty (on shore) with them, but I declined because they were heavy drinkers and picked up women of questionable reputation.

Of his time in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, he wrote, “One day as we cruised westward, I was approached by the chief Petty Officer of the gunnery gang, and I was given the keys to the alcohol locker. He said they had been losing some of the alcohol [to men who were sneaking it], and he knew that I could be trusted to keep it secured.”

About Tokyo, he wrote “I was asked if I would consider being a barkeeper at the Officers’ Club in Tokyo because they knew that I didn’t drink. I declined, wanting no part of that activity or environment.”

Living a life filled with virtue entitled Grandpa Reed to receive strength in his life and qualified him for the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. One such time that this was evident occurred during the battle of Okinawa. Grandpa was a gunner on the ship called the Ancon. During the battle, they were constantly being attacked by Japanese kamikazes that would try to slam into the ships. This sent shrapnel flying onto the deck of the ship.

Grandpa wrote, “Soon it became apparent, because of the red glow through the air vents, that the ship was on fire. Those with me were sick with fear, but I had a comforting feeling that all was going to be well.” The fire was soon quenched and the kamikazes were shot down. Afterward Grandpa said, “Though I developed the reputation of having considerable courage, it was only because of the comforting feeling I attribute to the Lord that I was able to act as I did… I prayed for blessings and protection on a daily basis and had the assurance of safety when we were being attacked.”[6]

The comfort of the Holy Ghost was with him, even in the most frightening of situations. The Holy Ghost allowed him to be at peace during the chaos of war.

The companionship of the Holy Ghost is vital in our lives. He can comfort, warn of danger, give guidance, and testify of truth. As we live with virtue, we can lay claim on this amazing blessing.

Confidence to stand before Christ and Heavenly Father

D&C 121:45 describes this blessing that comes with virtue. It says, “Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God.” I cannot think of a better feeling than standing before God and feeling confidence.

Hopefully, you all haven’t had this next experience that I want to share, but chances are pretty good that some of you have. During High School, I took all the advanced math classes. In fact, I got the highest grade in my Calculus class my Senior year. When I got to college, the counselors suggested taking the more intense Calculus class because it would be more similar to the Calculus class I had just finished. If you ever hear someone say that, run the other way! I had no plans of doing anything else with math in the future, but I confidently and naively went along with the suggestion.

I struggled the entire semester with the pace and difficulty of the class. I went to help sessions weekly, and got tutoring from one of my FHE brothers, but my life was so busy with other things that I still did not put in enough time to fully grasp the concepts. When it was time for the Final, I sat down at the Testing Center and turned my test over. My stomach dropped. I glanced through the whole test and felt completely overwhelmed. I was not prepared for the test. I did not understand the material well enough. There were only four questions. These were expected to take 15-20 minutes each. When I finally turned in the test, I had only fully answered 2 of the 4 questions. That was 15 years ago, and I still distinctly remember that terrible feeling of entering and then leaving that testing center with zero confidence.

The end of the story is that the Final test was so hard that pretty much everyone in the class failed. When the teacher curved the test score, my pathetic effort was good enough to get me a good grade in the class, but the damage was done. I finished that class believing that I wasn’t good at math. Even today, I try to avoid math and instead let Jonathon help the boys with their math homework whenever possible. Lack of confidence in this subject continues to hold me back and leads me to avoid it as much as possible. Could I regain that confidence? With some effort…yes.

This is not the way that we want to feel when we approach Heavenly Father for help now in this life or when we stand before Christ and Heavenly Father at the end of our lives. We want to have full confidence that we are doing our very best.

Like my math example, our spiritual confidence is often determined by the spiritual successes and failures that we experience. When we continually strive to do those daily things that add virtue to our lives, we will be strengthened and, in turn, gain confidence. That is not to say that we will never fail again, but through our daily strivings, our confidence will be in the Lord’s ability to help us through our struggles. We will receive peace knowing that doing the very best we can and repenting when we sin will be enough.

In a world where virtue and holiness seem to be disappearing, it is more important than ever to seek for those things which will add virtue to our lives. We cannot get lost in the vices of the world because each one of us has a great mission to accomplish. Sister Dalton said, “We simply cannot do the work we have been reserved and prepared to do unless we can access the strength and confidence that comes by living a virtuous life.” I know that these words are true, and I am going to make a more concerted effort in my life to let virtue garnish my thoughts (and my actions) unceasingly so that as I reach out to the Savior, His virtue will empower me and bless my family. That is my prayer for each of us.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

---

[1] Mark 5: 25-34

[2] D. Todd Christopherson, “The Moral Force of Women,” Ensign, Nov. 2013, 29, 31

[3] James E. Faust, “The Virtues of Righteous Daughters of God,” Ensign, May 2003, 108.

[4] Elaine S. Dalton “A Return to Virtue” Liahona, Nov. 2018

[5] Alma 53 and 56

[6] My Life History: An Autobiography of Reed Adams Hill, pg. 62