What Our Prophet Taught in April 2016

President Monson's remarks were brief, largely due to his failing health, however he did give some great council that we should take to heart. Below are a few of the things that he said:

• "We are the recipients of a sacred trust [as Priesthood holders]. Much is expected of us."
• We must guard/protect this Priesthood and be worthy of its blessings.
• "Before you put yourself and your priesthood in jeopardy by venturing into places or participating in activities which are not worthy of you or of that priesthood, pause to consider the consequences."
• "Remember who you are and what God expects you to become. You are a child of promise. You are a man of might. You are a son of God."
• We must always be worthy to use the Priesthood for we never know when we will be called upon to use it!
• "It has been said that the door of history turns on small hinges, and so do people’s lives. The choices we make determine our destiny."
• "May we choose to build up within ourselves a great and powerful faith which will be our most effective defense against the designs of the adversary—a real faith, the kind of faith which will sustain us and will bolster our desire to choose the right. Without such faith, we go nowhere. With it, we can accomplish our goals."
• Use the gift of repentance when you fall short.
• "May we maintain the courage to defy the consensus. May we ever choose the harder right instead of the easier wrong."
• Always choose Christ.

From the following talks in the April 2016 General Conference:

• https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/a-sacred-trust?lang=eng
• https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/choices?lang=eng

Learn from Moronihah: Protect the Center of the Land

We can learn much from Moronihah's costly blunder, described in Helaman 1:26:

 26 For behold, Moronihah had supposed that the Lamanites durst not come into the center of the land, but that they would attack the cities round about in the borders as they had hitherto done; therefore Moronihah had caused that their strong armies should maintain those parts round about by the borders.

A few lessons:

1. Satan knows where our weaknesses are and is unafraid to hit us there. And by unafraid I mean he is eager to and inevitably will hit us there. If we are super fortified in the area of the Word of Wisdom but weaker in the Law of Chastity, for example, then Satan's efforts will focus more around inappropriate thoughts than around trying an illegal drug. 
2. We must remain vigilant to avoid being taken by surprise temptations. The Savior taught, "Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat." 3 Nephi 18:18
3. Every effort should be made to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost and be able to receive inspiration. It's hard to imagine this sort of breach happening to Moronihah's father, Moroni, because he was an inspired leader and always one step ahead of the Lamanites.
4. At the time that the Lamanites successfully took Zarahemla in the heart of the land, the Nephites were experiencing internal struggles, largely due to the secret acts of wickedness committed by Kiskumen and his cohorts. They had just murdered the chief judge and were mingling with the population. This wickedness in the heart of the land was a big factor in the Nephite's unpreparedness for the Lamanite attack.
5. No matter how well we appear prepared on the outside because we attend church, fulfill callings, serve others, etc, if our hearts are not sincere, our faith is not strong, and our conversion is not deep, then we are vulnerable to similar attacks. One interesting lesson from the Armor of God analogy found in the scriptures is that the Shield of Faith can be used as a mobile defense to protect any weak or vulnerable area of the body from oncoming attack. 

Be a Latter-day Stripling Warrior

As we discussed the Book of Mormon story of Helaman's stripling warriors, it hit me that this was included in the scriptures because it relates to us today in a powerful way. Like these young boys, each of us will face difficult battles. None of us will escape injury, but all of us can be saved through faith in Christ that leads us to spiritual preparation. This account also exemplifies the importance of teaching our children the gospel to prepare them for the battles they'll inevitably face.

We must face our trials - the battles of life - with faith and confidence. The stripling warriors had grown up in a pacifist community with parents that had covenanted to never fight again. They had never lifted swords previously, but this was their response in Alma 56:46: "behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth".

We must be selfless and willing to give our lives in service to others. I think those who join the military to protect the freedoms we enjoy in this country exemplify this same spirit, but we can also have this attitude in other areas of our lives. Look for ways to serve others. In Alma 56:47 we read, "and they did think more upon the liberty of theirfathers than they did upon their lives."

