Do you want to be able to shake the powers of hell?

One of my favorite stories is of Alma the younger and the Sons of Mosiah. They were the vilest of sinners, put became some of the best missionaries to ever serve the Lord. Their story truly shows us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is for everyone, the sinner, the righteous and everyone in between. They, like Saul, were confronted by an angel who told them they need to change their ways. They were told to stop destroying the church, but to help build it up.
Would you change your life if you were visited by an angel? I feel all of us would say yes to this question, but would we really change? Let's take a look at Laman and Lemuel. These two men were visited by angels a handful of times, did they change? Maybe for a day or two, but then they went back to their evil ways. They, like Lucifer, chose to rebel against their father because they wanted all the glory, they wanted to be the hero, but since they chose to rebel they instead were made the loser. But they saw an angel, they heard the voice of the Lord, why didn't they change? The reason is because they chose not to change, we all have the power to change. We need to make sure our choices are pointing us in the right direction, even the simplest of choices can lead us the right or wrong way.

Many years ago I was driving on the road to Damascus. Damascus, Oregon that is. Do you want to know what happened to me? Nothing, in fact, it was quite Boring. Why didn't I have this amazing experience, an experience which would change my life? The reason is because I had made a choice which put me where I needed to be. At this time in my life, I was on my mission, serving my Lord for two years of my life. I didn't need an angel to come and visit me, it would have been nice though. People who are in need of an angel visiting them are very few, but I know that we each are visited by angels most days of our lives. There is a song by Train called "Angel in Blue Jeans." Now I am not going to focus on the lyrics of this song, but the title. I think we all feel that angels are the heavenly messengers who are clothed in white robes, playing their trumpets and singing praises to God. Not all angels are like this, most angels are people we see every day. Some of them we call mom, some we call dad, some we call a friend, others are those who smile at us, some are those who hold the door open for us, some are our bishop's who help us through the repentance process, others are teachers and the list goes on and on. So if you are waiting until an angel visits you to change your life, open your eyes and choose to change now.
Let's go back to Alma and his friends. There is a scripture which describes Captain Moroni, which also describes Alma and the sons of Mosiah.

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men. Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God."

When was the last time you made the powers of hell shake? Want to know how to do it? Then let's look at the whole chapter of Alma 48. We can do what Captain Moroni did, "preparing the minds of the people to be faithful unto the Lord their God."
Here is a list of things Captain Moroni did to prepare himself and his people:

• Strengthening the armies
• Erected small forts/places of resort
• Built walls
• Put the greater number of men where the fortifications were the weakest
• Lived by the Cause of Christians
• Had a perfect understanding
• Did not delight in bloodshed
• Heart swelled with thanksgiving to his God
• Firm in the faith

So what does this all mean to us? Let me go over each of these items in detail.

Strengthening the Armies

We currently aren't in a physical war, but we are in a spiritual war. Our armies are made up of the people around us. So how do we strengthen our armies? We live in an age where all our actions are criticized, everything we do wrong is plastered on walls and shown to the whole world. So I am going to suggest instead of pushing others down, we lift others up. 

Erect Small Forts and Places of Resort

We are a church going people. We go to church to learn more, to grow, to strengthen ourselves, and to prepare. We also go to the temple to get rest from the world, it being a place of resort. We need to be going to church every week, and going to the temple as often as possible. 

Building a Wall

The world can be a difficult place, the devil is throwing his fiery darts at us left and right. We need to prevent those darts from getting in. We all are tempted by different things, we need to learn what things tempt us, and learn how to prevent them from tempting us. We build this wall in our homes, as an eternal family we can stand together, united, and able to withstand the blows of the devil.

Greater Number of Men in Our Weakest Places

Captain Moroni was pretty amazing, but like us he had weaknesses, and instead of complaining about these weaknesses he did something about them. We all have those temptations which are really hard for us to overcome, ones which tend to make us slip up all the time. Here are a few examples: if you struggle with pornography, don't keep your phone in your room, if you struggle with depression, don't exclude yourself from others, if you struggle with waking up in the morning, set a schedule and follow it, etc. Temptations happen all the time, but with some precaution, sin can be prevented. 

Live by the Cause of Christians

I love Alma 48:10, it really defines what we as Christians should be living for. "Thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God." Moroni puts it simply, what are we living for? 

Had a Perfect Understanding

Captain Moroni had a perfect understanding. How do we gain a perfect understanding? I really like how M. Russel Ballard defines the word understanding in the book "Our Search for Happiness." 

"It's a simple word, really --one that most of us use every day. But it means something that is quite remarkable. With understanding we can strengthen relationships, revitalize neighborhoods, unify nations, and even bring peace to a troubled world. Without it chaos, intolerance, hate, and war are often the result."

Pretty amazing what can happen when we choose to understand. But to understand we need to study, we need to listen, and we need to ask questions. "Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."  

Did not Delight in Bloodshed

How many of you had a strong desire to go out and kill everyone you meet? I am going to say none of you have this desire. But how many of you continually seek to judge others? If you want your life to be more of a delight, strive to see others how God sees them, people who, like yourself, have potential to become better. Nobody is perfect, so why should we think people should be perfect? 

Heart Swelled with Thanksgiving to his God

A thankful heart is a full heart. When was the last time you had a prayer that was just full of thanks? If you are feeling down and wish your life was better, say a prayer of thanks, I promise you it will make it better. Check out Psalms 100.

Firm in the Faith

When was the last time you read the words of the hymn #254, True to the Faith? I really enjoy the 4th verse. "We will strive to be found worthy of the kingdom of our Lord, with the faithful ones redeemed, who have loved and kept His word." How do we increase our faith? Alma 32:27 says it best: "Experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith." 

I am a man of a science mind, it has always been hard for me believe in things. I have learned that if you want to gain faith, you need to try things out. The promise of the Book of Mormon asks us to read and pray about it to know if it is true. Naaman had to bath in the river Jordan 7 times before he knew it would cleanse him. We must act to build our faith. God has given us commandments, and each of those commandments has blessings attached to them, are you in need of blessings? 

Conclusion 

Captain Moroni is pretty awesome, and we can be awesome just like him! Go and read the 48th chapter of Alma, see the difference between Amalickiah and Moroni, and see how you can become like Moroni. God wants you to be happy, do you?