Alma 57-59

Quote "He whose name this church bears has promised the He will be in our midst, lead us along, go before us, and even fight our battles. He has further counseled, 'Be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart...that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy' (D&C 98:14)."

~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Question "How can the Lord help you overcome fear?"

Fear is the opposite of faith....and yet I personally fear many things through my worldly eyes. But, when I look at things through my spiritual eyes, I realize that we should not fear. Fear does not come from the Lord, and considering that He is more powerful than all, if we are keeping His commandments, and our covenants, we don't need to fear, because He will help us in all things.

I was just talking to my daughter this morning, she was asking me what it would be like when she dies. After talking to her about it, I asked her why she wanted to know, and she replied that she was scared of dying. I remember being scared of dying when I was little, and my kids are scared of lots of different things, and having me as a mother, probably doesn't help that. However, I am trying to set a better example for my kids, and am constantly telling them that if you are keeping the commandments, and living as righteously as you can, that you don't need to be afraid.

I just think that it is something that you have to have your own life experiences with, and that the Lord works with all of His children in different ways. There are many of His children that are fearful, and they will be strengthened according to their desires, and experiences, and depending on what is necessary for their missions here on earth.

I can see in this reading why the Nephites might be fearful of the Lamanites, because their hatred was so strong, and they just kept attacking, and attacking them, every chance they got. I'm sure that was difficult for the Nephites. Yet, the majority of them chose to be faithful, and not let fear overtake them. They chose to trust in the Lord, and the Lord helped them because of their obedience and faithfulness.

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Alma 55-56

Quote "We need more mothers who know the truth, whose children do not doubt their mothers know it."

~Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Question "What important lessons have you learned from your mother?"

My mother is an amazingly spiritual woman! My mother, like the mothers of the Stripling Warriors, is a convert to the church. She has an unbelievable understanding of the Gospel, and of the scriptures. She is one of the few people I know that knows the Bible (Old and New Testaments) as well as the Book of Mormon.....she delights in them. She has taught me the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She has taught me what it means to have a testimony of our Savior, and how to apply it in my life. She has taught me that there is comfort and joy and answers in the scriptures. She has taught me that there is peace in the temple. She has taught me that the work that I do as a mother is the most important work I will ever do. She is still in the process of teaching me how to forgive myself, and love myself, and let go of things, and move on. She has taught me how the Atonement of Jesus Christ conquers all. She has lost two children, and has had a very hard life, and yet she has taught me that good can come from bad, that we CAN trust the Lord to be there when we can't take another step, and that we need HIM every second of every day of our lives! She has taught me that it is never good to dwell on the negative, and to look for the good. She has taught me how to laugh! She has taught me that the "gospel principles are a guide to live by, not a stick to beat ourselves with."

I love my mother so very very much. I tell her everyday (several times a day) that I love her, and appreciate her for all that she does! I love you mommy, don't know what in the world I would do without you!

Alma 52-54

Quote "In the spiritual battles you are waging, I see you as today's sons of Helaman."

~President Ezra Taft Benson

Question "Notice how Mormon describes these young men. How are you living so that you can likened to the stripling warriors?"

I hope more than anything that I am raising stripling warriors...that they will "know the truth". Living righteously is the only way to be like the stripling warriors, for they were full of faith, and obedience to the commandments. They didn't just know it, they acted upon their beliefs for righteous purposes. In this reading my love and admiration for Captain Moroni also deepens, as he is so good, and so fearless, how could anyone not just love him? He is such an example of what all men should be! And if it weren't for his diligence in preserving the land of the Nephites, the stripling warriors would have been obliterated along with the other people of Ammon, because the contentions among the Nephites, would have caused them to fall into the hands of the Lamanites! This is such an exciting part of the Book of Mormon, and I don't even want to write about it, I just want to keep reading it, and encourage anyone out there to do the same!!!

Alma 50-51

Quote "Mormon wants to teach what will be of most worth to us, and his use of the words thus and thus we see make the lessons easier to recognize and understand. Pay close attention to the 'thus we see' phrases in the Book of Mormon. Here Mormon wants you to understand that the Lord is keeping His word to Lehi and blessing the Nephites with prosperity when they keep the commandments."