Teaching our children is so important! This is what these young warriors said about their mothers: "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." Alma 56:47-48

Here is the result of their great faith: "behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them 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. These young men had never fought before, but they were filled with the strength of God to overcome overwhelming odds. Whenever we are on the Lord's side, there be more with us than against us regardless of what it may look like with our physical eyes.

In a later battle, they were again very outnumbered. While many of the Nephites were "about to give way" these stripling warriors "did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them." This faith and obedience miraculously saves their lives in this battle. Helaman describes the result:

25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe 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.
27 Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually. Alma 57:25-27

Similarly, we will not escape life's battles without injury; however, we can fight these battles in full confidence that through faith and obedience everything will work out alright. Helaman arrives at the same conclusion as he wraps up his epistle to Moroni by describing the miracle of the stripling warriors: "And those sons of the people of Ammon ... are with me in the city of Manti; and the Lord has supported them, yea, and kept them from falling by the sword, insomuch that even one soul has not been slain. But behold, they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually; and their faith is strong in the prophecies concerning that which is to come." Alma 58:39-40

Let us be like the stripling warriors!

Moroni's Response to the Cunning Flattery of Amalickiah

In Alma 46, we read of Amalickiah "a man of cunning device and a man of many flattering words" who "led away the hearts of many people to do wickedly" and "[sought] to destroy the church of God, and  to destroy the foundation of liberty which God had granted [the Nephites]." Amalickiah caused dissensions in the church as well as a rift in the government.

How did Moroni, the military leader of the Nephites, respond to this?

 12 And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it—In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children—and he fastened it upon the end of a pole.

 13 And he fastened on his headplate, and his breastplate, and his  shields, and girded on his armor about his loins; and he took the pole, which had on the end thereof his rent coat, (and he called it the title of  liberty) and he bowed himself to the earth, and he prayed mightily  unto his God for the blessings of liberty to rest upon his brethren, so  long as there should a band of Christians remain to possess the land—

Moroni chose to combat the wicked tactics of the persuasive Amalickiah by helping the people remember what really matters: God, religion, freedom, peace, and family. He knew that the people would rally around this truth and be willing to do whatever it took to defend what truly matters.

When people get prideful, caught up in the newest trends or movements, and begin to fight against that which is good, it is because they have forgotten what really matters. The best weapon to combat this is to help them remember what truly matters.

So what was the result? After Moroni "went forth among the people, waving the rent part of his garment in the air, that all might see the writing which he had written upon the rent part, and crying with a loud voice, saying: Behold whosoever will maintain this title upon the land, let them come forth in the strength of the Lord...and it came to pass that when Moroni had proclaimed these words, behold, the people came running together" to make a covenant with God.

People will rally around the truth, and the truth is the only way to cut through the deceitful evil of people like Amalickiah who quickly blind the eyes with cunning flattery.

Corrupted by Promises of Power: The Craft of Amalickiah

We observe an interesting process in Alma 46 that is certainly not unique to the Nephites nor to that time period. A power hungry man named Amalickiah desires to be king, so he goes around to those who have some small degree of political power (the lower judges) and flatters them, promising them high leadership positions if they will support him in his campaign. Amalickiah knows and exploits their natural weakness for craving power and influence.

These lower judges were chosen by the voice of the people, who likely selected them because of their values and good standing in the community. It's quite possible that these lower judges agreed to public service to do just that - serve - rather than seek for power. However, they became corrupted when they hearkened to Amalickiah's untruthful promises of power. Mormon narrates that these lower judges were "led by the flatteries of Amalickiah...they were led away by Amalickiah to dissensions..." Before long, these judges who were appointed to support the democratic liberty of the people, support Amalickiah and the foundational change in government from democracy to monarchy.

Not only is this a historical account, but it can also serve as allegory for us in our lives. Amalickiah typifies the adversary. He seeks to reign at the expense of our freedom. He whispers flattering lies in our ears hoping to persuade us to follow him. If we choose to listen, we are "led away" by our choices into the destruction of our liberty. It's important to note that Amalickiah fails to deliver just as Satan always fails to deliver on his evil promises.

Another application or warning from this account would be current American politics. It's hard to read this and not think of the corruption caused by the flattering promises of political candidates, the influence of lobbyists, and rampant cronyism.