Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion - WILLING HEART

Briefing Doc: Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion
Source: Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "Burying Our Weapons of Rebellion," October 2024 General Conference, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

*THIS IS AN AI (ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) REVIEW OF A CONFERENCE TALK. INACCURACIES MAY OCCUR.

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WHAT DOES THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS BELIEVE:

Main Theme: This talk explores the concept of rebellion against God, both active and passive, and emphasizes the need to replace rebellion with willing obedience, ultimately burying our "weapons of rebellion." This process leads to enduring conversion and lasting joy.

Key Ideas and Facts:

Enduring Conversion Requires Relinquishing Rebellion: The conversion of the Lamanites in the Book of Mormon serves as a powerful example. Their enduring faith stemmed from laying down "the weapons of their rebellion" – both literal weapons and disobedience to God. This act signified a change of heart and a commitment to righteousness.
"And as sure as the Lord liveth, so sure as many as believed, or as many as were brought to the knowledge of the truth … as many of the Lamanites as believed in their preaching, and were converted unto the Lord, never did fall away… For they became a righteous people; they did lay down the weapons of their rebellion, that they did not fight against God any more, neither against any of their brethren."

Active Rebellion: This form of rebellion is blatant opposition to God and His commandments. Examples include Lucifer's rebellion in the premortal world, the teachings of anti-Christs like Sherem, Nehor, and Korihor, and even William W. Phelps's initial opposition to Joseph Smith. However, Phelps's story demonstrates that sincere repentance can lead to forgiveness and reconciliation.
"Come on, dear brother, since the war is past, for friends at first are friends again at last." – Joseph Smith to William W. Phelps

Passive Rebellion: This more subtle form involves ignoring God's will and pursuing personal desires above divine direction. It manifests in prioritizing career over family responsibilities, neglecting personal health, or misusing talents and resources.
"Certainly in life there is plenty of room for personal preference and individual choice, but when it comes to matters of salvation and eternal life, our theme song ought to be 'I did it God’s way,' because truly there is no other way."

Examples of "Weapons of Rebellion":
Speech: Words can be used to edify or to tear down. Malicious and vulgar speech is a weapon of rebellion.
"Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be." – James
Career: While work is important, prioritizing career advancement over family duties and neglecting God's call on one's time and talents can become a form of rebellion.
Physical Body: Defiling or abusing our bodies is a form of rebellion, as is vanity and obsession with physical appearance.
Burying Weapons of Rebellion: This process entails yielding to the Holy Spirit, putting off the natural man, and embracing Christ's atonement. It requires prioritizing the first commandment – loving God with all our heart, might, mind, and strength.
Rewards of Obedience: Burying our weapons of rebellion leads to forgiveness, cleansing from sin, and ultimately the removal of the desire for evil. It brings lasting joy through a relationship with God and the knowledge of His love and sacrifice.
"Burying our weapons of rebellion leads to a unique joy. With all who have ever become converted to the Lord, we are 'brought to sing [the song of] redeeming love.'"

Call to Action: Elder Christofferson urges us to identify and bury any "weapons of rebellion" in our lives, replacing them with a willing heart and mind dedicated to God. He emphasizes that through Christ's grace, we can overcome past transgressions and experience enduring conversion and lasting joy.

[katiejoj]

I loved this! I listened to it a few times as I’m preparing to give a lesson on Sunday on this talk. Thank you so much for your insights!

[irajones-wq]

This story is literally in haudenosaunee history in fact we reenacted this promise this last April 8th 2024 but instead of burying actual weapons we created personal hand written documents of personal items that keep us from knowing god and not just knowing “about” god !! We dug a hole in the ground and replanted a white pine like in our history and all this under a full solar eclipse !! It was a cool experience and I’m grateful to the great peacemaker in helping us create long lasting peace among six different groups of people looking for a better way !!