In section 87 of the Doctrine and Covenants, the Lord warns of upcoming war, followed by more war, famine, plague, earthquakes, and general mourning and destruction. Verse 6 gives sound advice for these troubled times: “Wherefore, stand ye in holy places, and be not moved, until the day of the Lord come; for behold, it cometh quickly, saith the Lord. Amen.”
The first part, standing in holy places, is relatively easy. The temple is the most obviously holy place. Designed with holiness in mind, dedicated to the glory of God, and protected by strict standards of admission, the temple is a peaceful haven in a tumultuous world. Service there opens our minds to the truths of eternity and creates friends on the other side of the veil.
It does require worthiness to enter, but that is part of its power—not just for the environment that it creates—but also for the effect on us. Remaining worthy to enter the temple protects us from spiritual death—a far worse danger than physical death.
What may be most important though, is that to enter a realm free of outside influences gives us a chance to better hear the voice of the Lord. We can receive the information that we will need to help us once we return to the world.
There is a limit to how much time we can spend in the temple, but temples are not the only holy places. Church attendance is another important piece. We have all known those who have wanted to take breaks from church, and have said that it would not change anything else about their lives, but then that turns out to not be the case. As they turn a deaf ear to internal reminders of where they should be, they start tuning out other things that they once knew, and their hearts can become very hard.
Whether we feel it or not, attending church strengthens us. First there is the simple demonstration of obedience in showing up, and added to that is participation in prayer, and in the sacrament, and if all goes well there is spiritual edification and fellowship too. Still, even if you tuned out on all the talks, and did not talk to anyone (which is not advised), the simple fact that you were there at all is still something that brings strength.
Then, as you do listen to the talks and the lessons, and apply them to your own life, and as you do reach out to others, and share strength, it becomes much more. Even with all the previously mentioned advantages of the temple, we may not receive its full benefits, perhaps because we brought worldly cares in with us. Good opportunities are set up for us, but our own efforts are required to take full advantage.
This is especially true for our next holy place. From the Bible Dictionary, "Only the home can compare with the temple in sacredness.” Considering the amount of time that we spend at home, this is welcome news. Notice that it is phrased "can". You are not simply opening yourself up to a spiritual environment; you are creating one.
Completely shutting out all worldly influences will not be practical, but we can do things to make sure that good influences can be felt, and that nothing overtly corrupting is accepted. Maybe the influences we allow into our home need to pass their own recommend test. Will this lead to sin? Will this keep me from feeling the spirit? What effect does this have on me?
Asking these questions as situations arise can be good, but will not be enough. We should also be proactively looking for ways to make the home a better environment. Can we add things that will inspire us, and help us remember what is needful? Some of us refrain from decorating, because as a young single there is a sense of impermanence, and why bother if you are just going to move soon anyway? The same mindset also discourages some people from food storage.
Deciding that where you live is not a home simply because it doesn’t have a spouse or children inside yet would be a missed opportunity, and a mistake. You are as much a child of God now as you will be when you get married. Your thoughts and actions and your happiness are important now, and will affect your future, so it deserves your consideration.
A few pictures of family, or the temple, or something related to the goals you have and should be aspiring towards can help you stay on track. Dieters will sometimes hang smaller clothes in their room, or put motivational pictures on the fridge. We can put reminders that we are trying to be like Christ, and that we have a living prophet, and yes, that families are forever, and that we are seeking temple marriage along with eternal life. This doesn’t mean that everything we allow in our home has to come straight from Deseret Book, but none of it should be contradictory to our faith.
The latter part of the admonition is the most troubling--we are told to be not moved. No matter how much time you spend collectively at church, the temple, and in your peaceful home, we cannot always be there. There is also time spent at work, on the road, on public transportation, and in various forms of recreation. Some of these will not be very holy places.
For some things, especially the recreation part, we have choices. You may find that it is hard to feel celestial guidance in dive bars and casinos, and decide to avoid them, and that is great. You may also find that some places change; like maybe being on your girlfriend's couch before 9 PM is fine, but that as the hours pass it becomes dangerous, and it becomes your job to leave before creating an unholy place. Work may be a place where coarse language is appreciated and rudeness is applauded, but we will have to rise above that. In many cases, the best we can do is to carry holiness with us.
In 1 Corinthians 3, verse 16 we read, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” If we can live worthy of this, we can make every place that we stand a holy place through the spirit that we carry with us.
We have already mentioned two of the Sunday School answers, church and temple attendance, but we will need all of them:
Study the scriptures, applying them to your life. You will grow in knowledge and understanding of what is around you, and be open to inspiration.
Pray, using that time to align your will with God’s, and to maintain a close relationship to Him so that you will recognize anything that is dark and you won’t want it.
Serve others, constantly keeping in mind that everyone around you is your brother or sister, and that even if in this moment they may not be contributing to a good spirit, that you still love them, and want more for them.
The admonition to stand in holy places and be not moved is a path to protection, so we can be sheltered from the storm outside. It will work, but it can be more than that. Trying to live so that we can be holy, and make the spaces around us holy, increases that shelter so it can bless others as well, and it becomes a pathway to perfection.
