As I read this story to my kids, I was able to relate it to their lives right now. To help them see…how special they are, and to help me see who lives in my home…The Stripling Warriors of Latter Days!
What does Stripling mean? Youth, adolescent, youngster, boy, schoolboy, lad….
The Book of Mormon refers to them as “little”. We can fully come to the conclusion that we are dealing with young boys. So if you look at your youth, boy or girl, and think they are too young to fight this battle against the adversary….you are wrong! They are not! They were tutored before they came here…they fought on the front lines of the Lords army, in heaven…they agreed to come to earth and fight this battle as well …and they CAN DO IT!
As much as we need to teach and guide them now…they are here to help us and someday we will see their full potential, which will bring bring us great joy.
Alma 56:17 And now they were determined to conquer in this place or die; therefore you may well suppose that this little force which I brought with me, yea, those sons of mine, gave them great hopes and much joy.
I love that the Book of Mormon starts the story of the Stripling Warriors as an epistle from Helaman to Moroni. You can feel the love Helaman felt for these “little” sons. As he was proud of their faith and their courage. I feel the exact same, as I work with the youth, have them over to hang, or just get a chance to sit and visit with them…I am always so proud of their faith and their courage. I too want to call them my little sons and daughter…I want to provide an additional place of refuge from their battlegrounds. I am so thankful to those mommas…who have loved my Teens as their own, and provided sound advise, a place of refuge, and lots of love. The more resting places these striplings have the better equipped to fight they will be. As they dwell in homes where the Spirit of the Lord is strong, it will given them added courage and added strength to go out and Stand for truth and righteousness!
Alma 56:47 Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them.
It is no different today as it was all this years ago, the faith and trust in the Lord must be taught and lived in the home. These kids depend on the spiritual foundation to hold them strong during difficult pressures. The foundation needs to be solid as rock…not soft as sand. They need to have faith that is unbreakable and can withstand the greatest storms.
Luke 6:48 He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.
This rock foundation is formed from the teachings in the home, all together they solidify and give strength that can’t be found any where else. There is nothing more important than pray, scriptures, temple work, family home evening, come follow me, and following the Lord with exactness. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t look perfect everyday…just do it. The kids will remember…especially when they need it most and during the most trying times in their lives. There is no replacement.
“Feasting on the word of God each day is more important than sleep, school, work, television shows, video games, or social media. You may need to reorganize your priorities to provide time for the study of the word of God. If so, do it!” -Richard G. Scott
The shields we are building for our warriors are not intended to stop an arrow or a bullet …no the adversary is using weapons of war that supersede anything you can build In the weight room. He is using peers, mental pressures, media, social media, movies, music, and negative self worth. His bullets seem harmless, and exciting. However, this just enlarges our armies, for everyone is included no matter what physical ailment restricts you from other physical activities…you can still be a warrior for the Lord, a strength on the front lines.
As mothers and fathers our responsibility to spiritually train every child in our home is vital. They are all here at this time for a purpose…and we want them to fulfill their purpose.
“because the weapons of choice are not spears and swords wielded on a chaotic field of battle.
Rather, the weapons of eternal worth reflecting the whole armor of God are truth, righteousness, faith, prayer, and the word of God (see Eph. 6:13–18). These weapons are wielded in our minds, mouths, and movements. Every righteous thought, word, and deed is a victory for the Lord. -Robert C. Oaks
Once fortified, they need all the support they can get to accomplish all they have to face.
The Stripling Warriors of the Book of Mormon did not fight alone. Army’s from surrounding communities joined them on their battlefield. They fortified them and made them stronger. This spiritual battle is no different, they need support from as many good places as possible. We can support them by loving all of them, those in our homes and those out of our homes. Let us not be to quick to believe rumors we hear, let us judge with understanding and love, or not at all. We need them…and they need us. Let them know you know them, greet them by name.
Alma 56:27 And now it came to pass in the second month of this year, there was brought unto us many provisions from the fathers of those my two thousand sons.
28 And also there were sent two thousand men unto us from the land of Zarahemla. And thus we were prepared with ten thousand men, and provisions for them and also for their wives and their children.
The best part is that these kids have been prepared at the knees of their Heavenly Father, before they ever came to our homes….they are up for the task. As we firmly and undauntingly do our part…they will be able to stay and firm and undaunted…and they will succeed.
