Episode 77: Now is the Time to Prepare
First of all, I wanted to thank you for supporting this podcast, and for the messages of love and support I received after last week’s episode. The messages I receive from people who are listening and learning from what I share literally mean the world to me. So, thank you.
And, if you listened to last week’s episode, I ended with these words: “I, like Brigham Young, ‘wish I had the voice of seven thunders to wake up the people’ to the reality of what is coming and their vital role in God’s great work.”
Those words are ringing in my ears now, as I sit down to record my thoughts that came flooding into my mind as I studied my scriptures this morning. I am a little behind in my CFM reading, so I was studying last week’s chapters about Captain Moroni, and I could not help but draw a million parallels between what I was reading and what is happening in the world right now. I shared a few of those insights last week, so I will not repeat them. And I promise this is not turning into a CFM podcast, as there are already so many fantastic ones to choose from, for which I am grateful.
But we are living in a time of war. While physical battles are raging in some areas of the world, the war of which I speak is a war of words and ideas that are pulling even the very elect away from the Light of Jesus Christ. It is a battle for our testimonies. And, two weeks ago, my presentation at the FAIR conference was about raising faithful children in a time of spiritual warfare. So, this topic has been on my mind for months.
In light of that, I suppose it is not surprising that I am seeing modern-day applications for principles taught in the war chapters of the Book of Mormon. It’s like they were written for our day or something. (Imagine that!)
First of all, 25-year-old Captain Moroni is my hero! He is the same age as my son, which is crazy to think of how young that is! Mormon was only 16 when he took command of the Nephite army, which is even crazier. But 25 years old is incredibly young to be elected by the people to protect them. That alone says something about Moroni’s character and leadership ability, not to mention how the Lord feels about young people.
But, what the Spirit impressed upon my mind as I read about his strategy for protecting his people and their liberty boils down to this:
If we are going to win the latter-day battles for our faith, preparation is essential.
To prepare his soldiers for battle, Moroni started by “preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God.” Faith in God was his biggest priority. Why? Because, for generations, the Nephites had been taught to defend themselves against their enemies, but never to take an offensive position It was their faith that, in doing so, God would prosper them.
And, if they were faithful in keeping God’s commandments, He would warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger. And He would make it known unto them whither they should go to defend themselves.
Young Moroni embraced and exhibited this faith by focusing on the spiritual preparation of his people first. And, in doing so, the Lord showed him how to prepare his people to physically defend themselves in ways that “never before have been known among the children of Lehi.”
He taught them new ways to build solid fortifications all around the land, and took extra measures to fortify the weakest parts of the land until all were strong. (Alma 48-49)
And, even after winning their initial battle, and there was “continual peace” and “exceedingly great prosperity in the church,” “Moroni did not stop making preparations…to defend his people against the Lamanites.” (Alma 49:30, 50:1)
Even in times of peace, he was constantly preparing his people, both spiritually and physically, to confidently defend themselves against those who would destroy their faith and lead them into bondage. And, because of their unrelenting preparation, under the direction of a young, faithful, and inspired military leader, they were victorious.
Again, I repeat the message I hear Captain Moroni teaching from the grave: If we are going to win the latter-day battles for our faith, preparation is essential.
In searching for an old document on my computer, I came across a document I entitled “Musings of 2020.” I don’t think I ever finished it, but the words brought me back to a time that now feels like a dystopian memory:
“I cannot get gloves or masks. We are going to have to shut down the office.”
Reality hit like a ton of bricks. A mysterious virus from half a world away was getting too close to home. And now, it was invading our livelihood.
Two weeks. It will just be for two weeks.
That is what we told ourselves.
But then, I stood in line for at Fry’s for 30 minutes to buy a pie for a school celebration the next day. It would be the last day of school for the year, but I did not know that then.
All I knew is that the people in line next to me had carts full of toilet paper, rice, beans, flour, pasta, ground beef, and chicken. One lady had an entire cart full of eggs.
Why are people scared? I wondered. Nobody here is sick.
Then, the whole world shut down to flatten the curve.
Just two weeks. We will be back to normal in two weeks.
No work.
No school.
No temple.
Church from home.
No extra-curriculars.
Restaurant dining rooms closed.
Isolation.
Fear.
How will we keep the business afloat?
