For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands

This consecrated land has been placed under the everlasting decree of God. That decree is recorded in the sacred Book of Mormon, a new witness for Christ, in these words:

“For behold, this is a land which is choice above all other lands; wherefore he that doth possess it shall serve God or shall be swept off; for it is the everlasting decree of God. …

“Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ” (Ether 2:10, 12).

The Lord had promised, “I will fortify this land against all other nations” (2 Ne. 10:12).

Today, we are in a battle for the bodies and souls of man.....

God must ever have a free people to prosper His work and bring about Zion.

No nation which has kept the commandments of God has ever perished,

but I say to you that once freedom is lost, only blood—human blood—will win it back.

There are some things we can and must do at once

if we are to stave off a holocaust of destruction.

We must return to worship the God of this land, who is Jesus Christ. He has promised that the righteous will be preserved by His power ( 1 Ne. 22:17). But we must keep the commandments of God. We must pay our tithes and offerings, keep the Sabbath day a holy day, stay morally clean, be honest in all our dealings, and have our family and personal prayers. We must live the gospel.

....we must put our trust in Him who has promised us His protection and pray that He will intervene to preserve our freedom just as He intervened in our obtaining it in the first place.

We must do as the Lord commanded us by revelation in 1833: “Wherefore, honest men and wise men should be sought for diligently, and good men and wise men ye should observe to uphold; otherwise whatsoever is less than these cometh of evil” (D&C 98:10).

Men who are wise, good, and honest, who will uphold the Constitution of the United States in the tradition of the Founding Fathers, must be sought for diligently. This is our hope to restore government to its rightful role.

We must study the inspired Constitution and become involved in the political process ourselves. “We encourage all members, as citizens of the nation, to be actively involved in the political process, and to support those measures which will strengthen the community, state, and nation—morally, economically, and culturally”

I fully believe that we can turn things around in America if we have the determination, the morality, the patriotism, and the spirituality to do so.

My single minded concern is for the freedom and welfare of my countrymen and my posterity,

The freedom of all men.

I testify to you that God’s hand has been in our destiny. I testify that freedom as we know it today is being threatened as never before in our history. I further witness that this land—the Americas—must be protected, its Constitution upheld, for this is a land foreordained to be the Zion of our God. He expects us as members of the Church and bearers of His priesthood to do all we can to preserve our liberty.

May God bless us that, with His help, we will not fail to bring to pass His purposes on earth.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Ezra Taft Benson