Waging War
During the American Revolutionary War, one of the United Kingdom's tactics was to attempt to take control of New York and New Jersey. The idea was that if the King's forces could divide the thirteen colonies geographically, they would be able to concur the two sections easier than they could concur the whole if they were together. Satan is also familiar with this method and employs it within our families today.
We can think of the status of families in two ways, I'll mention both briefly. The first is of a unit of government. Using my family as an example, we can say that individuals of my family are subject to the laws and rules of the United States of America, down through state and municipal governments eventually ending at my family. Each of those listed previous are both independent entities but are dependant on each other for their existence to varying extents. The second is of a church unit. Again using my family as an example, we can say that my family falls within the priesthood stewardship of the First Presidency and Quorum of the Twelve, down through regional and local units to my family.
Why do both of those matter? I believe it is important for members of the Church and other believers to understand where their family fits into the equation. When it is understood that our families are their own semi-sovereign unit, it is easier to pick apart some of what Satan is doing. As Satan works against God's plan, he knows that it is easier to tear apart a family than it is to tear apart whole nations or stakes at a time.
One of the things Satan employs is anger. Living with other people is hard, and there will be times when individuals do things that annoy those around them. It can be hard to keep a positive attitude during and following these events, but it is imperative that we do so. Satan is "father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another" (3 Nephi 11:29). Lynn G. Robins said in a talk from 1998 "A cunning part of [Satan’s] strategy is to dissociate anger from agency, making us believe that we are
victims of an emotion that we cannot control."
victims of an emotion that we cannot control."
It is easy to get angry or lose your temper. It is even justified at times. We certainly need to stand up for ourselves and need to feel comfortable addressing issues with those around us, but it's way too easy to take it too far. Remember that when you are tempted to take it too far, you are being tempted to contribute to Satan's dismantling of the most basic unit of our society.
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