Week 3

We have all heard the saying "Sometimes the best offense is a good defense."  I think the Nephites really drove this point home in the chapters that we read for this week.  In Alma 43:19 it reads,
 "And when the armies of the Lamanites saw that the people of Nephi, or that Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing--"
The Nephites were prepared for their battle with the Lamanites.  They were wearing armor that would protect them from the weapons of their enemies.  In a more symbolic sense, though, they were also wearing the armor of God.  This armor protects from the weapons of the world.  No amount of filth, temptation, wickedness, or evil can ever penetrate the armor of God. 
We learn in Ephesians 6:10-18 that the armor of God consists of having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and having the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit.  I love that this leaves no part of your body or Spirit unprotected.
We also learn from this scripture that we need to be prepared.  It is pointless to put on your armor in the middle of the battle.  The Nephites were ready and fully protected before the Lamanites came to fight them.  I think this applies to our lives in many ways.  We need to be prepared and protect ourselves before we face the world.  It's important to read our scriptures and gain a testimony before we go up against Satan.  It's important to make decisions on how we will act before we have to decide when we are tempted.  If we are prepared and if we have put on the whole armor of God, Heavenly Father is sure to bless us with the strength to resist and overcome whatever temptations and hardships come our way.
The Lamanites were not prepared to protect themselves; rather, they came to the battle ready to fight.  They had so many weapons, but the weapons were rendered useless against the armor of the Lamanites.  Likewise, we as Latter-day Saints should be ready to defend and protect our standards.  We should prepared to be defensive because offensive thinking will only damage us.  Putting on the whole armor of God will give us the strength and power to withstand these difficult times. 

Week 2

It was interesting this week to read Alma 38 verse 12.  It reads:

“Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.”

I loved this verse.  I think the underlying theme of this scripture is to live with moderation.  We talked in class about how it is important to bridle ALL your passions.  Most of the time, when people think of this phrase, they think of sexual sin.  While this is very important, the verse says ALL passions.  We discussed that this can apply to many things in life.  Passions can refer to money, the internet, eating, working, or any other things that would muddle your vision of Christ.  It is important to have passions as they are powerful and motivating and can help us develop some of our God-like potential.  However, it is vital to keep them in check.  If our passions are hindering our spiritual progression, then they become dangerous.  I think the “Good, Better, Best” principle applies very well to this situation.  Our lives can be full of so many opportunities, but we need to make sure we focus on the best ones.

I know this scripture spoke personally to me.  I am a busy college student.  Nursing school demands so much of my attention, and when I am not studying, I am usually hanging out with friends or trying to get some sleep.  I know that this year especially, I have had many days where my head hits my pillow and I remember that I haven’t put as much effort into my scripture study and prayer as I should have.  School and being social are important pursuits, but at the end of the day, are those the passions that I want Heavenly Father to recognize me by?  No!  I know that He wants me to do the things every day that will help me grow closer to Him.  I need to bridle ALL my passions.  I love the promise given in this verse.  When I do this, I will be filled with love.  I know that as I focus on my spiritual life and do the best things, I will be brimming with love for my God, my life, my family, and my Savior.      

Week 1

Dear Readers,
I am making this blog to fulfill an assignment for my Book of Mormon class, but I am more than excited for this wonderful opportunity to share my testimony and hopefully touch others with what I believe.  Thanks for stopping by!

Week 1

This week we read Alma 30-35 and I was blown away by how much this passage touched me.  There were so many things in these scriptures that I felt could not have come at a more opportune time; I definitely needed to hear them.  One verse in particular that stood out to me was Alma 32:27.  It reads "But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words."
I love that this verse talks about only having a particle of faith.  Sometimes, that's all we can come up with and it's easy to believe that that small amount of faith is not good enough or that Heavenly Father will not accept it.  However, it is the opposite.  God will take everything we have to give Him and expound upon it.  He recognizes when we are doing our best and He will help us make the difference.  When we give Him a particle of our faith and show Him desire to do better, He will bless us with a testimony and knowledge of Christ so that our faith will grow.
When I read this I was reminded of one of my favorite hymns, Where Can I Turn for Peace?.  There is one line that says "He answers privately, reaches my reaching."  I think this applies to Alma 32:27.  Sometimes we reach as far as we can but it still doesn't measure up.  However, Heavenly Father acknowledges our effort and reaches the rest of the way.  He makes it possible for us to become the men and women that we never thought we could be.  And what a blessing this is!!

Have a great week!