Follow the Prophet

“My love and appreciation for our previous prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley, is planted deeply in my heart and will remain with me throughout the eternities. But just as there is room in our hearts for all the children who come into our families, we have that same love and devotion for each prophet the Lord calls to lead His Church.”

     “Give Heed Unto the Prophet’s Word,” Quinten L. Cook, Ensign, May 2008


“Prophets are inspired to provide us with prophetic priorities to protect us from dangers. As an example, President Heber J. Grant, the prophet from 1918 to 1945, was inspired to emphasize adherence to the Word of Wisdom, 10 the principle with a promise revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph. 11 He stressed the importance of not smoking or drinking alcoholic beverages and directed the bishops to review these principles in temple recommend interviews.”

     “Give Heed Unto the Prophet’s Word,” Quinten L. Cook, Ensign, May 2008


“The message was that although we had made progress, yet before the Lord and before the prophet, it wasn’t enough. We went back, we redoubled our efforts; we found increased growth, but also we found increased strength and new stakes evolved because of those efforts. I don’t think the progress was so much because of us, but because of our desire to follow the prophet.”

     “Receiving A Prophet,” Loren C. Dunn, Ensign, May 1983

“It is most important that we, as members of the Church, accept without reservation President Lee as a prophet of God and as our leader. I am glad I can say that from the bottom of my heart with every bit of feeling I have. Let us listen to the prophet’s voice and follow him, not blindly but by faith. As we do this, we will never go astray. No holder of the priesthood can take it lightly. It is important that every member magnify his priesthood and realize that it is a great privilege and blessing to be able to hold the priesthood of God.”

     “The Priesthood and its Presidency,” N. Eldon Tanner, Ensign, Oct. 1972


"Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late.”

     “Finding Safety In Counsel,” Henry B. Eyring, Ensign, May 1997


"Happiness and spiritual progress lie in following the leaders of the Church."

     “The Witness: Martin Harris,” Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, May 1999


“Repeatedly the scriptures declare that the Lord gives His commandments to the children of men through living prophets. No committee, assembly, or any other authority has the right to dictate to Him doctrine that is contrary to His law. God's eternal blessings are contingent upon our obedience and adherence to the word of the Lord that is revealed to us through His holy prophets."

     “We Believe All That God Has Revealed,” L. Tom Perry, Ensign, Nov. 2003


"These are difficult times. Is there one clear, unpolluted, unbiased voice that we can always count on? Is there a voice that will always give us clear directions to find our way in today’s troubled world? The answer is yes. That voice is the voice of the living prophet and apostles.”

     “ Follow the Prophet,” M. Russell Ballard, New Era, Sept. 2001


"Through the ages, God's messages to his children generally have been revealed through prophets. Amos tells us, 'Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.' These are the prophetic oracles who have tuned in over the centuries to the 'celestial transmitting station,' with a responsibility to relay the Lord's word to others. The principal qualifications of a prophet in any age are not wealth, title, position, physical stature, scholarship, or intellectual attainment. The two qualifications are that a prophet must be called as such by God, by open prophecy, and ordained by one known to have legal and spiritual authority, and he must receive and declare revelation from God. No man knows the ways of God except they be revealed unto him.”

     “Continuous Revelation,” James E. Faust, Ensign, Nov. 1989


"Key statements made by latter-day prophets are not trite cliches. They are vital counsel to us from the Lord through his prophets. We should ponder and act upon such statements."

     “The Priesthood of God ,” Joseph B. Wirthlin, Ensign, Nov. 1988

My Testimony

Continuous revelation is what separates this faith from any other. The belief that Heavenly Father still reaches out to us as His children through giving us commandments that are directly applicable to our day means that no one has to navigate this life in confusion. Just as powerfully true is that through the living prophets we learn the nature and character of our Father in Heaven. We learn through prophets that He is invested in us and in our lives. He requires us to make sacrifices, receiving blessings in return. We know we pray to a person, not a randomly assigned entity. Those are just some simple things we learn, and when we act on that prophetic counsel we receive a spiritual witness that it is true. We evade so much pain and sorrow as we follow the prophets, like the pain that results in divorce, pornography, drugs and alcohol, debt, and anger. Ultimately, we find joy in following prophetic counsel because we become more like Christ by doing so than any other way.