Vulnerability at the Gate

I was reading in Alma 49 and had some thoughts that I felt came from the Lord. In this chapter, the Lamanites had come upon the Nephites to battle to the cities they thought were least fortified. Moroni had prepared by putting the most fortifications in their weakest cities. Weaknesses had become strengths (Ether 12:27). In this way they were prepared and defeated the Lamanites. Even though there was strength in these weak places, there was still one place that was vulnerable. It was the entrance. The record explains how they protected the entrance. It reads,

“18 Now behold, the Lamanites could not get into their forts of security by any other way save by the entrance, because of the highness of the bank which had been thrown up, and the depth of the ditch which had been dug round about, save it were by the entrance.
19 And thus were the Nephites prepared to destroy all such as should attempt to climb up to enter the fort by any other way, by casting over stones and arrows at them.
20 Thus they were prepared, yea, a body of their strongest men, with their swords and their slings, to smite down all who should attempt to come into their place of security by the place of entrance; and thus were they prepared to defend themselves against the Lamanites.
21 And it came to pass that the captains of the Lamanites brought up their armies before the place of entrance, and began to contend with the Nephites, to get into their place of security; but behold, they were driven back from time to time, insomuch that they were slain with an immense slaughter” (Alma 49:18-21).

It is interesting that the entrance had to remain a little more vulnerable because they had to use the entrance when they weren’t in a battle. So, they increased their defenses in the spot of vulnerability and they put their strongest men there to defend that spot. In our lives there are some things that remain vulnerable because of the world we live in and the necessities of day to day living. For example, there is a telestial world that we live in. Sometimes it is impossible to block out all the filth. We interact with people that use poor language etc. When we interact with members of the church, many have lower standards and make evil look good. We must prepare with the most strength we can to fight off any false ideas, false doctrine and principles of evil that are taught all about us, from whatever source they come. We need the sword of truth to help us defend ourselves by the unrelenting attacks of the adversary. It is interesting in this account that the Lamanites care not for the lives of their people and are determined to take down even the most fortified city. We can never let our guards down. We must invite the Spirit into our lives each day.

It is interesting to me that even though they had prepared the rest of the city to be protected, they still needed active, live men to fight off those that attempted to attack them. We need to come ready to battle each day, no matter how much we feel prepared for the attacks of the adversary.

In reference to the entrance, it struck me that in order to progress in life, we have to be willing to consider doctrines and principles that we haven’t considered before. We have to be willing to be vulnerable, open to receiving new truths from God in the manner He chooses to expose us to them. For example, when someone loves the Bible and are exposed to the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It can make them feel vulnerable to read such a record. In their minds, it might expose them to ideas that are untrue etc. If they exercise faith, they can read and ask God if it is true. When we are given the sealed portion, I’m sure we will have similar doubts and worries. If we are fortified with the Spirit of the Lord, having done this before we are presented with new information, then when we read new records we can take them to the Lord and recognize if they are rooted in Him or not.

I have been reading new records. Some have tasted very good and sweet to me. Others I wonder and ponder upon. I have been open to others sharing dreams and visions and I have read their accounts and taken it to the Lord to know if these things can be of benefit to me and are worth my time and ponderings. Some would argue they have enough in the Book of Mormon, but I would say that saying we have enough is exactly what Nephi warns us of saying. “Yea, wo be unto him that saith: We have received, and we need no more!” (2 Nephi 28:27). God has many, many records and witnesses He wishes to give us to enlighten us and come more fully unto Him. I know this is true. Joseph Smith taught about reading apocryphal writings, “Therefore, whoso readeth it, let him understand, for the Spirit manifesteth truth; And whoso is enlightened by the Spirit shall obtain benefit therefrom; And whoso receiveth not by the Spirit, cannot be benefited” (Doctrine and Covenants 91:4-6).

If we are going to ascend unto God, we must be willing to receive light and truth from whatever source God decides to lead us to. This will stretch us as we will feel vulnerable. That vulnerability creates a window of humility, an openness to the possibility that God is trying to teach us something useful and give us more light and knowledge.

Many people aren’t willing to expose themselves to new ideas because they are worried they will be deceived. This is interesting because they are already deceived. We live in a telestial world. We have to get past a telestial (deceived) level of thinking if we are going to rise above to greater light. To not be willing to learn new ideas is to be satisfied with the deceptions and lies we already live in.

I think some reasons we hold ourselves back from entertaining new ideas is the fear that we can’t recognize truth from error. I have found one good thing for me to do is stay firmly rooted in those things I know are true. For example, when I was studying for my masters degree in Bible and Ministry, I always made time to study and ponder in the Book of Mormon. There is a true, familiar spirit that I feel in the Book of Mormon. In this way, when I read other things or am exposed to different ideas, I can test how I feel as I’m reading these new ideas to how I feel when I read the Book of Mormon. I know what truth tastes like. Just like testing a new fruit. I know what a sweet orange tastes like and a fruit that isn’t sweet will not be one I want to continue tasting.

