I told you that I've adopted a new system in which I gain XP through righteousness, and I can spend the XP on Skill Points to increase my Stats, that will make me a better Paladin. I also told you that I wasn't sure whether I should start by training my Magic Stat or my Defense Stat. Now I am. As I was reading through the Book of Mormon, I found (or rather, was led to) 3 Nephi 3: 26 which references bucklers, shields, and strong armor. When I read that, I knew I had found my answer.
So I went to conference with the question: What can I do to strengthen my defense? It's one thing to keep a list of tally marks on a piece of paper, and say that I gained one point to my Defense Stat, but it's another thing entirely to actually raise the strength of my spiritual defenses and increase my power to resist temptation. So I asked myself that question as I listened to conference, and the answer actually came to my mind very quickly, and it was confirmed by President Fisher's talk.
The opening hymn was one of those war hymns. It might have been Behold, A Royal Army! That's a good one. Or maybe it was Hope of Israel. Yes, I think that was it. Anyway, whatever hymn it was, it was during that hymn that I felt that I needed to remember that I'm almost literally at war for my soul. Seems so easy to forget, between Satan being subtle and there being so many other problems going on. But I felt that I needed daily reminders that I'm fighting for my (Eternal) life. And I realized that I haven't been saying morning personal prayers. I knew that I needed to correct that.
The need for frequent reminders was confirmed by President Fisher's talk, which focussed on the phrase, "We are all enlisted 'till the conflict is o'er!" During his talk, he said something to the effect of, "We are enlisted today. We will be enlisted tomorrow. We will continue to be enlisted for the rest of our lives." The battle for human souls isn't going to stop if we just forget about it. It's still going on, with or without our help. Satan won't stop trying to destroy us just because we're tired of defending ourselves from him, and he's not going to stop attacking others just because we're too timid to fight for their souls, too. Yes, eventually, the war will end and Satan will be defeated, whether we help to counter him or not, but as he goes down, he's going to take a lot of people, possibly including us, down with him, unless we fight for them.
We need to defend our own souls against Satan. We also need to help strengthen each other's defenses as much as we can. President Fisher did that last night by giving us a powerful call to arms, and now I'd like to repeat that message for anyone who reads this blog:
Up, awake, ye defenders of Zion!
The foe's at the door of your homes!
Let each heart be the heart of a lion,
Unyielding and proud as he roams.
Remember the trials of Missouri;
Forget not the courage of Nauvoo.
When the enemy host is before you,
Stand firm and be faithful and true!
By [God's] power is Zion surrounded;
Her warriors are noble and brave,
And their faith on Jehovah is founded,
Whose power is mighty to save.
In each soldier a brave heart is beating,
Tho our numbers, compared, may be few.
We'll not rest till our foes are retreating,
And we'll always be faithful and true.
That's one of my new favorite hymns. I love the lyrics. I wish I were more familiar with the tune, though. I was really stumbling over it when we sang it last night. Maybe I can find another tune I can sing it to, or maybe I can just recite the words like a poem. Anyway, the message is inspiring. When I get the chance, I'll have to thank President Fisher for sharing it.
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