This
one verse nearly makes my blood run cold.
“Now these dissenters (Apostates), having the same instruction and the
same information of the Nephites, (They were raised in the gospel.), yea,
having been instructed in the same knowledge of the Lord (they knew the
truth!), nevertheless, it is strange to relate, not long after their
dissensions they became more hardened and impenitent, and more wild, wicked and
ferocious than the Lamanites – drinking in with the traditions of the Lamanites;
giving way to indolence, and all manner of lasciviousness; yea, entirely
forgetting the Lord their God.”
It
explains how card-carrying members of the Church can so quickly leave the
Church and embrace the ways of the world, marking their bodies with piercings
and tattoos, behaving in ways that go totally against the teachings of their
youth. They forget they are children of
a Heavenly Father who loves them and turn against Him with a vengeance. As a parent, it is the saddest thing in the
world to witness. As a member of the
Church, watching it in fellow members is equally disturbing.
We
have been warned and forewarned against the evils of the devil. This chapter shows several tactics Satan uses
to lure righteous, committed members from the safety of the Gospel net. He doesn’t come out in force. He uses gentle tactics. Amalickiah initially requested Lehonti to
come down out of the mount – the mount being his refuge. Lehonti was firm in his decree to stay put
and would not budge until Amalickiah came nearly to the door of his camp. This made Lehonti curious to know what
Amalickiah had on his mind. He came out
with his guards to just listen to his plan.
Big mistake! Don’t listen. Don’t give Satan a chance to even present a
plan. Run! He is subtle and He is crafty. He knows our weaknesses and he will find a
hole and work it until he has weakened our resolve and the rest is
history.
I’m
so grateful for the Power of the Atonement which is so much greater than
Satan’s power. All we need to do is ask
for help. The help is there. There are angels all around to help us when
we’re ready. It is amazing to me just
how ready they are. Just last night I
prayed for angels to assist me in a good night’s sleep. A little bit I felt silly for such a
request. I mean, really, should Heavenly
Father care how much sleep I get? But I
accomplish so little in a day when I am fatigued which is where I’ve been
lately. Well, I was amazed when I woke
up this morning barely remembering my head hit the pillow and it had been seven
plus hours since I had closed my eyes.
Asking really does work. In
numerous scripture references we are told to “. . . ask and ye shall receive. .
.” He is good on His word, for which I
will be forever grateful.
It
was some 49 years ago I prayed “. . . Heavenly Father, I don’t know exactly
what my parents are praying for me, but I’m ready to do what it takes to answer
those prayers.” Never have I seen such
amazing response to my prayers as I did at that time!
Heavenly
Father loves us and wants us to return from our evil ways. He wants us to return to His presence when we
leave this earthly existence. I know
this is true. I also know we can do it
if we pray for angels to help us. It is
part of His plan.
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