Build your fortress

If we build our fortress around the right things, we can successfully rise above the challenges before us.

It’s time once again on Joy in the Journey Radio to return to Conference, but this time there’s a new twist.  Jill Best has both returned to the program — we’ll hear from her in a moment — and selected the Conference address for the program today.  What did she pick?  She chose Elder Rasband’s address entitled “Build a Fortress of Spirituality and Protection.”

I’m sure we’ll find out in the course of the program today why she selected this address, but as I sit here writing the monologue for the program, I confess I’m a little challenged.  Usually when highlighting a Conference address, I have some special application for singles or some new insight that applies to singles.  With Elder Rasband, I got nothing — at least not initially.

Of course, I do like a little challenge, something that will stretch me a little beyond my comfort zone.  And as I ponder how to address this challenge before me, I realize that the theme of building a fortress holds broad application.  Elder Rasband focused on applying the concept to our spiritual lives, and he was right to do so.  As he appropriately affirms, Satan is waging a war for the souls of men and women.

But it’s not just the spiritual aspect of our lives that need reinforcement.  What additional reinforcement could help LDS singles better meet the challenges of LDS singles life?  If we build our fortress around the right things, we can successfully rise above the challenges before us.

Fortify it all

That statement, of course, begs the question: What are those right things?  They’re the same right things I’ve used before to define happiness — giving your all to all the right things for you.  That’s more than just keeping the standards.  That means everything that’s right for you.

Of course, we need to build a fortress that provides spiritual safety.  Any other victory in life would be hollow with spiritual vulnerability.  It won’t matter in the end what else we’ve chosen if we haven’t chosen Christ.

That said, we need fortification for all other areas of life.  What are we doing to fortify our most important relationships?  What fortifications are we building to protect our minds?  And how are we fortifying our physical bodies, our personal finances, and our careers?

Elder Rasband declared,

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Satan knows his days are numbered and that time is growing shorter. As crafty and cunning as he is, he will not win. However, his battle for each one of our souls rages on. . . .

Satan is a subtle snake, sneaking into our minds and hearts when we have let our guard down, faced a disappointment, or lost hope. He entices us with flattery, a promise of ease, comfort, or a temporary high when we are low. He justifies pride, unkindness, dishonesty, discontent, and immorality, and in time we can be “past feeling.” The Spirit can leave us. “And thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell.”

Do you think Satan highlights our disappointments only when those disappointments are spiritual?  You’re awfully naive if you do.

Get the spiritual first

The key to fortifying every aspect of our lives lies with first fortifying the spiritual.  As Elder Rasband taught, “For our safety, we must build a fortress of spirituality and protection for our very souls, a fortress that will not be penetrated by the evil one.”  Once we have the spiritual fortifications in place, every other fortification can and will follow.

Partnering with the Lord is essential in constructing that bulwark.  We’ve all heard the Prophet teach we won’t spiritually survive the coming days if we can’t receive revelation.  Elder Rasband referenced that teaching in his own remarks.  The Lord can show us what next steps we need to take.

Elder Rasband continued,

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Such righteous purpose is well described in the Book of Mormon when Captain Moroni prepared the Nephites to face attacks from a deceitful, bloodthirsty, power-hungry Amalickiah. Moroni constructed fortresses to protect the Nephites “that they might live unto the Lord their God, and that they might maintain that which was called by their enemies the cause of Christians.” Moroni “was firm in the faith of Christ” and was faithful “in keeping the commandments of God … and resisting iniquity.”

When the Lamanites came to battle, they were astonished by the Nephites’ preparation, and they were defeated. The Nephites thanked “the Lord their God, because of his matchless power in delivering them from the hands of their enemies.” They had built fortresses for protection on the outside, and they had built faith in the Lord Jesus Christ on the inside?—deep in their souls.

That’s a key concept — building faith in the Lord on the inside so you can build your fortress for protection on the outside.

Get good with you

All of this depends on you getting good with you.  When you combine personal righteousness with clarity of identity and purpose, you attune yourself to the celestial frequency of revelation.  Without that clarity, excessive internal static will override the revelatory signal you need to receive.

Once you get good with you, everything else will follow.  You’ll know better how to protect your most important relationships.  You’ll know better the messages you need to feed your mind.  And you’ll know better how to protect your job, your finances, and your health.  In the very least, partnering with the Lord can lead you to a resource you need to find answers.

For every part of your life, build your fortress.  Partner with the Lord, get good with you, and get the revelation you need to prepare for what is to come.  You’ll feel the peace and security that can come in no other way.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

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You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.