We hope that each of us can take to heart the invitation given by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in the September Ensign magazine. He said:

“As you prepare for general conference, I invite you to ponder questions you need to have answered… Answers to your specific prayers may come directly from a particular talk or from a specific phrase. At other times answers may come in a seemingly unrelated word, phrase, or song.”

What questions do you have going into conference. Whether it’s:

• How can I be a better friend?
• How can I make my prayers more meaningful?
• What should I do to help a friend struggling with serious problems?
• Should I tryout for the basketball team?
• Or any other question…

We know that you will find answers at General Conference! BE THERE!

We are all HUMAN

We all have TEMPTATIONS

We are all asked to LIVE divine laws

We testify that through the atonement of Jesus Christ, all of us can be strengthened and supported and helped to live the gospel of Jesus Christ and be obedient to the divine laws God is asking us to live, regardless of the different temptations we all struggle with.

Multiple times in this general conference reference was made to President Ezra Taft Benson’s classing talk “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet.”  We thought it would be cool to re-print the entire talk here for those who want to read that entire message.  We testify that we truly are led by living prophets today, and that Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s anointed spokesperson as President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Here are the fourteen fundamentals in following him from President Benson’s talk:

First: The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

In section 132 verse 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants [D&C 132:7] the Lord speaks of the prophet—the president—and says:

“There is never but one on the earth at a time on whom this power and the keys of this priesthood are conferred.”

Then in section 21 verses 4–6 [D&C 21:4–6], the Lord states:

“Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;

“For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.

“For by doing these things the gates of hell shall not prevail against you.”

Second: The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works.

President Wilford Woodruff tells of an interesting incident that occurred in the days of the Prophet Joseph Smith:

“I will refer to a certain meeting I attended in the town of Kirtland in my early days. At that meeting some remarks were made that have been made here today, with regard to the living prophets and with regard to the written word of God. The same principle was presented, although not as extensively as it has been here, when a leading man in the Church got up and talked upon the subject, and said: ‘You have got the word of God before you here in the Bible, Book of Mormon, and Doctrine and Covenants; you have the written word of God, and you who give revelations should give revelations according to those books, as what is written in those books is the word of God. We should confine ourselves to them.’

“When he concluded, Brother Joseph turned to Brother Brigham Young and said, ‘Brother Brigham I want you to go to the podium and tell us your views with regard to the living oracles and the written word of God.’ Brother Brigham took the stand, and he took the Bible, and laid it down; he took the Book of Mormon, and laid it down; and he took the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, and laid it down before him, and he said: ‘There is the written word of God to us, concerning the work of God from the beginning of the world, almost, to our day. And now,’ said he, ‘when compared with the living oracles those books are nothing to me; those books do not convey the word of God direct to us now, as do the words of a Prophet or a man bearing the Holy Priesthood in our day and generation. I would rather have the living oracles than all the writing in the books.’ That was the course he pursued. When he was through, Brother Joseph said to the congregation; ‘Brother Brigham has told you the word of the Lord, and he has told you the truth.’ ” (Conference Report, October 1897, pp. 18–19.)

Third: The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

God’s revelation to Adam did not instruct Noah how to build the Ark. Noah needed his own revelation. Therefore the most important prophet so far as you and I are concerned is the one living in our day and age to whom the Lord is currently revealing His will for us. Therefore the most important reading we can do is any of the words of the prophet contained each month in our Church Magazines. Our instructions about what we should do for each six months are found in the General Conference addresses which are printed in the Church magazine.

Beware of those who would set up the dead prophets against the living prophets, for the living prophets always take precedence.

Fourth: The prophet will never lead the Church astray.

President Wilford Woodruff stated:

“I say to Israel, the Lord will never permit me or any other man who stands as president of the Church to lead you astray. It is not in the program. It is not in the mind of God.” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, pp. 212–13.)

President Marion G. Romney tells of this incident which happened to him:

“I remember years ago when I was a bishop I had President Heber J. Grant talk to our ward. After the meeting I drove him home … Standing by me, he put his arm over my shoulder and said: ‘My boy, you always keep your eye on the President of the Church and if he ever tells you to do anything, and it is wrong, and you do it, the Lord will bless you for it.’ Then with a twinkle in his eye, he said, ‘But you don’t need to worry. The Lord will never let his mouthpiece lead the people astray.’ ” (Conference Report, October 1960, p. 78.)

