Human Battleship

So last night at FHE my ward activity is Human Battleship. The committee sets up the Volleyball nets and Covers the net with Sheets so one side of the court cannot see the other side of the court. The teams are chosen, the prayer is said, and its time to get a chair and sit somewhere on the court and say another prayer that you don’t get hit with a Nerf ball.
Jason gives the count down to fire off all Nerf balls (about 9 balls total) over the covered net.
3-2-1 throw…
And the ball I throw does not even make it over the net! LOL (great!)
But my teammates do great and get a few members from the other team out.
Jason gives another count down to fire off all Nerf balls… But this time they will be thrown at my team. (Time to pray)
3-2-1 throw…
And wouldn’t you know it… Nobody gets out on my team.
Now this continues this way and I feel that I am safe... No need to pray because apparently the other team really needs help. So I start to talk to Amber about her upcoming babysitting event with the one of the world cutest kids. And what happens...
I got hit! Ohh MAN!
The thing is, I’m not mad about being hit… I’m mad because it was because I was not paying attention. I could have easily talked to Amber and paid attention but I did not feel that the other team was any kind of threat.
And isn't that how staying faithful in the Gospel works in our lives. In the beginning you rely on the Lord so much. You pray not to "get hit" and your prayers get answered. After a while you get comfortable that you are untouchable. You think you don’t have to watch out for "Flying Nerf balls". That is until you get "hit"… Then your back to square one the next time you get in the game. (Praying you don’t get hit!) I don’t know about anyone else but I sometime get lost in good things (Like talking to a friend) and I let my guard down. And I know I can Talk and Watch at the same time… But why did I not do it? Why did I let my Guard down when I knew the other team would be throwing things at me?
And what a lesson I learned playing Human Battleship… I drove home thinking about my life and how Satan has his own team. He and His Team throw Spiritual Nerf balls at us all the time and we know he is trying to get us out of the game. How do we become Spiritually Prepared in life?

Elder Henry B. Eyring said

in "Spiritual Preparedness: Start Early and Be Steady," Liahona, Nov 2005

"We will need to have developed and nurtured faith in Jesus Christ long before Satan hits us, as he will, with doubts and appeals to our carnal desires and with lying voices saying that good is bad and that there is no sin. Those spiritual storms are already raging. We can expect that they will worsen until the Savior returns."

"However much faith to obey God we now have, we will need to strengthen it continually and keep it refreshed constantly. We can do that by deciding now to be more quick to obey and more determined to endure. Learning to start early and to be steady are the keys to spiritual preparation. Procrastination and inconsistency are its mortal enemies."

"Let me suggest to you four settings in which to practice quick and steady obedience. One is the command to feast upon the word of God. A second is to pray always. A third is the commandment to be a full-tithe payer. And the fourth is to escape from sin and its terrible effects. Each takes faith to start and then to persevere. And all can strengthen your capacity to know and obey the Lord’s commands."

And know these words to be true. I know that Satan and his team members are out there. They are waiting for me to let my guard down. But if I follow Elder Eyring’s Counsel I will be safe.