Dec 116 min read

Burying Our Weapons of War

Written By April Tribe Giauque

Elder D Todd Christofferson

When I read the story about the Lamanites listening to the Gospel Truth and then burying their weapons of war, I ask myself two questions: 1) would I have followed that example, and 2) do I follow that example today? When I put myself in the scriptures, my will and desire to do as they did make a marked difference in my life.

Since I have been born into the gospel and under the new and everlasting covenant, Heavenly Father and the Church have been at the center of my life. I never really “heard the Gospel Truth” from the perspective of an outside convert because I was born into such light and Gospel Truth from the beginning. Yes, my heart needed conversion, but it happened drop by drop, bit by bit, as I learned and flourished in the Gospel and from my parents showing an incredible example and effort of love.

When Elder Christofferson shared this conference address, my mind raced to the war of words that happens on social media, in relationships, and in nearly every political aspect of the world today. Sometimes, I feel like I am watching a gigantic tennis match between good and evil, and the volleys can go on for a wickedly long time.

4 Main Points

1) Lamanites heard the Gospel Truth and buried their weapons of war.

2) What are our Weapons of Rebellion?

3) Active or Passive Rebellion?

4) Burying Weapons of Rebellion leads to GREAT JOY!

Laminate Heard the Gospel word

Ammon and his brethren teach about Jesus Christ and the gospel's truthfulness; the Lamanites believe in their words and are converted to the truth. They have no more desire to sin or to do evil.

“For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God anymore, neither against any of their brethren.”

Think about the power and the will it would take to change your entire culture to loving God instead of wanting to destroy Him. When Light has filled your soul, you go, d,o and obey with a broken heart and a contrite spirit as they did. My heart asks, “Why is Elder Christofferson talking about this?” Because we all have “weapons of war” to put down and bury. Sometimes, we like to just look at or judge other people who volley the weapons of war back and forth, and we forget that we have a few weapons ourselves that need to be put away.

Laminites Lay Down the Law

Elder Christofferson gets specific and uses this reference to “weapons of rebellion” as both literal and figurative. It meant their swords, other weapons of war, and disobedience to God and His commandments.

What are our weapons of War?

After sharing the Book of Mormon story, Elder Christofferson turns to the camera, looks each of us in the face, and asks, “What are your weapons of war?” I wonder how many of us looked over our shoulders and asked who was in the room he was talking about, and when we turned back to the TV, the finger was still pointed towards me. GULP!! My mind looked at a few things that I’m personally working on. But here are a few that Elder Christofferson talked about:

Careers?
No Children?
No marriage?
No Religion?
Selfishness?
Our Words?
Our Actions?

Will we Lay Down Our Weapons of War?

Elder Christofferson shared the story: “The Lamanites, rather than risk any possible return to their prior state of rebellion against God, buried their swords. And as they buried their physical weapons, with changed hearts, they also buried their disposition to sin.”

I looked right at myself and naked, “Do I…“lay down the weapons of [our] rebellion,” whatever they may be, and become so “converted [to] the Lord” that the stain of sin and the desire for sin are taken from our hearts and we never will fall away. Great reflective question!

Active Rebellion

Elder Christofferson shared three examples of Active/Willful rebellion against God:

Active Rebellion Lucifer in Heaven: The classic example of willful rebellion is Lucifer, who, in the premortal world, opposed the Father’s plan of redemption and rallied others to oppose it as well, “and, at that day, many followed after him.” It is not hard to discern the impact of his continuing rebellion in our own time.

Active Rebellion

The Book of Mormon’s unholy trio of antiChrists—Sherem, Nehor, and Korihor—provide a classic study of active rebellion against God. The overarching thesis of Nehor and Korihor was that there is no sin; therefore, there is no need for repentance, and there is no Savior. “Every man prosper[s] according to his genius, and … every man conquer[s] according to his strength; and whatsoever a man [does is] no crime.” The antiChrist rejects religious authority, characterizing ordinances and covenants as performances “laid down by ancient priests, to usurp power and authority.”

Story of WW Phelps:

William W. Phelps joined the Church in 1831 and was a Church printer and editor, wrote hymns, and served as scribe to the prophet.
Then he turned against the Church and the Prophet,
He gave false testimony against Joseph Smith, which contributed to the Prophet’s imprisonment there.

Forgiven?

What is interesting is that only a small percentage of people who “go off the rails” ever return. Thankfully, WW Phelps was one of them. He wrote to Joseph asking for forgiveness: “I know my situation, you know it, and God knows it, and I want to be saved if my friends will help me.”

“It is true that we have suffered much from your behavior. Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, for friends at first are friends again at last.”

With sincere repentance, William Phelps buried his “weapons of rebellion” and was received once more in full fellowship, never again to fall away.

Passive Rebellion

How many of you read through those stories and were like, “Phew! That’s not me…so I’m good!” Well, Elder Christofferson has the other side of the coin to flip—passive rebellion. Perhaps the more insidious form of rebellion against God, however, is the passive version—the word of God by pursuing their path without regard to divine direction.

Here is a quick list of what passive rebellion looks like in our lives:

Ignoring His will in our lives.
Devotion to career
Ignoring Marriage or bearing children
Fear of failure
Body worship/obsession instead of healthiness and caring for our bodies.

Elder Christofferson is sharing this as a warning. I feel warned and can make a few more self-corrections in the process. That is the great thing about having living prophets and apostles today. They are the Gurus to follow because their light comes directly from Christ. They meet with and speak to Him (in various ways), and so I will follow the prophets, seers, and revelators so that I keep Christ in my direction and sights.

Burying your Weapons of War

How do we bury our weapons of war? Elder Christofferson punches through again with a short and powerful list:

Yielding to the enticing of the Holy Spirit,
Putting off the natural man and
Becoming “a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord.”
Put the first commandment first in our lives.
It means letting God prevail.

If our love of God and our determination to serve Him with all our might, mind, and strength become the touchstone by which we judge all things and make all our decisions, we will have buried our weapons of rebellion.

Willing Heart and Mind

Finally, we need to bury our weapons of rebellion, which leads to a unique joy. With all who have ever become converted to the Lord, we are “brought to sing [the song of] redeeming love.”

Elder Christofferson then pleads with us to bury—very, very deep—any element of rebellion against God in our lives and replace it with a willing heart and a willing mind.

We are in the Last Days. The Second Coming is upon us. These are the final seconds until He Comes again, so please follow this wise counsel, find Christ, and live!

I can’t wait to share this with you on Thursday at 6:30 pm Mountain on the Beacon of Light Podcast from the Pulpit.