“I’m trying to control my thoughts, but there are so many temptations. How can I have cleaner thoughts?”

A good starting point is to choose uplifting movies, music, and literature. Choose friends in whose company you can maintain worthy conversation and righteous activities. As you have more good things to think about, you will gradually find it easier to dismiss bad thoughts, and they will come less often.

Prayer brings me closer to our Heavenly Father and helps me concentrate on good thoughts. Daily scripture study strengthens my confidence in overcoming temptations; in the scriptures I can see examples of faithful disciples of Christ. Bearing my testimony also helps me keep my thoughts clean.

Reading the scriptures every morning before school helps. As soon as I get a bad thought, I immediately replace it with something better. Instead of just saying, “No, don’t think that” (which is a good thing to do), replace it with a good thought. Remember, you are in control of your mind, not Satan. We are valiant sons and daughters of Heavenly Father and are on a constant mission to improve ourselves.

You cannot always control whether a thought comes, but you can control whether it stays. You can ask: Will this thought do me any good? Will it help me go in the right direction? When a tempting thought pops up, sing a good song, think of a fond memory, or pray. It’s all about replacing the bad thoughts with something good.

In 1 Nephi 15:27, Nephi tells his siblings that their father, in his vision of the tree of life, was surrounded by filthiness. But Lehi didn’t notice the filthiness because “his mind [was] swallowed up in other things.” This holds true for us today. If we desire to be filled with righteousness, pray for it, and focus on righteous things, then our minds will be so full of righteousness and virtue that the unclean thoughts won’t have power to remain.

The hymns can help us have cleaner thoughts. Good music elevates the spirit. When I am able to listen to hymns, they always elevate me to a more calm and celestial sphere. They help me remember the love Heavenly Father has for each of us, and it becomes easier to avoid temptation.

When unclean thoughts come into my mind, I try to remember the scriptures my family and I read in the morning. Every morning at 6:00, my family reads the scriptures together. It’s early, but it’s a blessing and makes me feel stronger during the day.

The sacrament prayer states that if we take upon us the name of Christ, keep His commandments, and always remember Him, we will always have His Spirit to be with us. By remembering Him, we make the effort to push out earthly thoughts and focus on eternal ones. When we remember Him consistently, our thoughts, desires, and actions will change for the better.