Strategies of the Evil One

This past year has been very interesting and trying for me. I have been tried to the core to see if I will put my faith in Jesus Christ or in man, no matter the consequences. I have found the Book of Mormon is continually revealing the enemies of Christ, as President Ezra Taft Benson declared. Since fear is not of God (2 Timothy 1:7), when otherwise good people let fear enter their heart, they also let the evil one have place in them to guide them in his ways. It is so subtle they don’t realize they are acting and thinking under his influence. The thoughts they have in their minds are directed by the evil one because they have made place to entertain fearful thoughts, thus letting him whisper in their ears. We know that the devil “whispereth in their ears” (2 Nephi 28:22). Therefore, those thoughts that are sprung up in fear are in the devil’s territory. Through fearful thoughts their minds have entered the territory of the evil one, even the one they pretend to abhor. I will share a couple common strategies from the Book of Mormon that they soon fall victim to as they listen to the wrong thoughts.

One is falling into a trap of assuming that a particular action equals a particular outcome. Usually this happens because of one’s own past experiences or what one wants to believe. A great example in the Book of Mormon is when the Lamanite daughters are abducted from their place of dancing and singing. The wicked priests of King Noah had abandoned their families and had found the daughters of the Lamanites in this place dancing and singing. The record states,

“And when there were but few of them gathered together to dance, they [the wicked priests of king Noah] came forth out of their secret places and took them and carried them into the wilderness; yea, twenty and four of the daughters of the Lamanites they carried into the wilderness.
6 And it came to pass that when the Lamanites found that their daughters had been missing, they were angry with the people of Limhi, for they thought it was the people of Limhi.
7 Therefore they sent their armies forth; yea, even the king himself went before his people; and they went up to the land of Nephi to destroy the people of Limhi” (Mosiah 20:5-7).

The Lamanites had been at war with Limhi’s people so they immediately assumed that the people of Limhi were the culprits. They let anger and fear guide their thoughts and immediately accused the wrong people and caused the death of many people on both sides of the conflict because of an incorrect assumption. They spread this assumption through rumor. All of a sudden an entire people are upset with Limhi’s people because of rumors. Fear, anger and rumor are great weapons of the evil one.

The next example is found with Amalickiah, a wicked Nephite dissenter. He is a master of deceit. Through deceit, lies and murder, he becomes the head of the entire Lamanite army. In order to become the head of the Lamanites, he has to eliminate the king. As he returns to the chief city, the king comes out to greet them and Amalickiah’s servants bow as if to reverence him. When the first servant stands back up he stabs the king to the heart and kills him. Immediately the king’s servants flee and Amalickiah’s servants lie and cry out to the people, “Behold, the servants of the king have stabbed him to the heart, and he has fallen and they have fled; behold, come and see” (Alma 47:26). From a distance it appears the lie is true.

The record continues, “And it came to pass that Amalickiah commanded that his armies should march forth and see what had happened to the king; and when they had come to the spot, and found the king lying in his gore, Amalickiah pretended to be wroth, and said: Whosoever loved the king, let him go forth, and pursue his servants that they may be slain” (Alma 47:27). Then Amalickiah’s servants, in their successful attempt to explain to the queen how her husband was murdered, make an appeal to the fact that the king’s servants fled from the scene so it is clear they have committed this murder (Alma 47:34).

The strategy here is to claim someone else is doing exactly what you are doing. My experience has taught me this principle over and over and here it is exposed in the great record of the Book of Mormon. Amalickiah states that the servants of the king did exactly what his servants did to the king and creates the image to support his deceit. So many times in our lives our enemies claim that we do something that they are doing. They then spread the false accusations and lies by describing their own feelings and evil acts but ascribing them to be of their enemy. It is a horrible tactic but as you ponder your life you will notice this is a common tactic of the adversary.

Look at those who accused our Lord. They claimed he was a blasphemer and a child of the devil, Beelzebub, when in reality they were the ones setting themselves up as a light and acting under the influence of the devil. It is a time-tested principle of the evil one, to claim someone else is doing whatever you yourself are doing.

It is hard to love those that persecute you in both of these strategies of the evil one. It is real and it becomes the perfect test of charity. When Jesus taught to love your enemies and those that fight against you and speak all manner of evil against you, this was hard doctrine. There is a reason many fall away from following Him as the intensity of the trials increase and all manner of evil is spoken against you and a lie overshadows you. If you care more of what men think of you than what God knows of you, then you will fall. If you only care what God knows of you, then you will live. Trust in God. Carry on in the paths of truth and righteousness and all these things will be for thy experience and for thy good (Doctrine and Covenants 122:7).

Come, Follow Me - How do we follow the prophet without making an idol of him?

