General Conference April 2005 - Pages 62 - 68

President James E. Faust addressed the important of - Standing in Holy Places

"...it is my will, that all they who call on my name, and worship me according to mine everlasting gospel, should gather together, and stand in holy places..." (Doctrine and Covenants Section 101:22)

He followed with -

"We unavoidably stand in so many unholy places and are subjected to so much that is vulgar, profane, and destructive of the Spirit of the Lord that I encourage our Saints all over the world, wherever possible, to strive to stand more often in holy places."

"Holiness is the strength of the soul. It comes by faith and through obedience to God's laws and ordinances. God then purifies the heart by faith, and the heart becomes purged from that which is profane and unworthy. When holiness is achieved by conforming to God's will, one knows intuitively that which is wrong and that which is right before the Lord. Holiness speaks when there is silence, encouraging that which is good or reproving that which is wrong."

"Holiness is also a standard of righteousness. In some remarks by President Brigham Young in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, February 16, 1862, he used the expression "Holiness to the Lord." He then further explained what "Holiness to the Lord" meant to him. I quote: "Thirty years' experience has taught me that every moment of my life must be holiness to the Lord, resulting from equity, justice, mercy and uprightness in all my actions, which is the only course by which I can preserve the Spirit of the Almighty to myself."

He was specific of three "holy places" -

Our most holy places are our sacred temples. Within them is a feeling of sacred comfort. We should seek to be worthy to take our families to the temple to be sealed together for eternity. We should also search for the records of our kindred dead so that they too can be sealed to us in one of the temples. We must strive for holiness by being "an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." In this way we can maintain and strengthen our own individual relationship with our God.

"President Gordon B. Hinckley taught us: "There is need occasionally to leave the noise and the tumult of the world and step within the walls of a sacred house of God, there to feel His Spirit in an environment of holiness and peace."

"And that all people who shall enter upon the threshold of the Lord's house may feel thy power, and feel constrained to acknowledge...that it is thy house, a place of thy holiness. " (Doctrine and Covenants Section 109:13)

"The days of our lives will be greatly blessed as we frequent the temples to learn the transcending spiritual relations we have with Deity. We need to try harder to be found standing in holy places. Temple ceremonial covenants and observances are means to help secure holiness of character. In our desire to create in our people more commitment to the holy work of the temples, we must urge them to look deeper to the profound spiritual meaning to be found there."

"We should go to the temple, among other reasons, to safeguard our personal holiness and that of our families."

"...another holy place on earth ought to be our homes...if we really want our homes to be places of holiness, we will try harder to do those things that are conducive to the Spirit of the Lord.."

"Our chapels are dedicated to the Lord as holy places. We are told we should go to the house of prayer and offer up our sacraments upon His holy day. Partaking of the sacrament is a solemn and sacred privilege. In our chapels we are instructed in principles of the gospel, children are blessed, members are confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost, and testimonies of the truthfulness of the gospel are borne."

"We must try harder to be a holy people...so much has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. This places upon us a special relationship to the Lord. We are the beneficiaries, guardians, and caretakers of these responsibilities under the delegation, authority, and direction of President Hinckley, who holds all the keys. As children of the Lord we should strive every day to rise to a higher level of personal righteousness in all of our actions. We need to guard constantly against all of Satan's influences...May the Lord bless each and all of us in our special responsibility to find holiness to the Lord by standing in holy places. That is where we will find the spiritual protection we need for ourselves and our families. That is the source of help to carry forth the word of the Lord in our time. Standing in holy places will help us rise above the evil influences of our time and draw us closer to our Savior.