How do we calm the kids’ nerves? And our nerves?
How can we purchase essentials when the shelves are empty?
What about our son in college? And the one on a mission? Will they be OK?
Two weeks dragged into eight. The office finally opened, but the heat of summer brought no relief from the deadly virus. Instead, there were more restrictions as cases skyrocketed.
Masks required. No gyms, libraries, or theatres. Restaurants operated at 50% capacity.
And then, political and social upheaval. Hate crimes. Riots. Anger. More fear.
Friend pitted against friend; family against family.
The virus, the politics, and the social issues created the perfect storm that destroyed unity, replacing it with divisiveness that ruled the media and our lives.”
That is the end of my musings and, reading it now, I wish I had finished recording my thoughts. But, even in their relative brevity, my words brought me back to a time of great uncertainty, fear, and widespread chaos.
While there were times back then when I allowed fear to creep in, mostly, I remember feeling remarkable peace. And now, four years later, I wonder what we, as a society, learned from that grueling experience.
There are times when I wonder if that experience, as difficult as it was, was a mere dress rehearsal for even more challenging events yet to come. And, when thinking along those lines, I wonder if I am ready – if my family is ready – not merely with an ample supply of physical resources (and TP) to weather unforeseen events – but with strong enough faith to withstand any attack the adversary will throw our way.
In October 2020, President Nelson said this to the sisters of the Church:
“The Lord has spoken of our day in sobering terms. He warned that in our day ‘men’s hearts [would fail] them’ and that even the very elect would be at risk of being deceived. He told the Prophet Joseph Smith that ‘peace [would] be taken from the earth’ and calamities would befall mankind.
Yet the Lord has also provided a vision of how remarkable this dispensation is. He inspired the Prophet Joseph Smith to declare that ‘the work of … these last days, is one of vast magnitude. … Its glories are past description, and its grandeur unsurpassable.’
…How are we to deal with both the somber prophecies and the glorious pronouncements about our day? The Lord told us how with simple, but stunning, reassurance: ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.’”
Like Moroni never stopped preparing his people to meet their enemy, if we are to hold onto our faith in these tumultuous days, we can never stop preparing to meet ours.
He, the enemy of all righteousness, will not rest until he is bound. He is growing bolder and yet, is subtle enough in his lies to deceive the very elect.
We no longer have the luxury of living and raising children in a time of peace, but the Lord will help us prepare to meet the enemy as we seek for His guidance in this darkening world. And, with preparation comes peace.
How can we prepare? We, like Moroni, can begin by preparing our minds to be faithful to God.
It is interesting to note that Helaman, when recounting the miraculous preservation of his 2060 young soldiers describes them with these words: “They are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.” (Alma 57:27)
Could preparing our minds to be faithful to God include seeking for firmness of mind? And what does that even mean? I did a little scriptural research to see if I could come up with an answer that made sense in the context of our modern lives. Here are a few of the insights I gained:
In Jacob 3:2, Jacob says, “O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.”
He seems to be saying that a firm mind is necessary to feasting upon God’s love.
In Moroni 7:29-30, we learn that miracles and the ministering of angels are available to those who have “strong faith and a firm mind.”
So, we need a firm mind to access miracles and to have angels attend us?
Interestingly, President Nelson recently taught that “every time you worthily serve and worship in the temple, you leave armed with God’s power and with His angels having ‘charge over’ you.”
Could developing a firm mind, then, be tied to serving in the temple?
Then, when the Savior visited the Nephites after His resurrection, He spent the day teaching them. At the end of a long day of instruction, He said, “I perceive that ye are weak, that ye cannot understand all of my words which I am commanded of the Father to speak unto you at this time. Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.” (3 Nephi 17:2-3)
He seems to be saying, “I know I am cramming a lot of instruction into my short time here, and you may not be able to understand all of it right now. But, before I go further, spend some time pondering what I have already said, and preparing your minds to receive more.”
Let’s now explore Peter’s words in 1 Peter 1:13. He teaches us to “gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”
Gird up the loins of your mind? What does that even mean?
In biblical times, Hebrews wore long robes that got in the way of work. So, they also wore girdles (sashes) while traveling and when at work. On such occasions, they girt their clothes about them by tucking them into their girdle or sash to ensure free movement of their legs.
