Author: Chuck Lucas

I am the Editor and Founder of https://principlesneverfail.us/ a blog dedicated to principle centered personal development. The social, intellectual, physical, and spirtual challenges facing individuals and the communities in which we live in 2020 and beyond will require the best that is within us. True principles anchor us to the truths previously discovered. We can move forward into the future with confidence on the correct path if we do not forsake the truths we already know. My over 50 year quest has been to discover true principles and seek to understand and strive to apply them in my life. My hope is that some of what I have found may be of value to my family, friends, and to you.

Alma 4 ✅Analysis and Insights

Lessons from Alma Chapter 4

  1. The Corona virus of 2020 has awakened us to a remembrance of our duty. (v. 3) It reminds us the judgments of God can come swiftly and without warning. The wise will reset themselves and prepare for coming afflictions.
  2. We now have an opportunity to establish the church (at home) more fully in our families. (v. 4)
  3. We can unite ourselves and our families with the church of God even while we wait for the normalization of our lives. (v. 5)
  4. Our pride, riches, and our precious things which we have obtained by our industry provide carnal security but inhibit our spiritual growth. (v. 6)
  5. The nation is divided and people are scornful one towards another. It seems that the majority follow their own will and pleasure.  (v. 8)
  6. Many of the judges have been compromised. The laws are prosecuted selectively and politically. Contentions, envying’s, strife, and malice flood the media and our political class unendingly. (v. 9)
  7. Wickedness in high places is a great stumbling block for the nation; thus the people begin to fail to progress. (v. 10)
  8. Many people stumble from one piece of iniquity to another; thus bringing destruction on their heads. (v. 11)
  9. There is a great inequality in the land. The proud despise the needy, the hungry, and the sick. They are used as pawns to be divided up by the powerful. (v. 12)
  10. There are some who for Christ’s sake impart of their substance to the poor and suffer those afflictions which befall them always looking forward to the day of deliverance of Jesus Christ. (v. 13,14)
  11. The Spirit of the Lord will not fail the humble followers of Christ. (v. 15)
  12. A wise man (Russell M. Nelson) a high priest has the power and the vision to guide us through these perilous times. (v. 16, 17, 18)
  13. The pride, craftiness, and contentions of today can be pulled down by the word and the holy order of God. (v. 19,20)

Repentance . . . one of the most vital and merciful doctrines of the kingdom.

In the anguishing process of repentance, we may sometimes feel God has deserted us. The reality is that our behavior has isolated us from Him. Thus, while we are turning away from evil but have not yet turned fully to God, we are especially vulnerable. Yet we must not give up, but, instead, reach out to God’s awaiting arm of mercy, which is outstretched “all the day long.” (Jacob 5:47; Jacob 6:4; 2 Ne. 28:32; Morm. 5:11.) Unlike us, God has no restrictive office hours. 🔔Neal A. Maxwell

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Like Mother, Like Son by Margaret Johnston Grafflin

Do you know that your soul is of my soul such a part,

That you seem to be fibre and core of my heart?

None other can pain me as you, dear, can do,

None other can please me or praise me as you.

Remember the world will be quick with its blame

If shadow or stain ever darken your name.

“Like mother, like son” is a saying so true

The world will judge largely the “mother” by you.

By yours then the task, if task it shall be,

To force the proud world to do homage to me.

Be sure it will say, when its verdict you’ve won,

“She reaped as she sowed. Lo! This is her son.”

Religion should be practical🔨

Every man’s religion should have practical issue, not merely emotional responsiveness which delights in hearing the gospel, but lacks diligence in living it. We must remember that religion is action, not diction. Let us pray that God will deliver us from our dullness of conscience, from a feeble sense of duty, from thoughtless disregard of others, and from all half-heartedness in our work. . . .

Let everyone get under the load of responsibility, and realize that every doctrine has its associated duty, that every truth has its task. The gospel when the Master first proclaimed it, was not intended primarily for preaching—it was intended for action. . . .

No man can truly assimilate Christianity by impression alone, there must be expression as well. [Hugh B. Brown, “Service,” Relief Society Magazine,December 1969, pp. 884, 888]

Take your fight higher into the spiritual realm

“The Eagle does not fight the snake on the ground.

“It picks it up into the sky and changes the battle ground, and then it releases the snake into the sky.

“The snake has no stamina, no power and no balance in the air. It is useless, weak and vulnerable unlike on the ground where it is powerful wise and deadly.

“Take your fight into the spiritual realm by praying.

“🌟Don’t fight the enemy in his comfort zone,🌟 change the battle grounds and let God take charge through your earnest prayer.” (original source unknown)

I love this visual! Abinadi is a wonderful example of this concept. The priests tried to trip him up with questions, and he took the fight to the spiritual realm. He spoke the truth with the spirit of the Lord upon him.

The priests had no power over him, because his power came from the One over all.

Of course we can’t do this alone. We were never meant to.

Change your battleground today.

Take your fight to a higher plane.

Help is there.

Mary Stallings, Come Follow Me Daily

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