Helaman 5:12

Since I started this blog I have been taking a more intricate look at the Book of Mormon.  I haven't used scripture marking pencils in years, but decided to use them as I've been studying.  I was given a set of 12 colors and have developed a system for marking my scriptures.  Different things of import have different colors.  For instance, I use orange to mark verses regarding spiritual preparedness; green to reference verses of caution, and light blue to signify covenants and blessings.  As I was reading this one spectacular verse I got to use each of these colors.  See where you would distinguish the differences...

And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; and when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are build, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

I love this verse, as so many people do.  I love that he tells us, point blank, that the devil is going to send forth his fiercest competition for us, but that if we are firm in our faith he will not have any power over us.

As recent, sad events are on my mind in regard to storms I find the storm reference quite amazing.  Now that I've seen hail the size of a baseball and heard on the news of a man that was knocked unconscious trying to get to safety; hearing about the destruction done to the good people of Joplin, Missouri in a few short minutes; having gained this bit of understanding, the analogy is much more moving and powerful.

Mormons are Christians

If there is ever any question as to whether or not we believe that Jesus Christ is our Savior, let us refer to the Book of Mormon, Helaman chapter 5, verse 9.  In it we read,

...remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

It just doesn't get any more clear and to the point than that.  I am so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who knew we would need the atonement and who was willing to let it happen.  I'm so thankful for my Savior who came to redeem, not just the world, but me, personally.

Sin leads to disbelief... go figure.

In Chapter 4 of Helaman, verse 23-24 we read

And because of their iniquity, the church had begun to dwindle and they began to disbelievein the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation; and the judgements of God did stare them in the face... the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples.

How many times have we had the lesson from primary up through Relief Society that we need to be obedient to maintain our testimonies?  How many people do we each know that have stopped following some of the "little commandments" only to slip and slide on the path of unhappiness?

Well, its laid out quite simply right here, "because of iniquity"~ in other words, because of sins (notice it doesn't say how big or little) ~ "they began to disbelieve."

So, choose the right.  Stay on the straight and narrow.  Keep the commandments.  Return with honor.  It is definitely worth it!

More of Satan's Wily Ways

Bear with me for a couple more parallels between the battles in the Book of Mormon and our own battle with temptation.  When I read

And now, behold, the Lamanites could not retreat either way, neither on the north, nor on the south, not on the east, nor on the west, for they were surrounded on every hand by the Nephites.  And thus had Coriantumr plunged the Lamanites into the midst of the Nephites, insomuch that they were in the power of the Nephites, and he himself was slain and the Lamanites did yield themselves into the hands of the Nephites. ~Helaman 1:31-32

I couldn't help but think of how Satan will lead us down a path full of treachery and leave us there, alone to fend for ourselves.

The only way to really come out of a situation like that is to yield to truth as the Lamanites had no way out except to yield to the Nephites.  To repent of our sins, the full process of repentance.  I love how the Nephites took possession of their city and "caused that the Lamanites who had been taken prisoners" were sent out of the city "in peace."  Nothing terrible was done to them, they just had to go in peace.  If we repent, the Lord will forgive us and we can be clean, we can have peace.
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Another tool that Satan uses to lure us down the path of treachery is contention and pride.  Chapter 4 of Helaman is a great example of the "Price Cycle" we hear so much about in the Book of Mormon.  Both are rooted in selfishness, which is the opposite of what we hope to be if we want to be like our Savior Jesus Christ.
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Our emotions don't "make" us do anything.  We each choose what we do in any given situation.  It is when we choose to follow the temporal man or to let our passions run free that we choose to sin.

Sin really is like a slippery slope.  For example, look the the Nephites in Helaman chapter 4:23-24

And because of their iniquity the church had begun to dwindle and they began to disbelieve in the spirit of prophecy and in the spirit of revelation... 

...the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea it had been withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples.

A direct result of sin is disbelief!  Yikes.  That's pretty scary.  Guess I better shape up!  Thankfully, repentance is real!

Is it Secret? Is it Safe?

I think a good rule of thumb in making choices between right and wrong is if you feel like you have to keep it a secret.  For example in Helaman 1 we read about Kishkumen's murder of Pahoran.  Now of course, murder is wrong, but check out verse 11

and they all entered into a covenant, yea swearing by their everlasting Maker, that they would tell no man that Kishkumen had murdered Pahoran.

