THE WAY OF THE ADVERSARY

         It takes very little time for a missionary to realize that the mission
field is similar to a battlefield.  As soon as his call is received, temptations
come to the missionary as "flies to a carcass."  The missionary becomes
the prime target of the adversary.  If Satan can cause a missionary to fail
in his divine task, those who were waiting for his message of truth are at
best left to continue their wait for others.   Satan knows that the conversion
of a young married couple today results in 20 to 40 souls embracing the
gospel within two generations.  To conquer one missionary is to thwart the
progress of many.

         Those who are called to serve must thrust in their sickles with all their
might, take full advantage of the gospel tide, and take care not to fall into
the tempter's snares.

         Experienced missionaries become more wary as success increases.
Mission success provokes reaction from the one who is disturbed by
increased conversions.  If the missionary cannot be stopped, the
investigator becomes the center of the attack.  The Lord warns of this
in the parable of the sower:

              "Now the parable is this:  The seed is the word of God
          Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh  the
          devil, and taketh away the word out of their   hearts, lest they
          should believe and be saved."  (Luke   8:11-12, emphasis added.)
 

        Every missionary would do well to review this scripture, or others like
it, after every discussion with those who feel the spirit of the word of God.

         The adversary will not allow conversions to take place without trying
to intervene with his evil forces.  Investigators should be told that
ill-informed relatives, friends, and others may come to them with statements
regarding the Church.  They should invite the bearers of such tidings to
meet with the missionaries and investigate open-mindedly the teachings
of salvation.

         Missionaries should inform the investigators that such an attack can
be a sign to them, and they may discern the fountain of such misconceptions
by being forewarned.  Their literal salvation rests completely upon the
missionaries preventing the word of God from being taken from them.
Missionaries must turn the investigators' attention to the word of God and
teach them not to trust in "the arm of flesh" for the truth.  It is important to
reiterate to them the Lord's promise that "By the power of the Holy Ghost
ye may know the truth of all things."  (Moroni 10:5.)

         The adversary will attack the investigator, his friends, and, of course,
the missionaries.  Also, when a mission is progressing, it is common for the
entire mission to feel the influence of the evil one.  The situation detailed
below demonstrates how his battle plan may shift.

         President White had carefully watched the progress of the mission.
Each month seemed to be a repetition of the previous month.  The mission
was progressing well.  Baptisms had more than doubled over the previous
year.  The president interviewed every missionary in his geographically
small mission every four weeks and had zone and multi-zone conferences
often in an attempt to keep the missionaries informed as to potential
pitfalls and to be on top of any problems.  The missionaries seemed to
pull together, and their moral and spiritual level was at an all-time high.

         Month after month the attack of the adversary was directed against
the mission as a whole.  Any deviation from this pattern had been readily
identifiable by the mission president in interview sessions and zone
conferences.  Then the adversary's tactics changed.  Instead of a general
attack, key individual missionaries were selected, as the battle shifted to
a divide-and-conquer tactic.  A district leader, one of four elders living
together, was subtly distracted in such a cunning way that it wasn't until
later that he recognized how he had been led astray.  It happened so
slowly that at first it was only a game.  He jokingly included the other
three missionaries in the "fun" of the occasion.  They too joined in with
careless gaiety.  As soon as all were involved, temptations grew in
proportion.

         Shortly, all of these elders were breaking additional mission rules
and the Spirit had left them.  Because of their deep involvement and
their feelings of guilt, they were reluctant to inform their mission president
of the transgressions.  Because the issue was isolated from the rest of the
mission, it was not evidenced in the zone conferences or the interviews.
By the time it finally came to light, the entire district was in spiritual darkness.

         At the same time, similar problems were taking place in several
other areas within the mission.  The shift in the tactics of the adversary
was sufficient to hide the new attack from the mission president's view.

         As the president interviewed each wayward missionary, a precious
truth was revealed.  In each case, the missionary had been tempted at
his weakest point.  Satan did not tempt the Savior with food when he was
filled and satisfied.  He waited until the Lord was weak from fasting, and
then he launched forth a specific temptation for a specific "weakness."
All of us are viewed in a similar fashion.  We are known by Satan and his
host of followers.  We lived together with them in a premortal state, and
since those spirits who, like us, would become embodied outnumbered
them there by only about two to one, it seems probable that some of them
are well acquainted with us.  No doubt they watch our progress here on
this earth.  They know our mortal weaknesses.  They have been here to
see each fallacy take place as the snares were prepared.  With each
departure we make from the truth, we relinquish to them more power
over us.  Little by little we cross further over into the enemy's territory.

         Given their knowledge of us and our weaknesses, it seems only
logical that we must take evasive action lest we be snared and our souls
destroyed.  It is not enough merely to be aware of the present battle
plan of the adversary.  The Saints of the Most High also need to aggressively
attack current evil tactics and not just defend themselves against those
tactics.  Our attack is not to be directed against the adversary, however,
but against our own weaknesses.  Every missionary knows himself better
than anyone else does.  He knows his weaknesses, and he knows his
strengths. The battle is either to eliminate his weaknesses one by one
or to make them his strengths.  If he does this, Satan will have lost his
advantage.

         For example, when Pres. White became aware of the tactics of the
evil one, he adopted both a defensive and an offensive attitude.  He first
made everyone aware of the shift in direction of the attack and then
initiated the mission "sacrifice" program.  In that program each missionary
was encouraged to progressively sacrifice specific weaknesses that made
him vulnerable to Satan's advances or to build the weaknesses into
strengths.  Personal progress was initiated and soon mission progress
was noted.  Those who were diligent in this righteous endeavor were
exceedingly blessed.  Those who sacrificed less continued to live in a
dangerous zone.  They were still vulnerable and remained the targets
of the adversary.

         A missionary's protection is to build his own fortification and to
develop his own state of perfection.  The Lord's admonition is clear:
"Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is
perfect."  (Matt. 5:48).  In the instance discussed, the mission program
to eliminate personal weaknesses was successful, and it was used
throughout the mission to promote each missionary's personal growth
and protection.

         We can readily draw examples from this program.  The missionary
who replaces a quick temper with patience is blessed.  The missionary
who sacrifices occasional gossip for positive comments is blessed.  The
more a missionary builds his defenses against the potential attacks of
the adversary, the more he is blessed.

         Missionaries have a unique opportunity for personal and spiritual
preparation under conditions which greatly favor growth and development
and offer a strong foundation for future life.  For example, the missionary
who is used by the Lord feels his Spirit often and grows spiritually from
each experience.  A variety of additional spiritual manifestations takes
place as the lives of men and women he influences are molded to fit
gospel principles.  Miracles take place.  Alcoholics leave their liquor.
Smokers abstain.  Adulterers and fornicators abruptly and completely
change their lives.

         During this limited but spiritually provocative time, the wise
missionary takes advantage of these blessings and prudently prepares
his character, building it up so Satan's temptations will not later weaken
him.  Because of such shelter, he can grow and flourish spiritually, perhaps
as in no other time of his life.  The mission is indeed the perfect time to
fortify against Satan's attacks and to establish through thought control
and self-discipline a firm spiritual foundation for life.

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