Fifth: The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

Sometimes there are those who feel their earthly knowledge on a certain subject is superior to the heavenly knowledge which God gives to his prophet on the same subject. They feel the prophet must have the same earthly credentials or training which they have had before they will accept anything the prophet has to say that might contradict their earthly schooling. How much earthly schooling did Joseph Smith have? Yet he gave revelations on all kinds of subjects. We haven’t yet had a prophet who earned a doctorate degree in any subject. We encourage earthly knowledge in many areas, but remember if there is ever a conflict between earthly knowledge and the words of the prophet, you stand with the prophet and you’ll be blessed and time will show you have done the right thing.

Sixth: The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture.

Sometimes there are those who argue about words. They might say the prophet gave us counsel but that we are not obliged to follow it unless he says it is a commandment. But the Lord says of the Prophet, “Thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you.” (D&C 21:4.)

And speaking of taking counsel from the prophet, in D&C 108:1, the Lord states:

“Verily thus saith the Lord unto you, my servant Lyman: Your sins are forgiven you, because you have obeyed my voice in coming up hither this morning to receive counsel of him whom I have appointed.”

Said Brigham Young, “I have never yet preached a sermon and sent it out to the children of men, that they may not call scripture.” (Journal of Discourses, 13:95.)

Seventh: The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

“Thou has declared unto us hard things, more than we are able to bear,” complained Nephi’s brethren. But Nephi answered by saying, “The guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center.” (1 Ne. 16:1–2.)

Said President Harold B. Lee:

“You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may conflict with your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life … Your safety and ours depends upon whether or not we follow … Let’s keep our eye on the President of the Church.” (Conference Report, October 1970, p. 152–153.)

But it is the living prophet who really upsets the world. “Even in the Church,” said President Kimball, “many are prone to garnish the sepulchres of yesterdays prophets and mentally stone the living ones.” (Instructor, 95:527.)

Why? Because the living prophet gets at what we need to know now, and the world prefers that prophets either be dead or worry about their own affairs. Some so-called experts of political science want the prophet to keep still on politics. Some would-be authorities on evolution want the prophet to keep still on evolution. And so the list goes on and on.

How we respond to the words of a living prophet when he tells us what we need to know, but would rather not hear, is a test of our faithfulness.

Said President Marion G. Romney, “It is an easy thing to believe in the dead prophets, but it is a greater thing to believe in the living prophets.” And then he gives this illustration:

“One day when President Grant was living, I sat in my office across the street following a general conference. A man came over to see me, an elderly man. He was very upset about what had been said in this conference by some of the Brethren, including myself. I could tell from his speech that he came from a foreign land. After I had quieted him enough so he would listen, I said, ‘Why did you come to America?’ ‘I am here because a prophet of God told me to come.’ ‘Who was the prophet?’ I continued. ‘Wilford Woodruff.’ ‘Do you believe Wilford Woodruff was a prophet of God?’ ‘Yes, sir.’

“Then came the sixty-four dollar question, ‘Do you believe that Heber J. Grant is a prophet of God?’ His answer, ‘I think he ought to keep his mouth shut about old-age assistance.’

“Now I tell you that a man in his position is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living prophet of God.” (Conference Report, April 1953, p. 125.)

Eighth: The Prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

There will be times when you will have to choose between the revelation of God and reasoning of men—between the prophet and the professor. Said the Prophet Joseph Smith,

“Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof until long after the events transpire.” (Scrapbook of Mormon Literature, vol. 2, p. 173).

Would it seem reasonable to an eye doctor to be told to heal a blind man by spitting in the dirt, making clay and applying it to the man’s eyes and then telling him to wash in a contaminated pool? Yet this is precisely the course that Jesus took with one man, and he was healed. (See John 9:6–7.) Does it seem reasonable to cure leprosy by telling a man to wash seven times in a particular river, yet this is precisely what the prophet Elisha told a leper to do, and he was healed. (See 2 Kgs. 5.)

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isa. 55:8–9.)

Ninth: The prophet can receive revelation on any matter—temporal or spiritual.

