Ether 9:3

And the Lord warned Omer in a dream that he should depart out of the land; wherefore Omer departed out of the land with his family, and traveled many days, and came over and passed by the hill of Shim, and came over by the place where the Nephites were destroyed, and from thence eastward, and came to a place which was called Ablom, by the seashore, and there he pitched his tent, and also his sons and his daughters, and all his household, save it were Jared and his family.

Sometimes we stand and fight, and sometimes we run. The Lord will give us the right strategy. He told Lehi to flee, Captain Moroni to fight, and Lachoneus to hunker down. For now we are to stay in our homes, resist evil, and do our best to recognize and expose secret combinations. The day may come for us, however, when, like Omer, we will need to flee to escape the secret combinations that have gotten above us. Time will tell. The important thing is to watch the prophet.

Ether 3:12-13

And he answered: Yea, Lord, I know that thou speakest the truth, for thou art a God of truth, and canst not lie. And when he had said these words, behold, the Lord showed himself unto him, and said: Because thou knowest these things ye are redeemed from the fall; therefore ye are brought back into my presence; therefore I show myself unto you.

When we truly know that God does not and cannot lie, when we know for ourselves that he has worked out the atonement for us personally, and when we believe him when he says he can save and exalt us, we will be redeemed from the fall like Moriancumr, Enos, Nephi the first, Nephi son of Helaman, and a host of others. We can have our calling and election made sure by the testimony of Jesus Christ himself through personal revelation. The experiences of the prophets in the scriptures are not to taunt us with unattainable goals, but to testify that such goals ARE attainable. Christ does not want to save us just in the hereafter, but in the here and now. This life is not just the time to prepare to meet God, it is the time to receive a proper introduction.

Mormon 8:15

For none can have power to bring it to light save it be given him of God; for God wills that it shall be done with an eye single to his glory, or the welfare of the ancient and long dispersed covenant people of the Lord.

It has been said, a wicked man could not write the Book of Mormon, and a good man would not try. Only a prophet would publish such a book, claim it came from God, and then make the fantastic promise that if the reader prays, God will tell him it is true. The promise is so bold and blatant, it must be where everyone should start who wants to test the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. No other criticism of the church could possibly carry greater weight than the authenticity or falsity of the Book of Mormon.

3 Nephi 20:24

Verily I say unto you, yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have testified of me.

The primary message of every prophet is his testimony of Jesus Christ. Not all spoke of him directly or by name, but all have testified one way or the other of the Redeemer, the Savior, our Advocate with the Father, the sacrificial Lamb, the resurrected Lord. All prophetic messages point us to Christ. Christ is the only One who can bring us to the Father, and true prophets always lead us to Christ. We thank the, O God, for a prophet, to lead us to Christ in these latter days.

Helaman 15:3

Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them.

Because God loves us, he does all he can short of taking away our agency to get us to repent and come to him. Ideally he sends us specific correction through personal revelation from the Holy Ghost.  To get us to the point where we can hear his voice through the Spirit, he may send general correction through his servants the prophets. When we don't listen to the prophets, he may send us correction through personal and general trials and afflictions. As I have said many times, not every trial is the result of sin, but unrepented sins will surely bring affliction of one kind or another. As I have also said before, afflictions are not punishments. They may be tests, opportunities to grow, or wake-up calls, but God is generally not in the punishment business. Eternal justice will deliver punishment. God's whole work is to try to save us from justice, if we will let him.

Helaman 10:1

And it came to pass that there arose a division among the people, insomuch that they divided hither and thither and went their ways, leaving Nephi alone, as he was standing in the midst of them.

I have always been impressed with the drama of this scene. The people become so caught up in their arguments about Nephi that they forget he is even present. In stead of listening to him, they would rather hold theoretical debates about the merits of his words. Do we ever get so caught up in talking about the prophet that we forget to listen to him? Does he become an intellectual figurehead whom we reverence like an idol but miss the vital messages he has to offer? We are blessed to have a living prophet on the earth today. Let's not get so caught up in the man that we miss the message.

