As I have studied the Book of Mormon this week, I have been amazed at how powerful these special words are to my life. Lately I am finding it more difficult to stop my studies due to the relevancy of what I am reading and it's application to my life. My love for and testimony of this holy book of scripture continues to increase and I am grateful for the timely counsel it's pages offer to me.
I am studying in what is typically known as the war chapters and as much as I hate to admit this, these chapters have often seemed long, drawn-out, and completely inapplicable to my current life situation. As hard as I would try, I wasn't always able to find very many real life applications from these chapters. My attitude changed this week and I have come away with a deeper sense of reverence and awe for the inspiring words that are indeed written for me today.
I'm not sure what has changed within me that has caused this shift in perspective to occur. Perhaps it is the current trends within our society that are causing alarm and causing me to sit more upright and pay attention to the word of God. I noticed a great lesson that I have never seen before. In Alma 45 there are two verses of scripture that set the stage for the impressions I was to learn in my studies. They state, "And now it came to pass...that Helaman went forth among the people to declare the word unto them. For behold, because of their wars with the Lamanites and the many little dissensions and disturbances which had been among the people, it became expedient that the word of God should be declared among them, yea, and that a regulation should be made throughout the church (Alma 45-20-21)." As I continued to read into the next chapter I began to see the great spiritual harm coming into the Nephites lives due to the fact that they began focusing on the teachings of a man called Amalikiah. This man was not one who had been called of God to teach his word and he was one who was set on leading the righteous people astray. As I read through these chapters I couldn't help but see how vitally important it is to stay focused on the teachings of those who are called by God to lead His children here on earth. I feel so blessed to live at a time when there is a true and living prophet on the earth today. I have a deep and abiding love for our prophet, Thomas S. Monson. Focusing on his teachings will help to keep us safe and will be a guide for each of us as we work to make our way through our journey of mortality.
