In the New Testament, the apostle Paul uses the metaphor of “putting on the armor of God” to describe seeking the Lord’s protection to withstand cunning strategies of the devil (see Ephesians 6:10-18).
For missionaries, the metaphor means “learning to resist temptation and to keep themselves safe, both spiritually and physically,” Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles told newly called mission leaders at the Provo Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah, on Thursday, June 19.
During his remarks at the 2025 Seminar for New Mission Leaders, Elder Renlund discussed the spiritual and physical protection that comes from “Putting on the Armor of God” — from “Preach My Gospel,” Chapter 2. An important piece of that armor also comes from being immersed in the Book of Mormon, as highlighted in “Preach My Gospel,” Chapter 5.
“The teachings found in the Book of Mormon can spiritually fortify and protect,” Elder Renlund testified.
Zone of safety
Elder Renlund outlined four “excellent pieces of armor” for missionaries. They are to study and apply:
1. The scriptures,
2. The words of living prophets,
3. “Preach My Gospel,” coupled with “Missionary Standards for Disciples of Jesus Christ,” including the safeguards outlined in Chapter 2, and
4. The direction received from mission leaders.
“When missionaries use these pieces of armor, they stay within a zone of safety,” Elder Renlund taught. “When they leave no gaps in their armor, they can resist temptation and keep themselves safe.”
Elder Renlund then shared of a time when he went outside his own zone of safety. When he was 16 years old, he and his older brother, Gary, were helping their father, a building contractor, by building framing walls made out of two-by-fours. The two would lay out a wall and then see who could nail the most two-by-fours in place.
One day, young Elder Renlund decided to borrow his father’s carpenter’s axe, which was heavier and longer than a framer’s hammer, and copy the technique of his father. With decades of experience, his father could drive a nail in just two strokes.
On the fourth nail, however, Elder Renlund missed the nail and smashed the tip of his index and third fingers. After about two hours and in considerable pain, he admitted to his father what he had done. Without a word, his father gently and carefully drilled small holes in his fingernails to release the pressure from the pent-up blood, which diminished the pain. “I have never again used a carpenter’s axe as a framing hammer,” Elder Renlund related.
Like the experience with his father, there may be times where words from a mission leader will not be needed to reprimand a young, inexperienced missionary for poor choices. Most missionaries, however, will “need to be regularly reminded of their zone of safety, to use the armor that is provided, leaving no gaps,” Elder Renlund told mission leaders.
Protective blessings of the Book of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is part of the armor needed by missionaries, Elder Renlund said.
President Russell M. Nelson said: “I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions — every day. I promise that … the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that … you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.”
Other blessings promised by Church leaders include help with weakness, discouragement and fear; greater ability to overcome doubt and fear; power to resist temptation; strength to overcome bad habits; greater ability to stay on the straight and narrow path; lighter burdens; and decreased susceptibility to deception.
“Promise these blessings to your missionaries,” Elder Renlund encouraged mission leaders.
Besides providing protection, studying the Book of Mormon will also expose missionaries to its converting power. “This converting power is real, and it changed my life,” he said.
The Apostle also asked mission leaders to teach their missionaries to put the promise of the Book of Mormon to the test and to invite others to do the same.
Elder Renlund testified: “The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is not only a sign that the gathering of scattered Israel has begun, but it is also the tool that is to be used for this gathering. Jesus Christ expects us to use it. Early Church members came under condemnation for not adequately relying on it. We are at risk of the same condemnation if we do not read, testify of and use the Book of Mormon in our missionary efforts.”
