Firm & Undaunted

Here are some thoughts as I read Alma 57:

• Verses 20- It’s amazing that the 2,000 stripling warriors were able to have so much strength and energy! It says that they were “firm and undaunted,” yet they were so young and inexperienced.
  
• Verse 21- This verse gives us the reason why they were able to fight with such strength and force in such a miraculous way. Not only did they obey every command with exactness, but they were faithful. They had listened to the words of their mothers and had obtained strength from their mothers’ faith, which they used to establish their own faith. Heavenly Father blessed them because of their obedience and faith.
  
  
  
  • We can learn from this that we should also be obedient to the covenants we have made with Heavenly Father and that we should also keep them with exactness. Those commandments and covenants we have made can act as a shield between us and the adversary to protect us and keep us out of harm’s way.
    
  • We can also learn from the stripling warriors’ faith and how they obtained it. Two aspects of this are important: First, the example of their mothers. Because of the examples, righteousness, and faith of their mothers, they taught their boys the truth of the gospel. They learned the truths of the gospel and learned how to be obedient to every command the Lord gives. Second, they used this faith as a foundation to build upon with their own faith. They didn’t rest solely on their mothers’ faith to carry them through. They acted on their own faith in order to fight the way they did. In the end, they were saved and their faith had carried them
    through positively.
    
  
  
• Verses 25-26- It’s amazing and miraculous how the army of Helaman ALL survived a second battle. They all received wounds, but they all were alive! This shows the power of their faith and how they worked according to their faith. They knew the Lord was with them. They knew what they had to do and they acted on it. We, too, need to act on our own faith. We need to act on those things that we know in our lives in order to increase our faith and our obedience to the Lord’s commands.
  
• Verses 36-37- Heavenly Father kept His promise to the people of Nephi. He promised that they would be preserved it they would be faithful in keeping His commands. Because the Nephites were faithful, he preserved them. If we are faithful to God’s commands in our lives, He will bless us with promised blessings and power.
  

WAYS I CAN IMPROVE:

• I want to work hard now to remain faithful and to act in accordance with the covenants I have made with Heavenly Father. I know that if I do this, I will be blessed by Heavenly Father. I also know that I will continue to establish positive habits in my life so that eventually when we have children, I can teach them faith and share my testimony like the mothers of the army of Helaman did.
  
• Another parallel that we can make from these verses is about missionary work. Essentially, everyone who begins to learn about the gospel rests on the faith and testimony of others for a time. After a while, investigators obtain their own testimony. However, I see that we are all strengthened by the stories of faith and testimony shared weekly at church. I learn and grow because of those who share and participate. I know that it is my responsibility to share my testimony as well with new investigators and those at church. Sometimes we need the faith of others to buoy us up and to remind us of those covenants we have made.