Fortifying your Armor: A study of Alma chapter 49

The apostle Paul taught the parable of the Armor of God because there were many Roman soldiers in the land and when the people saw them they could be reminded of how to protect themselves against evil. The scripture is located in

Ephesians 6:11-17: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. "Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. "Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; "And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God."

 In the battle against Satan to gain eternal life, we do not need to provide our own Armor. Heavenly Father has provided it for us. He has provided, the word of God, Truth, Righteousness, Salvation and He also provided the Preparation of the Gospel. This comes in part by participation in the youth programs of the church. Author Corrie Tenboom said: “Satan has a good secret service. The MOMENT you step out from under God’s umbrella , you are discovered and attacked by Satan. Recognition of Satan’s attack is ½ the fight. An attacking enemy who is not recognized already has half his battle won! Never knowing where, how and when Satan will attack us. We should never be unprotected. “ So, lets look at the actual Armor the Paul talked about: Shoes: Preparation of the gospel Helmet: Salvation Sword: Spirit or Word of God Breastplate and Loins: Truth and Righteousness Back….Wait… Paul did not mention any protection for the back! What’s up with that? Want to know WHY there’s no protection for the back?

He didn’t provide protection for the back, because God did not expect any deserters! He gave the armor to us not as a museum piece, to be untouched and unused. (I mean what if Batman left his suit, cape and batmobile locked up untouched?) He gave it to us for use on the battle field. If Satan is coming at you, who is behind you to help protect you.

Who’s Got your back covered? As youth we’ve got: Apostles, Bishops, Home teachers, parents, Youth Leaders. They are their to help us in our battles against Satan. The Bishop is your best advocate in this battle. Now, if we’ve gotten ourselves turned around from Christ, and we are battling Satan and our Leaders have our backs covered, and we turn our selves back around towards Christ, who is ahead of us showing us the way? Those same leaders.

 Heavenly Father has provided us with amazing Leaders to show us the way towards Christ and to help us in our battles against Satan. What happens, if you stop attending Church or activities? What if we take offense at something our leaders have asked for us to do? Our Armor weakens, and are back is not nearly as protected. Our leaders may be praying for us, but we have side stepped off of the path of their immediate protection. It is at this moment that Satan will find the unprotected and weak spots in our Armor and attack, in your undefended spot.

 In Alma chapters 48 & 49 we find a great battle plan that shows how the youth programs can prepare us for the battles we face. In Alma Chapter 49 the Lamanites are trying to attack Moroni and the nephites. They think they know all the undefended and weak spots of the Nephites. They are quite surprised to find that the nephites are so well prepared and that their weak spots have been strengthened. The Lamanites are so surprised that they actually retreated!

 The For Strength of Youth is a great way for each of us to look at our weak spots and learn how to strengthen them. Along with Seminary, and the Scriptures it helps us build our battle plan. in chapter 48 vs. 7. Building small forts or places of resort, throwing up the blanks of the earth to enclose the armies against attack: The temples, sacrament and church meetings become our Forts of security .

 In Alma Chapter 49 vs. 15 along with a few other versus we learn that Moroni recognized in advance exactly what his enemies plan of attack would be. He know exactly what and where they would attack first, second etc. He prepared for this attack and everytime he was successful against the Lamanites. We can know in advance of Satans’ attack by reading our own Patriarchal Blessings, getting Priesthood blessings, Studying the For Strength of youth, and listening to the counsel of our Leaders.

 In Vs. 16 we learn that Moroni couldn’t be in all places at once himself and he needed to appoint a chief captain . He appointed Lehi, whom the Lamanites feared exceedingly. This is just like our Bishops and Stake Presidents. Pres. Monson can’t be here with us, so he appointed leaders whom he knows Satan fears exceedingly to help us. We need to follow their counsel, seek their counsel. They have direct inspiration over the battle right here in this ward and stake. Satan fears them and their proper use of the Priesthood Power.


 In Vs 18-21 We find that the strongest men in the city formed a body that was prepared to smite down any attempt by the Lamanites to breach the security of the city. That is our Home teachers, Our youth leaders. At this point the Lamanites were getting pretty desparate. They decided to try to tear down the reserves for the Nephites. Satan tries to tear down our reserves too. By tearing down our self worth, and fill ilt with despair, discouragement. The youth programs of the church do the perfect job of reminding us of our divine nature, our individual worth, and that we are Children of God.

 In Verse 27, we see that the King over the Lamanites was very angy. He swore to kill Moroni. He actually swore to drink his blood. How must Satan feel about our Prophet today? We know how hard he worked against Joseph Smith, I'm sure he's working just as hard now. How hard is fighting against the apostles, our Stake President, Or Bishop? We need to sincerely pray for the continued strength of our leaders.

Did you leave home without your Armor today?

President Harold B. Lee said: 

“We have the four parts of the body that . . . [are] the most vulnerable to the powers of darkness. The loins, typifying virtue, chastity. The heart typifying our conduct. Our feet, our goals or objectives in life and finally our head, our thoughts. . . .


