Weapons of Rebellion

One of the covenant people mentioned in the Book of Mormon were the people of Ammon a.k.a. the Anti-Nephi-Lehies a.k.a. Lamanites.

Once they believed in the word of God, “and were converted unto the Lord, [they] Never. Did. Fall. Away.”

And in their covenanting, “they did lay down the weapons of rebellion.”

Up until the other night, I thought their laying down their weapons was because of the covenant they had made NOT to fight anymore.

But not to fight was only secondary to their allegiance and obedience to God and His word.

Alma 23:7 reads: “For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren.”

Fighting against God = wielding weapons of rebellion

Weapons can be gossip, jealousy, murmuring, laziness, sin, pride, immodesty, fear, unfaithfulness, ingratitude, lust.

Once those weapons are laid down – buried - put off, like the natural man - I become a righteous daughter of God.

Then "more used will I be" in fighting for His cause.

President Gordon B. Hinckley declared (ooh, how I love this):
"The war goes on. It is waged across the world over the issues of agency and compulsion. It is waged by an army of missionaries over the issues of truth and error. It is waged in our own lives, day in and day out, in our homes, in our work, in our school associations; it is waged over questions of love and respect, of loyalty and fidelity, of obedience and integrity. We are all involved in it—child, youth, or adult, each of us. We are winning, and the future never looked brighter.

"May our God bless us in the work that is so clearly laid out before us. May we be faithful. May we be valiant. May we have the courage to be true to the trust God has placed in each of us. May we be unafraid. “For [to quote the words of Paul to Timothy] God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord” (2 Timothy 1:7–8).