Week 33 is scheduled for study Aug. 12-18, 2024. To stand fast in our faith in Christ we must also understand how Satan tries to undermine our efforts. Here are some ways to stay strong.

Day 1

Alma 43-52 – Jesus Christ can help me with my spiritual battles.

I have said this before, God often enacts things physically to demonstrate a spiritual principle. In the past I have used the children of Israel and some of their stories to illustrate this point. For example, Moses created the brass serpent and raised it up for the children of Israel to look upon it and live. The act was simple, but when bitten by the poisonous serpents, they were sure to die unless they turned to the serpent and looked in faith. That simple act saved their lives physically.

We are now entering into the “war” chapters of the Book of Mormon. Much of what happens physically to the Nephites can be compared to what happens to us today spiritually. Amalickiah, a great deceiver, for he got what he wanted through much deception, is pursuing the Nephites with all his might. He wants to rule over them and make them his slaves. He wants more than anything to bring them into bondage. This week’s chapters demonstrate how relentless his pursuit of his goals is. They also demonstrate how the Nephites exercise their faith in tangible ways to prepare for Amalickiah’s never ending drive to bring their people to heel.

As you read through the lesson material notice that the Lamanites were amazed that the Nephites had used such wisdom to prepare against their onslaught. The armies were not only covered in protective armor, but their cities were fortified against even the vast numbers the Lamanites brought to bear upon them. The Nephites had fortified themselves and made all the necessary preparations ahead of time so that when the Lamanite’s wave of sheer numbers hit the Nephites, their preparations stopped the Lamanites in their tracks. Isn’t this what the prophet’s counsel does for us today? The prophet ALWAYS prepares us ahead of what is coming for us. The prophets are NEVER caught trying to catch up with Satan’s efforts, for the Lord loves us and warns us ahead of time. The prophet is always given the instructions we need to be prepared for what is coming to drag us down. And each time we prepare in faith we are strengthened and able to live in peace, for we have the blessings of God with us, because of our faith in His prophet.

Since the prophet is always looking into the future, we often don’t see the reasoning behind the instructions we are given to prepare ourselves. This in and of itself is an act of faith on our part. We must learn to trust their instructions without question, something the world refuses to ever do. The world tells us to never trust our leaders, but to do what is best for ourselves. The Lord’s prophets never have personal agendas, and only have our best interest at heart. When we give the prophet the same level of trust we give the Lord, there is nothing the world can do to take us down, for the Lord always supports those who place their trust in Him.

The manual has an exercise that walks you through these chapters and asks you to evaluate the events to see how they apply to you today. Continue to think of all that is happening to the Nephites as physical manifestations of what is happening to us today spiritually. Once you see the connections and parallels between them and us, you will never be able to unsee the connection. These war chapters will become precious to you, for they paint the picture of the same war we are fighting today for our spiritual safety.

Day 2

Alma 46:11-28; 48:7-17 – Stand fast in the faith of Christ

Here is an interesting exercise for you. List on a piece of paper ways in which you can “stand fast in the faith of Christ” in your own life. What habits do you have the help you stay true to the gospel you have espoused? What have you surrounded yourself by that remind you of Christ and his teachings? I mean by that, do you have pictures of temples in your home, quotes from the Brethren, subscriptions to the Church magazines, etc.? Do your friends know you are a Christian by how you live your daily life? How often do you attend the temple? Is it physically possible to attend more often? How do you protect your home environment from the influences of the world? What shows do you watch? Which books do you read? What games do you play? When was the last time you ministered to someone else’s needs? These are just a few questions you might ask yourself when making your list.

To “stand fast” means to be immovable. Do I ever waffle when challenged to do something not completely honest? The world promotes lifestyles that go against the teachings of the prophets. Do I support any lifestyle that goes against the word of God, which includes His living prophet? Despite any economic hardship I am facing, am I still faithful in paying my tithing? Do I attend my church meetings and fulfill my callings cheerfully and willingly? Do I clean the chapel and participate in service projects? Am I attending my meetings as commanded with a willing heart and a cheerful countenance?

These can be difficult questions to answer in the affirmative when life is hard and challenges abound. How consistently am I saying my prayers and pondering on the doctrines of salvation each day? These are but a few ways and things to consider when you go to answer whether you are standing fast in the faith of Christ. Oh, and one last consideration – Did I find myself reading any of the above questions and making excuses for why I can’t live up to my commitments for that thing? Does the Lord ever bless us for any excuses we make for not being obedient? If I have made any excuses, what can I do to resolve that conflict in my life? Do I need to talk to my priesthood leader or just get more serious about keeping a particular commandment?

Day 3

Alma 47 – Satan tempts and deceives little by little.

I know it can feel so tiring when you acknowledge that Satan hits us with both temptations that are outrageous and those that are so subtle we can’t really tell if we are actually being tempted. By hitting us with the outrageous, the subtle seems so much more innocent and innocuous. The arguments that are so close to the truth that we would have to spend time teasing out the lie from it makes it just that much easier to accept it. We can become fatigued by the thought that we must evaluate almost everything we do, hear, see, and say in this life. It is genuinely difficult to be so close to the Spirit that truth and right becomes truly second nature to us. We must work hard at becoming that careful in what we take into our life and what we send out.

