BATTLE FOR OUR SOULS

 

This is a story for those of us who want to be heroes. There was once a king by the name of Ahab who ruled the northern kingdom of Israel from 885-874 B.C. He was the most wicked king Israel had ever had for he married a Phoenician princess by the name of Jezebel and established the worship of Baal as the religion of state (1 Kings 16:30-33). Ahab and Jezebel killed all the prophets and persecuted Elijah to the point of madness, seeking his life. Ahab teaches us a very profound lesson in the manner of his death. When he led his army against the forces of Syria, he took every precaution to avoid being injured, even disguising himself so that the Syrians would not recognise him and focus on his destruction.  The only thing he didn’t do was wear enough armour so someone drew his bow at random and hit the king between the sections of his armour. By night time he had bled to death (1 Kings 22:30-35). When I read the story of Ahab, I always feel that the manner of his physical protection from danger equalled the negligent spiritual protection he provided for himself. Where did Ahab go wrong spiritually? He eradicated the worship of Jehovah not only in his kingdom but more importantly, in his life. So it is with us…..The degree of protection we have from the adversary is directly proportional to the diligence and heed we give to the Lord's commandments.  The extent and strength of our armour is a good indication of how valiant we are in our testimony of Jesus.  We cannot afford to choose which commandment we will obey and which we will let slide because each commandment provides a section in our armour against sin.  

 

If you ever wanted to be a hero, this is the time and the place.  Examine the cracks in your armour and sharpen your sword of righteousness.  President Ezra Taft Benson said: "You will never have a better opportunity to be a greater hero in a more crucial battle than in the battle you will face today and in the immediate future. Be warned that some of the greatest battles you will face will be fought within the silent chambers of your own soul.  David's battles in the field against the foe were not as critical as David's battles in the palace against a lustful eye.  We will each find our own battlefield". (Ezra Taft Benson, "In His Steps", 1979, Devotional Speeches of the Year, 60).

 

We are engaged in a battle of all battles. The most important battlefield we will ever get to fight is the battle for our souls. The adversary will use every tactic to bring us down. When Joseph lost 116 pages of the Book of Mormon manuscript, the Saviour told him that if he had been faithful and not feared man He would have supported him against all the fiery darts of the adversary (D&C 3:7,8). The foundation of our faith in Christ and our obedience to Him is the strength of our defence. When the war is over and the battle won, whose side will you be found on?

 

He is the Captain of our souls:

 His arms are our shelter,

His heart is our home,

Our only hope

For protection 

from the battle’s storm.

 

 

 - CATHRYNE ALLEN 

A LINK IN THE CHAIN

 

 

When my mother-in-law lay in the hospital bed dying, she repeatedly told her children and grandchildren to stay on ‘the gospel train’. Just prior to her death one conference talk was centered on this life being like a train journey and we think she connected this in her mind to the gospel. She died a dignified death with her testimony on her lips.  

 

In his farewell address, Moses admonished the children of Israel, repeatedly, to worship the one true and living God and that they should have no other gods before Him. This farewell constitutes the entire book of Deuteronomy with strong emphasis on dangers of idol worship. Moses' farewell coincided with the children of Israel's entry into the promised land. Because the inhabitants of Canaan were ripe in iniquity and idol worship (1 Nephi 17:32-35) they presented a very real threat to the covenant people. As they conquered cities before them, lands were appropriated to them for their settlement. Among the first to receive land were the tribes of Reuben, Gad and half of Mannesah. They settled in the land of Gilead which divided them from the rest of Israel by the river Jordan (Numbers 34:14,15; Deuteronomy 3:12,13; Joshua 22:9). After they had assisted in further conquest of the land, Joshua sent them back to Gilead to live peacefully in their newly appointed inheritance. Upon their return home, these tribes built an altar by river Jordan. When the rest of Israel heard of it they were outraged presuming the altar was built for idol worship. They sent Phineas, the son of Eleazor the priest, with the heads of the remaining tribes, to call these two and a half tribes to repentance. In their defense, these tribes explained that the altar was not made for any worship but was meant to stand as a witness to the rest of Israel, for generations to come, that the tribe of Reuben, Gad and Mannesah were united with the rest of Israel in the worship of one true and living God; that they would not be the downfall of Israel. They said the altar was to be "a witness between us that the Lord is God" (Joshua 22:34).  These three tribes recognised that even though they were geographically divided from the rest, they were still a link in the chain. They knew that if they turned to the worship of other gods, the ripple effect would be detrimental to the whole House of Israel.

