Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 61:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 61:4
"And it is those who have sought to take away the judgment-seat from me that have been the cause of this great iniquity; for they have used great flattery, and they have led away the hearts of many people, which will be the cause of sore affliction among us; they have withheld our provisions, and have daunted our freemen that they have not come unto you."

The king-men had risen up in rebellion and taken possession of Zarahemla, their capital. The word flattery is what stood out to me.

“Flattery” is most commonly defined as excessive and insincere praise. The naïve, the needy, the impressionable, or the ego-centric view flattery as genuine praise. Discerning people understand flattery to be disingenuous, false praise motivated by an agenda."

What is needed is discernment, the spirit as your guide. As the chapter continues Pahoran is reinforcing the need for them to act according to the Spirit of God.

"Therefore, come unto me speedily with a few of your men, and leave the remainder in the charge of Lehi and Teancum; give unto them power to conduct the war in that part of the land, according to the Spirit of God, which is also the spirit of freedom which is in them." (vs 15)

I looked for other scriptures where flattery is used.

"He that speaketh flattery to his friends, even the eyes of his children shall fail."
(Job 17:5)

"To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman." (Proverbs 6:24)

"And he was learned, that he had a perfect knowledge of the language of the people; wherefore, he could use much flattery, and much power of speech, according to the power of the devil."
(Jacob 7:4)

"Now the sons of Mosiah were numbered among the unbelievers; and also one of the sons of Alma was numbered among them, he being called Alma, after his father; nevertheless, he became a very wicked and an idolatrous man. And he was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities."
(Mosiah 8:8)

This made me think of a recent warning by President Nelson.
"There is no end to the adversary’s deceptions. Please be prepared. Never take counsel from those who do not believe. Seek guidance from voices you can trust—from prophets, seers, and revelators and from the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, who “will show unto you all things what ye should do.” Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation."
(Russell M. Nelson, "Think Celestial!", Oct 2023 General Conference)

Day 3505

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 60:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 60:16
"Yea, had it not been for the war which broke out among ourselves; yea, were it not for these king-men, who caused so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, at the time we were contending among ourselves, if we had united our strength as we hitherto have done; yea, had it not been for the desire of power and authority which those king-men had over us; had they been true to the cause of our freedom, and united with us, and gone forth against our enemies, instead of taking up their swords against us, which was the cause of so much bloodshed among ourselves; yea, if we had gone forth against them in the strength of the Lord, we should have dispersed our enemies, for it would have been done, according to the fulfilling of his word."

Moroni is writing to Pahoran, trying to figure out why support is not being given to the armies in the midst of battle. He touches on the damage the king-men caused before the Lamanites had attacked them. If they had not been fighting internally the enemy could not have overtaken them. Little does Moroni know that the king-men are at the root of the problem where support is not being sent to strengthen the armies. I sure hope and pray that we don't repeat this in our day. We are a weakened nation if we begin to have civil war from within. Ripe for our enemies to attack us.

Day 3504

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 59:11, 12

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 59:11, 12
"And now, when Moroni saw that the city of Nephihah was lost he was exceedingly sorrowful, and began to doubt, because of the wickedness of the people, whether they should not fall into the hands of their brethren.
Now this was the case with all his chief captains. They doubted and marveled also because of the wickedness of the people, and this because of the success of the Lamanites over them."

There is an election coming up next week. I keep reminding myself that regardless of what the voice of the people choose I can't lose hope. Stay on the covenant path and do as we have been counseled. Be a peacemaker, trust in the Lord.

Day 3503

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 58:25-26

Today's Favorite Verse: Alma 58:25-26
"And behold, it was night and they did pitch their tents, for the chief captains of the Lamanites had supposed that the Nephites were weary because of their march; and supposing that they had driven their whole army therefore they took no thought concerning the city of Manti.
Now it came to pass that when it was night, I caused that my men should not sleep, but that they should march forward by another way towards the land of Manti."

If the Nephites had stopped and rested they would not have had the advantage over the Nephites. By marching through the night they were able to arrive in the city of Manti before the Lamanites. I am sure they were inspired and strengthened by the Lord to achieve this. I pondered on how we can never sit back and rest and take a break from the church. Otherwise, you run the risk of the adversary overtaking you. We also need to move swiftly towards safety and security. There is a hastening now to do so before the Lord's Second Coming.

"Even when things went well, Captain Moroni continued to prepare his people. He never stopped. He never became complacent.
The adversary never stops attacking. So, we can never stop preparing! The more self-reliant we are—temporally, emotionally, and spiritually—the more prepared we are to thwart Satan’s relentless assaults.
Please, keep going! Your vigilance in safeguarding your homes and instilling faith in the hearts of your loved ones will reap rewards for generations to come."
(Russell M. Nelson, "Embrace the Future with Faith", Oct 2020 General Conference)

Day 3502