From his book ‘Be Not Troubled’, Ronald A. Rasband of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles wrote:
When Christ appeared to the Nephites following His Crucifixion, He taught them the gospel and then encouraged, “Go unto your homes and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask the Father, in my name, that ye may understand” (3 Nephi 17:3).
The counsel to “go unto your homes, and ponder” reminds us that Christ centered homes are fortresses for the kingdom of God in a day when, as prophesied, the devil rages in the hearts of the children of men, and stir[s] them up to anger against that which is good” (2 Nephi 28:20).
People have built fortresses throughout history to keep the enemy outside. Often those fortresses include a guard tower where watchmen—like prophets—warned of menacing forces and coming attacks.
In early Utah pioneer times my great-grandfather Thomas Rasband and his family were some of the first settlers to enter the Heber Valley in the beautiful Wasatch Mountains of Utah.
In 1859, Thomas helped to construct the Heber fort, built for their protection. It was a simple structure of cottonwood logs positioned one next to another, forming the perimeter of the fort. Log cabins were built inside the fortress using that common wall. The structure provided both security and safety for those pioneer families as they put down roots and worshipped the Lord. It was sacred ground.
So it is with us. Our homes are fortresses against the evils of the world. In our homes we come unto Christ by learning to follow His commandments, by studying the scriptures and praying together, and by helping one another stay on the covenant path. The new emphasis on personal and family study in the home through the curriculum Come, Follow Me is designed “to deepen our conversion and help us become more like Jesus Christ (Come Follow Me—For Individuals and Families: New Testament 2019, v). In so doing we will become what Paul called “new creature[s]” with our hearts and souls in tune with God (2 Corinthians 5:17). We need that strength to face and deflect the assaults of the adversary.
As we live with devotion born of faith in Jesus Christ, we will feel the peaceful presence of the Holy Ghost, who guides us to truth, inspires us to live worthy of the Lords blessings, and bears witness that God lives and loves us. All this within the fortress of our own homes. But remember, our homes are only as powerful as the spiritual strength of each one of us within the walls.
President Russell M. Nelson has taught, “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost” (“Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018). As the Lord’s prophet, seer, and revelator in this day, the watchman on the tower of our fortress, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he sees the advances of the enemy.
Make no mistake. We are at war with Satan for the souls of men. The battle lines were drawn in our pre-earth life. Satan and a third of our Father in Heaven’s children turned away from His promises of exaltation. Since that time, the adversary’s minions have been fighting the faithful who chose the Father’s plan.
Satan knows his days are numbered and that time is growing shorter. As crafty and cunning as he is, he will not win. However his battle for each one of our souls rages on.
For our safety we must build a fortress of spirituality and protection for our very souls, a fortress that will not be penetrated by the evil one. ~Elder Ronald A. Rasband, Be Not Troubled (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2020), 39-41 (continued).
