Alma 15

Through your faith in Jesus Christ you can be healed and strengthened. Bishops and other priesthood leaders can help you receive the mercy and strength you need through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

1-3. What reasons are there that people get sick? Can your sins cause you to feel sick? 

3-5. What words or phrases describe Zeezrom's condition? Why do you think Zeezrom's guilt led him to suffer both spiritually and physically? Why did Zeezrom feel guilty?What do people in this condition need to do in order for their condition to change?

"I [once] asked a doctor of family medicine how much of his time was devoted purely to correcting physical disorders. He has a large practice, and after thoughtfully considering, he answered, 'Not more than 20 percent. The rest of the time I seem to be working on problems that very much affect the physical well-bing of my patients but do not originate in the body. These physical disorders,' the doctor concluded, 'are merely symptoms of some other kind of trouble.' In recent generations one after another of the major diseases has yielded to control or cure. Some very major ones still remain, but we now seem able to do something about most of them. There is another part of us, not so tangible, but quite as real as our physical body. This intangible part of us is described as mind, emotion, intellect, temperament, and many other things. Very seldom is it described as spiritual. But there is a spirit in man; to ignore it is to ignore reality. There are spiritual disorders, too, and spiritual diseases that can cause intense suffering. The body and the spirit of man are bound together." - Boyd K Packer, GC, October 1977

4. Whose help did Zeezrom seek? Why do you think he sent for Alma and Amulek? What word describes how Zeezrom responded when he heard the Alma and Amulek were nearby? How quickly did Alma and Amulek respond when they were invited to come to Zeezrom? Why do you think they responded so quickly? How important is it to respond to the Lord immediately when he calls you? How should you respond when the bishop asks you to do something? How quickly should children respond when their parents ask them to do something?

6-10. Why do you think Zeezrom needed to exercise faith in Jesus Christ and His Atonement before he could be healed? Was Zeezrom physically or spiritually ill? Which would be a greater miracle, to heal a sick body or to heal a sick soul? What can you do to reach out to those who are suffering in the ward or in your neighborhood?

"The great call has come now in the sermons of the Brethren to aid those who are in need of aid, not just temporal aid, but spiritual aid. The greatest miracles I see today are not necessarily the healing of sick bodies, but the greatest miracles I see are the healing of sick souls, those who are sick in soul and spirit and are downhearted and distraught, on the verge of nervous breakdowns. We are reaching out to all such, because they are precious in the sight of the Lord, and we want no one to feel that they are forgotten." - Harold B Lee, Ensign, July 1973

8. What is the best way to overcome feelings of guilt?
11-12. By what power was Zeezrom healed? What evidence do you see that Zeezrom repented and received the Lord's mercy? In what ways have your priesthood leaders helped you receive the blessings of the Atonement?
13-15. What does a hard-hearted person do? How can you soften your heart? (See 1Nephi 2:16, <psoaj 21:15, Alma 24:8)
16. Amulek's family was blessed by their association with Alma (Alma 19:11). What caused them to turn away from and reject Amulek from among them? What kinds of things cause people to turn away from the people and things of God in your day?
16-19. What sorts of things would you do to prepare yourself if you knew that an enemy was coming to attack your or your home? Who is the enemy identified in these verses? What did it cost Amulek to follow Alma?
17. What did the Church members do to protect themselves against Satan?
18. How did Alma help Amulek?