How often does Satan whisper, "No one has to know" or some such lie to try to convince us to do something we know is wrong.  Recognizing that anytime we feel like we need to keep something a secret, we should probably just say no.

Almost all sins are rooted in secrecy.  But the secret is often just a wedge that our tree must grow around, making us weak (and more often than not, our relationships).

Compare & Contrast Helaman vs. Moroni

So in the previous post I discussed my feelings about the Stripling Warriors.  I neglected to mention the amazing leadership they were given by Helaman.  All the information we have is given in a letter to Captain Moroni.  Toward the end of this letter, Helaman explains that he doesn't understand why they haven't been given more strength from the government but he "does not desire to murmur."  He says that he, and those serving with him,

trust God will deliver {them}, notwhithstanding the weakness of {their} armies, yea, and deliver {them} out of the hands of {their} enemies.

He is humble and grateful.  Contrast that with Captain Moroni's response to Pahoran in the judgement seat.  I'm sure I might be taking liberties with this, but it seems to me that Satan's tools are in effect here.  In Alma chpater 59:11 & 13 he starts out with feelings of sorrow.  That sorrow leads him to doubt, to lose his focus, to question.  From that doubt builds anger.  It in in that anger that he writes his letter to Pahoran.

This letter is full of accusation, judgement, anger, and eventually threats.  Since we know the response from Pahoran, I think we're less inclined to see the flaws in Moroni's passion.  But really, aren't these some of Satan's most powerful tools?

Sorrow.  Yes, godly sorrow is a good thing.  However, sorrow taken to an extreme can lead to pity or despair.  Those are places God does not dwell.  So if one is full of pity or despair, the spirit is no longer with them.  Which is why it becomes easier to take the next step on this dangerous path, the step into...

Doubt.  Now Moroni's doubt seems to me to be a doubt that this was a war his people could not win.  Isn't that exactly what Satan wants us to believe?  That we're in a war with him that we cannot win?  Think about those chapters I discussed earlier about weaknesses in battle, it plays perfectly into Satan's hand if we don't think we can overcome him.  I think feeling that way makes one feel out of control and the next step from there is naturally...

Anger.  Frustration.  We want to be in control and when we're not, its scary and so we get mad.  Anger is like Satan's golden ticket.  As soon as our fuse is blown, our self-control (the control we actually do have) is tossed out the window, our judgement is skewed, we become reactors.  It is moments of anger that we do things we regret.  Anger is an emotion of passion and aren't we counseled to bridle our passions?

I wonder if Moroni regretted his letter to Pahoran after he received the response filled with love, understanding, and joy.  What a blessing that Pahoran wasn't filled with the same feelings to respond in a bitter way.

Now don't get me wrong, there is a place for reprimand in our lives.  I was just surprised at the vehemence of Moroni's accusations.  Of course he was a great leader, he was firm in his faithfulness, but I think we can see how even those seemingly strong and "perfect" people can fall victim to some of Satan's traps.

So many things to learn from these passages of scripture.  So many ways to apply them to my life.  I'm so thankful for a loving Father in Heaven who knew we would need all the help we could get.

Stripling Warriors

As the mom of 5 young kids, 4 of whom are boys, its kind of given that I have to love the story of the Helaman and his 2,000 stripling warriors.  Each time I come to it in my study I love to read about their courage, their faith, and their trust in their mother's words about God.  It is inspiring and daunting to consider my responsibility to these children God has entrusted into my care.

The story really starts long before the events we read in Alma 56.  Really, it starts when the people of Ammon covenant to never take up arms against anyone again.  They made this commitment and stood by it.  Not only did they bury their weapons of war, but when they saw the Lamanites

coming against them they went out to meet them, and prostrated themselves before them to the earth, and began to call on the name of the Lord; and thus they were in this attitude when the Lamanites began to fall upon them, and began to slay them with the sword.  Alma 24:21

So when the Lamanites were attacking the Nephites around 25 years later, these people felt compelled to take up their weapons and defend the people who had defended & protected them for so long.  However, Helaman, the prophet of the time, thought "that God would strengthen" the Nephites if they were true to their covenant (Alma 56:8).

