Alma Chapter 25

25:2 - "...but they took their armies and went over into the borders of the land of Zarahemla, and fell upon the people who were in the land of Ammonihah and destroyed them..."
This is where the Ammonihahites were destroyed.  After reaching this point in the Book of Mormon, it makes a little more sense of why they were destroyed.  At first, it seems a little confusing why a Lamanite army would come out of nowhere and destroy the city.  The background helps with understanding, and this also shows that the Lord keeps his word.
He will keep his word with us, too (like in verse 17, when the sons of Mosiah see the promises of the Lord kept in their lives).


25:13-14 - "...and it came to pass that when the Lamanites saw that they could not overpower the Nephites they returned again to their own land; and many of them came over to dwell in the land of Ishmael and the land of Nephi, and did join themselves to the people of God, who were the people of Anti-Nephi-Lehi..."
Again, this shows some of the mysterious ways that the Lord uses to help his people come to a knowledge of the gospel, have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, etc.
We just need to realize that the Lord will work in ways for our good, even if we do not understand at the time.


25:16 - "...they did not suppose that salvation came by the law of Moses; but the law of Moses did serve to strengthen their faith in Christ; and thus they did retain a hope through faith, unto eternal salvation..."
Through their faith in Christ, they had hope for eternal salvation.  Their faith came through righteousness, or keeping the Law of Moses, or keeping the commandments.
This is how we can develop hope and faith.
Keep the commandments -> we open ourselves to receiving more of the gift of faith -> more faith gives us hope.
It's a huge blessing!

Alma Chapter 24

24:7-19 - "...And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace..."
This is the attitude towards sin that we should have.  This willingness to die rather than sin comes from a greater understanding and attitude, one that we should work on!


24:18 - "...And this they did, it being in their view a testimony to God, and also to men, that they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands..."
Not only did the Anti-Nephi-Lehies make a covenant to not do things (not lift up their swords anymore) but also to do things (like labor abundantly rather than be idle).  This is essential in covenants.  We covenant to give up what is bad and replace it with what is good.


24:27 - "...thus we see that the Lord worketh in many ways to the salvation of his people..."
Even allowing 1005 people to be slain in order that more would repent and come to a knowledge of God.
We should not questions the Lord's means, but rather learn from them while doing our best to follow His will.


24:30 - "...and thus we can plainly discern, that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God, and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness, and then have fallen away into sin and transgression, they become more hardened, and thus their state becomes worse than though they had never known these things..."
The higher you go, the further you can fall.  It takes constant vigilance in keeping the commandments to keep us from reaching this same fate.

Alma Chapter 23

23:6 - "...as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away..."
When we come to a greater understanding, often that is enough to keep us along the right path - if we continue faithful.  I'm sure it took a lot of work for these Lamanites, but they remained faithful.


23:6-7 - "...as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away. For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren..."
It takes a lot of faith to put down your weapons like that.  It would be tempting to keep the swords close by, because you want to protect your family.  However, they had faith that the Lord would protect them or at least help them, or that their experiences would be for their good.  We need that level of faith.


23:16-17 - "...therefore the king consulted with Aaron and many of their priests, concerning the name that they should take upon them, that they might be distinguished. And it came to pass that they called their names Anti-Nephi-Lehies; and they were called by this name and were no more called Lamanites..."
Names are incredibly important.  Associations and distinguishment and honor result from names.  These Lamanites changed their name to Anti-Nephi-Lehies so they would be distinguished from the Lamanites and not have the same connotation applied to them.  We also do the same thing with the gospel.  We take upon us the name of Christ - and thus have that connotation applied to us.  It takes effort, but having that name means a lot (D&C 18:34-35, Mosiah 5:7-9).

Alma Chapter 22

22:15-16 - "...the king said: What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be cast off at the last day? Behold, said he, I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy..."
Great teachings come from great questions.
The answer to the king's question is simple but profound - "if thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest."
Repent and have faith in Christ, and these blessings can and will come.


22:15,18 (Alma 20:23) - "...wilt thou make thyself known unto me, and I will give away all my sins to know thee, and that I may be raised from the dead, and be saved at the last day..."
It's interesting to see the progression of the king - in Alma 20:23, his life is threatened, so he is willing to give up half of his kingdom to have his life spared.  In Alma 22:15, he wants eternal life and joy, so he is willing to give up all he possesses, even all his kingdom.  In Alma 22:18 he has received greater understanding and when praying to God is willing to give up all his sins.
We need to reach that same understanding and willingness to do what it takes.


22:16 - "...if thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all thy sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest..."
We want blessings, and we want hope - and to get it, we have to ask and act in faith.  It truly is a great blessing to have faith, which comes as a gift from the Holy Ghost as we keep the commandments.  As we continue to act on the knowledge we have received, and then ask in faith (even that expanded faith which comes from keeping the commandments), we will receive more.  It is a great circle that helps us come closer to Christ, and it works for everyone.

