Putting !'s behind prophets rather than ?'s

This weekend in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we will all gather together for General Conference to hear the word of the Lord, spoken by His chosen prophets, seers, and revelators. I remember as a young kid struggling to pay attention to "church" for two hours straight on tv, for two days in a row. As I have grown older, I have truly come to love General Conference, and the opportunity to hear from the prophet.

For the past couple of conferences, it seems like we can't prepare and get ready for General Conference without hearing of a few "rumors" that will be happening during that time. We have seen some major clarifications the past couple of times we have met together for conference, and we very well could see some more this weekend. More important to me, however, is something that I have been thinking and studying a lot about lately. A huge shout-out to my father-in-law for providing me with the information and idea for this post. The idea is this: we should be putting exclamation points behind what prophets are teaching rather than question marks.

What does that mean? Well, instead of questioning everything that a prophet of God is saying, we need to strive to have the faith to accept what he is saying and end the debate right then and there. If, in our case today, Pres. Russell M. Nelson truly is who I believe that he is, than he is representing the Savior of the World, and his words are the words of Jesus Christ. Would I question or doubt the words of Jesus if He were the one to deliver the message to me?

Pres. Nelson is such an amazing example of this. You'll remember the story from a few conferences ago where he told us that his parents were not active in the church. Because he wanted them to live the Word of Wisdom, he went to the basement and smashed all of his father's liquor bottles on the floor. I remember hearing Pres. Nelson tell us that story, and thought it was pretty awesome. It's even more amazing when you realize what was happening during that time span. In 1933, Utah was the deciding state on whether prohibition would continue or not. The prophet of the Church at the time, Heber J. Grant, pleaded with the members to vote against killing prohibition. The members, however, put the question mark behind the call of a prophet, and went against what he asked. Prohibition was destroyed, and just a few years later, Pres. Grant stood at the pulpit and announced that any member who had liquor in their home was not living the Gospel of Jesus Christ. So what does Pres. Nelson do? He smashes all the liquor bottles, of course! From an early age, Pres. Nelson was willing to put exclamation points behind prophets of God when everyone else around him was putting question marks.

A serious study of the life of Pres. Nelson shows how he continued to do just that throughout his life. Because he has been so faithful at doing that, the Lord has been able to shape and mold him to help him become who he is today, the prophet and president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the only true and living church upon the face of the Earth. Does that mean the church is perfect? No. Is the man who's church it is perfect? Yes! Is He directing the church? Absolutely! How? Exactly the same way He did when He was on this earth.

You'll remember what He taught one of His disciples, Peter, about the church in the future, as found in Matthew 16. "When Jesus came into the coasts of Cæsarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Christ built His church upon revelation, direct communication with the Father, the all-knowing, the Creator, whatever title you use for Him. Once we understand that, it makes complete sense why His chosen prophet, Pres. Nelson, would tell us during General Conference, "Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation...Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly."

I'm not perfect, and there are a lot of things I don't understand. If there is one thing, however, that I feel passionate about because of the "spiritual work" I have put forth to gain this witness, it is that when the Lord's chosen servants speak, it is the word and will of the Lord, and the debate ends right there! I know from personal revelation that Russell Marion Nelson is the Lord's prophet on the Earth today, and what he says is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ would say to us if He were here today. It may not always go exactly with what I believe or what I feel is right, but as I act in faith to accept the Lord's will and move forward, putting my exclamation point behind him, the answers, revelation, and peace of mind always come eventually that the message was right and sure.