Mosiah 7

(Below is a list of questions and quotes that help me think about each verse as I read it. The numbers represent the verses in the chapter.)

The Lord can keep you from bondage if you will just follow the profits and keep the Commandments. Recognizing your iniquities and feeling godly sorrow for them can lead you to turn to the Lord for deliverance

1-33. Have you ever wanted to be delivered from bad feelings, a painful situation, a challenging or oppressive circumstance, or guilt from sin? After reading the book of Mosiah return to this question and record the answers you have been inspired with.

1. What people was King Messiah concerned for?

2. Who did Mosiah send to look for Zeniff's colony?

3-4. What challenges did Ammon's group have as they sought to find the people of Lehi-Nephi? How many days did they wander in the wilderness and why?

5-6. What did Ammons group do when they came to the hill?

7-8. Why were Ammon's scouts bound and put in prison?

9. Who did they learned was now the king of Zeniff's people?

10-11. What precautions did king Limhi take and why on the day that Ammon's group came down into the valley?

12-13. When Ammon was permitted to speak, what message did he give to King Limhi?

14-15. Why was the king exceedingly glad to learn that Ammmon and his men were from Zarahemla?

16. What welcome did Limhi give Ammon and his men when he discovered their true identity and the reason for their presence there?

18. What did the arrival of Ammon and his men mean to King Limhi and his people?

19. Why do you suppose that King Limhi encouraged his people to remember the stories of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob? How were the Old Testament stories of deliverance an inspiration to these people? How can these same stories inspire you in your day?

20-33. How are Limhi's people like people today who are in bondage to sin? What kinds of things are people overzealous for today that leads them to be deceived by Satan? Although they may not seek to kill them, how do those who want to sin treat modern prophets? How does the cost of sin today compared to the price of bondage for Limhi's people?

20. How does knowing the unchanging and merciful nature of God instill within your heart faith and trust in Him?

21-22. How were the people who descended from a Zeniff now able to look back on the events that transpired and see the ulterior motives of the Lamanite king at that time? What lessons do you learn in hindsight? How can these lessons help you be better prepared to face the challenges that are in your future?

23. How did the people suffer as a result of the wicked desires of the Lamanite king? How did the trials and the bondage that King Limhi and his people endured strengthen them? How did those experiences prepare them to be humble and willing to submit to God's will in their lives? What blessings have you received as a result from your trials and challenges in life?

24. Have you ever mourned or felt sadness or regret because of iniquity? In what ways can consequences for sin be helpful in your life? How can you apply your learning and not repeat the sin? Why is it important to recognize and admit how serious your sins are? Why is it important to feel godly sorrow for them? Why is it important not to delay recognizing and feeling the sorrow for your sins?

"Study and ponder to determine how serious the Lord defines your transgression to be. That will bring healing sorrow and remorse. It will also bring a sincere desire for change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness." – Richard G Scott, GC, April 1995

25. How can you be assured that the Lord is always aware of you? How does knowing that the Lord will not remove the natural consequences to your decisions increase your faith in Him and your desire to keep his Commandments?

26-28. What did Abinadi prophesy to the people of Zeniff? What was it about his teachings that they did not like? What did the people choose to do with Abinadi? Knowing that a prophet of God had been killed, how did King Limhi's people view the bondage they lived under?

29. How does the Lord respond to those who choose to transgress his laws? Why are natural consequences of sin and transgression often manifest in trials and challenges? How can choosing to be obedient to the laws of God help you avoid certain trials and challenges?

30-32. Are the words in this verse a curse or a blessing? Why is it important to understand the principle that we reap what we sell? How does this principle affect your choices?

33. What promise do the repentant have? How can you be assured of overcoming your trials and challenges?

"For our turning to the Lord to be complete, it must include nothing less than a covenant of obedience to Him." - D Todd Christofferson, GC, October 2011

"Faith is more than mental assent, more than an acknowledgement that God lives. Faith is total trust in Him. Faith is believing that although we do not understand all things, He does. Faith is knowing that although our power is limited, His is not. Faith in Jesus Christ consists of complete reliance on Him." - Dennis E Simmons, GC, April 2004

"Our earnest prayers are answered when they conform to the will of the Lord. Since we cannot perfectly understand His will, we must walk with faith. He is all-knowing, and His decisions are perfect. The fact that our finite capacity does not let us understand all of His dealings with man does not limit Him from blessing us. His will is our best choice in life, whether or not we fully understand it. When we act using our moral agency wisely, the Lord will act according to His will." - Richard G Scott, GC, October 1991