So it is with us. We of modern Israel are individual links in a great chain which binds the covenant people. How we live our lives and how we worship God has great impact upon not only us personally but upon the body of Christ as a whole because "no one sins in isolation. We cannot say that our actions influence only ourselves for even if we do something sinful that is completely personal, our individual loss of spiritual power means a lessening of power for all mankind and contributes to the withdrawal of the Lord's spirit, and that is damaging to all......". (Old Testament Student Manual Genesis-2 Samuel, p 243). 

 

Today the chain, being the Church of Jesus Christ, spreads across the globe. It unites me, who am an Australian, with you who are an American, European or African. It unites us through our faith in Him who is the Saviour of all, regardless of nationality, colour or culture. Our faith in Christ and our commitment to that faith is our commonality. It creates a spiritual umbilical cord that makes us one and strengthens us even though we are miles apart. I depend on you and you depend on me to keep the chain unbroken because one day this chain will bring us together to live with Him forever. 

In Moses' words:

 

"Hear, O Israel: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might...and these words....shall be in thine heart....forever."  Deut 6:4-6

- CATHRYNE ALLEN

(Art: Light of the World by Nathan Greene)

THE HUMBLE GOD

 

Through my study of the scriptures I have counted 18 of Christ’s characteristics, the most prominent of which for me, had been ones of power and mercy. I recently came to understand one of His virtues which I had not paid much attention to before, the virtue of humility.

 

This is the scripture which made me reflect on the extraordinary nature of His character as a God: “Therefore, I command you to build a house unto me, for the gathering together of my saints, that they may WORSHIP ME” (D&C 115:8). Can you imagine the amount of humility it would require to say such a thing for a God of perfect attributes and devoid of pride? It would have to be someone who knows perfectly who he is, is confident in that knowledge and most of all, has a purity of spirit and heart. Compare this to Lucifer’s desire to be worshipped (Moses 4:1-4).

 

It amazes me that someone so powerful who calls himself ‘the king of heaven’ (2 N 10:14), who can create worlds and annihilate them by the power of His word (Helaman 12:9-17; D&C 63:4) can be so humble. Until now I have only seen Christ’s power in His self-declarations but have overlooked the humility. 

 

This is why this is important for us: Christ’s humility made it possible for Him to condescend to be born to a lowly life: in a stable, a carpenter, willing to be subjected to ridicule and unacceptance. You might say he experienced mortal life at ‘ground zero’. And in doing so he ‘descended below all things that he might comprehend all things’ (D&C 88:6). What things? Our difficulties, our sorrows, our sins, our imperfections, our sufferings, our inabilities, our mortal weakness. The added bonus was access to our individual lives through the Atonement where He learnt what it was like to be you and me.

 

Imagine a God leaving His exalted throne and all that comes with it, to be rejected, spat upon, scourged, reviled and crucified. Imagine the humility it would take to subject yourself to all that, despite the power within your grasp. Embrace the beating of your cherished heart, you were worth it. 

 

Did your angels miss You

When you left Your glorious throne?

Did their voices echo in the lowly stable

When you were so humbly born?

Did they weep for you

When you had to suffer alone?

Will they rejoice at Your return

And sound their trumps

To herald their joy?

And will they praise You forever

As you reclaim Your exalted throne?

- Cathryne Allen