Buenas Tardes Hermanos y Hermanas, I’m Trevor Allen and I
will be going to the Peru Lima West Mission. Today I would like to talk about
darts.
I’ve you have been in my basement, the first thing you notice
after coming down the stairs is a wall riddled with at least a thousand dart
holes- and at the center of it all, a dart board. My parents didn’t know they
were signing up for a lot of wall repairs when they bought that board several
years ago.
But after hours and hours of practice for many years of
taking out my frustrations or boredom on that dart board, I can proudly say
that I have…not gotten much better.
While darts may be a hard game that requires concentration
and patience, my message today is on a much harder, and much more dangerous
kind of darts. The fiery darts of the adversary.
In his 2012 conference talk, Elder Marcus B. Nash of the 70,
warns us of some of these darts. “Satan
will use such things as doubt, fear, or sin to tempt us to let go of faith and
lose the protection it offers.” End Quote. These Darts can be things that
we have done or things that have happened to us. They can be anything that make
us loose hold of the rod.
Brothers & Sisters we live in a tumultuous time. Satan
seems to have a greater hold on the hearts of man than he ever has before. He’s
a phenomenal dart player. He knows how and where to get every single one of
you, he knows your weaknesses and your strengths, he knows just when he has his
best shot at taking you down. He has made 2nd Nephi 15:20 more of a reality
than ever. “Wo unto them that call evil
good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that
put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter” I have seen youth and adults
alike mistake good for evil, mistake the will of God with the opinions of the
world, people who let go of the rod with one hand and eventually fall of
completely, people who have been raised in the church and know the joy that it
brings who have strayed from the path. The standards of the world have
drastically unaligned with the standards of God in the past years.
Some of his darts are tricky to spot. They may initially seem
like no big deal. It may just be filling up our time with so many things that
aren’t necessarily good or bad that we neglect to do what’s truly important.
Other darts such as swearing, pornography, and drug use are so obviously evil,
yet so many people around the world, members and nonmembers alike still fall
into these traps. These things so clearly remind us of the signs of the last
days that are scattered throughout the scriptures. “The love of men shall wax cold, and iniquity shall abound” “All things
will be in commotion” “wars and rumors of wars” “famines and pestilences, and
earthquakes”.
Brothers and sisters there is a reason we are called the
Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day Saints. First of all, it is the latter
days. And second- we are suppost to represent our Savior Jesus Christ.
When we were baptized we took His name upon ourselves, and we
accepted the obligation and duty to share this gospel. President John Taylor
said “Our duty is to preach the gospel
to all men… This is what God expects of us” End Quote. We cannot do our
duty if we are giving in to the darts of the adversary.
But as President & Sister Nelson explained in their
worldwide devotional to the youth “My
beloved younger brothers and sisters, you are among the
best the Lord has ever sent to this world. You have the capacity to be smarter
and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation!”
“you were sent to this earth at this precise time, the most crucial time in the
history of the world to help gather Israel. There is nothing happening on this
earth right now that is more important than that. There is nothing of greater
consequence. Absolutely nothing. This gathering should mean everything to you.
This is the mission for which you were sent to earth.” End Quote. We are
here now because we have the potential to dodge whatever the devil has to throw
at us and grow from it, we are here now to gather Israel, to prepare the world
for the Second coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. All of us have a part to play
in this incredible work.
Doctrine and Covenants 121 verses 34-35 says “Behold, there are many called, but few are
chosen. And why are they not chosen? Because their hearts are set so much upon
the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men” End Quote. As
members of this church we are called to this work, but not all of us are
chosen. I do not believe that we are chosen by anyone other than ourselves. I
ask you to ponder on yourselves for a moment. What are the desires of your
heart? Do you desire to serve God or to serve the world? President Howard W.
Hunter said that “A
great indicator of one’s personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel
with others.” End Quote. Brothers and Sisters do you desire to share
the gospel, do you desire to be chosen?
