Those Who Believed
Soon after Lehi passes away in the Book of Mormon, Nephi describes the difficult and dangerous situation he and his family were in due to the hatred of his brothers, Laman and Lemuel (2 Nephi 5). The situation was such that Nephi had to take his family and leave - to "...journey in the wilderness for the space of many days." In the process of leaving, Nephi appealed to others to join him in leaving and finding a new land to live in, and several did join him (Zoram and his family, Sam, Jacob, and Joseph, etc).
In verse 6, it says, "...And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words."
I think this is a great description of how it really works with people in following the prophet. Sometimes when the leaders of the Church make a statement to the world that is contrary to popular culture or social accepted norms, some members of the Church use it as an excuse to not follow the prophet. They treat the statement as their reason they cannot follow. However, the truth is, they do not follow because they already had stopped believing in the warnings and revelations of God. They just needed some excuse to justify them leaving that wouldn't indict their unbelief and failure to gain and/or maintain a testimony.
As Nephi describes, those who follow the prophet are those who already believe in the "...warnings and the revelations of God..."
I believe this is the case for all of us. Our following always comes after faith. I have yet to meet a person with a strong testimony of the "warnings and revelations of God" who hesitated in following the Prophet. And I have yet to see someone who fails to follow, maintain a strong testimony (or any testimony at all, for that matter).
It is so key to our spiritual safety (like it was to Nephi's family and friends) that we can be led by revelation. However, that cannot work in our lives unless we first have a testimony of God's word and the principle of revelation. We cannot allow ourselves to be put into a position of evaluating our leaders' words by our own understanding or a perspective built by our own preferences, or even that of anything other than personal testimony. It is a dangerous thing to judge the things of God by the perspectives and understanding of man.
This scripture was a great reminder to me today of how I need to constantly seeking to strengthen my faith and testimony in these things so that if and when the prophet speaks, I can act and be led to safety. The alternative is like those who did not follow Nephi - we are left behind with a cursed and idolatrous people. The same is indeed true for our day.
I hope you experience the Spirit today. Have a great one. Love you all.
Brother Clark
In verse 6, it says, "...And all those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God; wherefore, they did hearken unto my words."
I think this is a great description of how it really works with people in following the prophet. Sometimes when the leaders of the Church make a statement to the world that is contrary to popular culture or social accepted norms, some members of the Church use it as an excuse to not follow the prophet. They treat the statement as their reason they cannot follow. However, the truth is, they do not follow because they already had stopped believing in the warnings and revelations of God. They just needed some excuse to justify them leaving that wouldn't indict their unbelief and failure to gain and/or maintain a testimony.
As Nephi describes, those who follow the prophet are those who already believe in the "...warnings and the revelations of God..."
I believe this is the case for all of us. Our following always comes after faith. I have yet to meet a person with a strong testimony of the "warnings and revelations of God" who hesitated in following the Prophet. And I have yet to see someone who fails to follow, maintain a strong testimony (or any testimony at all, for that matter).
It is so key to our spiritual safety (like it was to Nephi's family and friends) that we can be led by revelation. However, that cannot work in our lives unless we first have a testimony of God's word and the principle of revelation. We cannot allow ourselves to be put into a position of evaluating our leaders' words by our own understanding or a perspective built by our own preferences, or even that of anything other than personal testimony. It is a dangerous thing to judge the things of God by the perspectives and understanding of man.
This scripture was a great reminder to me today of how I need to constantly seeking to strengthen my faith and testimony in these things so that if and when the prophet speaks, I can act and be led to safety. The alternative is like those who did not follow Nephi - we are left behind with a cursed and idolatrous people. The same is indeed true for our day.
I hope you experience the Spirit today. Have a great one. Love you all.
Brother Clark
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