Recently, I read this chapter for the first time as a wife and mother. Suddenly, the story seemed brand new to me. I could relate, not to Moroni, but to all the people who were beginning to follow Amalikiah. My eyes were opened to see all the things that were leading my heart astray with silvery words of flattery, allusions of influence, and the comfort of acceptance in world around me.
I was familiar with the outside forces that were attacking my family, but all at once, I became aware of a slew of inner influences that were waging war on my family by distracting me from what is most important.
As with the Amalikiahites, most of our battles aren't between us and a recognizable evil from outside our home. Instead, they come from familiar influences within that seem good but take our focus away from "...our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our [spouses], and our children." (Alma 46:12).
Luckily, we have the scriptures as our guide in fighting and defending our faith and our families. In my study of the Title of Liberty with my newly opened eyes, I found the following ways we can follow Moroni's example in defending what is most precious:
- RECOGNIZING THE BATTLE: Moroni was able to recognize that Amalikiah was leading his neighbors and members of the church away from liberty and the gospel. Likewise, through the influence of prayer and the Spirit, we can come to recognize those things in our lives that pull us and our families away from a strong faith and a happy home.
- CLEARLY DEFINED STANDARD: Moroni wrote out the Title of Liberty and held it up where he could see it. By writing out our own family standard, mission statement, or goals, we have a standard by which we can measure our activities, our words, and our thoughts to make sure everything we say and do is leading us closer to our destiny of eternal families.
- ARMOR: Though his battle wasn't yet to be fought with swords on the battlefield, Moroni put on his armor and girded himself in preparation for the fight. By preparing for the fight through putting on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6), we can protect our faith and our families with righteous influence and the love of our Father in Heaven.
- RAISED FLAG: Moroni didn't keep the Title of Liberty to himself. He went all across the land, raising the standard and rallying the troops. We can follow his example by rallying our family for the fight and always communicating our values and standards in our everyday lives. We can do this in every conversation, no matter how unimportant it seems, by always speaking of our family members with praise and respect and treating sacred topics with reverence.
- COVENANT: Moroni and his followers made a covenant to not forsake the Lord their God and to protect their families and liberties with their lives. We must remember the covenants we have made and make a renewed effort to protect our families and spiritual liberties with our lives; our temporal lives, our spiritual lives, and even our social lives.
Just like Moroni, we can lead the charge to protect our faith, our families, and our liberties in the battles we face with negative influences every day. Not only are we promised to have happier families, but we may even become our own children's heroes in the process.
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Monica Lynn is wifey and momma dedicated to making life beautiful. You can follow her adventures at Domestic Artistry.