A BATTLE FOR OUR SOULS PART 2

 

Put On the Armor of God by Celestial Heritage

"As a small boy in grammar school, I had a teacher who made King Arthur and the knights of the Round Table come alive.  She caused me to become so obsessed with stories of knights that I played and dreamed that I was one.  One evening I dreamed that I was a white knight on a white horse riding over the greens of England.  Suddenly, without warning, a knight dressed in black armour and mounted on a black horse appeared at the edge of the forest.  We measured each other carefully, lowered our lances, and charged at full gallop.  The lances struck target and both of us were knocked off our steeds.

“I scrambled to my feet knowing that swords would be drawn and that hand-to-hand combat was imminent.  Fear gripped my heart as I saw my opponent rushing toward me flashing a long, gleaming sword.  Instinctively, I reached to my side and drew forth from the scabbard my weapon.  That is when the dream turned into a nightmare!  For in my hand was a small, dinky dagger - not a long, gleaming sword.  I woke up in a cold sweat screaming for help. 

“When the Lord draws you forth as His instrument in combating evil forces, what does he have in his hand - a long, gleaming sword or a dinky dagger?...The saving virtue of a sword is related to its strength, sharpness, cleanliness, and the hand which guides it.  Is it not the same with people?  I would pray that you would seek strength of character, sharpness of mind, and cleanliness of soul so as to become gleaming swords of righteousness.  By doing this, there will be no embarrassment, no disappointment, and no nightmare when He draws you out in battling the powers of darkness" (Elder Carlos E. Asay, "Instruments of Righteousness", New Era, June 1983)

There is a battle we are all engaged in with the enemy that cannot be seen. This enemy is cleverly disguised in many evils of mortality who carefully draws his bow and fires his darts and arrows aiming to wound so we would slowly bleed to death.

Since the battle is directed at the destruction of our souls, meaning both body and spirit (D&C 88:15), Paul admonished the saints of his day to put on ‘the whole armor of God that they might be able to stand against the wiles of the devil’ (Ephesians 6:10-13).  This armor is one of obedience and commitment to the commandments we have been given.

Every act of disobedience creates cracks in the armour that is supposed to protect us. And it is just such cracks that the adversary targets. Many cracks make a loose armour. A cracked and loose armour is sufficient to cause discomfort leading to the conviction that the armour is useless and not needed after all. Think of how many people regard the commandments of God to be inconvenient and restrictive.

The full armour of God that Paul admonished the Ephesians to wear addresses all the vulnerabilities of mortality:

        Loins (reproductive organs): typifying virtue and chastity

        Heart: in the scriptures the heart is always used to typify our conduct

        Feet: typify objectives and goals in life which would take us to perfection

        Head: a place the thoughts are stored which lead to actions

         

"Well, now, the apostle Paul went one step further. He didn't leave the man just with the armour on and expect him to cope against an army, seen or unseen. He had his armoured man holding in his hand a shield and in his other hand a sword, which were the weapons of those days. That shield was the shield of faith, and the sword was the sword of the spirit which is the Word of God. I can't think of any more powerful weapons than faith and a knowledge of the scriptures in the which are contained the Word of God. One so armoured and one so prepared with those weapons is prepared to go out against the enemy [and] is more to be feared than the enemies of the light" (Harold B. Lee, "Feet Shod with the Preparation of the Gospel of Peace", Speeches of the Year, 1954, pp 2-4, 6-7).

Don’t fear the enemy, make him fear YOU…..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

THE ENEMY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

 

There have been evil societies on this earth from day one because the enemy never sleeps. Two of them are worthy of mention: the people in the days of Noah who were so evil that God swept the whole earth clean with a flood (Moses 7:33,34); and the Nephite civilization that allowed wickedness and evil to lead them to destruction in ancient America.

I want to mention the Nephites as the Flood will be covered later in our Come Follow Me studies. I find it hard to fathom the atrocities such as were committed amongst the Nephites of Mormon’s day (Moroni 9:8-10). Mormon described his people as brutal, strong in their perversion and delighting in everything that is not good. He went on to say that ‘tongue could not tell, neither could it be written’ of the suffering among the women and children (Mormon 9:19).