~Elder Henry B. Eyring

Question "In what ways has the Lord kept his word to you?"

I have received so many blessings that I am not even remotely worthy of, that I can't wrap my head around how to answer this question. He has given me everything, and protects me daily from things that I don't even want to know about. He does give specific blessings for keeping specific commandments, but He also blesses His children without them asking, or knowing. The Lord is bound by His word, and that is the same for everyone! He loves us, and wants us to be happy, and wants us to return and live with Him, and He gives us all the tools to do it, we just have to learn to use the tools.

Alma 47-49

Quote "Be true to your own convictions. You know what is right, and you know what is wrong. You know when you are doing the proper thing...We need not fear as long as we have in our lives the power that comes from righteously living by the truth."

~President Gordon B. Hinckley

Question "The Lamanites did no want to go to battle against the Nephites, but they also did not want to displease the king (Alma 47:2). Have you ever been in a situation where you wanted to do the right thing, but were afraid you would displease someone? Why is it always better to do the right thing than to worry about what others might think of you?"

This is tough for me, because I think when you are young, it is harder to stand strong, because you aren't really sure who you are, and you desire acceptance, even if it costs you. I have this discussion with my son all the time, because I see him saying and doing things that he wouldn't normally say or do to make his friends like him. I always tell him that the only person it is important to please is Heavenly Father. I think as you get older, this gets a little easier, but that's not to say that situations don't come up that you still have to deal with these hard decisions.

Right now, we are kind of faced with this kind of decision in our office. We are dealing the insurance companies that are trying to say how the patient should be treated, when they have never even met this person, they have only collected all their money. They are not paying the Dr.'s fairly at all, and they are not doing what is in the policy holder's best interest. The right thing to do is if all Dr.'s would stand together and say "enough of this, we are not going to take any insurance company that does not treat the Dr. and patient fairly." However, if we go this route, it will upset many patients, and we will lose many patients that will go to a Dr. that still accepts their insurance (because, let's get real, there are always businesses that are desperate enough to take whatever they can get).

Although these decisions may not be life or death, these can be very difficult situations, and in some cases there is not a clear cut right or wrong answer. So, being prayerful about these decisions is so important. To pray to know what is the right thing to do, and secondly, praying to have the courage to do the right thing! Even if this is a hard thing.....the only "real happiness" comes from keeping the commandments of God!

Alma 44-46

Quote "The value of a country rests upon the values of its people. For the people of God, for the people who want peace, for their women and their children, there is only one way, one church and one Lord."

~Elder Charles Dider

Question "Why do the wicked go to war? How are their motives different from the reasons why the righteous go to war?"

This truly is my favorite part of the Book of Mormon. I love Captain Moroni, and what he did, and what he stood for. I love that this righteous man refused to allow evil to prevail, and threaten his fellow brethren, and their wives and their children! I wish so badly that every judge in this country, and every leader was as righteous and fearless as Captain Moroni. I love that he wasn't worried about whether people were going to say "Oh, I don't think that is the right way to handle this," he did what he knew in his heart was right, and he went out and reminded others to do it too! He did not accept complacency in his brethren....I just love him! (I'll stop my tangent now, I could go on all day!)

The wicked go to war because they have hatred in their hearts! Some of their intent is to kill as many as they can, others desire to subject their targets into bondage, and some desire money, wealth or power. They are not satisfied with their own lives, and have a greater desire to destroy someone else's happiness and freedom than just trying to improve their own life.

There is a very big difference between the wicked and the righteous going to war. The righteous have no desire for bloodshed. They have no desire to gain more land, or wealth, or power. They have no desire to take over another people and make slaves out of them. The only reason that the righteous go to war is to protect their freedom, their families, and their way of life. So many seek to destroy the righteous, and even though they are commanded to love our brethren, and not to kill our brethren, the Lord has told the righteous that it is right that they defend themselves, even unto bloodshed, because if they don't, the wicked will obliterate them, and there would only be wicked on the earth.

That is why it is so important to have men like Captain Moroni, who are willing to stand for truth and righteousness, and willing to strap on their helmets, and armor, and bravely stand against those who would love to crush them!