Dangerous Circumstances

The Lamanites had attacked the Nephites, and because of the sheer number of them, they had taken a number of the cities that the Nephites had fortified. They had attacked the Nephites on the east and the west.

"And thus were the Nephites in those dangerous circumstances..." (Alma 52:14)

The Nephites had been divided, and the Lamanites took advantage of their distraction. So what did the Nephites do?

"Moroni and Teancum and many of the chief captains held a council of war...that they might gain advantage over them..." (Alma 52:19)

They sat and made plans and carried them out, and eventually took back the city they were focused on.

Why did this stand out to me? Well, I have been thinking a lot about how these chapters about wars and battles and strategy are included in the Book of Mormon, and we know that everything included in this book is for us. Why details about battles? I think sometimes, we don't take it seriously enough that we are still in the war that started in heaven after Satan drew away 1/3 of the hosts of heaven. There is a reason that we call him the adversary. He wants us to be miserable like he is, and it is like a battle every day to remain firm and steadfast in our faith.

So I think this time around, I am thinking in these terms as I read these chapters. Sometimes, we find ourselves in "dangerous circumstances", where maybe we have faltered a little bit, or we find ourselves cornered a little by the enemy. Our very salvation is at stake. If we fall, and sin, it is that much more difficult to fight our way out. Just like the Nephites, who had become divided and distracted. They lost some of their strongholds to the Lamanites. Once the Lamanites had taken over their cities that they had fortified, they were so much harder to take back than they would have been to just defend and keep them from the start.

So one thing I think is significant is that the leaders of the Nephites didn't just attack and attack. They didn't make rash decisions. They held a "council of war". How does that relate to our battles against Satan? Well, there are a lot of people who we can hold a "council of war" with to defeat Satan. Spouses, parents, friends, and church leaders, just to name a few. We hold council about how we will combat the temptations of the adversary. We discuss ways we can stay righteous. We talk about ways to retake the strongholds that we once had possession of, but no longer have. We work together.

One of the greatest things about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, in my opinion, is that while salvation is an individual matter (nobody can repent for you, or make good choices for you), we have so much help along the way. We are all pulling for each other.

I want to have the best strategies for when the adversary comes attacking. And I love working together with others to win the battles that we face. I hope I can be as much of a strength to others as they have been to me.