Helaman 9:2

Behold, now we will know of a surety whether this man be a prophet and God hath commanded him to prophesy such marvelous things unto us. Behold, we do not believe that he hath; yea, we do not believe that he is a prophet; nevertheless, if this thing which he has said concerning the chief judge be true, that he be dead, then will we believe that the other words which he has spoken are true.

The rationale in this verse is that if a prophet is right about small things, it is a testament that he is also right about the important things. Prophecies are useful in and of themselves, but they are a means to an end, that end being faith in the words of the prophets when they testify of Christ. All the predictions in the world are useless unless they bring us to Christ and strengthen our faith in him.

Living prophets in our day can be put to the same test. They have prophesied of financial calamities, moral decay, and the disintegration of the family. As we see these prophecies come to pass, we must awaken to the truly important prophecy--the prophecy of every prophet in every age, namely, that Christ will come to rule and reign forever. Every day is one day closer to the fulfillment of that all-important prophecy.

Alma 19:4

And she said unto him: The servants of my husband have made it known unto me that thou art a prophet of a holy God, and that thou hast power to do many mighty works in his name;

Wonderful works follow those who believe. The Lord has much work to do upon the earth among his children. He needs servants who will carry out his work. When we sign up to do his work, we can be assured that he will use us to the full extent possible. He does not have an abundance of faithful helpers. 

So what can we expect when we strive to become instruments in the Lord's hands? We can expect to do mighty miracles. Not to impress or to fill our vain ambition, but to serve God's children and bring them to Christ. If that is our aim and desire, God will find many ways to use us. Some may be publicly impressive, most will be quietly private, but all will be with power. 

Alma 5:11-12

Behold, I can tell you—did not my father Alma believe in the words which were delivered by the mouth of Abinadi? And was he not a holy prophet? Did he not speak the words of God, and my father Alma believe them? And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.

Alma's formula for changing our life: Listen to the prophet of God, believe the Word of God, and have faith in the Son of God. The result: God will change us.

Alma 4:19

And this he did that he himself might go forth among his people, or among the people of Nephi, that he might preach the word of God unto them, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty, and that he might pull down, by the word of God, all the pride and craftiness and all the contentions which were among his people, seeing no way that he might reclaim them save it were in bearing down in pure testimony against them.

To bear down is to apply a steady pressure in order to get something to move. Pure testimony is a witness born from the heart in all sincerity, untainted by rhetoric and swelling words and sophistry. It is plain truth, exactly what you know and nothing more. No embellishment, no mystery, no fluff. Alma's objective was to apply constant pressure on the people with his plain, simple testimony of what he knew to be true from personal experience in the hopes moving the people towards repentance. This is always the role of a prophet. How grateful I am for the prophets who have touched my life for nearly fifty years.

Mosiah 13:25-26

[Abinadi] said unto them: Have ye taught this people that they should observe to do all these things for to keep these commandments? I say unto you, Nay; for if ye had, the Lord would not have caused me to come forth and to prophesy evil concerning this people.

Here is a simple truth: Messages from the prophets reflect the condition of our hearts. If our hearts are united with God and at peace, God sends messages of peace through his prophets. If, however, our hearts are turned against the Lord, he sends messages of warning. If we do not hear messages we like, the blame is not with the prophet, but with his audience.

Mosiah 8:17

But a seer can know of things which are past, and also of things which are to come, and by them shall all things be revealed, or, rather, shall secret things be made manifest, and hidden things shall come to light, and things which are not known shall be made known by them, and also things shall be made known by them which otherwise could not be known.

Through all time, God has had prophets, seers, and revelators on the earth to help his children learn from the past, cope with the present, and prepare for the future. As long as there is a man or woman with faith to hear, God has spoken. He who never changes works the same today as in the past--he has prophets, seers, and revelators among us today who encourage us to look to God, have faith, protect our families, keep the commandments, and be of good cheer. If we want to be happy, who knows better than God how to be happy?