Mormon recorded that ‘a continual scene of wickedness and abominations had been before his eyes ever since he had been sufficient to behold the ways of man’ (Mormon 2:18). In his last epistle to his son, he cried to God to ‘hide their sins, and wickedness and abominations from before His face!” (Moroni 9:15).

Mormon wrote the whole Book of Mormon in such a way that we might come to know the enemy and ‘be more wise than they have been’ (Mormon 9:31). Unfortunately, we don’t learn from history. The adversary is working today in secret ways, in corridors of power and in personal battlefields. He seeks our destruction and when he succeeds, he laughs and he and his angels rejoice (3 Nephi 9:2).

The adversary knows us. He observes our behaviour and our choices and our words. He knows what buttons to push.  He sees those moments when we are at our weakest. He waits for those moments. He lives for those moments.

This is why we need to take notice, now more than ever. We are preparing for the Millenium. When the Saviour comes, there will be destruction of evil at a level which we have never witnessed before: “And the saints also shall hardly escape; nevertheless, I, the Lord, am with them, and will come down in heaven from the presence of my Father and consume the wicked with unquenchable fire D&C 63:34)

Those who have been righteous and accepted Christ as their Redeemer and lived by His commandments will be transfigured to abide His glory and will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds of heaven, together with the righteous dead who will rise from their graves. (Joseph Fielding Smith, “Doctrines of Salvation”, 2:296). Can you imagine a more glorious sight? This is what we want to be a part of.

And the enemy? He will be bound by those who sought to conquer him on their personal battlefields so he will have no power over them for a thousand years (D&C 101:28; 1 Nephi 22:26; Moroni 9:6). Now this is what I am looking forward to……..

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Descending From The Clouds of Heaven by Greg Collins)

THE TEST

 

“You may wonder why we are not sharing the fun here on earth. That’s because we have been quarantined. We’ve been isolated for a special testing situation. Remember, that’s what the Lord told Enoch when he was talking about the world. He had created “worlds without number” and yet he told Enoch, “Among all the workmanship of my hands there has not been so great wickedness as among thy brethren.” (Moses 7:36) 

“So, in worlds without number, this is number one, the worst. This means when you are here, you are getting a real test.”   (Hugh Nibley, Old Testament and Related Studies [Deseret Book Co., Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies], 1986, 146)

He was one of us. He was great and mighty. He was in the bosom of the Father and in authority among us (D&C 76:25). He was also a liar and a murderer from the beginning (John 8:44). And he was full of pride and unrighteous ambition and when he fell the heavens wept over him (D&C 76:26).

He is now cast to this earth, a Thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). He seeks to steal our spiritual identity, kill our faith in God and destroy our commitment to Christ, the source of our salvation, and this is his method of destruction:

HIS THREE DOCTRINES are: 1. No punishment for sin; 2. Nothing after death; 3. He does not exist.

HIS LIES THROUGH RATIONALISATION: 1. Just once won’t hurt; 2. No one will know; 3. Everybody is doing it.

HIS VALUE SYSTEM: 1. Selfishness; 2. Self-indulgence; 3. Immediate gratification.

HIS SALES TECHNIQUES: 1. Pacifying; 2. Flattering; 3. Lulling (see 2 Nephi 28:21-22)

HIS WORDLY ENTICEMENTS: 1. Power; 2. Popularity; 3. Praise.

I can see all these playing out in our society but there is something the Thief cannot do….he cannot overcome Him who came that we might have life, and that we might have it more abundantly (John 10:10)……the Saviour of all mankind, the Lion of Judah who keeps us in His care.

 

He was the Son of the Morning,

His pride yielded irreversible cost

In the beginning we sorely wept

When his soul was forever lost.

 

Like a thief in the night,

He now seeks to steal, kill and destroy.

He is the collector of ruined lives,

The Master of ravaged souls.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: In God's Care by Greg Collins)

THE ENEMY

 

Imagine this fear. When Joseph was asked by some brethren about the creation of the world and how it was inhabited, he answered:

“I will tell you how it was. You and I were in the spirit world at the grand council….we saw and heard them talk of formation of the world and we were among those when the morning stars sang together and when the sons of God shouted for joy. We were among those who had more courage than others and therefore we came down here and took bodies.