Alma Chapter 21

21:15 - "...and they went forth again to declare the word..."
Aaron and his brethren had the faith to keep going, even after it seemed that nobody was listening to them.  They could have given up and gone home, but they acted in faith and worked to continue their mission.


21:16 - "...and they went forth whithersoever they were led by the Spirit of the Lord, preaching the word of God in every synagogue..."
They had gone through some terrible experiences and were still malleable.  Just because we go through tough times doesn't mean that we don't have the Spirit with us - indeed, these times can help us come even closer, if we let it (Alma 62:41).
We can let difficult times harden us, or humble us.


21:23 - "...and they were zealous for keeping the commandments of God..."
This is the way we should live our lives - doing out best, while maintaining a non-judgmental attitude and even a forgiving attitude towards those who aren't at our "level."  We can't say that we're more righteous, because that's prideful.  If somebody else is sinning, we should do what we can to help them, forgive them, and not judge them.

Alma Chapter 20

20:4 - "...I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things..."
In any situation, God and one other person is always a majority.
In this case, Lamoni did what he could, and God made up the rest.  When the Lord is on your side, all things are possible.
We just need to make sure that we are on the Lord's side.


20:4 - "...I know, in the strength of the Lord thou canst do all things. But behold, I will go with thee..."
This is a good principle.  We do know that the Lord can do all things - even through other people than us - but often the way that He wants to do these things is through us.  It helps us learn and grow in faith and unity.
We must act in faith to use our talents and abilities to help others.


20:24-27 - "...Ammon saw that he had wrought upon the old king according to his desire..."
This is a good pattern to follow, if the Spirit directs it:

1. Testify of a principle (Ammon said that Lamoni should do according to his own desires).
2. See the reaction (Ammon waited for the King to react - which in this case was in favor of the principle).
3. Follow up (Ammon got a return appointment to visit with the King of the Lamanites later).

Obviously, sometimes this won't work, but there's a lot that you can tell about somebody and what you need to teach based on their reaction to a principle that you teach.

Alma Chapter 19

19:2-10 - "...the queen having heard of the fame of Ammon, therefore she sent and desired that he should come in unto her..."
This was a good action by the queen to call Ammon - because he had seen this type of spiritual manifestation before - but with Alma.  He recognized that the Lord was in control and that Lamoni's heart was changing.  This probably saved Lamoni's life, because they were going to bury him.  However, because of the queen's faith, great miracles occurred.
Sometimes we are put through certain experiences so that we will be able to help others go through that same experience later.


19:10 - "...blessed art thou because of thy exceeding faith; I say unto thee, woman, there has not been such great faith among all the people of the Nephites..."
Lamoni's wife had exceeding faith, which, as outlined above, probably saved Lamoni's life.  We can and do have faith enough to help others.  We can and should pray and fast for others because we can have our faith actually make a difference for others!


19:23 - "...now we see that Ammon could not be slain, for the Lord had said unto Mosiah, his father: I will spare him, and it shall be unto him according to thy faith—therefore, Mosiah trusted him unto the Lord..."
The Lord keeps his promises.  Sometimes the consequences of breaking a covenant is that the Lord cannot keep the promise - it's not that he doesn't want to - he can't!  The laws and justice require this.
When this happens, we must repent and not dwell on missed blessings, but strive to gain others that we can gain.


19:36 - "...and we see that his arm is extended to all people who will repent and believe on his name..."
This blessing of having the Lord's arm extended is not restricted to a certain gender, race, class, or anything else.  All people can claim mercy if they will repent.  We must be willing to, and actually accept anybody and everybody who go through this process.

Alma Chapter 18

18:10 - "...surely there has not been any servant among all my servants that has been so faithful as this man; for even he doth remember all my commandments to execute them..."
This is a good measuring device to see if we are faithful servants.
If we will, like Ammon, remember all the commandments of our master - and execute them - then we are faithful and effective servants.
This is how we should live the gospel, lead our families, and perform in the workplace.


18:22-23 - "...and thus he was caught with guile..."
Ammon caught Lamoni with guile.  Was this the right thing to do?  If Ammon was being led by the Spirit to do that, then yes.
One key that helps is to notice in verse 22 that Ammon was "harmless."  He would not use guile to gain half the kingdom from Lamoni - so the Lord trusted Ammon in this case.  Additionally, Lamoni would probably have recognized if Ammon was using the guile to be manipulative and gain half the kingdom.
We need to follow the Spirit to know the best way to proceed at the right time.


18:23 - "...yea, I will believe all thy words..."
Lamoni put his trust and faith in Ammon to listen to the message and to be willing to believe even before Ammon started "teaching."  It appears that Lamoni had already been learning long before the gospel discussion, and that Ammon had been teaching through his actions.
We need to work to have this kind of faith towards the Lord and His servants to be ready to receive their messages and act on the promptings we receive.

Alma Chapter 17

17:2-3 - "...but this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting..."
If we want blessings, most of the time there is a required price to pay.
In this case, if we want the spirit of prophecy and the spirit of revelation, it is not enough to search the scriptures diligently - we also must give ourselves to much prayer and fasting.
Great blessings - and a great price - but both blessings in and of themselves.


