The only sure and secure road to protection in this life comes through trusting in and obeying the counsel from the prophets of God, Elder Kevin R. Duncan of the Seventy said during the Saturday afternoon session of general conference.
"One of the crowning blessings of membership in this Church is the blessing of being led by living prophets of God," he said.
Drawing from the example of the early Saints of the Church, Elder Duncan spoke of the need to follow the counsel of the prophet, even when times are difficult.
"The winter of 1848 was difficult and challenging for the pioneer settlers in the Salt Lake Valley," he said. "The early members of the Church had endured tremendous adversity as the restoration of the gospel unfurled. They had been driven from their homes, persecuted and hounded. They had suffered untold hardships as they crossed the plains. But now they were, at last, in 'the right place.'"
The winter of 1848 had been harsh. The weather had been so cold that people's feet had been frozen and a spirit of uneasiness began to descend upon the Saints. Despite the direction from the prophet, Brigham Young, some Church members had a difficult time deciding if they were going to follow the prophet's counsel and build their homes in the valley.
"With frozen feet, and a barren wasteland, it surely took faith for those early Saints to trust their prophet," Elder Duncan said. "Their very survival and lives were at stake. Yet the Lord rewarded their obedience and blessed and prospered those who followed His mouthpiece."
Just like the early pioneers, the Lord still guides His people today, through a living prophet.
"The world is full of so many self-help books, so many self-proclaimed experts, so many theorists, educators and philosophers who have advice and counsel to give on any and all subjects," he said. "With technology today, information on a myriad of subjects is available with the click of a keystroke. It is easy to get caught in the trap of looking to the 'arm of flesh' for advice on everything from how to raise children to how to find happiness. While some information has merit, as members of the Church we have access to the source of pure truth, even God Himself. We would do well to search out answers to our problems and questions by investigating what the Lord has revealed through His prophets. With that same technology today, we have at our fingertips access to the words of the prophets on nearly any subject."
Although to some, what the prophets teach might seem outdated, unpopular or even impossible, trusting in and following the prophet is more than a blessing and a privilege, Elder Duncan said. Salvation hangs on following the prophet.
"Brothers and sisters, like the Saints of 1848, we can choose to follow the prophet, or we can look to the arm of flesh," he said. "May we have the wisdom to trust in and follow the counsel of the living prophets and apostles. I am a witness of their goodness. I testify that they are called of God. I also testify that there is no safer way to approach life, find answers to our problems, gain peace and happiness in this world, and protect our very salvation than by obeying their words."
— Marianne Holman