Day 82 ~ GCBC-- Follow the Prophets

What rivets your attention in these talks? Is there anything you learned here that you had not considered before? What stood out to you as you studied them? What do you think is the warning associated with this repeated message? What did it make you feel or want to do?

~Steph Diapers and Divinity

I love the titles of these two talks Obedience To The Prophets, Our Very Survival. Together they make an amazing title, don’t you think? Obedience=Survival. WOW!! How can that be? We need obedience to survive? Yes, we do. Reading these two talks together and taking the thoughts that came to me during General Conference I am convinced that we do need to be obedient to the word of the Lord in order to survive not only the world we live in, but in raising our children to be obedient.

I am not perfect in following the prophet, there have been times I have questioned His counsel. Many times I have found myself on my knees pleading with the Lord because I am stubborn and didn’t want to do what the Lord had asked of me through His living prophet. The year was 2003. Brendon was going to be turning 12 and our Stake President had made it a point to follow Elder Oaks counsel given in the October 1998 General Conference about distractions from the Priesthood during the administration of the sacrament. Our Stake President had given guidelines to all the Bishops in our stake about the desired dress and grooming of our young men which included the length and color (including not having highlights) of hair. Well, my son did not fit into any of these categories, I dressed him in white shirts, his hair was kept short and he definitely did not color or put highlights in hair, but every football season he would shave a small “T” in the back of his hair in support of his team. Honestly, I didn’t see anything wrong with that, plus the Stake President didn’t say anything about shaving designs in the hair.

As I was discussing this with one of the bishopric member he encouraged me to read Elder Oaks talk and then I needed to “search out [the] answers to our problems and questions by investigating what the Lord has revealed through His prophets.” I was greatly humbled by this experience and have come to have a much better understanding of what distractions can really be while partaking of the Lord sacrament.

I love the quote from Elder Duncan: “the only sure and secure road to protection in this life comes through trusting in and obeying the counsel from the prophets of God.” I have come to learn and understand that even when I don’t feel that it is necessary to follow the counsel given, and as I choose to follow the prophet with trust and obedience I will have protection because of my faith or even sometimes--my lack of faith and my children will be more willing to follow my example because I am willing to

Follow The Prophet.