Come, Join the Ranks

By Elder Jorge M. Alvarado

First Counselor, Caribbean Area Presidency

A new year begins, and I prepare to start with my goals to win the battle of this new year. How do I continue to strengthen my faith and hope in Jesus Christ?

While I was in a sacrament meeting in the ward that we attend as a family, Brother Greg Johnson, in his talk, referred to my son Chucho, who the next day was entering the MTC at home, and how this young man would become a new Elder Alvarado who would be joining the Lord’s battalion as a full-time missionary. As Brother Johnson is in the military, he spoke about war and peace.

He began by saying that before we were born, we participated in a war in the heaven. We are all warriors, strong and powerful and because we are here, we chose to follow Jesus Christ and the plan of our Heavenly Father.

In the Church, we have several hymns that teach us about war, being soldiers, warriors that follow Jesus Christ and righteousness, including “The Battle Hymn of the Republic.” Some of the lyrics of one such hymn are:

Hark! Listen to the trumpeters! 
They sound for volunteers,
On Zion’s bright and flowery mount 
Behold the officers.
Their horses white, their armor bright, 
With courage bold they stand,
Enlisting soldiers for their King,
To march to Zion’s land.

It sets my heart all in a flame 
A soldier brave to be;
I will enlist, gird on my arms 
And fight for liberty.1

Another hymn says:

Onward, Christian soldiers!
Marching as to war,
With the cross of Jesus
Going on before.
Christ, the royal Master,
Leads against the foe.2

Also, one of Brother Johnson’s favorite hymns is:

We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er; . . .
Haste to the battle, quick to the field;
Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield. . . .

Hark! the sound of battle sounding loudly and clear . . .

We are waiting now for soldiers; who’ll volunteer? . . .

Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe; . . .
We shall gain the vict’ry by and by.
Dangers may gather—why should we fear?
Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.
He will protect us, comfort, and cheer.3

These soldiers could also help us to combat ignorance, the ignorance that can often conflict with achieving happiness and eternal joy.

The great Captain Moroni and Helaman and the 2,000 young warriors fought valiantly, also the prophet Moroni, who saw the complete destruction of his people by the war with the Lamanites.⁴

We are all in the most important war, a spiritual war against an enemy that has thousands of years of experience. He puts temptations and obstacles in our way to lead us astray and cause us to fall. When a soldier prepares for war, he goes through training, studies the plans, tactics, techniques, and procedures of combat operations, puts on his armor and helmet, and carries his weapons ready for battle. We also have a plan to follow. We study the doctrine, we study the scriptures, we pray, we attend church where we partake of the sacrament, we make and keep covenants in the temples of the Lord, we strengthen our testimonies, and thus we prepare ourselves for the spiritual battle.

When Brother Johnson was in the war in Iraq, whenever he was involved in a combat operation, there were always some standby forces while they were doing their missions, ready to help us in case of an emergency, they were called the quick reaction force.

On one occasion, they moved from one city to another, and their convoy of vehicles was ambushed. This quick reaction force immediately helped them to get out of a dangerous situation and continue their mission. In the gospel, you and I, all of us, are that quick reaction force, where we are always ready to help a family member, a loved one, a friend, a member of our quorum or class, or anyone who needs help to continue on the covenant path.

Elder Dale G. Renlund recounted that he learned something at the dedication of the Helsinki Finland Temple in 2006. He explained that the country of Finland had been in conflict and war with Russia for centuries, but when the day came for the members of the church in Finland to receive a temple in their country, they set aside the first day of temple operations for the members who were visiting from Russia. The love of the members for our Heavenly Father and their fellow men was stronger than the conflict between these two countries.⁵

Brother Johnson also spoke to us about peace. In the first years after the Restoration of the Church, the members were persecuted, mistreated, driven out of several cities, and even tortured. On the occasion when the Prophet Joseph Smith was imprisoned in the Liberty Jail, he proclaimed, “O God, where art thou?” He asked how long would the Lord’s people have to “suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions?”

The Lord answered him, “My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;

“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:1, 3, 7–8).

Elder Quentin L. Cook taught, “Peace in the world is not promised or assured until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ . . .

“However, personal peace can be achieved despite the anger, contention, and division that blight and corrupt our world today. It has never been more important to seek personal peace.”⁶

What are some of the righteous works that will help us to find peace?

First, let us love God, live His commandments, and forgive everyone.
Second, let us seek the fruits of the Spirit.
Third, let us exercise our agency to choose righteousness.
Fourth, let us build Zion in our hearts and in our homes.
Fifth, let us follow the current counsel of our prophet.

Brother Johnson concluded with this last experience: “On another occasion when I was in Iraq, I was assigned to transport about 150 enemy insurgents who had been captured to a detention center. We got on a military plane, and the insurgents were handcuffed and sitting on the floor of the plane because they had taken all the seats out. During the flight, through my headphones, I listened to some talks from the general conference that I had downloaded. At that moment, although I was in the middle of a war, surrounded by people who wanted to harm me, listening to the voice of the prophet, I could feel God’s love and feel an intense personal peace.”

I know in whom I have trusted: in Jesus Christ. To be ready and win the battle, President Russell M. Nelson has given us several tools to have the ammunition to defend ourselves or to be that rapid reaction force.

Remodel our home to become a sanctuary of faith. ⁷
Study Come, Follow Me daily.⁸
Schedule regular time to worship and to serve in the temple.⁹
Seek personal revelation, refining our ability to recognize the promptings of the Holy Spirit.¹⁰
Let God prevail in our lives.¹¹

I testify that when we follow the counsel of the prophet and of the apostles, we can find, just as it says in the scriptures, peace in this world. We already know who is going to win this spiritual war. We want to be in the battalion of Jesus Christ, The Lord is our great leader, the Prince of Peace.