Mosiah 8:16

And Ammon said that a seer is a revelator and a prophet also; and a gift which is greater can no man have, except he should possess the power of God, which no man can; yet a man may have great power given him from God.

God does not grant to men all of his power. Some powers are simply not meant for mortals. The power of resurrection, for example, is not given to man. The Lord holds that power for himself. Yet man can be granted power through the priesthood to raise the dead and call them forth from death to return to mortality. Those so raised,  however, are still mortal and will again have their spirits separated from their bodies, to await like all mortals the permanent reuniting of body and spirit that is the God-given gift of resurrection. We as mortals can receive great power over earthly things, but God reserves power over heavenly things.

Mosiah 2:11

But I am like as yourselves, subject to all manner of infirmities in body and mind; yet I have been chosen by this people, and consecrated by my father, and was suffered by the hand of the Lord that I should be a ruler and a king over this people; and have been kept and preserved by his matchless power, to serve you with all the might, mind and strength which the Lord hath granted unto me.

Prophets are human. They are not infallible. Nevertheless, if they serve God with all their heart, might, mind and strength, as did King Benjamin, the Lord will not let them lead us astray.

Mosiah 2:9

And these are the words which he spake and caused to be written, saying: My brethren, all ye that have assembled yourselves together, you that can hear my words which I shall speak unto you this day; for I have not commanded you to come up hither to trifle with the words which I shall speak, but that you should hearken unto me, and open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.

In two weeks, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will suspend their normal Sunday worship services to focus on the semi-annual General Conference. Prophets and leaders will speak to the general membership and to the world. We will, in a very real sense, gather at the feet of our prophet as did the people of King Benjamin. This verse explains how we should approach General Conference, with open ears, open hearts, and open minds, and with a determination to hearken.

Second Nephi 29:9

And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever.

The Book of Mormon is evidence that God is not partial and does not change. He speaks to prophets whenever and wherever he likes. What he says to them also does not change. The basic principles of the gospel are the same in every dispensation.

Second Nephi 28:29

Wo be unto him that shall say: We have received the word of God, and we need no more of the word of God, for we have enough!

Nephi's warning is not only to those who cling to the Bible and refuse to accept the Book of Mormon, it is also a warning to the saints who refuse revelation from the living prophet. God is not done talking. He has words for every people in every age. He has solutions for modern problems, just as he had solutions for Noah's day, Moses's day, Elijah's day, and Paul's day. Continuous, modern-day revelation is the only course of God that makes sense. He is anxious to help. We ought not to lock him out.

Second Nephi 28:14

They wear stiff necks and high heads; yea, and because of pride, and wickedness, and abominations, and whoredoms, they have all gone astray save it be a few, who are the humble followers of Christ; nevertheless, they are led, that in many instances they do err because they are taught by the precepts of men.

We are all susceptible to being led into error. Thus we must be ever vigilant and test everything we hear by the scriptures and the words of the living prophet. If we don't know the scriptures and the prophets, it is easy to be led astray. Thus Satan is anxious for us to stop studying the scriptures and stop attending church. Once we lose our compass, he can turn us in any direction he chooses, and we won't be able to detect the misdirection.

Second Nephi 28:4

And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.

The teachings of men are speculative in nature. Without the Holy Ghost to reveal and confirm truth, how can we have confidence in their words? Thus we get councils and creeds created by committees and canonized by a majority vote. When no prophet is present to say, "Thus saith the Lord," absolute truth cannot be known.

Second Nephi 8:16

And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion: Behold, thou art my people.

God gives us His word through revelation. He offers us protection. But we must stay close to Him to receive His word and enjoy the power of His protection. He has created the heavens and the earth with one purpose in mind: to create a Zion people and to claim them as His own.