Satan minimizes your efforts, God maximizes them

In their January World Wide Devotional both Sis and Elder Nelson talked about becoming our best selves, Elder Nelson encouraged us to learn Heavenly Father's definition of millennial and apply it in our lives. Heavenly Father knows who we are because He knew us before we came to this earth, He chose us to come to earth at this time because He knew that we were to be the ones to meet our Savior when He comes back to earth. We are to be the true millennials those who are willing to stand against the crowd if necessary to stand for truth and righteousness, to see through lies and deceit, to not settle for what the world has to offer, but seek what the Lord has to offer. In order to do this we need to be desperate to become more than we currently are, to become desperate to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, to become a disciple of Jesus Christ in word and deed. To be a disciple is a personal thing, when we read of disciples in the New Testament they were those who walked with Christ, who sat at His feet, who heard His voice and witnessed His miracles. They were those with ears to hear His parables and asked for understanding. Some of these disciples became the original 12 apostles, special witnesses of the Lord Jesus Christ, others left Him when questions and concerns arose. Christ wants to do wonders among us, He wants us to be those who witnesses the miracles in our lives, tender mercies yes, but more than that He wants to do wondrous miracles in our lives. He wants to be a friend and companion, to tutor us in His ways and His love. He wants us to go with Him every step of the way, because in the Garden of Gethsemane He already went every step of the way with us.

Sis Nelson talked of this desperation in her talk; she reminded us that good things can happen when we are desperate to lose weight, to get a good grade on a test..in her words

"When we’re desperate to be guided by heaven, we work harder than ever to tune in to heaven. When we’re desperate to be physically healthy, we eat and exercise accordingly. No excuses! When we’re desperate to have more money, we eagerly follow the Lord’s law of finances—which is, of course, tithing!" ..."When we’re desperate to become the people we were born to be, our vision changes. We wake up from the spiritual amnesia the adversary so cleverly administers, and suddenly we see things about ourselves, others, and our lives we’ve never seen before. The world’s “fun” and “entertainment” start to look almost ridiculous, perhaps even spiritually dangerous. We begin to see the adversary’s tricks and traps for what they really are—temptations to make us forget our true identity and our destination."..."When we’re desperate to be the true disciples of Jesus Christ we were born to be, we suddenly find the courage and determination to remove anything and everything from our lives that is unholy and impure. Our willingness to follow the advice of our leaders changes. We seek counsel and are eager to follow it. Humility pushes pride and arrogance aside. The scriptures become our “go-to source” for answers and for the comfort we may realize we’ve often been seeking online."

We are entering a phase on this earth in which we can no longer afford to be passive, to allow ourselves to be fed a steady diet of what feels good, but not seek for anything more. We need to be desperate for a close relationship with our Savior to know He knows us and more importantly that we know Him and know what He will do not just can do for us. Our Savior already knows our burdens and bore them in a garden, but unless we consciously give Him the burdens we face each day, we are both doomed to repeat the pain of being alone. Go to Christ lay at His feet concern, worry, fear, unbelief and loneliness for only He can heal and bless and brighten, Satan will send his distractions, but only Christ has peace and wholeness, only He can make us new with a desire to leave behind those things that hold us back, whether it be always wanting one more slice of cake, needing to seek forgiveness for things in our past or a propensity to reach for annoyance instead of love. Satan will minimize your efforts, God will maximize them, He offers grace, find peace and strength in that grace.

 https://www.lds.org/broadcasts/archive/worldwide-devotionals/2016/01?lang=eng