17:9-12 - "...that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth..."
This is why we are here on earth - to help all those around us to come unto Christ (Alma 29:9).  We can do this by being effective instruments in the hands of God - by letting virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly, following the spirit, and applying Alma 17:2-3.
Elder Erich W. Kopischke talked about this in the November 2007 Ensign, Pg. 33-35 - he talked about the Preach my Gospel manual, and how it can help us become better instruments in the hands of God.  "If we want to learn as missionaries do, we too must carefully study Preach My Gospel and observe the missionaries in their daily work."
As we put in the effort, we will receive those blessings.

17:9-12 - "...they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them..."
The Sons of Mosiah prayed in faith to be instruments in the hands of God.  The Lord visited them with His Spirit and comforted them.
As we work to be obedient and faithful in our responsibilities, we will pray in faith to do better in our callings.  We will receive instruction and comfort to help us do better.  It's a great blessing that requires faith.

Alma Chapter 16

16:5 - "...now Zoram and his two sons, knowing that Alma was high priest over the church, and having heard that he had the spirit of prophecy, therefore they went unto him and desired of him to know whither the Lord would that they should go into the wilderness in search of their brethren, who had been taken captive by the Lamanites..."
Zoram knew that Alma had the spirit of prophecy, so he went to him to see where the Lamanites would go.  I like this story because it shows that we can receive revelation - even in areas not necessarily associated with "spiritual" areas.  The Lord does not want us to fail, and sometimes all we need to do is to simply ask.


16:16 - "...and there was no inequality among them..."
There was no inequality because they were prepared to hear the word and apply it.
As we come to understand more fully the doctrines of the gospel, the more that we will look at others as our equals, and wish to lift them up along with us.


16:16-18 - "...the Lord did pour out his Spirit on all the face of the land to prepare the minds of the children of men, or to prepare their hearts to receive the word which should be taught among them at the time of his coming — that they might not be hardened against the word, that they might not be unbelieving, and go on to destruction, but that they might receive the word with joy..."
One of the blessings that the people received as a result of their faith was an increase of the Spirit, which prepared them to receive more of the Word.
If we want to receive more of the Word of God, we need to act in faith on what we have already received and invite the Spirit into our lives so we can be prepared to receive more.

Alma Chapter 15

15:3 - "...Zeezrom lay sick at Sidom, with a burning fever, which was caused by the great tribulations of his mind on account of his wickedness..."
Sometimes - ok, many times - our sins / spiritual standing has a physical effect upon us and/or our surroundings.  That's part of the consequences of sin.
In Deuteronomy 11:13-14, this is also discussed - that if we keep the commandments, we will receive the rain of our land in the due season.
It really shows the importance of keeping the commandments - not only for spiritual reasons, but also physical reasons.


15:6-11 - "...if thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed..."
Faith can and does work miracles.  We must believe in Christ...and in His power.  He can and does work miracles, and so can we.  There are higher laws that govern the body and the environment, and we should not limit ourselves.


15:8 - "...and Alma said: If thou believest in the redemption of Christ thou canst be healed..."
It takes faith to be healed.  It's one of those things that we continually learn about and improve our understanding in.  Why does faith make it so possible?  Why does that amount of believing bring such great blessings?  How does it do it?  What is changed within us?  It's fascinating!
Faith is a gift.  We don't gain faith as a reward, but rather as a gift from the Holy Spirit.  As we keep the commandments, we put ourselves in the position to enable the Holy Spirit to give us more of the gift of Faith, but it's not something that we can expect or feel entitled to receive simply because of our actions.
It's a very interesting topic, and something that we can always learn more about.

Alma Chapter 14

14:3 - "...and they were also angry with Alma and Amulek; and because they had testified so plainly against their wickedness, they sought to put them away privily..."
They were angry with Alma and Amulek because they testified of their wickedness.  The wicked take the truth to be hard (1 Nephi 16:2).
If we are taking counsel to be hard, then we should review our lives and see if there is room for repentance.


14:10 - "...and when Amulek saw the pains of the women and children who were consuming in the fire, he also was pained..."
This is an example of the Lord allowing the wicked to slay the righteous so that the justice taken upon the wicked will be just and fair (Alma 60:13).
We should live our lives to the best of our abilities and forgive others their trespasses.  Leave judgment to the Lord.


14:26 - "...O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance..."
Sometimes we're not sure why we go through some experiences that we have in life, but we know it is for our good.  At the right time, we exercise our faith, and we will have help.

Alma Chapter 13

13:2-13 - "...this is the manner after which they were ordained—being called and prepared from the foundation of the world according to the foreknowledge of God, on account of their exceeding faith and good works..."
When we teach fore-ordination, it's important to remember not to have feelings of entitlement - just because we made some correct choices before this life doesn't guarantee us eternal life.
Just because somebody else didn't make as many correct choices doesn't make them lesser than us, and doesn't imply their downfall.  They have just as much a chance of making it back to live with Heavenly Father.
The big question is what we will do with our own individual circumstances.  Verse 13 sums it up very well - "I would that ye should humble yourselves before God and bring forth fruit meet for repentance, that ye also enter into that rest."
If we want eternal life, we must humble ourselves and repent, not just turning away from sin, but also turning to God.


