Valley of Decision

In trying to find more information about the valley of decision listed in Joel 3:14, I found this interesting talk by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
http://lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?hideNav=1&locale=0&sourceId=c011b850e318b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD

Instruments, pawns

In reading Alma 12 today, I was struck by something that Alma says as he and Amulek are contending with Zeezrom.

4 And thou seest that we know that thy plan was a very subtle plan, as to the subtlety of the devil, for to lie and to deceive this people that thou mightest set them against us, to revile us and to cast us out—
5 Now this was a plan of thine adversary, and he hath exercised his power in thee....

Wow- I don't want to be used as a pawn to show Satan's power! I want to be used as an instrument by God to somehow further His work and glory. There are many scriptures that talk about this. Here is just a sampling:

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Rom. 6: 13
13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
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Alma 17: 9, 11
9 And it came to pass that they journeyed many days in the wilderness, and they fasted much and prayed much that the Lord would grant unto them a portion of his Spirit to go with them, and abide with them, that they might be an instrument in the hands of God to bring, if it were possible, their brethren, the Lamanites, to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct.
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11 And the Lord said unto them also: Go forth among the Lamanites, thy brethren, and establish my word; yet ye shall be patient in long-suffering and afflictions, that ye may show forth good examples unto them in me, and I will make an instrument of thee in my hands unto the salvation of many souls.
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Alma 26: 3, 15
3 Behold, I answer for you; for our brethren, the Lamanites, were in darkness, yea, even in the darkest abyss, but behold, how many of them are brought to behold the marvelous light of God! And this is the blessing which hath been bestowed upon us, that we have been made instruments in the hands of God to bring about this great work.
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15 Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

When I think of an instrument being played, I think of the fact that it takes practice. It may not sound the sweetest but the more we practice, the sweeter the music becomes. I guess we just to make sure the music we are making comes from God and not the opposite. My guess is that with Satan, it is easier to make his "music" but is not sweet, but junkie.

I don't know if this is coming out the way I am thinking in my mind. I will have to tweak it later.

One more thing- Alma has played music for both sides now. (I am thinking of when he was running around with the sons of Mosiah persecuting the church.) I am sure he loves playing the music for God much more.

Angel's Assignments

I am reading in Alma 8:14-18 when an angel appears to Alma with a message of hope and encouragement. The angel also tells him that he was the same angel that appeared to him and the brothers of Mosiah to tell him to stop persecuting the members of the church of God (see Mosiah 27:10-17).


Just thinking about these two assignments. Both assignments were very important, but I think the latter would have been the most fun. It would be way more fun to give someone a message of hope and encouragement than to have to chew them out. But, if the angel hadn't done the first one, the second one would not have been possible.


In further reading, Amulek mentions (Alma 8:20) that an angel appeared to him to tell him to take care of Alma. I wonder if that was the same angel or a different one.

You can't have the sweet without the bitter. There must be opposition in all things.