"Just like no two people are identical, each of us will have a unique battle plan to resist those things that tempt us, but all battle plans contain similar key components. I would like to share with you some of the features and lessons of my battle plan in hope that we all may be a little stronger, a little more dedicated, and a little more capable to resist the evils of the world," said Brian Blum at a devotional held in the McKay Auditorium on June 22, 2010.
Blum, a graduate of Brigham Young University and later from the University of Utah with a Master of Professional Accountancy, is the current Director of Financial Services at BYU–Hawaii.
Blum focused his speech on two key areas—first, recognizing the strength of our opponent and taking his plans seriously, and second, recognizing the greater power of the Lord and embracing his teachings and protection.
In order to recognize and study our opponent, Blum gave four tools that the adversary uses against us: subtleties, discouragement and doubt, moments we are weak, and pride.
And to combat these unruly forces, he gave eight ways to recognize the power of the Lord and to embrace His protection: watch and pray, be aware of and control your environment, diligently study the scriptures, establishing boundaries, decide once and decide now, control your thoughts, look for the escape hatches or the emergency shut-off valves, and repentance. With each way listed, Blum shared personal thoughts to reiterate what he felt.
Quoting Elder Boyd K. Packer's admonition on how to control our thoughts, he said, "As you learn to control your thoughts, you can overcome habits, even degrading personal habits. You can gain courage, conquer fear, and have a happy life. I had been told a hundred times or more as I grew up that thoughts must be controlled, but no one told me how. I've thought about this over the years and have decided that the mind is like a stage. During every waking moment the curtain is up. There is always some act being performed on that stage. It may be a comedy, a tragedy, interesting or dull, good or bad; but always there is some act playing on the stage of your mind." (Worthy Music, Worthy Thoughts, Boyd K. Packer, New Era April 2008)
Our hope and safety is in the Lord, Blum noted, stating, "I encourage you to build a personal battle plan. Go home and write a one page battle plan. I have suggested a handful of tools from the teachings of the scriptures and prophets, but there are many more. Each battle plan is unique and should be tailored to your own needs."
–Photo by Nathan Lehano
Click here to view full transcript of Brian Blum's devotional