Alma 12:1-7 Verses 3 to 6 offer important insight into the devil's tactics and motives. While first directing his comments to just Zeezrom, Alma makes clear that all the community around Zeezrom was also being taken advantage of through the devil's efforts. What's more, these verses explain that the adversary actually had a plan for their destruction. His efforts were crafted to be subtle and imperceivable so that he may gain control of the community and the individual. This is a reality that the adversary has power to exercise control over us. That is the only power that he has, but that is the whole thrust of his campaign of evil: so that he can bind us during this season of mortality to prevent us from experiencing the peace and happiness of a good life and ultimately, to obtain salvation. At the end of verse 7 , the writer makes this insightful observation: "for power was given unto them that they might know of these things according to the spirit of prophecy ....
A personal study of the Book of Mormon by Brent Leavitt,
a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.