This week we set some high goals as a district, this has been the first district i have had as a district leader that has experience, knows why they are here, and is motivated to do the Lords work. Also the ward here is extremely supportive, this makes my life a lot easier after these past few transfers. I have been pondering over the subject of putting on the whole armour of god. As we learn from Ephesians 6:14-17the armour is composed of the loins girt about with truth, the breastplate of righteousness, feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. These are pretty widely known to members of the church, so i thought how does this apply to me right now as a missionary. so i pondered and thought on it for a few days, then it hit me right before i went to sleep as i was thinking about the war chapters and the conflict between zerahemnah and Moroni and how both prepared for their first conflict. In Alma 43: 19-20 it says "...Moroni, had prepared his people with breastplates and with arm-shields, yea, and also shields to defend their heads, and also they were dressed with thick clothing—20 Now the army of Zerahemnah was not prepared with any such thing; they had only their swords and their cimeters, their bows and their arrows, their stones and their slings; and they were naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins;..." Moroni had prepared his people with a great defensive armour to protect vital parts of their bodies, while Zerahemnah had only prepared his people with great offensive tools and neglected to prepare his army with the defensive necessities.
Let me draw a parallel on how all these things, Paul's parable armour of god and Moroni's and Zerahemnah's preparation for war, all come together in us as missionaries. The most obvious point is that Moroni had prepared his army put on the Armour of God, and they won the conflict through their righteous habits of living and their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ, and the lack of spiritual preparation on Zerahemnah's army living a life of the natural man. But they did prepare in one thing that i believe all missionaries prepare for, but mistakenly that is the only armour they put on. Like it says the Laminates had their "swords", which in Paul's parable translates to the word of God. Every missionary good or bad is prepared with word of god, and some missionaries are so prepared they feel like they are ready for a bible bash at any moment. But like it says in alma 43:20 "They had only their swords" or that could be translated "they had only [the word of God]". Many missionaries fail to put on the WHOLE defensive armour of god, like Moroni did for his army; and rather put on only the PARTIAL offensive armour of god, like Zerahemnah did with his army.
The way that we do put on that armour is simply living the gospel, we of course cant live it if we do not know it so this does require diligent study of the gospel and then application. As missionaries we teach of enduring to the end, but some drop out of the mission field pretty suddenly when the going gets tough. It has been said that salvation was never a cheap experience, and if the only soul your brought to salvation on your mission was your own, Hallelujah. Missions are hard, but behind every gospel principle their is a promise that if you "come and follow christ" "ye shall have eternal life". "thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be a but a small moment" but they have come to pass. Or in other words they have come so that they may pass behind us.
things get rough out here, as you well know. but i know the lord would rather have me here than anywhere else in the world. i love you all, and wish you the best continually pray for me, and that i might have the strength to carry on. i love you all
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