Alma 57:20 And as the remainder of our army were about to give way before the Lamanites, behold, those two thousand and sixty were firm and undaunted.
They will triumph and come out of the battlefield alive and well…you can fully expect a few stabs, scratches, or concussions along the way. War is not easy…especially when your fighting experts. Satan and his followers have been doing this for thousands of years and these “little” kids have never fought before. The adversary will pull out all his best tactics.
Alma 57:14 For behold, they would break out in great numbers, and would fight with stones, and with clubs, or whatsoever thing they could get into their hands, insomuch that we did slay upwards of two thousand of them after they had surrendered themselves prisoners of war.
The best way to stop the experienced warriors from brutally attacking our children…is to help our youth…our stripping warriors must learn to listen the the Holy Ghost and to follow the promptings every time. It will cut off the power source of the adversary. The adversary is good at being fluid and flamboyant, but he can’t compete with the peace and comfort brought by the Holy Ghost. If the striplings have practiced listening and obeying…they will be able avoid the endless taunting around them, and shut down the adversary.
Alma 57:11 And notwithstanding the Lamanites being cut off from their support after this manner, they were still determined to maintain the city; therefore it became expedient that we should take those provisions and send them to Judea, and our prisoners to the land of Zarahemla.
So when they error, or make a mistake…let’s pick them off the field…and aid them until they are well. They are our most noble fighters, the finest players, some of the best the Lord has ever sent. (President Russell M Nelson) we can’t afford to lose any of them. The Lord loves these Striplings and will help us every inch of the way. We just need to counsel with him, and let him guide us in guiding the youth.
Alma 56:56 But behold, to my great joy, there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea, and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.
Alma 57:25-26
25 And it came to pass that there were two hundred, out of my two thousand and sixty, who had fainted because of the loss of blood; nevertheless, according to the goodness of God, and to our great astonishment, and also the joy of our whole army, there was not one soul of them who did perish; yea, and neither was there one soul among them who had not received many wounds.
26 And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe–that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power.
We are the parents of the Stripling Warriors of the Latter Days…our job is exciting and crucial. We need to be fortified as much as they do. We need to help each other. Like President Russell M. Nelson said of the things to come….IT’S GOING TO BE EXCITING!!!
“We’re witnesses to a process of restoration,” said the prophet. “If you think the Church has been fully restored, you’re just seeing the beginning. There is much more to come. … Wait till next year. And then the next year. Eat your vitamin pills. Get your rest. It’s going to be exciting.” -Russell M Nelson
We can all learn from these ancient Stripling Warriors for we all need to live our lives courageous everyday.
“The call for courage comes constantly to each of us. Every day of our lives courage is needed–not just for the momentous events but more often as we make decisions or respond to circumstances around us.” – Thomas S Monson
Life is tough. It’s never been easy from the creation until now. There has always been trial and tribulations. What’s important and life changing is how we approach our obstacles. We emulate the ancient Stripling Warriors, for their methods proved to be successful.
“The stripling warriors in the Book of Mormon (see Alma 53; 56–58) prayed earnestly that God would strengthen and deliver them out of the hands of their enemies. Interestingly, the answers to these prayers did not produce additional weapons or an increased number of troops. Instead, God granted these faithful warriors assurance that He would deliver them, peace to their souls, and great faith and hope for their deliverance in Him (see Alma 58:11). Thus, the sons of Helaman did take courage, were fixed with a determination to conquer, and did go forth with all of their might against the Lamanites (see Alma 58:12–13). Assurance, peace, faith, and hope initially might not seem like the blessings warriors in battle might want, but they were precisely the blessings these valiant young men needed to press forward and prevail physically and spiritually.
Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental, and spiritual difficulties, He may increase our resolve and resilience.”
David A. Bednar
You and I should strive to become like the stripling warriors described in the Book of Mormon, who did “perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them. …
“… And they are strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day; yea, they do observe to keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 57:21; 58:40).
I love the idea of exactness. If we follow the Lord with EXACTNESS…as we emulate this attitude our children will pick up on it. Those of them who choose to follow the Lord with exactness, will never stumble, will be protected from all of Satans tricks…and we will stand courageous and strong to the end of the fight!!
Here are other applications from the scriptures
-Sherri Jorgensen
Recent Comments