Like Dragons Did They Fight

Last night I read my scriptures and said my prayer before going to bed. I felt like I was simply going through the motions to be obedient. I felt that I needed to make a more conscious effort to get up early this morning and read from the Book of Mormon before starting the rest of my day. I am exceedingly thankful that I had the strength to wake up a little earlier and to read from Mosiah 20.

I have read this chapter on numerous occasions previously. However, this is the first time that verse 11 has struck me as interesting. The Lamanites had supposed that several of their daughters had been kidnapped by the people of King Limhi. The Lamanites attacked the people of King Llimhi. His people are fighting, defending themselves against a Lamanite army that is much more numerous than their own. Limhi's people began to drive the Lamanite army into retreat. The second half of verse 11, speaking of Limhi's people, explains, "they fought for their lives, and for their wives, and for their children; therefore they exerted themselves and like dragons did they fight."

Like dragons did they fight! I am not yet a husband nor a father. I can only imagine the ferocity with which they fought. As my mind wrapped around the concept of this fighting, I felt the whispering of the Spirit. It seemed to say, "We, too, need to 'fight like dragons' in the war against sin. We ARE literally fighting for our spiritual lives...and those of our wives and our children." I feel that the time for simply worshiping on Sunday is over, if it really even existed and I doubt it did. We need to be "anxiously engaged in a good cause." (Doctrine & Covenants 58:27) We need to "watch [ourselves], and [our] thoughts, and [our] words, and [our] deeds." (Mosiah 4:30)

Satan is trying to destroy the work and glory of our Heavenly Father. That's us! He's trying to destroy us. He is being clever about it, too. Why do you think that TV shows have had the tendency to start relatively mild? You watch the show in its more mild beginning, gain a love for the characters and then, over the life of most sitcoms, the show becomes more suggestive, more crude, and all around more perverse. As society embraces evil, we are seeing television shows that no longer waste time. They start out crude and perverse.

The New Norm, a show on NBC, is an example of the perversion in today's media. The name itself is a contradiction. Norm, as defined on Merriam-Webster.com, is:

1 - an authoritative standard2 - a principle of right action binding upon the members of a group and serving to guide, control, or regulate proper and acceptable behavior

Therefore, in order to have a "new norm" one must lay aside the current standard and set up a new one. God's laws are unchanging. He does not change His standards and neither should we. Satan is ever attacking the family. He tries to convince us that homosexuality is "the new norm" and that if we take a stand against it then we are heathens. He uses sarcasm and statistics to deceive the minds of those not prepared to fight against him and his minions.

I know this because, in the past, I have been deceived. I have heard people say, "half of marriages end in divorce anyways, gays have the same right to be unhappy as the rest of us." That's like saying, "more than half of all Americans are overweight or obese so it's okay." It's not okay! I wish not to come across as hypocritical nor judgmental. I simply wish to point out that standards are standards. They don't change! And they certainly don't change simply because we, as flawed individuals, change.

Satan is unleashing his worst attacks and we need to be prepared for it. I hope that we can all fight like dragons for our lives, for the lives of our wives and husbands, for our children, for our friends, and for all of our brothers and sisters. Read the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Pray to our Father in Heaven. Trust in Jesus Christ. Have faith that Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us. Learn to trust that plan. Have faith that Christ will not abandon you ever, especially in your most difficult and trying times. They love us! I know that is true. I am so thankful for the redeeming power of the Atonement. "I marvel that he would descend from his throne divine to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine." (Hymn 193 - I Stand All Amazed) If I was not beyond saving, then nobody is.