13:4 - "...and thus they have been called to this holy calling on account of their faith..."
This implies several things - we need to have faith in Christ and follow His teachings and apply His atonement in our lives.  We also need to be an example to others in our faith, using our faith, showing that we do trust the Lord, and that the Lord can trust us.


13:23 - "...and they are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err..."
The Gospel is made known unto us in plain terms, so that we cannot err (Alma 5:43).
This was one of the downfalls of the Jews - as they sought for deeper and more complicated parts of the Gospel, they got it, but then erred.
This is why we must work our hardest to learn the plain things of the gospel - then we will not err, if we follow them.


13:27 - "...I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance..."
Elder Donald L. Hallstrom talked about procrastination in the November 2007 Ensign, pg. 49-51 - "Procrastination may seem the easy way, as it momentarily removes the effort required to accomplish something of value.  Ironically, in time, procrastination produces a heavy burden laced with guilt and a hollow lack of satisfaction.  Temporal and, even more importantly, spiritual goals will not be achieved by procrastination."
We need to stop putting of doing what's right, and continually improve ourselves instead of in short bursts and long lulls.

Alma Chapter 12

12:5 - "...Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee..."
Alma, while "chastising" and calling Zeezrom to repentance, shows Zeezrom that his plan to catch Alma in his words was actually a plan of Satan.
I find it interesting because Alma says to Zeezrom, "this was a plan of thine adversary."
Alma didn't say that Zeezrom was a follower of Satan, but rather that Satan was Zeezrom's adversary, too.  It's important to remember this for all people...that even if we think they are following Satan, they are still adversaries with him.  We just need to help them remember this, and as they remember true doctrine, and come to understand it better, they will change their behavior - just as we should change our own ways to match God's commandments and example.


12:8-18 - "...What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead..."
A good way to see why a certain message is given is to look for any questions that were asked, which inspire the message.
In this case, Zeezrom asks, "What does this mean which Amulek hath spoken concerning the resurrection of the dead, that all shall rise from the dead, both the just and the unjust, and are brought to stand before God to be judged according to their works?"
Good question.
Good person to ask the question to, too.
Alma explains that the more that we accept and receive, the more that the Lord gives us, until we are cut off or know the mysteries in full, depending if we accept or reject what the Lord gives us.  Then we will stand before God and be condemned or justified by our works, words, and thoughts.
For these reasons, we need to keep our actions, words, and thoughts pure.  Then we will have confidence before God.


12:30 - "...God conversed with men, and made known unto them the plan of redemption, which had been prepared from the foundation of the world; and this he made known unto them according to their faith and repentance and their holy works..."
We receive more as we act in faith on what we already have.  If we don't act in faith, it is taken away from us.  We need to do our best to be moving forward, acting in faith, and learning more so we can improve.

Alma Chapter 11

11:37 - "...and I say unto you again that he cannot save them in their sins..."
There is a big difference between saving in their sins and saving from their sins (Helaman 5:10-11).
The Lord can save us from all our sins, but we must repent, hence why we cannot be saved in our sins.  When we are sinning, we move away from Him, and in essence reject Him.
If we want to be saved from our sins, we have to repent and remove ourselves completely from them...or stop being in our sins.


11:42-45 - "...now, there is a death which is called a temporal death; and the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death..."
The death of Christ looses the bands of temporal death.  This is in essence a free gift to all...we will all be blessed with the blessing of resurrection.
The reality is that it was not free.  He paid a huge price to pay the demands for resurrection, so that the effects of death can be taken away.  There's more to this that I just don't understand yet.
The resurrection testifies of the Savior, that He has a body.
Elder Jeffrey R. Holland spoke about this in the November 2007 Ensign, pg. 40-42.  He said, "If the idea of an embodied God is so repugnant, why are the central doctrines and singularly most distinguishing characteristics of all Christianity the Incarnation, the Atonement, and the physical Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ?  If having a body is not only not needed, but not desirable by Deity, why did the Redeemer of mankind redeem His body, redeeming it from the grasp of death and the grave, guaranteeing it would never again be separated from His spirit in time or eternity?  Any who dismiss the concept of an embodied God dismiss both the mortal and the resurrected Christ.  No one claiming to be a true Christian will want to do that."
It is a very good point...we need to make sure that we study these things carefully and not just randomly accept personal views, but rather correct doctrine.

11:42-45 - "...every thing shall be restored to its perfect frame..."
The Resurrection and the Atonement are great blessings and we have the opportunity to become "perfect" in that sense because of the Atonement.  It makes us perfect because He is perfect.  It covers us...almost like when one company buys out another - it takes on them all the debt and liability.

Alma Chapter 10

10:5-6 - "...Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know..."
Amulek had seen much of the mysteries and marvelous power of the Lord, yet hardened his heart.
How many times do I do that?  Especially since I have seen many great things and still doubt sometimes.  I don't know if I doubt the Lord as much as I doubt my own worthiness or legitimate entitlement.  That's why it's so important to let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly.