Our purpose in this life is to follow the example of our
Savior Jesus Christ, and to bring others unto Him. If we make the choice to
follow Christ we are not signing up for an easy life. We are signing up for a
life of temptations, a life of setting yourselves apart from a wicked world, a life
of sacrifice. If you make this choice the devil will mark you as one of his top
targets. He will do everything he can to tear you down, to tear the happiness
and joy that the gospel brings right out from under you. But there is a reason
that you and I are here today. Because we can overcome the adversary and help
fulfil this sacred duty to gather Israel.
But there is no way we can accomplish these things if we are
giving in to the many darts of the adversary. No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and
love the other; or else he will hold to the one; and despise the other. If
we are living a sinful life, even a life without faith, we are not fit to help
in this gathering of Israel. We are to be in the world, not of it. But in this world,
where there is so much wickedness, so much hate, so much destruction. In a
world where Lucifer has power over so many, what can we do to escape his grasp.
What can we do to build our faith, and rise up against the adversary? What can
we do to be worthy to gather Israel?
Ephesians 6: 13- 17 reads “Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able
to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore,
having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of
righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all
the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit, which is the word of God:” This is the armor that will
protect us from the attacks of the adversary. We have been told the way to
protect ourselves, to sanctify ourselves. But acquiring this armor takes more
than merely knowing it’s there. It requires action. What can we do to build
this armor, what can we do to strengthen our faith?
I share with you 3
parables from my life that can show us how we can build our armor, and be
protected from the fiery darts of the adversary. 1. Stitch up your stuffed
animals 2. Don’t stick your hand in a shark tank 3. Stay hydrated.
One of my oldest and most vivid childhood memories has taught
me a great and important, yet simple lesson. My favorite toy, one that I have
had since nearly birth accompanied me and my family on a trip to Mexico when I
was only 3 or so. A small, brown, stuffed animal dog. I don’t remember how or
what a did, but I remember the sorrow that followed as I felt the small beads
falling out of my most prized possession, I had created a small tear in the
seam of the dogs leg. I’m sure my cries were not appreciated by the passengers
on that flight. I thought all was lost, and my favorite toy was gone. I had
made a mistake, and I had learned that mistakes had consequences. It was not
long after that my loving Grandmother came to the rescue with her sowing kit,
and was able to repair the damage that seemed so severe to the mind of a 3 year
old. The tear had been mended before too many beads were lost, and I knew to
now be more careful with my favorite toy.
In this parable you and I are the stuffed animal, and the
tear is sin. Preach My Gospel says that
“Sin is disobedience to God’s commandments and results in becoming separated
from God” End quote. When we tear open a seam and beads begin to fall, we
have two choices. To despair in our mistakes, to believe that there is no
coming back from what we’ve done, or to repent.
Concerning this, Boyd K. Packer said “The angels of the devil convince some that they are born to a life
from which they cannot escape and are compelled to live in sin. The most wicked
of lies is that they cannot change and repent and that they will not be
forgiven. That cannot be true. They have forgotten the Atonement of Christ.”
End Quote.
This is one of the many darts of the adversary. We all sin,
we all make mistakes, but what defines us is how we move on from them. Satan
knows that the longer he can get us to despair and think all is lost the easier
it is for us to fall into his grasp. He wants us in that constant state of pain
and guilt, he wants us to think that we aren’t worth it, that we aren’t a child
of God. He wants us to keep open the tear long enough for all of the beads to
fall out.
I bear my witness that there is a better way. I know that
these thoughts are no more than the Devil trying to get us down. We have all
had and will again have times like these- but it is important to remember that
God hates sin, He does not hate the sinner.
Mark 2: 15- 17 reads:
And it came to pass, that, as Jesus sat at meat in his house, many publicans
and sinners sat also together with Jesus and his disciples: for there were
many, and they followed him. And when the scibes an Pharisees saw him eat with
publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, how is it that he eateth
and drinketh with publicans and sinners? When Jesus heard it, he saith unto
them, they that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are
sick: I came not to call the righteous, but the sinners to repentance. End
Quote.