M. Russell Ballard in 2004 said: "Long before the world was formed, Satan and those who followed after him raged against the forces of good and tried to overthrow the work of God. That struggle has not ended, only shifted battlegrounds. It is ruthless and relentless, and the objective of the battle is your eternal soul and mine.


The Apostle Paul spoke of how to arm ourselves for this conflict in these very graphic terms:
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day” (Eph. 6:10–13).




I was reading a passage from Author Corrie ten Boom and found her statement to be very powerful.  She said: 'Satan has a good secret service the MOMENT you step out from under God's umbrella of Grace you are discovered and attacked by Satan.  Recognition of Satan's attack is 1/2 the fight.  An attacking enemy who is not recognized already has half his battle won.  Never knowing where, how, or when Satan will attack us.  We should never be unprotected, we need to be clothed in the whole armor of God.  Our Armor is not meant to be a museum piece, untouched and unused.  It is given to us for use on the battlefield.  


So How do we put on the Armor of God?  I really LOVE the description of the Armor by Elder Ballard:


"I like to think of this spiritual armor not as a solid piece of metal molded to fit the body but more like chain mail. Chain mail consists of dozens of tiny pieces of steel fastened together to allow the user greater flexibility without losing protection. I say that because it has been my experience that there is not one great and grand thing we can do to arm ourselves spiritually. True spiritual power lies in numerous smaller acts woven together in a fabric of spiritual fortification that protects and shields from all evil.


It is a common expression to talk about the “chinks” in a person’s armor. The definition of the word chink is “a small cleft, slit, or fissure.” ¹ Should an arrow strike exactly one of the chinks in one’s armor, a fatal wound can result."

So what ARE some ways we can add to, or strengthen our Armor?  I turn to a few of Elder Ballard's suggestions:

1. Rely on the Protective Power of Prayer
The Doctrine and Covenants teaches, “Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work” (D&C 10:5).
What a wonderful promise! In this spiritual warfare that rages over individual souls, that is what we want more than anything else—to conquer Satan and to escape the hands of evil men and women who carry out his work. I cannot stress too highly the protective power that comes into our lives through earnest, humble, consistent, yearning prayer.

You need to find a time and place where you can be alone with Heavenly Father and pour out your heart to Him, that you might add strength and power to your spiritual lives. Every honest and sincere prayer adds another piece to chain-mail armor.

2. Rely on the Protective Power of the Scriptures
When Nephi’s brothers asked him what the meaning of the rod of iron was, Nephi “said unto them that it was the word of God; and whoso would hearken unto the word of God, and would hold fast unto it, they would never perish; neither could the temptations and the fiery darts of the adversary overpower them unto blindness, to lead them away to destruction” (1 Ne. 15:24).
Isn’t that the protective power that we all seek? Knowledge gained through our study of the scriptures teaches us how to get protection from the devil for ourselves.

“What can I learn from this passage that will help me come unto Christ and be more like Him?”

3. Draw on the Merciful Grace of God
The Lord promised us through the prophet Moroni: “If men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them” (Ether 12:27).
One of the most devastating effects of sin is that it weakens you, binds you, brings you down to slavery. The grace of God and of His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, is the answer to that predicament. If you will but humble yourselves and turn to Them, then Their grace, Their enabling power, can not only help you throw off the chains of sin but actually turn your weaknesses into strengths.

4. Remember That Reverence Invites Revelation
A lack of reverence not only opens up chinks in our chain-mail armor but creates great gaps of vulnerability.
In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord declared that “your minds in times past have been darkened because … you have treated lightly the things you have received” (D&C 84:54). That is a recurring theme in the revelations. “Trifle not with sacred things,” the Lord warned Oliver Cowdery (D&C 6:12).
In a time of peril and danger, the last thing we need is to have our minds darkened. And yet we have seen a great increase in how the world treats lightly and often offensively things of deep value. The media jokes and pokes fun at even the most sacred things. Television sitcoms show people constantly engaging in crude, rude, immoral, and cruel banter.
When we speak of reverence, we are talking about much more than mere quietness at our meetings. Reverence is an attitude of mind and heart. It involves a keen sense of God’s majesty and infinite goodness and our unworthiness and our need for Him and His redeeming grace. It includes a profound sense of the sacred and a desire to honor and protect it.
President Boyd K. Packer said: “Reverence invites revelation. … No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member.” 

Add to Your Armor Each Day
The Lord has given us specific doctrines and principles that show us how to clothe ourselves in the armor of God so that we can stand against the powers of evil. I have suggested a few ways to incorporate gospel principles into your lives. In most cases, we are not talking about massive changes of behavior. As with chain mail, you need simply to add small, individual pieces of armor each day through prayer, scripture study, focusing on things that matter, and acting in a reverent manner.
Let us go forward, keeping the commandments of God and following the admonition of the Apostle Paul:
“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil” (Eph. 6:10–11).