Thank You for the War Stories

Many times when I read the scriptures I find new or additional meanings to the verses that I have never thought of before.  It's like my eyes are opened to a different understanding of what I have read before.  In the past I have often wondered why, when it was such a tedious and difficult task to engrave on metal plates, have all the war stories in Alma been placed in our scriptures.  We have been taught in the Book of Mormon itself that these prophets knew they were not writing for themselves or their people but for a future audience.   As I taught the Book of Mormon in Institute last year I began to appreciate and understand more of the stories in these war chapters, but this time as I have read I have gained a whole new respect for this part of the book.  I am reading with Jeff's ward and their BOMB or Book of Mormon Blitz.  The schedule has us read about five pages daily and we will finish it in a three month period.  This time as I read I am reading it on my iPad so I have no markings that I have done or no notes in the margins because this is the first time I have read it on the iPad.  So as I read there are no flags for me to recognize what I have learned in the past or felt was important enough for me to mark.  We are deep into Alma and the constant array of battle after battle.  Usually I have read these chapters strictly to be finished with them so I could get on to the good parts, or so I thought.  The past few days as I have read I have been mesmerized by these battles as I recognize they could be explaining today's world.  We are losing thousands of people in battles everyday.  They are not dying physically, but they are dying spiritually.  We have been told by our church leaders that we are living in enemy territory and we certainly are.  We are surrounded by the enemy and they are deceiving our neighbors, family, and friends.  In these chapters I have felt enlightened as to instructions on fortifying ourselves, our homes and neighborhoods.   Satan's plans that he is using against us now were being used by the evil leaders in the Book of Mormon.  These great and strong people kept their covenants and listened to the prophets; they built protections to keep evil out; and those who stayed close to the Lord and obeyed his commandments were given the strength they needed to overcome the adversary.  We can be successful too.  These war chapters can be an instruction manual to each of us as we strive to remain true and strong in our battles against Satan today.  Thank you prophets of old for listening to the promptings to include these chapters in this Book.  We need them, every one of them, to help us be strong as we raise our families in enemy territory.