So, could this instruction from Peter to “gird the loins of your mind,” be an invitation to prepare to do the Lord’s work, and to go wherever He calls?
Is a firm mind a prepared mind – one that is ready and willing to listen to and apply God’s teachings – to let God prevail, as President Nelson has often taught?
A few months ago, I went to a Young Women’s activity where one of the leaders led us through a guided meditation. As part of that experience, she asked us to accept a gift from the Savior, explaining that His gift could be anything. And do you know what I pictured Him giving to me? An arrow.
At first, I was confused. Just a few weeks prior, I shot a bow and arrow for the first time and, let’s just say I was not a natural. Why would Jesus give me an arrow? Was He telling me to practice my archery?
But, as I came home and looked up a few verses of scripture that stood out to me in that week’s CFM study, my eyes rested on these verses in 2 Nephi 15:26-28. They are Isaiah’s words, which can be hard to understand. But listen to the poetry of these words, and try to picture the imagery:
“And he will lift up an ensign to the nations from far…they shall come with speed swiftly, none shall be weary or stumble among them. None shall slumber nor sleep; neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes be broken; whose arrows shall be sharp, and all the bows bent and their horses hooves shall be counted like flint, and their wheels like a whirlwind.”
Speed swiftly
None shall be weary, nor sleep
Neither shall the girdle of their loins be loosed, nor the latchet of their shoes unbroken – they will not even take the time to change clothes
Whose arrows shall be sharp
Bows bent
Horses hooves like flint
Wheels like a whirlwind
These words speak of preparation and unwearied diligence in following the Lord into battle. They speak of urgency and haste in sharing the gospel with the world before He comes again.
Now is the time for sharpened arrows and bent bows in His service. Now is the time, like we learn from Moroni, to prepare our minds to be firm and faithful to the Lord, no matter what spiritual battles lie ahead.
We must prepare spiritually.
As part of that spiritual preparation, we can follow Moroni’s example to fortify every part of our lives, especially the weakest parts, against the adversary’s influence. We can seek personal revelation for how to do that most effectively, given our individual circumstances, and then implement whatever measures the Lord inspires us to implement, even if they are unpopular or “never before have been known” by modern society.
His ways are not our ways, and they are definitely not the world’s ways. That applies to everything from personal improvement to parenting. While there are many ideas, philosophies, and practices that may seem intriguing, so many of them are built upon principles that are not in harmony with the doctrine and teachings of Jesus Christ. In all matters, we must be prayerful and discerning.
While I am not going to get into specifics right now, I invite you to consider how personal improvement and parenting philosophies and/or practices mesh with the laws and ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. (The Law of Obedience is a big one, here, especially as it relates to parenting.) And, if they do not align with the Gospel, what will you do?
Recently, I was on my way to Utah, and the flight was the most turbulent of my life. While turbulence usually does not bother me, this felt different. It felt like we were being tossed up and down like a ragdoll, with random rises and falls where my stomach ended up in my throat. I hate the feeling of falling, and refuse to ride roller coasters that create it. But this was no roller coaster. It was real life, and unnerving at best.
Luckily, we landed safely, but that turbulence reminded me of our lives. It is no secret that we are in turbulent times, and more intense turbulence lies ahead.
We do not know exactly what that will look like, or when it will hit. But we do know that, if we are prepared, we have no need to fear.
Now is the time to prepare. Now is the time to fortify our faith, firm up our minds, and develop spiritual resilience. We do that by making time for the Lord every day, by prioritizing holy habits and righteous routines, including frequent temple attendance when possible.
We do it by learning to live in revelation daily.
We do it by pruning our lives of worldly distractions and influences. Or, as President Nelson counseled, by examining our lives meticulously and regularly, and seeking the Lord’s guidance about what is no longer worthy of our time and attention.
We prepare by learning to access the power of God through our covenants.
We prepare by listening to and following the prophet.
We prepare by letting God prevail in our lives.
Friends, many wonderful and exciting things lie ahead. And, according to our prophet, “in coming days, we will see the greatest manifestations of the Savior’s power the world has ever seen.”
There is much to anticipate, and no need to fear, as long as we are prepared. Together, let’s work on that. Let’s do the individual work we all must do to stand firmly forever with Him.
