Escaping Enemy Territory

I love learning about my family.  My grandfather told me some stories about a relative who served during WWII as a paratrooper.  This story is one of my favorites:
"Asael Lyman was part of the 82nd Airborne which went in behind the German lines into Holland. They were in wooden gliders and lost a third of their men before they even got on the ground. Only a handful of men survived this campaign.

"He goes from an innocent country boy to a battle hardened soldier in a matter of three days or so. He told me about trying to dig with his nose because he was in a partially dug foxhole and the Germans were trying to dig him out with a machine gun. Bullets were going through his clothes. The Americans were eventually pinned down and captured and put in a prison camp after riding for several days in a train boxcar where they could not lay or sit down so many were crammed into the cars.

"While in the camp, he saved the cigarettes he was supplied by the Red Cross in his mattress until he had enough to buy a few potatoes which he traded over the fence with the locals for a map, and compass, and two Italian worker's uniforms. He and an Italian man walked right out the front gate and hid in barns and other places until they got back to friendly forces.

"His parents didn't know he was alive for 6 months until he called from New York on his way home."
(W. Wilcken)

Aseal reached the Allied forces by listening to the Machine Gun fire of the two opposing armies.  You may not think they would be different, but because of the abilities of both armies, they manufactured different equipment.  Being trained to go behind enemy lines, Aseal knew what to look for.

We are in enemy territory right now.  Sounds stupid but think about it, Satan rebelled against God.  He is going around trying to destroy the souls of men, and we are stuck on his ground.  But it's not hopeless.  Even though we have a lot of opposition in our way, we can still make it back, even those under Satan's grip.  Our search for happiness or even truth will help us receive certain tools needed for the journey back home.  God has given us the scriptures for a map so as to have an idea what we need to do.  Heartfelt prayer provides direction in our journey, much like a compass.  As we pray, truly seeking God's help, we are given direction through the quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost.  You can go ahead and ignore it if you want, you are not going to get everything you want following the Holy Ghost. But you will be the happiest.  The road is going to be rough, and you are guaranteed to experience opposition along the way.  But as you press forward towards your eternal goal (heaven), you will make it home.

Something I've found fascinating about the world around us, is everything has a certain "voice" or "feeling" telling us what it is.  This is better known as the Light of Christ.  We are born with the ability to tell good from evil.  No one is born bad.  As we try certain activities we will get a certain feeling about what it is.  When an activity is bad, our conscience will give us a bad feeling to warn us.  Because the rate of fire on a German machine gun is faster than an American one, Aseal was able to tell which army he was near.  When we feel good, it must be the place we are at is good.  If we get a bad feeling as we near a certain place, it is wise to stay away from that place.

God has given us the tools we need to make it home.  Christ has provided us a way to make it home.  We are separated from God here on earth.  He wants us home.  Can you imagine the homecoming when we make it to heaven?  Our job is not to sit there and wait to be rescued.  Often times it requires us to rise up and go, because Christ cannot save us in sin.  He asks us to leave our nets, follow him, and he will give us eternal life.  As we follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost we are able to stay away from destructive influences that will tear us down.  The gentle promptings will only be felt so long as we invite it into our lives.  The spirit is neither loud nor forceful, but it's impression is greater than anything man has created.  That is what will lead us home.

President Boyd K. Packer tells us what the Spirit is there for:

Finding direction is most important.  See how to filter the voices:

A Land of Liberty

I love reading about history and going through the Book of Mormon.  I find it absolutely fascinating how everything is repeated over and over again.   Often the patterns don't change.  Sure, the event may be different, but the cycles are not.  A repeated phrase in the Book of Mormon is, "inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper in the land." Who's commandments?  Not an earthly government's, but God's commandments.  Why?  God is the ruler of heaven and earth.  He created us and wants us to be happy.  However He will not support us in wickedness.  Now pull out your Bible, Book of Mormon, or your grandpa's history book and read through it.  How many nations rise and fall?  Every single one, except for maybe a few today.  Israel rose and fell multiple times.  So did Babylon, Rome, and every other nation has repeated this pattern.  A common way this happens is the nation will grow lazy, evil/wicked/corrupt, and begin to do things God asks (not demands) us not to do.  Because God will not support Wickedness he leaves them to their own devices till they come to him repentant.  A nation that ONCE was a good nation that CHOOSES to leave God cannot and will not prosper.

