“Special Witness: Keep the Commandments,” Friend, Dec. 2004, 31
Special Witness:
Keep the Commandments
From an April 1996 general conference address.
Did you know that Elder Hales served as a pilot in the United States Air Force? He shares his love for commandments that guide and protect us and allow us to return to Heavenly Father.
I would like to tell you a true story about a man named Abinadi. Abinadi was a prophet who preached repentance to a wicked people and a wicked king. He preached boldly and courageously.
Wicked King Noah angrily ordered his priests to kill Abinadi. Abinadi withstood them, saying: “Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver. … I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me.”
The people of King Noah were afraid to touch Abinadi because the Spirit of the Lord was with him. Abinadi declared that he would finish the message that God had sent him to deliver—and then it wouldn’t matter what King Noah and the people did to him. (See Mosiah 13:1–9.)
When Abinadi concluded his message, King Noah demanded that he deny the words he had spoken—or he would be put to death. But Abinadi refused.
What a powerful example Abinadi should be to all of us! He courageously obeyed the Lord’s commandments—even though it cost him his life!
Choosing to live the commandments frees us from the shackles of sin and allows us to experience true happiness.
Let our lives reflect our love of the Lord by being obedient to the commandments and reaping the promised blessings both in this life and in the life to come.
Abinadi before King Noah by Marcus A. Vincent