So.... Something I've been thinking about a lot lately: the Battle. Not just any battle, but the Battle between good and evil, the Battle that we fight every day. The reason I've been thinking about this is that I've been reading the war chapters in Alma/Helaman the last couple weeks. One thing I've noticed this time through is that they do more preparing than actual fighting. They are always "strengthening their cities" and "building fortifications". It's good stuff. I do believe that the stories in the scriptures are lessons for our day, and although we may not be in hand to hand combat or worrying that our cities will be attacked by Lamanites, we can still learn from them. Here are some of the things I learned:
First off, what kind of battles do we fight?
We have battles everyday, fighting things from our own tempers to discouragement to temptations. To get personal, my battles are more along the lines of fighting discouragement or frustration. Some people battle things that are more looming, such as homosexuality or drug abuse. Still, every battle is equally important, because if you lose, your spirituality is at stake - and that's everything.
How do we prepare for these battles?
In the scriptures, the preparation involved digging ditches, building towers, erecting walls, and training soldiers. In our day, the things we do to prepare for our battles involve following our "program of strict training", as Sister Dalton put it, and doing things such as attending church and seminary, reading the scriptures and praying continually, living the standards in For the Strength of Youth (No matter what age you are), and being an example to others. The more we adhere to our training program, the more prepared we will be to fight off daily temptations and frustrations. It is a battle in itself to stick to the program- the World can look very appealing. But we know Who will win this battle. We must remember that the second battle the Stripling Warriors fought, none were lost, but many were severely wounded. We will make it out, but that doesn't mean it will be easy.
Below is a song that goes with this theme. It is a song written for the guys, but it is just as applicable to the girls as well. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-fUlZkri_g
Thanks for reading!
God bless,
S
