Alma 49
In this chapter we read of the fruits of their labor in fortifying their cities. I likened this to our my war against Satan:
vv 1-2: They rebuilt their cities = I must repent and strengthen my weakness
vv 3-7: The Lamanites prepared to attack what they though were the weakest cities, and had prepared themselves with armor = Satan will tempt me with the same sin and aim at what he sees as my weakness, but will go about it in different ways.
vv 8-15: The Lamanites recognized the strength of Ammoniha so they turned their attention to a weaker city = If Satan fails at attacking what he thought was a weakness, he will search for another weakness to attack (tempt) me.
vv 16-20: The Nephites had prepared the weak city with the strongest me= I should prepare myself with my strongest defense of faith, scripture study, testimony, etc, so that I will be fully fortified and protected.
vv 21-25: Not only did the Nephites prepare offensively before-hand, but they fought defensively until the Lamanites fleed = Not only should I prepare myself before hand, but I should fight through temptation, doubts and fears until the adversary gives up.
vs 28: The Nephites thanked the Lord= I should always thank the Lord and acknowledge His hand in my life.
vs. 30: The Nephites prospered when they followed the word of God = I will prosper as I follow God's word and endure to the end.
Somewhere it says, "If ye are prepared ye shall not fear." For me that is the message I got out of this chapter. Be prepared in all things.
What did you get out if it?
TOMORROW: Free For All Friday
My thoughts were pretty simplistic as I read through this chapter. The Nephites were prepared to the best of their ability and even still they got a little beat up. But they prayed and gave thanks while the Lamanites schemed and got angrier.
ReplyDeleteThe Lamanite commanders seemed to know they shouldn't be attacking but were more afraid of NOT attacking. I wonder how many people get stuck in that position?
And, like you, the theme of preparedness kep ringing in my head. Of course, it's been on my mind a lot lately. Wouldn't it be much easier to dig in and protect our homes and families if we had Lamanites headed our direction. Unfortunately, our Lamanites are weather, finances, calamities and others- how many people think of those as marching towards them? Can we be obedient and build our walls a little stronger to fortify against our potential "enemies" today?
Love your comments! (as usual!) I chuckled, though, as I read because I wondered if the Nephites had stockpiled toilet paper- Lol!
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