10:12 - "...and now, when Amulek had spoken these words the people began to be astonished, seeing there was more than one witness who testified of the things whereof they were accused, and also of the things which were to come, according to the spirit of prophecy which was in them..."
This is the part where the unspoken testimony of two witnesses comes in to play.  Amulek didn't stand up and say, "Look! I'm that second witness you were asking for!"  He just stood up and testified how the Lord testified to him that Alma was a true prophet, and that he needed to do more for the work of the Lord (Alma 9:6).
I would almost expect Amulek to testify first that he was another witness...so this shows that we need to realize and be ready for when the Lord wants us to give (or receive) a different message than the one that we are expecting.


10:23 - "...But it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared..."
How often are we spared many difficulties and judgments because of the prayers of someone else for us!  I'm sure it happens a lot more often than we realize.  We should exercise our faith in behalf of others, because often that will be the only way they will receive the blessing they need at that time.

Alma Chapter 9

9:6 - "...And they said: Who is God, that sendeth no more authority than one man among this people, to declare unto them the truth of such great and marvelous things?..."
Alma could have turned around and said, "Hey look! Right behind me is another witness!  Not only that...but he's one of YOU!"
But he didn't.
He testified of the blessings of keeping the commandments, as well as the consequences of breaking those commandments.  He let Amulek's testimony stand for itself, and it probably had a greater impact (Alma 10:12).
Sometimes the "concern" that people have about the church or the gospel is just a shadow concern, and by following the Spirit, Alma was able to address the real problem.
We need to be able to follow that example.


9:19-23 - "...And now behold I say unto you, that if this people, who have received so many blessings from the hand of the Lord, should transgress contrary to the light and knowledge which they do have, I say unto you that if this be the case, that if they should fall into transgression, it would be far more tolerable for the Lamanites than for them..."
The more light and knowledge that we receive, and the higher that we go, the further we can fall.  That's why it's so important to be constantly vigilant so we do not fall!


9:25 - "...And now for this cause, that ye may not be destroyed, the Lord has sent his angel to visit many of his people, declaring unto them that they must go forth and cry mightily unto this people, saying: Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is nigh at hand..."
The Lord does this because he has faith in us, that we will repent.  We have to do our part, because the Lord is definitely doing his!

Alma Chapter 8

8:10-11 - "...Nevertheless Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance. Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts..."
Sometimes, even after mighty prayer and strugglings, the desired outcome still doesn't happen.  People still have their agency.  You can't take that away from them through prayer or anything else.
All we can do is do our best, and then we have no reason to worry.


8:14-15 - "...for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. Behold, I am he that delivered it unto you..."
This is awesome - the angel that first called Alma unto repentance was the same angel that delivered this message.  This time it was a much happier message.  I'm sure Alma was grateful for the confidence he now had, and that this same angel could deliver this better message.
I know I would be happier...so I work to let virtue garnish my thoughts unceasingly.


8:24 - "...I have been called to preach the word of God among all this people, according to the spirit of revelation and prophecy..."
Elder Robert D. Hales spoke about this in the November 2007 Ensign, Pg. 86-89. "We prepare to receive personal revelation as the prophets do, by studying the scriptures, fasting, praying, and building faith.  Faith is the key... by design, most miracles are spiritual demonstrations of God's power - tender mercies gently bestowed through impressions, ideas, feelings of assurance, solutions to problems, strength to meet challenges, and comfort to bear disappointments and sorrow."
We should seek for revelation, and as we do, we will see miracles.  Maybe not necessarily mountains being moved (unless it is the will of God), but miracles do occur and often we are the instruments of choice for the Lord.  We must do what we can to have the Spirit with us so we can be ready.

Alma Chapter 7

7:11-13 - "...he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities...[and] suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions ..."
The Lord truly has taken upon himself our infirmities and sins, and he now has perfect empathy for us.  We need to become more like the Savior and develop more empathy.  We can do this through music, the arts, personal experience, service, kindness, and more.


7:17 - "...and now because your faith is strong concerning that, yea, concerning the things which I have spoken, great is my joy..."
Faithfulness is one great way to bring joy to others.  I want to remain faithful to the Lord, my wife, my family, my friends.
I want to be a reason of joy to them.


7:22-25 - "...And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out..."
These are great blessings and require consistent and diligent humility and practices.  It is not easy, but the blessings far outweigh the effort required.

Alma Chapter 6

6:5 - "...the word of God was liberal unto all, that none were deprived of the privilege of assembling themselves together to hear the word of God..."
This is important - everybody is welcome to hear the word of God - at least they should be.
We should never exclude anyone from the word of God - it is up to God to do any exclusion if he sees fit.  It's not our place to judge others like that - it is very prideful.

6:6 - "...join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of the souls of those who knew not God..."
With fasting, be cautious about "limits."  You can fast for other people - you're not limited to just fasting for yourself.  You can fast for more than one thing - you're not limited to just one.  The point is to make it completely sincere!