I'm sure it was a bittersweet moment when the sons of those people (the people of Ammon who made the covenant) realized that they (the sons) hadn't made such a covenant, that they could volunteer to fight.  But what a great difference that little band of young warriors had on the events that transpired in Alma 56.  Below are some of my thoughts while reading of their amazing adventures.
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As I study the scriptures I'm always on the lookout for words relating to happiness and how it can apply to me.  In verses 16-17 of chapter 56 we read about the army of Antipus who had been fighting valiantly for a very long time and by this time they were worn out...

Yea, and they were depressed in body as well as in spirit, for they had fought valiantly by day and toiled by night to maintain their cities; and thus they had suffered great afflictions of every kind.  And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy.

Once again, how can this relate to me?  I like to think of myself as the "little force" and look for ways that I can help others, and thereby give them "great hopes and much joy."  It reminds me of Elder Jeffery R. Holland's talk about The Ministry of Angels.   He says that "God never leaves us alone, never leaves us unaided in the challenges that we face"  whether it is the unseen angels of heaven or the acts of "angels  that are not from the other side of the veil".  I can be a tool in the hand of God as I heed his words to "try to be a little more angelic... with a kind word, a strong arm, a declaration of faith and the 'covenant wherewith [we] have covenanted.'"  As I search for ways to bring hope and joy to others, like the stripling warriors, I will undoubtedly find hope and joy in my own life.
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As I mentioned above, I love to read about these young men and their faith and courage.  In verse 45 we Helaman says, "never had I seen so great courage, nay, not amongst all the Nephites."  This courage is exhibited as they volunteered to turn around and help Antipus again

Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives;yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.  And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

When I read this most recently, I was impressed to write in the margin of my scriptures, "What can I do so my kids will not doubt that I know it?"

I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words.  So, the answer is simply to live like I know it.  Notice the question written wasn't "what can I say?" but rather "what can I do?"  Which reminds me of one of my favorite songs I Am a Child of God.  Did you know that the original words were "teach me all that I must know to live with Him someday"?  When President Spencer W. Kimball heard it, he asked that the word be changed to "do." He later explained, "To know isn't enough... We have to do something." (source).

I am sure that these mothers did plenty and by their doing, their children learned what they must do and had the courage and faith to do it.
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I really believe that the reason the story of the stripling warriors is so beloved and remarkable is that even though they were completely inexperienced with battle

not one soul of them [had] fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; Alma 56:56

Fascinating, isn't it?  And I love that Helaman

justly [ascribes] it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe--- that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power Alma 57:26

Now, that's not to say that if I have faith and don't doubt, I'll be spared all trials and tribulations.  They all survived, but they also all (yep, every last one of them) "received many wounds."  And let's not forget their parents who let the Lamanites slay them without fighting back in any way... or people like Abinadi... or the people burned in front of Alma and Amulek.  There are plenty of people who are doing what is right and aren't spared.
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The last thing that really, really struck me as I was reading this story this week was about the character of these young men.  I have a tendency to think the best of people.  I expect people to be good and to do good.  I hear from different people that grew up outside of Utah and moved there to attend BYU that they were eager to be surrounded by people with their same standards only to be surprisingly let down.  I feel like I am experiencing a similar phenomenon.  I'm surprised by some of the choices that some of my friends are making.  Nothing life shattering, just some things that I never considered to be temptations and so it caught me off guard.  And not that I am in any way perfect, believe me I have plenty of faults.

Anyway... what I love about the stripling warriors is "that they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted" Alma 53:20.  So how can I become true at all times?  I think their example is priceless as "they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness" (Alma 57:21 emphasis added).

Think about it, we expect our kids to do what we ask of them, we expect the youth of church to adhere to the standards outlined in the For Strength of Youth pamphlet, but what expectations do we put on ourselves?  I think we need to follow the example of these young men who had such faith, such courage, and such strength.  If we will obey and keep the commandments with "exactness" we will be true, we will be blessed, and "we will be delivered out of the hands of our enemies" (Alma 57:35).  And we too, will be able to say

blessed is the name of our God; for behold, it is he that has delivered us; yea, that has done this great thing for us.