We Thank Thee, O God, For a Prophet

     

       This past Summer, my family and I had the amazing experience to spend some time in BEAUTIFUL Hawaii, where my dad had served as a missionary for the Mormon church over 30 years prior. (Sorry for aging you, papa.) While we were there, we were spoiled to see some of the most beautiful scenic areas in the world. I stood in awe of God's beautiful creations and felt like He had spoiled Hawaii a little. There truly wasn't a place that didn't take my breath away. It was a trip I will never forget.
       While we were there, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to try snuba diving for the first time. We had snorkeled the day before and I was amazed at the variety of bright colored fish and the quantity that just swam right up to us. Snuba was an opportunity for us to dive down deep to see the fish up close and be able to follow the action But because I had never done this before, I was a little nervous. The sensation of "breathing" under water is something that takes a little time getting used to. I was so happy to have an instructor with us the entire time to give friendly advice from his years of experience."Snuba" differs slightly from scuba diving in that your oxygen floats on a small raft above and keeps you within a certain distance from your raft. The raft allows you the freedom to explore your surroundings while making sure you don't drift out too far. While my family and I were diving, the instructor pointed many different kinds of fish as well as plants and other magnificent treasures in the ocean that we otherwise would have missed. It's an experience I will never forget.

       In the last days, we will be tested without question. The Earth and the church will go through a cleansing to see who will really stand with the Lord through the persecution and the trials that come as a part of the last days. The last few years have been evidence of such trials and cleansing. With new laws being passed, the apostles and our beloved prophet have placed significant emphasis on recommitting ourselves to be converted unto the Lord and His commandments, and to renew that testimony frequently.                    

       Significant confusion has risen regarding women and their rights to hold the priesthood, individuals belonging to the LGBT community and their choice to legally marry, events from the life of the early prophet, Joseph Smith, and so many more. Satan is having a hay day as many members of the church are taking these immovable doctrines from the Lord as evidence that He loves His children only when they keep the commandments, or that His love is limited to a certain population or even sexual orientation. Put yourself in Satan's shoes for a second. If your goal was to destroy the church of God, and we know that is his mission, wouldn't one of your main tactics be to convince the members of the church that they are not loved by the Father, or that this love is somehow conditioned upon righteous living only? He can be such a punk sometimes. It is important to recognize that NO MATTER WHAT, God loves us. Whether we choose to ignore His counsel or follow it with all our hearts, His love is constant and equal to ALL of His children. The level of trust He possesses for His children, however, differs dramatically depending upon our willingness to follow Him.
       

We sustain President Thomas S. Monson as a prophet, seer and revelator in these last days. The scriptures tell us that a "seer" is "a person authorized of God to see with spiritual eyes things which God has hidden from the world (Moses 6:35–38). He is a revelator and a prophet (Mosiah 8:13–16). " Like the snuba instructor, these seers are literally those who "see". They can see things that the rest of us just can't. The Lord, who sees all, reveals to His servants that which His church needs to know in order to return back to Him. I've used this term several times in previous posts but our mortal stupidity gets in the way ALL the time. I don't understand why it is so dang hard for people to admit that we don't know everything. We are a darn prideful generation. I am fully aware that there are about a billion things in this mortal life I just don't understand yet, and probably wont until I face the Lord Himself and can ask Him those questions. But here's what I DO know. I know He lives and loves His children. I know that He has called a prophet in our day to be His mouthpiece and that everything coming from his mouth is as the Lord would say it. Word for word.

       Some might say that unquestionable obedience to the prophet and everything that comes out of his mouth is to be gullible, ignorant, and foolish. If having a testimony of Thomas S. Monson as a man of God who does not make decisions based on his personal opinion but rather the revelation he is given by God, Himself is being gullible and foolish, than a fool I most certainly am! Aren't we taught to gain and renew testimony of specific principles of the gospel throughout our lives so that when moments like this arise, we don't fall? (Helaman 5:12) The scriptures tell us that when we build our foundation on Christ, we CANNOT fall. Not we "wont" fall, but we "CANNOT" fall. What I consider foolish is to look at all the changes the world is making daily and just rolling with them without asking questions. We are so quick to judge and analyze the prophet and apostles for the direction they are giving that we lose precious and valuable time that we could be building up the kingdom. While some call the immediate obedience to the prophet foolish, I think the Lord sees foolishness in His children when they don't take their questions and concerns to Him directly. 

A former seminary teacher of mine who I really admire (Shout out Brother Mick!) posted this verse on his page moments after the church came out with their new policy stating that children being raised in same-sex home would not be able to be baptized until the age of 18. 

"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time." 

Doctrine and Covenants 6:14

       He then said the following: "I am at peace. I have a little more understanding than I had an hour ago and more will come...I love the Lord, His Spirit, His prophets and His pattern of teaching me line upon line..."  

       This scripture keeps it plain and simple. If we take our concerns to the Lord, He will surely help us understand why He does what He does. He will never ignore a sincere heart and a willing mind to learn new insight. The key here is that we are taking these questions, concerns and even doubts to the right sources. The majority of individuals who leave the church are those who sought the wrong sources. Sometimes the worst source we can turn to is not doing anything about our questions at all. When we don't turn to any sources, it's an open door for more doubts, concerns and even Satan to come and feed on those negative thoughts. Like to common example used many times by leaders of the church, if we do not exercise a strong muscle consistently, the muscle will become weak. Constant nourishment of God's word will help us keep an eternal perspective and our spiritual senses in tact. Most importantly, it will keep us humble and in a position to say as Nephi did, "I do not know the meaning of all things. BUT I know God loves His children." (1 Nephi 11:17)

       If you're struggling with any of the decisions being made in our day, I invite you to pray. I invite you to study. Please know that questions and concerns is what led the dear prophet, Joseph to the heavens opening in 1820. Questions are wonderful! It's the door to being taught from on high! Study and seek to receive answers from the one who is making all of these decisions. Do not be mistaken, President Monson did not make this decision. God did. President Monson simply announced it. I know that President Monson leads this church through revelation given to Him directly from the Savior who is the head of this church. I know he is a man of God and that God would never allow Him to lead His perfect church astray. As we pray with teachable hearts and real intent, the Holy Ghost will testify of truth and teach us hidden truths that our natural minds wouldn't be capable of learning. May we all tune in to our spiritual minds and strive to be taught by the Master.