6:6 - "...join in fasting and mighty prayer in behalf of the welfare of [others]..."
Sometimes it is easier to have faith that somebody else is going to be healed, helped, etc.  We should also work on our personal faith that we, too, can be healed and helped.  We can have the great blessings of the Gospel, if we believe and work for them.
There are many gifts of the spirit - including two important ones - the faith to heal, and the faith to be healed.  Like all gifts of the spirit, each one of these can be developed.

Alma Chapter 5

5:14 - "...have ye spiritually been born of God?...Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?..."
If we want to be spiritually born of God, we need to have a mighty change in our hearts, a broken heart and a contrite spirit, and receive His image in our countenances.  As we do so, we will become more like God.
Elder Quentin L. Cook talked about this in the November 2007 Ensign, Pg. 70-73 - as we are spiritually born of God, we increase in faith and decrease in fear.  "When we choose to follow Christ in faith rather than choosing another path out of fear, we are blessed with a consequence that is consistent with our choice" (D&C 6:34-36).
Let us live in faith, and not fear.

5:15 - "...Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you?..."
This is an important part of being spiritually born of God.  We look forward in faith, seeing ourselves resurrected and exalted, which gives us hope as we journey through this life.  It's tough, but we can do it with His help.  We have to believe and act on that belief, keeping the commandments and helping others come unto Christ.


5:16 - "...can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear the voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: Come unto me ye blessed, for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?..."
That would be the greatest feeling in the world!  I know that having a clear conscience is an amazing feeling, and I want to have that feeling before the Lord.
If we want this feeling, we must repent, let virtue garnish our thoughts unceasingly, etc.


5:43 - "...I have spoken unto you plainly that ye cannot err, or have spoken according to the commandments of God..."
The commandments are clear and plain so we cannot mistake them.  We cannot misunderstand (2 Nephi 25:7, Mosiah 2:40).
We should follow them so we also do not err.


5:46 - "...And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit..."
Elder Douglas L. Callister talked about this in the November 2007 Ensign, Pg. 100-101.  "If you want to know that you know that you know, a price must be paid.  And you alone must pay that price.  There are proxies for ordinances, but none for the acquisition of a testimony."
If we want that abiding testimony, we must put in the require effort.


5:54-56 - "...will ye persist in supposing that ye are better one than another; yea, will ye persist in the persecution of your brethren, who humble themselves and do walk after the holy order of God...Yea, and will you persist in turning your backs upon the poor, and the needy, and in withholding your substance from them?...And finally, all ye that will persist in your wickedness, I say unto you that these are they who shall be hewn down and cast into the fire except they speedily repent..."
The antidote to pride is humility.  Gratefulness goes a long way with helping us have humility.  We have to choose to be grateful.

Alma Chapter 4

4:3-4 - "...they were awakened to a remembrance of their duty. And they began to establish the church more fully..."
They were awakened to a remembrance of their duty.
We should realize that it is also our duty to establish the church more fully, so we should be continually searching to build up the church and its members more fully.


4:15 - "...Alma, having seen the afflictions of the humble followers of God, and the persecutions which were heaped upon them by the remainder of his people, and seeing all their inequality, began to be very sorrowful; nevertheless the Spirit of the Lord did not fail him..."
This is very important.  We see tough times, and go through them.  This does not mean that we can let the Spirit go or have permission to do things that drive away the Spirit, including over-extreme sorrow.  We must act in faith to work to follow the Spirit, even though it is very tempting to wallow in self pity or sorrow during those moments.


4:19 - "...that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them..."
Alma saw no way to reclaim the people save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.
This was the model that worked at this time.  It's important to realize that what will work for teaching some people will not work for teaching others...or even those same people but at a different time!
We must be continually following the Spirit so we know what needs to be done, said, taught, etc. at the right time.

Alma Chapter 3

3:14 - "...I will set a mark on them that they and their seed may be separated from thee and thy seed, from this time henceforth and forever, except they repent of their wickedness and turn to me that I may have mercy upon them..."
The curse was set upon the Lamanites to keep them separated from the Nephites...except if they repent and turn to the Lord.  When we are wicked, we are truly separated spiritually from the Lord.
Based on our repentance and righteousness, we can and must return to the Lord.


3:17 - "...I will bless thee, and whomsoever shall be called thy seed, henceforth and forever; and these were the promises of the Lord unto Nephi and to his seed..."
We can have faith that the Lord will bless his followers.  He's given great promises, and if we have faith and are aware and watching, we will see many of these blessings in our lives.


3:26 - "...that they might reap their rewards according to their works, whether they were good or whether they were bad, to reap eternal happiness or eternal misery, according to the spirit which they listed to obey, whether it be a good spirit or a bad one..."
We reap our rewards based on the spirit that we obey.  We either choose to serve Satan or God.  We are enticed by both of them (2 Nephi 2:16) to follow their teachings.  We receive the consequences based on our choices, whether good or evil.
We must follow God's teachings if we want to have the good consequences.

