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The Impact of the Individual - they obeyed with Exactness!

 Alma 53-58
Obey with Exactness 

Attention Activity

How much impact can a single individual or group of individuals have? 
Do you have the power to have an impact on others?
Do you feel powerless concening the things going on in the world? Refugees, Politics, Religion, etc.?

Quote #1
"Estimated statistics show that on average, an individual posts 36 Facebook posts per month, which is broadcasted to their roughly 130 connections. Thanks to ample social sharing tools, each time that person publishes an opinion they have the potential to reach not only their own connections, but friends of friends, and friends of friends of friends, and so on.
Did you use your influence today? Every second there are 650,000 Facebook shares, 100,000 tweets, and 48 hours of video uploaded to YouTube.

WHAT THIS MEANS:

 A single individual’s opinion can potentially influence thousands of people."
McBee Strategic

Can one person make a difference?

How a small donation of an individual can change the lives of 100's in lower income countries fastcoexist.com
How much influence can a single individual have? cbsnews.com 
How much good can one individual do? 80000hours.org 

Who am I - what makes me special?

Lindsey Stirling and I'm a Mormon - Video 
What impact can one person have on society, music, etc.?

What makes you special?
How can you use this to impact others around you?

Lets look into the scriptures for how much of an impact an individual/group can have!

Background:
Amalickiah and his quest for power: Summarize for class without reading

Alma 47:22-28
22-25 King puts forth his hand to raise servant - king is killed
26 Servants of king have fled - they have killed him 
27-28  Amalickiah pretends to be angry - whoever loves the king go catch them

Alma 47:34-35
Amalickiah seeks favor of the queen - becomes her husband and the king of all people who were not Nephites

What was the impact on their society by Amalickiah and his group?
What of the other group - Moroni?

Alma 48:7-13
7-10 While Amalickiah had been obtaining power by fraud, deceit and murder, Moroni had been preparing the minds to be faithful to God
8 strengthening the armies - making walls, forts and places of retreet
9 weakest fortifications had become their strongest
10 Thus he was preparing them to support their liberty of their lands and families

Alma 53:6-9
6 Thus Moroni gained victory over one of the greatest of the armies of the lamanites and obtained posession of the city of Mulek
7-8 in the abscence of Moroni on account of intrigue and dissensions among the Nephites - the Lamanites had gained power
9 because of iniquity among themselves, and dissensions and intrigues among themselves they were in a dangerous circumstance

What do you think Moroni would think of all of this?
How can intenal strife, and intrigue and dissensions from the right cause problems.

Do we have this behavor in our families?
Contention, disagreements, intrigue - going around others, etc.?

Helaman and the 2000 stripling wariors:

Alma 53:10-13
10 The people of Ammon have been protected by the Nephites
11 Because of their oath they have not taken up arms against the Lamanites - they would have died
12-13 When they saw the danger and afflictions of the Nephites - they desired to take up arms 

Why wasn't this a good idea? They really needed the help?
Have we ever tried to do good - but in the wrong way and had it not tun out right?
Why is the means in many cases more important than the result? or is it?

Alma 53:14-18
14 As they were about to take up weapons - they were overpowered by Helaman and his brethren
15 Helaman feared they should lose their souls - they were compelled to watch the afflictions of Nephites
16 They had many sons who had not taken this covenant
17 The sons entered into a covenant to fight for the liberty of the Nephites 
18 There were two thousand of these men

Alma 53:19-21
19 They wanted Helaman to be their leader
20 They were all young men - valiant for courage, strength, and activity - true at all times in whatsoever they were entrusted
21 Men of truth and sobeness - they had been taught to keep the commandments of God 

How they saved they day!

They provided reinforcements to Antipus and his army 

Alma 56:15-17
Antipus's army was weak and nigh unto destruction - they received these men strengthening them
Alma 56:18-19
The Lamanites did not attack because of this - otherwise they would have destroyed Antipus and his men!

They saved Antipus's men and army


Alma 56:33-38
The 2000 warriors are bait to bring the Lamanites out against them
Antipus hurries to catch up to them 
Alma 56:39-43
Before dawn we fled before them - so fast did we go we could not tun left or right
They halted in their persuit... why???
Alma 56:44-48
Will we go out to battle against them?
I have never seen so great courage ever
Our God is with us he will not suffer that we should fall - let us go forth
They had never fought yet they did not fear death - Their Mothers had taught them - God would deliver them

What was the basis of their faith?
Where were their fathers? (dead)
Isn't this the desire of all parents - that their children would have such faith!
Why do you think their children had such faith in their mothers words?

Perhaps the examples of their fathers?
The example and faith of their mothers -their mothers knew it
You can't fake out your kids... they will know if you have a testimony or not!
 
Alma 56:49-56
I did retun with my sons to fight
Antipus being weary and his army were about to be destroyed
my sons attacted their rear and began to slay them - spuring Antipus's army to fight
I numbered the young men who had been slain... Not a single one had died!
Never were men known to have fought with such miraculous power!
They did frigten them - even until they surrendered

What a powerful story!
What influence did these 2000 soldiers have!
How do you think their attributes influenced their success?

“They were exceedingly valiant for courage” (Alma 53:20).

“They were … true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted” (Alma 53:20).

“They were men of truth and sobeness” (Alma 53:21).

They had “exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe” (Alma 57:26).

They “put their trust in God continually” (Alma 57:27).

They “[stood] fast in that liberty wherewith God [had] made them free” (Alma 58:40).

They were “strict to remember the Lord their God from day to day” (Alma 58:40).

They kept God’s “statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40).

“Their faith [was] strong in the prophecies” (Alma 58:40).

Do we strive to attain these same attributes - and be an example of courange/strength/activity to those around us?

Quote #2
“You have been bon at this time for a sacred and glorious purpose. It is not by chance that you have been reserved to come to earth in this last dispensation of the fulness of times. Your birth at this particular time was foreordained in the etenities.

“You are to be the royal army of the Lord in the last days. …

“In the spiritual battles you are waging, I see you as today’s sons of Helaman. Remember well the Book of Mormon account of Helaman’s two thousand stripling warriors” Benson Ensign Apr 1986 

Quote #3
President Ezra Taft Benson said: “Men and women who tun their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can. He will deepen their joys, expand their vision, quicken their minds, strengthen their muscles, lift their spirits, multiply their blessings, increase their opportunities, comfort their souls, raise up friends, and pour out peace. Whoever will lose his life in the service of God will find etenal life” (Benson Ensign August 1989).

How Can God make more out of our lives than we can?
Do you really believe this... that your capacity can be greater through God's help?

Quote #4
President Harold B. Lee taught:

“The power of Satan will increase; we see it in evidence on every hand. …

“Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must lean to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, ‘as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me; … as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.’ (D&C 21:4–5.) There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that ‘the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name’s glory.’ (D&C 21:6.)”  Teachings of Harold B Lee

Obedience the first principle of heaven!

Conclusion:
We do have an impact and can have a great influence on our society.
We need to exercise faith - spread our opinions and beliefs and not be afraid of the truth.