By the spirit of revelation and prophecy, Helaman was privy to two doctrines which were to be taught later during the Sermon on the Mount. The first is that men should lay up for themselves treasures in heaven (v. 8, Matt 6:19-21). The second is that the house of faith must be built upon the rock of the Redeemer (Matt 7:24-7). Thus we see that the Lord did not limit Nephites to Law of Moses doctrines. Rather, he proved that he gives unto all nations according to their diligence, ’Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another…And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever’ (2 Nephi 29:8-9).
"Every person builds a house of faith. We do so knowingly or unknowingly. And every builder soon learns that a good building with bad foundations is worse than useless; it is dangerous. As one Christian writer has observed, ’If the stability of buildings depends largely on their foundations, so does the stability of human lives. The search for personal security is a primal instinct, but many fail to find it today. Old familiar landmarks [will be] obliterated. Moral absolutes which were once thought to be eternal are being abandoned’ (Stott 22). Thus our house of faith can be no more secure than the foundation upon which it is built. Foolish men build upon the shifting sands of ethics and the marshlands of human philosophies and doctrines. The wise build upon the rock of revelation, heeding carefully the living oracles, lest they be ’brought under condemnation ... and stumble and fall when the storms descend, and the winds blow, and the rains descend, and beat upon their house’ (D&C 90:5). All that we do as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must be built upon a foundation of faith and testimony and conversion. When external supports fail us, then our hearts must be riveted upon the things of the Spirit, those internal realities which provide the meaning, the perspective, and the sustenance for all else that matters in life.
"…Surely the supreme challenge of this life for those of us who aspire to Christian discipleship is to build our lives on Christ, to erect our house of faith, a divine domicile in which he and his Spirit would be pleased to dwell. There is safety from Satan and his minions only in Christ. There is security only in his word and through his infinite and eternal power.
“How, then, do we build on Christ? In a day when the winds are blowing and [the waves are] beating upon our ship, how do we navigate our course safely into the peaceful harbor? What must we do to have our Savior pilot us through life’s tempestuous seas? Amidst the babble of voices-enticing voices which threaten to lead us into forbidden paths or which beckon us to labor in secondary causes-how do the Saints of the Most High know the Way, live the Truth, and gain that Life which is abundant? The revelations and the prophets offer us some simple yet far-reaching suggestions: (the author goes on to describe four steps: 1) Treasure up his word, 2) Teach his doctrine, 3) Sustain his servants, and 4) Trust in and rely upon the Lord.)” (Robert L. Millet, Book of Mormon Symposium Series, Helaman 3 – 3 Nephi 8, edited by PR Cheesman, MS Nyman, and CD Tate, Jr., 1988, pp. 26-8)
Richard G. Scott
“Anchor your life in Jesus Christ, your Redeemer. Make your Eternal Father and his Beloved Son the most important priority in your life—more important than life itself, more important than a beloved companion or children or anyone on earth. Make their will your central desire. Then all that you need for happiness will come to you.” (Ensign, May 1993, pp. 32-4 as taken from Latter-day Commentary on the Book of Mormon compiled by K. Douglas Bassett, p. 377)