Alma Chapter 2

2:11 - "...now the people of Amlici were distinguished by the name of Amlici, being called Amlicites; and the remainder were called Nephites, or the people of God..."
What name do we take upon ourselves?  Do we take upon us the name of Christ?  What other names?  Are those names worth having?
In my case, I am absolutely happy with the names I have.  While I was given some of the names at birth, other ones I have taken as I have lived here on Earth.  So far I think my favorite one is "husband", followed closely by "father"...but I also am happy with "son", "brother", and any of the family-related names that I have.  I am also happy with my given names - Adam, being named after the first man on Earth, and Gedeborg, our family name.  I also am happy with my middle name, Lee, which has taken on more meaning as my wife has family that also have the name of Lee.
One of the most important names that I have taken upon myself is the name                    of Christ - which I did when I was baptized in 1992.
We should be happy with the names we have taken on ourselves...if we aren't, then perhaps some changes to our lifestyle should be made.


2:28 - "...nevertheless, the Nephites being strengthened by the hand of the Lord, having prayed mightily to him that he would deliver them out of the hands of their enemies, therefore the Lord did hear their cries, and did strengthen them..."
The Lord is ready and willing to help us to succeed...we just need to put our faith in Him and cry unto Him.  Then we need to trust Him.  Sometimes He will help, sometimes not...but we need to be ready to do a lot more than we expect.  Of course, it depends on the situation, but still we need to work hard and trust the Lord.


2:30 - "...and it came to pass that Alma, being a man of God, being exercised with much faith, cried, saying: O Lord, have mercy and spare my life, that I may be an instrument in thy hands to save and preserve this people..."
When we strive to be men and women of God, and have a righteous cause, our faith will be stronger in being able to ask God for help in relation to this cause.  Our will becomes His will, through faith.

Alma Chapter 1

1:25 - "...now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them..."
We receive trials of our faith so that we can grow and come closer to Christ, becoming like Him.  It does take faith, which is the point.  We will go through tough times, but if we stay strong, we will come closer to Christ.


1:26 - "...and when the priest had imparted unto them the word of God they all returned again diligently unto their labors; and the priest, not esteeming himself above his hearers, for the preacher was no better than the hearer, neither was the teacher any better than the learner; and thus they were all equal, and they did all labor, every man according to his strength..."
Wee should not think that we are better than our teachers, but rather look to build each other up, no matter who or where we are.  As we do so, we gain so much more of the Spirit of Zion.


1:29-31 - "...and now, because of the steadiness of the church they began to be exceedingly rich...and thus, in their prosperous circumstances, they did not send away any who were naked, or that were hungry, or that were athirst, or that were sick, or that had not been nourished; and they did not set their hearts upon riches..."
Normally when the people got rich, they became wicked.  However, in this case, they still kept the commandments and a more eternal perspective.  As we work to keep our own eternal perspective, we will come to realize that riches are absolutely pointless...unless our lives are in order.  Then we will use those riches to help others and build them up, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and help others to come unto Christ.
Really...just about anything is pointless unless our lives are in order.

Mosiah Chapter 29

29:5-39 - "...and he also unfolded unto them all the disadvantages they labored under, by having an unrighteous king to rule over them..."
King Mosiah outlined lot of good points about government, but the key, in my opinion, really comes in verse 35, where he unfolds the disadvantages.
When we go to make a decision, we need to look at all the sides of the decision - the advantages and the disadvantages.  Then we are more able to make an informed decision, and then take the decision to the Lord for confirmation.  This is what is meant by the phrase, "Study it out in your mind (D&C 9:8-9).


29:12-13 - "...for the judgments of God are always just, but the judgments of man are not always just..."
If we could always have righteous people to lead us, then a King is the perfect choice.  That's somewhat how it will be like with the Lord and the Millennium.  Granted, the hierarchy will also include leaders and reporting back, I'm sure...but it all comes back to Christ, who accomplished the atonement for us.
When judging others...we really should forgive them and let God do the judging as much as possible.  There are situations where we are still called upon to judge (such as a judge in Court, or a Bishop / church leader).  However, if somebody has wronged us personally, we should forgive and leave the judgment to those who should do the judging.


29:19-20 - "...and were it not for the interposition of their all-wise Creator, and this because of their sincere repentance, they must unavoidably remain in bondage until now..."
The Lord had brought them out of bondage because they repented.  Until we repent, we will remain in our own personal bondage.  We should repent as quickly as possible and stop wallowing in that bondage.

Mosiah Chapter 28

28:1-2 - "...that they might impart the word of God to their brethren, the Lamanites..."
The sons of Mosiah went to preach to the Lamanites.  This would take a lot of faith...the Lamanites were "ferocious."  However, when we act in faith, especially for seemingly difficult or impossible tasks, we will see miracles happen in our lives.


28:3 - "...they could not bear that any human soul should perish..."
This is the attitude that we should all have...if we have the attitude that we cannot bear that anyone should perish, then we will treat everybody in the best possible way...doing all we can to help them return and live with God.  This includes our 'enemies' as well as our 'friends.'


