In the Book of Mormon we read that all these things occurred in the land of Mormon, by the waters of Mormon, which was in the borders of the land so that it would not come to the knowledge of the King. However, the King sent servants to discover them. The King claimed Alma was stirring up the people to rebel against him and he sent his army to destroy them. So Alma and 450 people who followed him fled into the wilderness. Mosiah 18:30-35 "And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever. And these things were done in the borders of the land, that they might not come to the knowledge of the king. But behold, it came to pass that the king, having discovered a movement among the people, sent his servants to watch them. Therefore on the day that they were assembling themselves together to hear the word of the Lord they were discovered unto the king. And now the king said that Alma was stirring up the people to rebellion against him; therefore he sent his army to destroy them. And it came to pass that Alma and the people of the Lord were apprised of the coming of the king's army; therefore they took their tents and their families and departed into the wilderness. And they were in number about four hundred and fifty souls."
In the Old Testament we read that we can pray unto the Lord to deliver us from the snares and traps that the wicked place before us. Psalms 141:9 "Keep me from the snares which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity."
A verse with a thought booklet tells us that faith without works is dead. This can actually have two meanings. One is that it's not enough to just say we have faith, and then not do anything to demonstrate our faith. For example, we can't say we have faith in Jesus Christ and than blatantly break all His commandments. We shouldn't tell a hungry person to "be filled" but not bother to feed them. But there is another way to look at faith without works as well. Suppose a person is unemployed and needs a job. Is it enough to sit home day after day praying that the Lord will help them find a job, without doing anything to actively look fora job? Or suppose a person doesn't know what kind of a job to train for or what type of education to pursue? Should they sit at home praying for direction and refuse to do anything until they get a revelation from God specifically telling them what to do? It's good to have faith in God, but we need to act as well as wait for God to direct us. In other words, we need to wait actively. Sometimes we need to take a few steps into the dark before God will illuminate our path. If we're trying our best to make correct decisions, and pray to the Lord for help, He won't let us go very far in the wrong direction without correcting us. It's important to have faith in God, but we also need to get moving and do what we can for ourselves. James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
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