Ignoring Temptation

Nearly half of my notes from Elder Robert D. Hales' talk, "If Ye Love Me, Keep My Commandments," came from what he said within the first minute of his talk:

In the premortal Council in Heaven, Lucifer rebelled against Heavenly Father’s plan. Those who followed Lucifer ended their eternal progression—be careful who you follow! 

Then Jesus expressed His commitment to obey, saying, “Father, thy will be done, and the glory be thine forever.” Throughout His ministry, “he suffered temptations but gave [them] no heed.”

There are many influences in this world, and some of them would lead us to evil. Jesus felt those influences, but He never yielded to them. He heard them, but He didn't listen to them. He "gave [them] no heed." Could it really be that simple? Can we resist temptations by simply ignoring them? I thought that successfully resisting temptation required a more active approach, driving out thoughts of sin with righteous thoughts and actions. Perhaps that is necessary for us, who have already given in to some temptations, but for those who reject temptations before they have a chance to take root, perhaps rejecting temptation is as simple as ignoring them. Or perhaps ignoring temptation implies choosing to think about something else instead.

It also may be worth pointing out that the spirits that tempt us are just spirits. They can't physically or mentally force us to do anything. They can't physically threaten us because, lacking bodies, they can't do any physical thing at all. All they can do is whisper to us. If we choose not to listen to them, they might as well not even be there. It's the same limitation as the Holy Ghost has. He may try to lead us down the path of righteousness, but if we don't listen to Him, He can't.

Though, both the Holy Ghost and the tempting spirits are persistent. If we don't actively drive them out, their whispering influence will likely get to us eventually. That's why it's important to actively choose righteous actions that will attract the Holy Spirit and repel the evil ones, rather than works of darkness, which do the opposite. Jesus always chose the right, which was why He always had the Holy Ghost with Him (apart from one brief period near the end of His life). The evil spirits that live in this world still attempted to tempt Him, but since He always ignored them, their temptations always failed.

It can be the same way with us. If we choose righteous actions, and resist the pull toward evil ones, the devil and his tempting spirits will be powerless against us, just as they were always powerless against Him.