Temptation

As I was reading through the story of Amalickiah and Lehonti in Alma chapter 47, I came to a realization that this chapter is the perfect insight into the tactics of the devil in trying to entice you.  In this chapter, Amalickiah sends a message to Lehonti asking him to come down off the mount to talk.  Lehonti is not fooled and he refused Amalickiah’s offer.  To this, Amalickiah came almost all the way up to the camp of Lehonti and requested that he bring his guards to talk to him.  Feeling like he had security in his guards, he agreed to go talk to Amalickiah.  Because Lehonti gave in to the request of Amalickiah, he eventually was poisoned by degrees until the day that he died.  I think that Satan’s power and influence is revealed to us by Lehonti and Amalickiah’s example.  When Satan makes a blatant attempt to direct our lives down unrighteous paths it is obvious to us that it is wrong and to stay away.  However, just as Amalickiah made it easy for Lehonti to come talk to him, sin and temptation will make itself easily available in our own lives.  In addition, we might be invited to bring our guards to surround us so that we feel secure when we are lured in.  Giving heed to these kinds of temptation will eventually drag us down until it destroys us just as Lehonti was poisoned by degrees until he died.  One thought that always brings comfort to me when I feel that I am tempted is the scripture mastery verse in Corinthians 10:13 that says “There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man but God is faithful who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape that ye may be able to bear it.”  This comforting to me and reminds me that I always have power to escape temptation.