Lock Your Heart

When I was a missionary, the phrase “lock your heart” was often used to encourage missionaries to shun any kind of romantic feelings for the people they were serving among. I thought of that this morning while reading Helaman 6 because that seems to be one of the messages for us, albeit in a different context: we must lock our hearts against the influence of the adversary. Mormon described how the devil affected the hearts of the people to gain power over them. He wrote, “But behold, Satan did stir up the hearts of the more part of the Nephites, insomuch that they did unite with those bands of robbers” (v21). He gave some examples of those who had let the adversary into their hearts. “Those secret oaths and covenants did not come forth unto Gadianton from the records which were delivered unto Helaman; but behold, they were put into the heart of Gadianton by that same being who did entice our first parents to partake of the forbidden fruit” (v26). It was the same for the people building the Tower of Babel: “And also it is that same being who put it into the hearts of the people to build a tower sufficiently high that they might get to heaven. And it was that same being who led on the people who came from that tower into this land” (v28). He mentioned Gadianton again: “Yea, it is that same being who put it into the heart of Gadianton to still carry on the work of darkness, and of secret murder; and he has brought it forth from the beginning of man even down to this time” (v29). But it wasn’t just Gadianton, for the adversary had obtained sway over the hearts of many of the Nephite people at this time: “And now behold, he had got great hold upon the hearts of the Nephites; yea, insomuch that they had become exceedingly wicked; yea, the more part of them had turned out of the way of righteousness, and did trample under their feet the commandments of God” (v31). This verse should serve as a warning for all of us about how the devil will try to get power over our hearts: “And behold, it is he who is the author of all sin. And behold, he doth carry on his works of darkness and secret murder, and doth hand down their plots, and their oaths, and their covenants, and their plans of awful wickedness, from generation to generation according as he can get hold upon the hearts of the children of men” (v30). If he can get ahold of our hearts, he will and he will seek to inspire us to reject the things of God and place our hearts upon the things of the world. And so, we must seek to lock our hearts against his influence and temptations.  

                And so how do we protect our hearts from the influence of the adversary? This chapter suggests that the way he entered for the Nephites was through a love of riches. Mormon recorded, “For behold, the Lord had blessed them so long with the riches of the world that they had not been stirred up to anger, to wars, nor to bloodshed; therefore they began to set their hearts upon their riches; yea, they began to seek to get gain that they might be lifted up one above another” (v17). He inspired them to love their riches more than they loved God, and from there he could lead them to do things they never would have done otherwise. Things surely have not changed today—the devil is just as active as he was among the Nephites trying to get us to set our hearts upon wealth and the things of the world. This is exactly what Brigham Young feared in his famous quote: “The worst fear that I have about this people is that they will get rich in this country, forget God and his people, wax fat, and kick themselves out of the Church and go to hell. This people will stand mobbing, robbing, poverty, and all manner of persecution, and be true. But my greater fear for them is that they cannot stand wealth; and yet they have to be tried with riches, for they will become the richest people on this earth.” To protect ourselves we must always seek the Lord with more energy than we seek for riches, just as the righteous Lamanites at this time did: “The Lamanites began to grow exceedingly in the knowledge of their God; yea, they did begin to keep his statutes and commandments, and to walk in truth and uprightness before him…. And thus we see that the Lord began to pour out his Spirit upon the Lamanites, because of their easiness and willingness to believe in his words” (v34, 36). As we hold fast to keeping the commandments of God and walking uprightly before Him, as we put our hearts first upon growing in the knowledge of God and open them to believe in His words, we will be protected from the pull of the adversary that is so strong in our day. We can indeed lock our hearts to him, opening them to the Lord who promises to pour out His Spirit upon us.