President Russell M. Nelson has been trying to turn us to the Lord. I am convinced he would be disappointed in many of our fast and testimony meetings because of our continuous praising of him instead of praising the Lord, Jesus Christ or our Father in heaven. Some well-meaning saints may be trying to praise the Lord by expressing their love and devotion to the president of the church but we need to make sure that this mantra doesn’t derail us from the path to coming unto the Savior of the world, even Jesus Christ.

Listen to several paragraphs from the past general conferences of the church:

“In a coming day, only those men who have taken their priesthood seriously, by diligently seeking to be taught by the Lord Himself, will be able to bless, guide, protect, strengthen, and heal others. Only a man who has paid the price for priesthood power will be able to bring miracles to those he loves and keep his marriage and family safe, now and throughout eternity” (“The Price of Priesthood Power,” Russell M. Nelson, General Conference, April 2016).

“It is doctrinally incomplete to speak of the Lord’s atoning sacrifice by shortcut phrases, such as “the Atonement” or “the enabling power of the Atonement” or “applying the Atonement” or “being strengthened by the Atonement.” These expressions present a real risk of misdirecting faith by treating the event as if it had living existence and capabilities independent of our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Under the Father’s great eternal plan, it is the Savior who suffered. It is the Savior who broke the bands of death. It is the Savior who paid the price for our sins and transgressions and blots them out on condition of our repentance. It is the Savior who delivers us from physical and spiritual death.
There is no amorphous entity called “the Atonement” upon which we may call for succor, healing, forgiveness, or power. Jesus Christ is the source. Sacred terms such as Atonement and Resurrection describe what the Savior did, according to the Father’s plan, so that we may live with hope in this life and gain eternal life in the world to come. The Savior’s atoning sacrifice--the central act of all human history--is best understood and appreciated when we expressly and clearly connect it to Him.
The importance of the Savior’s mission was emphasized by the Prophet Joseph Smith, who declared emphatically that “the fundamental principles of our religion are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it” (Drawing the Power of Jesus Christ Into Our Lives,” Russell M. Nelson, General Conference, April 2017).

Elder Larry Y. Wilson said this, “Some may think we shouldn’t expect daily guidance from the Spirit because “it is not meet that [God] should command in all things,” lest we become slothful servants. This scripture, however, was given to some early missionaries who asked Joseph Smith to obtain revelation they should have received for themselves. In a preceding verse, the Lord told them to come to the mission field “as they shall counsel between themselves and me.”
These missionaries wanted a specific revelation about their travel plans. They hadn’t yet learned to seek their own direction in personal matters. The Lord called this attitude what it is: slothful. Early Church members may have been so happy to have a true prophet that they were in danger of failing to learn how to receive revelation themselves. Being spiritually self-reliant is hearing the Lord’s voice through His Spirit for one’s own life” (“Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide,” Larry Y. Wilson, General Conference, April 2018).

Elder Neil L. Andersen said this, “A prophet does not stand between you and the Savior. Rather, he stands beside you and points the way to the Savior” (“The Prophet of God,” Neil L. Andersen, General Conference, April 2018).

President Nelson says something very powerful right after indicating the Lord is leading this church. He says, “But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Russell M. Nelson, General Conference, April 2018). In other words, the Lord is guiding His church but if you don’t know how to communicate with Him, you will fall.

And then from last general conference, October 2018, “For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the “Mormon Church.” But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself. Unfortunately, many who hear the term Mormon may think that we worship Mormon. Not so! We honor and respect that great ancient American prophet. But we are not Mormon’s disciples. We are the Lord’s disciples” (“The Correct Name of the Church,” Russell M. Nelson, General Conference, October 2018).

Go through and replace “Mormon” with “President Nelson”.

“For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as [President Nelson’s Church]. But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself. Unfortunately, many who hear the term [Follow the Prophet] may think that we worship [President Nelson]. Not so! We honor and respect [President Nelson, our current prophet]. But we are not [President Nelson’s] disciples. We are the Lord’s disciples.”

Let us be ever diligent in emphasizing the absolute necessity to follow the Lord, Jesus Christ. Anyone or anything that leads us to Jesus Christ will be of benefit to us, but we follow no man or woman. We must never put our trust in the arm of the flesh. Nephi said, “O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm” (2 Nephi 4:34).

Notes:

Some great talks to emphasize this important distinction and powerful doctrine are found in President Henry B. Eyring’s talk where a young man came to him when he was bishop and was wise enough to not trust the bishop over the Lord. (“The Lord Leads His Church,” Henry B. Eyring, General Conference, October 2017). Another talk is by Elder D. Todd Christofferson, “The Doctrine of Christ,” General Conference, April 2012. He emphasizes the need for us to take our own spiritual responsibility in seeking our own witness about every word that cometh from the prophets of the Lord to make sure that the Holy Ghost ratifies the truth of what has been said. “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things,” (Moroni 10:5).