Guten morgen!
I had a great breakfast with Bishop Smith and Joel this morning and we talked about changes we are going to make to the Young Men's and Adult classes of Warrior training. It made me think of how important it is every day to armor up against the temptations we all face. They also asked me to say 'Hello' to you.
Ephesians 6:11-17
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
A story for the ages from a talk by one of my favorite apostles...
"I should like to give you from the scriptures some examples which show how those who are clothed in such armor, which means keeping all the commandments of God, are able to withstand the adversary, or their enemies. Let me tell you about David (see 1 Sam. 17).
"The Philistines were at war with Israel, and Goliath, the Philistine, was challenging Israel to send a man to fight him, with the understanding that the losers would be slaves of the conquerors.
"We are told that Goliath had a helmet of brass upon his head and was armed with a coat of mail; that he had brass upon his legs and between his shoulders; that the staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam; that his spear’s head weighed six hundred shekels of iron; and a shield bearer went before him.
"On the other hand, when David agreed to meet the Philistine he took only his staff and chose five smooth stones out of the brook and put them in his shepherd’s bag.
"When Goliath saw this young man the Israelites had sent to challenge him, he was disdainful and said: “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field.
“'Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.
“'This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; … that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel.” (1 Sam. 17:44–46.)
"Then David, clothed with the armor of God, took a stone from his bag and, with his sling, shot it into the forehead of Goliath, an unprotected part of his body, and he fell dead."
(N. Eldon Tanner, “Put on the Whole Armor of God” April 1979 general conference.)
Clothe yourself every day with the Armor of God, and you shall not fear! I love you dearly, and pray for you and your companion always!
Love,
Your Dad
That story/talk is Awesome I love it! I use Ephesians 6 as well as the Armor of God coin that Bishop and Joel gave me, as well as all the knowledge they gave me about putting on the Armor of God every day here out in the mission. And I teach a lesson about it probably at least once a week, usually to members or to a youth group. I feel that power as a missionary. That I am armored and protected against so many things that I don't need to fear much. They only thing I need to fear is something that I would do to weaken the armor from the inside. And that is a good feeling knowing that I am in control. I am the architect of my own destiny. Not some pathetic little demon trying to hit me from the outside as Joel would say.
Love you Dad!
Elder Cox
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