That same loving Savior that sat with the Sinners provides us
a way to free ourselves from the grasp of the devil. He bled and died for us so
that we might live. He, the only perfect man to ever walk the earth, atoned for
our sins so that we might feel the joy and see the light rather than stay in
the darkness of the adversary.
I often think of the words from my favorite Hymn, I Stand all
Amazed as I ponder these things.
I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers
me, Confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me. I tremble to know that
for me he was crucified, That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died.
Oh, it is wonderful that he should care for me Enough to die for me! Oh, it is
wonderful, wonderful to me!
The Savior atoned for each and every one of us. He atoned for
the world. It is hard to understand the magnitude of the love that He feels for
us. Don’t let His gift to us go un used.
If you need to build your armor, if you need to increase your
faith, the single greatest thing you can do is return to our Loving Redeemer
Jesus Christ, to repent of your sins and feel his Love again. Repenting can be
hard. It is hard. But it is worth it. Often to repent it can help to turn to
those around us, to our parents, bishops, or to our Grandma with a sowing kit.
It is harder to face the adversary alone, so do it with others at your side.
Come unto Christ, Be perfected in Him. Let Him stitch up the
tears in your lives. Let Him repair your broken Heart.
My Second parable happened only months ago. I went with a few
friends to a local aquarium. One of my favorite things to do there is to feed
the sharks. Many people would just throw the fish in the tank and watch the
sharks retrieve it, but I knew the secret. On previous visits I had been told
by the workers that if you put the fish in-between two fingers and put your
hand in the water against the glass, the sharks would swim up and snatch it
right out of your hand. What I neglected to remember is that you are supposed
to hold your hand in a fist, rather than hold it flat against the glass. Sure
enough, the shark did come and catch hold of its prey, but its food was a
little more alive that it was used too. The shark latched on to my ring finger,
and stuck on for several seconds as I was trying to shake it off.
The surface lesson for this is to not stick your hand into a
shark tank. But more importantly, it is to be exactly obedient. I had been told
before exactly how to do it, but my neglect for a step led to a crucial
mistake. similarly, we must be exactly obedient to the commandments of God. The
phrase “casualness leads to casualties” has recently struck a chord with me.
We are commanded to love and serve everyone, not just those
that love and serve us. We are commanded to worship our Savior Jesus Christ
always, not just on Sundays. We are commanded to pray always and without vain
repetition, not to just say the same prayer every morning and night. We are
commanded to give all that we have for the kingdom of God on Earth, not just
what is convenient for us to give.
Perhaps the most known example of exact obedience is the 2000
stripling warriors. “they did obey and
observe to perform every word of command with exactness; year, and even
according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which
they said unto me that their mothers had taught them” Because of this
perfect obedience, these young men were blessed by God. Their faith increased,
and they were able to withstand the attacks of those trying to destroy them.
Speaking of our relation to these 2000 stripling warriors, M.
Russel Ballard said “What we need now is
the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need
worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries who, like Helaman’s 2,000
stripling warriors, are “exceedingly valiant for courage, and also for strength
and activity” and who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing they [are]
entrusted”
Listen to those words,
my young brethren: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We
don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men. We don’t need you to just
fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking,
passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the
whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We
cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a
testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with
“faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” End Quote.
If we are to have any chance at withstanding the attacks of
the adversary we must be exactly obedient. We must obey our parents, our
priesthood leaders, and our God. I know that we can be blessed because of it.
My third parable brings us to one of the most beautiful
places that our God in Heaven has created on this earth. At the bottom of the
Grand Canyon, surrounded by desert and the scorching heat, lies the oasis that
is Havasupai. Beautiful turquoise water, lush vegetation, magnificent
waterfalls, and an excruciating hike to get there. My priests quorum made the
journey last year, and it was a trip I will never forget.
The first day of the camp was filled with insurmountable fun.
Cliff diving, swimming, just chilling at camp. But there was something I
neglected to do- drink enough water. I even had a filtering water bottle I was
carrying around with my for most of the day. At any time I could have filled it
up, and prevented the sickness that pained me by the end of the day.