28:18 - "...now this account did cause the people of Mosiah to mourn exceedingly, yea, they were filled with sorrow; nevertheless it gave them much knowledge, in the which they did rejoice..."
This account refers to the Jaredite record, which could be pretty depressing to read, considering that an entire nation of people was destroyed through wickedness.  However, it depends on our attitude while reading and the content while reading.  If we are gaining in knowledge, often it will be a cause for rejoicing.  However, if the content of the account includes some very sad materiel, then it could be a cause for great sorrow.
It would be great if all that we read caused us to rejoice...but we can still learn from the sorrowful accounts.

Mosiah Chapter 27

27:14 - "...he has prayed with much faith...for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God..."
There's much we can do through our prayers if we pray in faith.  Many times the blessings are thre and the only reason they don't come is because we don't pray in faith.  The more we do pray in faith and see the blessings come, the more faith we will have.


27:20-24 - "...and he caused that the priests should assemble themselves together; and they began to fast, and to pray to the Lord their God that he would open the mouth of Alma..."
Alma prayed for his son...and I'm sure he did so very often.
Sister Mary N. Cook talked about this in the November 2007 Ensign, pg. 11-13.  She said that in order to strengthen our home and family, we should ask ourselves, "Who in my family could benefit from my personal prayers?"  Sometimes it's pretty obvious, such as the case of Alma the Younger.  Other times it's not very obvious, but just as desperately needed.  We need to be ready at these times and at all times to listen to the Spirit, pray as directed at times, and help those who need our help in other ways, as directed.  This will strengthen our homes and families.


27:25-27 - "...all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again..."
Not only is it a good thing to be born of God...it is essential.  If we do not repent, we will be cut off.  If we do repent, then we can inherit the Kingdom of God.  It's really our choice...and we make the decision through our attitudes and behaviors.


27:36 - "...they were instruments in the hands of God in bringing many to the knowledge of the truth, yea, to the knowledge of their Redeemer..."
It is our glory to be instruments in the hands of God (Alma 29:9).  We should always seek to be instruments in the hands of God in order to help those around us in the way He wants us to.

Mosiah Chapter 26

26:3 - "...because of their unbelief they could not understand the word of God; and their hearts were hardened..."
If we continue to doubt the Word of God, it makes things worse, because doubt and fear cannot exist at the same time.
If we want to progress and learn more, we must work on developing more faith and eliminate doubt.


26:24 - "...if they know me, they shall come forth...in my name are they called..."
We show that we have taken upon us His name by "knowing" him...or in other words, by coming forth and acting on our knowledge.  If we do this, we will have a place eternally at His right hand.


26:31 - "...ye shall also forgive one another your trespasses..."
If we do not forgive one another, we do not have true faith.  We are telling the Lord that we don't believe Him when He says that the sinner can repent.  This can be dangerous, because with the same judgment that we "mete", it shall be "meted" upon us.
We must have faith enough in the Lord that He will forgive sinners and have faith enough in our fellow man to also forgive them.
Some may say, "Well, this person has done something horrible, and I don't want them near my family."  There is a difference between natural consequences and forgiveness.  In the case of child molestation, for example, while it is definitely possible and essential to forgive the transgressor, it would not be wise to let them be alone with children.
Each circumstance is its own circumstance, and we cannot give a blanket judgment over all similar situations.  However, it is important to realize that we must forgive, even if the consequences may put us in a situation that it may look like we have not forgiven the person.  God will look on our hearts and at the last day the judgment will be just.

Mosiah Chapter 25

25:15-16 - "...Alma did speak unto them...preaching unto the people repentance and faith on the Lord...[and] that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them..."
An integral part of faith is remembering. We should remember that it is the Lord who delivers us, and we can have faith that He will deliver us was we are working and striving to be a true disciple.  Often this doesn't mean that our trials will be taken away from us, but that we will be strengthened in our afflictions and trials.
We must have faith that all things will work for our good.


25:16 - "...he did exhort [them] that they should remember that it was the Lord that did deliver them..."
We need to remember that it is the Lord who delivers us, as we make the appropriate actions.  There is no way that we can do it all on our own.  We need His help, and we should be humble as we remember this.  Grace is not a safety net that will catch us if we fall...it is an enabling power that makes it so we can walk in the first place.  Calling it a safety net implies that we can make it on our own, and we can't. It is impossible.  Through the grace and atonement of Jesus Christ, we are able to have the possibility of returning to God and living with Him forever.
We must do our part, yes, but we cannot save ourselves even after "all we can do."


25:22 - "...notwithstanding there being many churches, they were all one church..."
It is fantastic to go to another chapel anywhere in the world and see the same doctrines and principles being taught.  The way the church coordinates the lessons and teachings is fantastic, as it encourages learning but also avoids a lot of false teachings.
We need to realize that while the teachings at different chapels is very similar all over the world, each person receives revelation differently.  We may have the same lesson topics, but each person receives a different message from the Holy Ghost.
It's the same...and it's different.  That's how it works.
We must always follow the Spirit so we receive the revelation intended for us.