"Wherefore, lift up your hearts and rejoice, and gird up your loins, and take upon you my whole armor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to stand.
Stand, therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, having on the breastplate of righteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, which I have sent mine angels to commit unto you;
Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked;
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my Spirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be caught up, that where I am ye shall be also. Amen."
As I was Alma chapter 2 (Finished with Mosiah!) my mind reflected to this scripture in Doctrine and Covenants. I've always loved this scripture. Just as a soldier or knight would need to be fully prepared for a battle, wearing the appropriate armor, we too need to be prepared, and wear the "Armor of God" as described in the above scripture. As we are prepared, we can be more sure that the Lord can be with us.
My mind started to think about each part of the Armor of God, and how it particularly relates to me as a missionary.
The Sword of the Spirit- Truths that we share come as we STUDY the doctrine. From study, we gain the knowledge, and we can teach with BOLDNESS. The truths that we share will touch, or pierce the hearts of those people that we testify to. The Spirit can then be a witness.
The Helmet of Salvation- The helmet protects our heads, which is what we use to FOCUS all of our effort and time as we serve the Lord. As we use this time that we have to dedicate to him, ours as well as others SALVATION will be ASSURED.
The Breastplate of Righteousness- Our NAMETAG is the first thing that people about us. They know INSTANTLY who we are. As we are righteous, people will recognize that we are disciples of Christ, and will want to follow his example. And even people who are not set apart as full-time missionaries, the still have the nametag "painted on their hearts." (Elder Neil Andersen)
The Shield of Faith- Our faith PROTECTS us during times of trouble. If we put down our shield, we would be exposed to all manner of danger! Faith is the FIRST FOUNDATION in the Gospel. It keeps us ENDURING.
Feet Shod in the Gospel of Peace- As we FOLLOW the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, we will have peace in our lives! The Gospel gives us the PEACE that we SEEK.
As we remember each day to put on the WHOLE Armor of God, we can be assured that we will have the strength that we need. Don't leave even on piece out! During times of hard or terrifying times, we will be protected. :)
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