Lessons learned from past Covenant people

Lessons learned from past successes:

• Ask for the Lord's help in trials to make burdens light and be patient (people of Alma)
• Raise children up to the Lord (successful generations in 4 Nephi)
• Do what the Lord asks no matter what (Nephi)
• Take problems and work them out with the Lord (Brother of Jared)
• Missionaries humble themselves before those they serve and start with service/love before the message.  In reality, that love IS their message. (Ammon and the sons of Mosiah)

Lessons learned from past failures:

• Don't send "Moses" up for us - no one is better or higher than another
• Don't freak out at someone's mistakes (Kirtland Safety Society)
• Don't get angry if the Lord feels we need to experience the loss of our worldly things; especially if the loss comes as a result of others' mistakes or evil intent (Kirtland Safety Society, people of Alma)
• fulfill a direct assignment from the Lord quickly (Nauvoo Temple)
• Missionaries should focus on their target audience and not get distracted (early LDS missionaries preaching to Campbellites instead of Lamanites)
• When it's time to ascend, ASCEND
• Don't let doctrinal disagreements cause division (Peter/Paul, Nephites)
• Show proper respect and appreciation for new scriptures (LDS who preferred the Bible over the Book of Mormon)
• Teach children properly (people of King Benjamin, 4 Nephi)
• Don't complain about things the Lord gives us (Manna)
• Don't seek for a mortal king (Jaredites, Nephites, Israelites)
• Don't be prideful of the Lord's protection (Nephites)
• Don't think ourselves better than those outside our group (pretty much all failed covenant people)
• Endure through trials
• Let the Lord fight our battles
• Committees may not be the best idea

And the seventy and seventh year began in peace, and the church did spread throughout the face of all the land, and the more part of the people, both the Nephites and the Lamanites, did belong to the church; and they did have exceeding great peace in the land. And thus ended the seventy and seventh year. And also they had peace in the seventy and eighth year, save it were a few contentions concerning the points of doctrine which had been laid down by the prophets. And in the seventy and ninth year there began to be much strife.