“Some who did not have the courage said, “Father, we have fought Satan face to face here in the spirit world and helped to cast him down there and now to go down and fight him again face to face, we are afraid we shall never return to thy presence and would prefer a lesser degree of glory and go to some other of your creations where we are sure of returning. Yes, you and I had more courage and came down HERE of our own agency and choice.”  (Autobiography of Anson Call, p 19)

Who is this enemy that is so feared? When Moses encountered him and refused to worship him, Satan’s reaction drove exceeding fear into him to the point where he saw the bitterness of hell (Moses 1:20). I am guessing that would be enough to scare any righteous person to lose courage. I fear though that we have become so desensitised to sin in our day and age that we don’t fear him enough and he doesn’t seem real enough.

The adversary has two goals: 1. To make all men miserable like himself (2 Nephi 2:27); and 2. To overthrow Christ who he rebelled against in pre-earth life (D&C 29:36-9). I once asked a friend of mine in Utah who is very well versed in scripture why Satan is called ‘the son of the morning’. Here is what he replied:

“My presumption is that the term ‘morning’ refers to the fact that he was born early on as a spirit offspring of the Father. Perhaps he might have even been second born vs his brother who was firstborn.

“We have so many fascinating stories among the great patriarchs of having two competing sons vying for the firstborn birthright and it almost seems as though these stories are a continuation of that which started in the pre-mortal life with the Saviour and Lucifer. You can even get that sense from a statement in D&C 88:115, about Lucifer having as his goal that of displacing his brother from his throne.” (Larry Keeler, 6 February 2023)

The adversary knows if he gets us, he gets Him….but that will never be….because we are the brave ones…..

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: He Shall Reign by Susan Edwards)

THE POWER OF US

 

When I awoke yesterday morning I thought I would visit YouTube for any world news and was amazed at the mess our world has become. I saw an assassination, hatred, political protests, murders and drug addicted cities of America. Amidst all that chaos I saw one person so prominently that it had an incredible impact on me. I saw the enemy of all humanity.

Lately I have been reluctant to check out the world news because I have realised it has a downing effect on me but this morning it actually did the opposite. It awakened the warrior spirit in me that wants to defeat the enemy. I don’t know that I can change the world, but I can change me. And every soul that changes or remains faithful to God is one soul lost to the enemy.

I am of the opinion that the adversary is exerting his power now more than ever because the Millenium is drawing nigh and he knows this is the time when he will be powerless (D&C 101:28). And why will he be powerless? Because of the righteousness of the people who will be left to enjoy the Millenial era (1 Nephi 22:26).

The adversary has two goals: 1. To make all men miserable like himself (2 Nephi 2:27); and 2. To overthrow Christ who he rebelled against in pre-earth life (D&C 29:36-9). I once asked a friend of mine in Utah who is very well versed in scripture why Satan is called ‘the son of the morning’. Here is what he replied:

“My presumption is that the term ‘morning’ refers to the fact that he was born early on as a spirit offspring of the Father. Perhaps he might have even been second born vs his brother who was firstborn.

“We have so many fascinating stories among the great patriarchs of having two competing sons vying for the firstborn birthright and it almost seems as though these stories are a continuation of that which started in the pre-mortal life with the Saviour and Lucifer. You can even get that sense from a statement in D&C 88:115, about Lucifer having as his goal that of displacing his brother from his throne.” (Larry Keeler, 6 February 2023)

The adversary knows if he gets us, he gets Him….but that will never be. As I said in my recent post, it’s time to dust off our armour…..

There is a desire in my soul

That wants to conquer Goliath

And watch him fall….

This warrior within me never sleeps

And yearns to hear the angels’ call,

A call to battle to make the devil fall.

And when Christ comes in clouds so holy

He will conquer that enemy

And we will confess His glory.

 

- CATHRYNE ALLEN 

(Art: Almost Time by Danny Hahlbohm)