Another thing promised in the Book of Mormon that the land which the inhabitants lived in, would be a land of liberty (2 Nephi 1:7, 2 Nephi 10:11, Ether 2:12).  This is not only applied to the American continent, even though it would feel that way.  All nations are promised prosperity so long as they OBEY and FOLLOW God's commandments.  God will help preserve your liberty so long as you obey his Commandments.  This can be applied to a national/global level or brought down to the level of an average human being.  The concept is the same; obey God and prosper.  It is never the other way around.

At the formation of the American nation, after the Constitution was ratified, a woman asked Benjamin Franklin what type of government they made.  His response was, "A Republic," as long as you can keep it.  Now before you throw a political label on me, I am not supporting any political party in anyway shape or form.  Mr. Franklin made a very important point.  Freedom does not come without responsibility, neither does Salvation.  We are given Freedom so long as we are willing to preserve that which we treasure most.  A person that gives a gift only for it to be trampled on will never again give any gift to that person.  The American nation has been tested and proved.  It has weathered many storms and will continue to do so so long as it's people are willing to keep the Commandments of God.  Independence Day is a day set apart to remember the sacrifices of our predecessors and what God has done for us in preserving a Free Nation where we can live in safety.  Never forget your responsibility and God will never leave you defenseless.  This promise remains in effect today and will remain that way until the people turn from God.

Freedom & Liberty

"Abide ye in the liberty wherewith ye are made free; entangle not yourselves in sin, but let your hands be clean, until the Lord comes." - Doctrine and Covenants 88:86

When you hear the word "freedom" you may think about no rules, no one to look over your shoulder, and the ability to do what ever you want.  It's Paradise!  Now liberty, is a vital part of being free. Free may mean no bonds, but is easy to lose that freedom without liberty.  I see Liberty as a state of being free, and the ability to go to ones limits, while still being responsible with the freedoms you have been given.  Have you ever thought of Liberty as responsibility?  Responsibility can be a word that leaves a bad taste in ones mouth.  But what good is being responsible going to do anyone? It means there are rules.  Well this can be hard to admit, but . . . these rules for freedom and liberty are not there to spoil the fun.  In fact, it is there only to make those good feelings better and help them last longer.

Freedom is great to have, I enjoy it myself.  But without Liberty, or the responsibility to take care of that Freedom, it quickly becomes bondage or bad addicting habits.  There are many things in this world which will turn freedom to bondage in a heartbeat.  Addictive substances such as alcohol, drugs, or pornography, turn you into nothing more than a slave to it.  There isn't any freedom there.  You are always hungry for more, and there is no more satisfaction in life.  Your life is controlled by that vice.  You have allowed the enemy of you soul to take you captive, and he leads you here and there in heavy chains.

Do not suppose what may seem to be freedom trick you into a false sense of security.  The Scriptures show us how to be truly free.  In 2nd Nephi we are told that we have the freedom (the ability to do as we please) to choose liberty or captivity.  In other words, our choices bring happiness or misery.  Each choice we make will build or destroy ourselves.  We have the responsibility to do what's right, but we still have the freedom to do what we want.  But as I said before, when we make bad choices our freedoms become fewer and fewer.  We've all made mistakes but we are not going to be confined to "prison" for eternity.  Christ suffered and died for our mistakes and acts as our mediator between us and our punishments.  He has taken the punishment for our mistakes so it is possible to have freedoms we want.  He also works with us to fix our problems and mistakes so that we can qualify for eternal life.  But the clock is ticking.  If we do not fix ourselves now, it may be too late (Alma 12:24).  But as we repent and do everything in our power to do better, we will have a clean record before the judgement seat.  With that comes the ultimate freedom: Eternal Life.  It truly pays to be good.