The manual suggests this video by Elder Ulisses Soares. It is beautifully done and so true to life. I hope you watch it more than once.

Day 4

Alma 50-51 – Unity brings safety.

There are two main philosophies. One is used by God and the other by the Adversary. God teaches us there is power in unity. He demonstrates the power that is available to us by the unity shown in the Godhead. Satan, on the other hand believes in divide and conquer. The less unity there is, the easier it is to win the war. Have you noticed that the world is splintered? Countries have special interest groups who want to break off from the main country to make their own country, political groups, social groups, cliques at school, and so many others have a desire to be set apart from those around them, to be special. They have no real desire to work with others and to be unified with anyone else. Instead they are focused on their own needs and their own wants. The world works through self-centeredness, while God works through the power of unity.

So many of our members get drawn into social debates about the needs of one special interest group or another. They get so wrapped up in the call for fairness, equity, or whatever other buzzword is being used, that they forget that real progress in all those areas can only be made when we are all working together, not trying to split ourselves apart.

The king-men knew that they had power to punish those who would not let them have their way politically. All they had to do was refuse to support the rest of society when the rest of society needed their support the most. So to punish everyone else they refused to fight. They went so far as to enter into league with the enemy to make deals for future support for their cause if they continued to weaken their own government from the inside in the meantime. This betrayal was insidious. According to Websters Dictionary, that means – “operating or proceeding in an inconspicuous or seemingly harmless way but actually with grave effect.” The word insidious comes from the Latin meaning deceitful or an ambush. This is literally what the king-men were doing to their own country. They were crippling their fellow citizens in a time of need through deceit and betrayal. None of this would have been an issue had they united with their country to work together.

Personal Study

Become confident in gospel learning

When we first begin to learn about the gospel there is so much to learn that it is difficult to know where to turn to determine what is right and what you need to know next. While I can’t really help anyone with the second part, knowing where to turn for gospel knowledge is not that hard.

There are so many sources that want to tell you what you should know, and so many people who set themselves up as the “light that shines in the darkness” that I have only one main piece of advice. Stick to the scriptures and to the Brethren and general leadership of the church. Yes, you will occasionally be shown or will see where one person disagrees with another person on a point of doctrine, but that should not derail you. As I have mentioned before, half of the apostles believe there is progress from kingdom to kingdom after the resurrection, while the other half believe that where we are placed is where we will be for eternity.

Does it really matter at this point in our salvation whether there is actual progression from kingdom to kingdom? No, absolutely not. We would be foolish beyond description if we banked our eternal salvation on the hopes that we can progress from kingdom to kingdom. So whether or not we can is immaterial. There is no official doctrine on this point. God simply hasn’t revealed it to any of the prophets that have stated it as what the Lord wants us to know. So we note someone’s opinion and move on. We don’t have to know everything in order to become comfortable knowing the doctrines of salvation.

Is it in the scriptures? That is the first thing you need to know. Today we have unprecedented means for searching the scriptures. Doing a search on words or concepts is faster than ever before in the history of the world. Take advantage of this ability and search to your heart’s content. Over time you will discover for yourself that similar or same topics are scattered throughout the scriptures. Rarely is there only one place where you can find a reference to a doctrinal point. It happens, but not a lot. Usually when it does happen it is something we have learned from modern revelation. These modern revelations are often backed up by teachings from the modern prophets as well.

Does the prophet teach it? Remember that the living prophet is the one who takes priority over all deceased prophets. The living prophet has current access to the Lord and what the Lord wants us to know and do. Deceased prophets have had their day and taught what they were supposed to teach for their day. Stick to the teachings of the living prophet and you will never go astray. This I know.

What does the Holy Spirit say? In this dispensation we are each given the gift of the Holy Ghost upon our baptism. That means there isn’t a single member of the church who hasn’t already been given this gift. When we make sure we do all in our power to invite Him into our life and are practicing learning to live by His promptings, over time we will always find ourselves making wiser and wiser choices. When presented with doctrine that might be questionable the Spirit will help us feel either comfortable or questioning. Listen to what He tells you and act accordingly. This takes practice, but if you are sticking to the basics of the gospel all along the way, this should be a comfortable transition as you come to feel comfortable with His presence in your life.

Become I can’t emphasize enough that the purpose of the gospel of Christ is for us to become better than we currently are. The prophets have stated this all along. As you practice serving others, putting the principles of the gospel into practice, your wisdom on how to use those principles increases. You will come to see the basics of the gospel in a new light. What you thought you knew about something will change over and over again as you learn to add other principles of the gospel into the recipe for living, giving you a whole new perspective on how powerful the “simple” basics of the gospel really are. Focus on becoming. That is the key to progress in the kingdom of God. Becoming happens with practice.

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BoM33-2024 – Stand Fast in the Faith of Christ