John 4: 14 reads “But
whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but
the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up
into everlasting life.”
It is important to stay physically hydrated, but perhaps
moreso, we need to stay spiritually hydrated. Living here in Utah we have all
this beautiful water around us. Churches no more than a mile away, mutual that
can warm our soul, seminaries at the school. We have all the scriptures, church
music, and conference talks that we could ever need right in our pocket. We are
surrounded by spiritual water, so don’t forget to drink.
The most filling spiritual water that I have found is
frequent temple attendance. As I have had the opportunity to go almost weekly
for nearly 6 months, I can testify of the blessings that it brings, and the joy
that can be found there.
If we are not doing these things, there is no way that we
will ever be able to build our armor, build our faith. If we are not doing
these things, we have no chance at withstanding the fiery darts of the
adversary.
While all these parables and lessons are important, they all
point to one thing that will save us, and protect us from the darts of the
Adversary. Our Savior Jesus Christ. He is the one that will save us. If we turn
to Him, if we let Him help us, we can rise up against the wicked world. If we
turn to Him, we can have the desire to Gather Israel. Without our loving
redeemer, we would stand no chance against the darts of the adversary.
I have talked a whole lot on how we can prepare ourselves for
the last days, how we can build our faith to do our duty to gather Israel- But
what is that duty? What does it really mean?
In a general sense, it’s missionary work. It’s bringing those
lost sheep into our fold, introducing to gospel to all those that don’t have
it. But beyond that, all of us have a part to play.
For the primary children, it is being kind to others. It’s
trying to be like Jesus, it’s preparing to serve a mission, to get baptized, to
go to the Temple.
For the youth, it’s sanctifying yourselves, to be in the
world but not of it. It’s not giving in to the Drama of Jr. High and High
school. It’s daring to stand alone. It’s doing family history and genealogy
work, It’s attending the temple often.
For Aaronic Priesthood holders, it’s preparing to serve a
mission, to start serving others now. It’s preparing to receive the Melkezideck
Priesthood, and to give blessings at random times- Like during the intermission
of a show you’re in or minutes before walking at graduation.
For my Friends and those my age, it’s sacrificing all you
have for two years to serve a mission. It’s doing what you have prepared for
your whole life, to bring others unto Christ and into the one and only true
church. It’s letting go of the Childhood things and giving yourself and all you
have to the Lord.
For Returned Missionaries and Newly Wed Couples, it’s to
never forget and never stop doing what you learned on your mission. It’s to
serve others, and bring people into the fold by being Christlike. It’s to
multiply and replenish the earth, so your posterity can also partake in this
sacred duty.
For more seasoned Members of the Church, it’s to do whatever
the Lord asks of you. It’s to do your calling in the church, and to do it
willingly and happily. It’s to center your family on Christs teachings. It’s to
share the gospel whenever you get a chance. It’s to endure to the end.
It’s important to remember that this gathering is on both
sides of the veil. It is just as important to do family history and temple work
as it is to do missionary service on this earth.
Satan might be strong. But we are stronger. I once again echo
President Nelsons words “You are among
the best the Lord has ever sent to this world. You have the capacity to be
smarter and wiser and have more impact on the world than any previous generation!”
For my friends, family, and everyone here- I have grown to love and care
for each and everyone of you. If I have seen just an inkiling of what God sees
in you, I know why we are the generation that is called more than ever before
to gather Israel. We are strong. If you haven’t been living a Christlike life
that doesn’t matter. What matters is that you change it. Repent. Live with
Exact Obedience. Fill your life with the Joys of the Gospel. Do your duty, and
help gather Israel. Help others come unto Christ.
I once again ask you to ponder on the words of President
Hunter “A great indicator of one’s
personal conversion is the desire to share the gospel with others.”. If you
don’t desire to share the gospel now, do what you need to to build that faith,
and the desire will come. I promise it. Don’t let the Fiery Darts of the
Adversary control you. Come unto Christ. Be perfected in Him.
