If ye are prepared...

In Mosiah 11:17-19, we read:

17 And king Noah sent guards round about the land to keep them off; but he did not send a sufficient number, and the Lamanites came upon them and killed them, and drove many of their flocks out of the land; thus the Lamanites began to destroy them, and to exercise their hatred upon them.

18 And it came to pass that king Noah sent his armies against them, and they were driven back, or they drove them back for a time; therefore, they returned rejoicing in their spoil.

19 And now, because of this great victory they were lifted up in the pride of their hearts; they did boast in their own strength, saying that their fifty could stand against thousands of the Lamanites; and thus they did boast, and did delight in blood, and the shedding of the blood of their brethren, and this because of the wickedness of their king and priests.

 As I was pondering on those verses this morning, I was reminded of how very much like King Noah and his priests I can be. He thought that a few guards would be sufficient to keep his people protected from an attack by the enemy which he knew was there but one which he did not take seriously. He and his people were too busy pursuing pleasure to be serious about the fortifications necessary that would have protected them.

They were attacked, and it hurt them. They retaliated with all they had and beat back their enemy. Only to return home and pursue pleasure once again. There were no preparations for the next time an attack would come...the words almost make them seem like they thought that was the end of it. We beat them back and now we are done with the war. It's over.

My goodness, I see this in my own life so clearly. So often I will get lax in my study or my prayer or my church attendance to ALL of my meetings, or a million other little things. I let moderate obedience become the replacement for strict obedience. I will read my scriptures but not take the time to study them. Time passes and then I'll read them at the end of the day once in a while instead of the beginning. Finding myself putting it off more and more because I'm too tired, my day is too full, I am not awake enough to do justice to my study...the excuses are endless and varied. Before I know it, I'm always reading at night just before I fall asleep and giving it the least of my attention possible while still actually doing it. More time and then I'll have days where I'm too tired and reading my scriptures doesn't even make it into the day. More time and then I will go a week without reading anything at all. It's a slippery slope that begins with one time of saying it really isn't that important this once.

Then the enemy attacks because my defenses are down and it is easy to hit me. I am surprised by the pain of it. I redouble my efforts and find that place of strict obedience again. And I keep at it until I feel better, stronger. Then, slowly and a very little bit at a time, I begin to think I'm in a place of security and that I have overcome...usually I think it is all on my own (WOW. The arrogance and pride that exists in my heart!). Then I once again settle into old patterns of laziness and ease.

The attacks will come. They will always come. 

Strict obedience is the tool of freedom. Lax obedience is the tool of slavery. When I am strictly obedient and I get hit, yes it does still hurt. But it doesn't knock me down. I may have a moment of pause to regain my ground, but I am not driven back nor have I lost any of that which I have gained (doctrine, truth, connection with the Spirit). It is all still firmly in my heart. 

This path of healing and of discovery is a long one - an eternal one. It does not end with a battle won. These are the last days. This is the time when Satan, knowing his time is short, is attacking with all he has as often as he can, wherever he can find a moment of weakness. He will come in and do what harm he can. The only fortification against such a persistent and troublesome enemy is vigilant, strict obedience to that which we have been told by the prophets will protect us. 

We must seek out doctrine by prayer and study and the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We must have that doctrine become a part of our very being, we must obtain it. We must practice it and keep that commandment in our heart (as in "Mary kept all of these things and pondered them in her heart" kind of keeping). We must choose each morning that what comes first is our fortification to maintain our freedom. We must love spiritual freedom (and thus physical and mental and emotional freedom because they are all by-products of spiritual freedom) more than we want to sleep in, more than we want to work out, more than we want to check our devices, more than we want to get up and get to that thing which we are excited to pursue that day, more than we want to stay in bed and avoid that thing we have to do that day...more. More than anything else we must remember to fortify our defenses to maintain our freedom. 

Or it will be lost.

That is a guarantee. There are no maybes in there. Our spiritual freedom will be lost if we do not choose it.

I have given myself the challenge to remember, to have my own personal Title of Liberty, and to use that as my tool of remembrance that I might maintain my freedom. I invite you to do the same. Actually create a Title of Liberty - write down why you feel your spiritual freedom matters and why the work is worth it. Write it down and look at it. Make it the first thing your eyes fall upon when you open them each morning. Record yourself saying it and make that your alarm in the morning. Wake up to yourself reminding you why you are choosing strict obedience that day. Remind yourself what is real and what is the illusion of the temporal world. And choose. Be an agent unto yourself and remember that you are free to choose liberty through the Great Mediator, or captivity and death.

This week I will write my personal Title of Liberty. And I will make it my daily reminder, motivator, for the battle I fight every morning with myself to make my liberty more important than anyone or any thing in existence. Because it really is that important.

Join me? Let's fight this battle together. Let's encourage and strengthen and remind each other. Let's become a people who are battle-ready every. single. morning. Let's become the kind of people who would have been ready and able to answer Moroni's call to fight for liberty. For in the truest sense, that is what strict obedience is all about. Your liberty and my liberty depend upon our ability to consistently choose strict obedience over any other pursuit or avoidance. 

It is easier than we think. The word "strict" makes it feel daunting, a bit. But there is a side of me that desires to rebel. And "strict obedience" is the only phrase which makes that side of me submit to the other side of me which greatly desires obedience and the pursuit of light and truth. If that phrase doesn't work for you, find one that does. Find something that when your natural man starts complaining, that phrase or "battle cry" will keep you turning again to truth and to the pursuit of your spiritual freedom.

Let us be strong and of a good courage. Let us choose liberty through our Great Mediator. Let us get up each morning and choose to be a people who are free: a people who have the courage to choose freedom over the pursuits of the flesh.

With Him, we got this.