Alma and Amulek

These two prophets gave me a lot to think about! I had this prevailing question: Why do we let Satan have any part of our hearts? Looking from the outside in, it seems so easy to stay clear of Him and his disastrous effects. Yet, I will spend my lifetime learning how to keep him out. I see so many correlations in the world today. The love of money being so important, the arguments they use to defend their positions, excess lawyers or at least crooked ones, and just the general desire to live how you want without any real sacrifice or consequences, even eternal ones. I wondered about Amulek and his description of himself. I believe Amulek was like many of us, and found himself distracted by the world. He heard promptings to change things in his life but for one reason or another he didn’t follow through with making those changes. He seems like a good man, just maybe too caught up in trying to make a living or getting ahead, his reputation. It sounds to me like Amulek was a victim of the good, better and best choices that we all face. I could see myself in him and wondered: am I putting first things first? How many times have I missed out on opportunities to serve, learn and grow because I would not hear the voice of the Lord? what have I sacrificed for my testimony? I guess that is part of the question about Satan. We let the mortal side of us control our spirit. Thankfully we have a loving Father in Heaven who continues to teach us, giving us more than one opportunity to learn and start anew. Alma and Amulek help me to see more clearly these principles:

• Satan is smart-he knows our weaknesses and what to exploit, how to best tempt us. That is why it is necessary to be diligent, learn from the scriptures and the modern day prophets and pray to know how to prepare and defend against his attacks.
• All of us can know the things God knows but He will only give them line upon line according to how well we listen and obey to what we are given.
• Two different, separate but important trees in the Garden. Tree of knowledge brought choice because we would then understand the difference between good and evil. It brought our fallen state. Tree of Life brought no death, which would have meant no probationary state, no atonement so it was protected so that they could not partake.
• The plan is always taught 1^st-then commandments are given. The plan is basic to our being able to make the choice to follow God. When we understand the commandments through the lens of the plan we understand that they are for our benefit, that they are there to help us in the mortal life, prepare for eternal life. We can know the “why”.
• We are taught by God through the spirit, angles and prophets
• Those that are repentant claim mercy through the atonement and will receive rest

*Instructions for me: Be humble. Watch and pray continually. Be led by the spirit, willing to do God’s will. Walk by faith and rely on the atonement. Love God. Remember His love for me. Show others His love.