Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Book of Mormon: Laying Down Our Weapons of Rebellion


Last night I was reading from Alma and came across these verses that stuck out to me...


Alma 23:7 For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more...


Alma 24:16 ...behold, we will hide away our swords, yea, even we will bury them deep in the earth, that they may be kept bright, as a testimony that we have never used them...


The Anti-Nephi-Lehis' weapons could commit physical death but more importantly they were creating in them their own spiritual death. Our weapons of rebellion may not be bringing about the physical death of others but just as the Anti-Nephi-Lehis our personal weapons of rebellion can slowly but indefinitely lead us to our own spiritual death and leave bad examples for others to follow to their spiritual decline.


Are our choices holding us down and causing us to use our weapons to fight against God? That statement really stuck out to me, "they did not fight against God any more." It made me realize that when I sin or when I make bad choices I am literally fighting against Him. Luke 11:23 says, "He that is not with me is against me...".


Let us all bury our weapons of rebellion deep in the earth. Let us keep our weapons that were once dirty with sin bright as a testimony that we never used them again. Let us find weapons of righteousness within ourselves. Let us beat the enemy we all find within ourselves and submit to will of our Heavenly Father.


President James E. Faust said it perfectly, "Each of us needs to train ourselves to be bold, disciplined, and loyal men [and women] who are prepared with the proper weapons to fight against evil and to win.

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