Strategem

I love strategy games. On occassion, I play Risk by myself...using 4-6 different armies. I distinguish each as aggressive or conservative, or unpredictable, or one who wants to maintain a continent and nothing more, etc. It's a lot of fun. And I never know who will win.

Helaman, a soldier in the Nephite army and Prophet of God, recounts taking an entire city without the shedding of blood. They were pursuing a Lamanite army towards a city the Lamanites had previously vacated. On the final night, Helaman ordered his men not to sleep and instead passed the Lamanite camp and entered the city. In Alma 58:28-29 it reads:

And thus it came to pass, that by this strategem we did take possession of the city of Manti without the shedding of blood. And it came to pass that when the armies of the Lamanites did arrive near the city, and saw that we were prepared to meet them, they were astonished exceedingly and struck with great fear, insomuch that they did flee into the wilderness.

Did you read/hear/see the hostages freed in Columbia? No blood was shed and 15 hostages were given freedom...some after as long as a decade.

Can you imagine?

A group of Colombian military intelligence agents mimicked a typical hostage release with the allusion that they were transporting the hostages to another rebel camp. Some of the agents had t-shirts with the infamous depiction of the Argentine revolutionary Ernesto "Che" Guevara. The FARC were fooled. It was an incredible strategem.



There is great evil in the world. But there is also opposition in all things according to the Lord. If you believe Him, then that means that there is also great righteousness in the world. As the world becomes more evil, the world also becomes more righteous. A great divide is taking place.

Whose side will you be on?