The Force

Alma 58:37

"But, behold, it mattereth not - we trust God will deliver us, notwithstanding the weakness of our armies, yea, and deliver us out of the hands of our enemies."

I love the example that the Nephites are (well, at this point in the time line at least) in terms of demonstrating faith in the power of God.  Facing nearly insurmountable odds, they still believe that if they possess enough faith and act on that faith and inspiration, that the Lord will provide a means for them to be successful in battle.  Oddly enough, this sounds very similar to that of the battle between the Dark and Light sides of the force.  OK, I admit, Abigail and I just finished watching the first three episodes of Star Wars over the past 4 days, but it does not seem to be too much of a stretch.  As the Jedi trust in their teaching and in their code - which calls for putting others first, trusting their intuition and inward feelings to guide them, and never questioning the direction of those who have come before them - they will be strengthened and they will overcome the trial at hand.  However, the dark side of the force relies on fear, anger, and hatred to fuel their power.  They believe that they can become so powerful in their own right that there is nothing that can stand in their way.

Satan likes to tempt us into thinking that we can accomplish great and powerful things through reliance on our own abilities and that things that "get in our way" are obstacles that must be done away with, with no thought or regard to anybody but ourselves.  God, on the alternative, tells us that putting others first in thought and deed is the true source of power.  Christ was the perfect example of this, living out his mortality in the service and supplication of all those he interacted with, right down to his words on the cross of "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."