Raising Latter-day Stripling Warriors: 5 Strategies for Building a Formidable Family Fortress

By Debbie Bowen

We are at war!
Parenthood unavoidably propels us to the prestigious rank of generals in God's army. As guardians of the home, we must stand boldly at the head of our own mini militia in defending truth and right and producing latter-day warriors who can resist evil.
This empowering book provides critical strategies for deflecting the devil's malicious agenda by creating strong gospel armor and spiritual havens. Day by day, brick by brick, through small and simple means we can fortify faith and our family fortresses.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cedar Fort Publishing & Media
• Release date: Mar 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781462126613

Book preview

Stripling Warriors

"I have no greater joy than to hear

that my children walk in truth."

—3 John 1:4

As I happily went about my work one day , my precocious, energetic six-year-old son bounded into the room and declared cavalierly, I am going to choose the wrong. Alarms sounded in my head! What could have prompted such an unexpected decision?

Why would you want to choose the wrong? I wondered out loud.

Because, he replied impishly, then I can do practically anything I want.

And so, the battle for their souls begins . . .

Raising righteous children in today’s world is a daunting endeavor, requiring extreme vigilance, for Satan rules his kingdom with turmoil and terror. The entire mission of the legions under his command is to diffuse and destroy and annul and annihilate anything that is virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy (Articles of Faith 1:13). As evil escalates, our primary role as parents is to protect our precious offspring from Satan’s assaults.

Our Latter-Day Battle

Like it or not, we are at war! We are in the midst of a rivalry that has been raging since before the beginning of time. It is a vicious war for the souls of young and old alike, and the casualty count is climbing.[1] But this is not a battle of bullets and bombs and bayonets. This is a contest of light versus dark, right versus wrong, the Savior versus Satan. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of . . . darkness . . . against spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).

In the Grand Council in Heaven, when Satan rebelled against God and sought to defeat His plan, battle lines were drawn as the forces of good and evil aligned against each other. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven (Revelation 12:7–8). Therefore, Satan maketh war with the saints of God, and encompasseth them round about (D&C 76:29).

That struggle has not ended, only shifted battlegrounds. It is ruthless and relentless.[2] In these winding-up scenes of the longest war ever waged, Satan has launched his biggest campaign yet. The battle plan is in place; the strategies are set. He has had millennia to master his maneuvers and has a vast arsenal at his disposal. Thus he goeth up and down, to and fro in the earth, seeking to destroy the souls of men (D&C 10:27).

O that cunning plan of the evil one! (2 Nephi 9:28). Satan knows he ultimately loses the war; but he is determined to win as many personal battles as possible, and he will attempt to win at all costs. In this last-ditch effort to control and conquer, no technique is too extreme and no person is exempt. This is a war without rules or restrictions, and Satan never willingly retreats. He knows that if he can get our children while they are young, the chances of defection are slim. Therefore, we must begin at birth to prepare them for battle with this most brutal enemy. As always, the best defense is a good offense.

Building a Defense

A popular children’s fairy tale emphasizes the importance of being prepared. When the three little pigs set out to find their fortunes, two of them, in shortsighted fashion, quickly threw together shabbily made huts that proved too flimsy to withstand the destructive blows of the big bad wolf. While his brothers played and fiddled, however, the third little pig toiled tirelessly. Because the wily wolf already had the advantage, no half-hearted, hasty attempt would provide the necessary protection from this menacing marauder. Brick by brick, the little pig labored diligently to build a formidable fortress. He knew his life depended on the quality of his workmanship.

Similarly, Satan lies at the thresholds of our doors. Therefore, we must prepare places of refuge from the forces of evil that threaten to destroy our families. The devil and his minions already have the upper hand, so this is no time for shortcuts or laziness. No half-hearted, passive attempts will provide the necessary protection from the proverbial predators prowling on our porches. Our families’ spiritual lives hang in the balance. Procrastination or failure to adequately prepare only increases the probability that we perish. Brick by brick, day by day, year after year, we must build a fortress that will withstand the threatening blows of the demons at our doors. It is never too early to implement a defense strategy for your family.

Valiant Youth

Don’t underestimate your children’s ability to be valiant. The Lord [will bless them] with wisdom beyond [their] years.[3] The scriptures contain many stories of young people who remained faithful despite difficult circumstances. Esther was a young Jewish maiden when crowned queen of Persia, but her unflinching faith and courage saved her people. During the time of Abraham, Pharaoh’s priest offered up three virgins at one time because they would not bow down to worship gods of wood or of stone (Abraham 1:11). And the damsel (Genesis 24:16) Rebekah left her family to marry a man she had never met, trusting her future life to the Lord.

Relatively speaking, Enoch was but a lad when he was called to preach repentance (Moses 6:31). And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, . . . and the rivers of water were turned out of their course, and the Lord came and dwelt with his people (Moses 7:13, 16). Eventually, they became so righteous that the entire city was taken up to heaven (see Moses 7:21).

When Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego were taken captive by the Babylonians, they refused to participate in the worldly practices of their peers—and they prospered. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and . . . [the king] found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm (Daniel 1:17, 20). Later, when faced with almost certain death in a fiery furnace, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego refused to worship the golden idol that King Nebuchadnezzar had caused to be erected (see Daniel 3). And when Daniel was threatened with death in a den of lions if he prayed to God, he went into his house; and his windows being open in his chamber . . . kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime (Daniel 6:10).

Jacob’s son Joseph was just seventeen when his brothers sold him to a traveling caravan to be taken to Egypt as a slave. He remained true to his beliefs while living far from home and family (see Genesis 37). At age thirty, he became ruler over all the land—second only to Pharaoh (see Genesis 41:40–46).

Joseph Smith was but an obscure boy (Joseph Smith—History 1:22) of fourteen when he offered a prayer that completely changed the course of latter-day history. And when Jesus was only twelve years old, his parents found him at the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers (Luke 2:46–47).

Nephi was exceedingly young (1 Nephi 2:16) when his family left Jerusalem, yet he was obedient in all he was asked to do. At age ten, Mormon was entrusted with the care and keeping of a thousand years of Nephite records, and at fifteen he was visited by the Lord (see Mormon 1:15). He was true to his convictions even though a continual scene of wickedness and abominations [had] been before [his] eyes ever since [he had] been sufficient to behold the ways of man (Mormon 2:18).

Moroni became captain of the entire Nephite army at only twenty-five. Despite great power and prominence, he never compromised his principles. Commenting on Moroni’s integrity, Mormon said, If all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men (Alma 48:17).

The Original Stripling Warriors

The Book of Mormon describes in detail an army of very young soldiers (Alma 56:46). Though these stripling warriors fought with swords and cimeters, there are parallels for our latter-day stripling warriors, and we can learn critical combat strategies by studying their story.

First, it’s important to remember that their mothers taught them—not the Primary, the Sunday School, their Young Men leaders, their bishops, the Missionary Training Center, their mission presidents, or their military leaders. Apparently, these righteous women had a battle plan of their own. As commanders in chief of their own mini militias, their homes became specialized boot camps where their children were taught and trained in religious tactical maneuvers. They did not wait for the ward to provide a defense strategy for their little bands of soldiers.

Day by day, these faithful mothers fashioned a breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, and a helmet of salvation (Ephesians 6:14, 16, 17) for each of their young warriors, and when the call to arms came, their sons were prepared. Two thousand young men marched into battle with their loins girt about with truth and their "feet shod with the