Day 265 Know Your Enemy, Know Your Testimony

In Matthew 5:13, Jesus tells his followers that they are the salt of the earth, and in the same sentence offers a warning that savorless salt is good for nothing. Join me in an attempt to be savory salt as I share each day one verse of scripture and one small thought. Perhaps this small daily emphasis can lead to greater savor in your life and ultimately you and I can be savory salt.

Hello, my friends and family, wherever you're listening from. Thank you for joining me and know that I am cheering for your every success. Let's start today with a Chinese military general, Sun Tzu.

Know thy enemy and know yourself. In a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. Welcome to day 265 on our 365-day journey through the Book of Mormon.

You notice then that that means we are just a hundred days away from reading the Book of Mormon together a little bit each day. Well done on your path. Today we're going to be reading Helaman chapter 6, verses 25 to 41.

You will finish that chapter and inside of this I can stress enough the know your enemy part of things from the quote at the beginning of this episode. Here we have a pretty detailed description of who behind the oaths and the covenants of the Gadianton Robbers. And we named them the Gadianton Robbers.

However, we know the father of those oaths and covenants and we see them inside of the verses today. I want to focus on one of those verses and bring in a prophet to share with us some of the thoughts of that that may help today. We're going to be reading Helaman chapter 6, verse 31.

And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites, yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked. Yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God, and did turn unto their own ways, and did build up unto themselves idols of their gold and their silver. Now I have a note inside of my Gospel Library app here.

That's a note from 2012. I love that our Gospel Library app can keep all of this information, because here's where I was in 2012 reading this. I found a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson that had a response to the verse that we just read.

President Benson in 1988 says this: My friends, know the tactics of the enemy and take time to know your own testimony. Think into it often. Pray about it often.

Ask continually that the Lord may uplift and strengthen the feelings you've had, the testimony that has been built inside of you, and find yourself standing with the Lord. I think it's interesting that inside today's reading, we had a secondary piece of what we read yesterday in the way that the Lamanites dealt with the Gadianton Robbers. Further on, I'll tell you, spend some time in verse 37 as well and see what the Lamanites did in response to the Gadianton Robbers.

But what we see is a great warning. Remember the Book of Mormon is for our day and here in the Book of Helaman in verse 31 and the preceding and after verses both give us a stark warning. Know your enemy, know your testimony.

Know where you stand with the Lord. I'm so grateful that you join me on a daily basis with Savory Salt. It's an opportunity for all of us together to get inside the scriptures to take a moment to remember the place the Lord has in our lives and then try to take those steps to be just a little bit better every day so that we may stand prepared to fight against the enemy who knows us.

All of our weaknesses and yet we get to fight with a Heavenly Father that knows all of our strengths and has the ability to magnify those in everything we do in faith. Go forward, my friends, and do so with the Lord on your side. That's all for today.

Remember that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass. Keep it small, keep it simple, and always seek to be savory salt. I'll be here tomorrow and I hope you are too.