Said Brigham Young:

“Some of the leading men in Kirtland were much opposed to Joseph the Prophet, meddling with temporal affairs …

“In a public meeting of the Saints, I said, ‘Ye Elders of Israel, … will some of you draw the line of demarcation, between the spiritual and temporal in the kingdom of God, so that I may understand it?’ Not one of them could do it …

“I defy any man on earth to point out the path a Prophet of God should walk in, or point out his duty, and just how far he must go, in dictating temporal or spiritual things. Temporal and spiritual things are inseparably connected, and ever will be.” (Journal of Discourses, 10:363–64.)

Tenth: The prophet may well advise on civic matters. When a people are righteous, they want the best to lead them in government. Alma was the head of the Church and of the government in the Book of Mormon; Joseph Smith was mayor of Nauvoo and Brigham Young was governor of Utah. Isaiah was deeply involved in giving counsel on political matters and of his words the Lord himself said, “Great are the words of Isaiah.” (3 Ne. 23:1.)

Eleventh: The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

The learned may feel the prophet is only inspired when he agrees with them, otherwise the prophet is just giving his opinion—speaking as a man. The rich may feel they have no need to take counsel of a lowly prophet.

In the Book of Mormon we read:

“O that cunning plan of the evil one! O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish.

“But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God.

“And whoso knocketh, to him will he open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches—yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them.” (2 Ne. 9:28–29, 42; italics added.)

Twelfth: The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

As a prophet reveals the truth it divides the people. The honest in heart heed his words but the unrighteous either ignore the prophet or fight him. When the prophet points out the sins of the world, the wordly either want to close the mouth of the prophet, or else act as if the prophet didn’t exist, rather than repent of their sins. Popularity is never a test of truth. Many a prophet has been killed or cast out. As we come closer to the Lord’s second coming you can expect that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will be less popular with them.

Thirteenth: The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—The highest quorum in the Church.

In the Doctrine and Covenants the Lord refers to the First Presidency as “the highest council of the Church” (D&C 107:80) and says “whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent …” (D&C 112:20).

Fourteenth: The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

President Harold B. Lee relates this incident from Church history:

“The story is told in the early days of the Church—particularly, I think, at Kirtland, Ohio—where some of the leading brethren in the presiding councils of the Church met secretly and tried to scheme as to how they could get rid of the Prophet Joseph’s leadership. They made the mistake of inviting Brigham Young to one of these secret meetings. He rebuked them, after he had heard the purpose of their meeting. This is part of what he said: ‘You cannot destroy the appointment of a prophet of God, but you can cut the thread that binds you to the prophet of God, and sink yourselves to hell.’ ” (Conference Report, April 1963, p. 81.)

In a general conference of the Church, President N. Eldon Tanner stated:

“The Prophet spoke out clearly on Friday morning, telling us what our responsibilities are …

“A man said to me after that, ‘You know, there are people in our state who believe in following the Prophet in everything they think is right, but when it is something they think isn’t right, and it doesn’t appeal to them, then that’s different.’ He said, ‘Then they become their own prophet. They decide what the Lord wants and what the Lord doesn’t want.’

“I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.” (CR, October 1966, p. 98.)

“Look to the Presidency and receive instruction,” said the Prophet Joseph Smith. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 161.) But Almon Babbitt didn’t, and in the Doctrine and Covenants section 124, verse 84 [D&C 124:84], the Lord states:

“And with my servant Almon Babbitt, there are many things with which I am not pleased; behold, he aspireth to establish his counsel instead of the counsel which I have ordained, even that of the Presidency of my Church.”

In conclusion let us summarize this grand key, these “Fourteen Fundamentals in Following the Prophet”, for our salvation depends on them.

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.

5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.

7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.

10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.

11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.

14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

I testify that these fourteen fundamentals in following the living prophet are true. If we want to know how well we stand with the Lord then let us ask ourselves how well we stand with His mortal captain—how close do our lives harmonize with the Lord’s anointed—the living Prophet—President of the Church, and with the Quorum of the First Presidency.

If you are in seminary, you probably just studied Joseph Smith History.  We want to emphasize 8 keys from Joseph Smith’s teenager years that will help you be an awesome teenager like he was.  We are going to look at what happened to Joseph after the first vision, and what we can learn from him:

1. Get your own testimony and stick to your guns (verse 23-26). The result of Joseph’s first vision was that he said he had “learned for himself” (verse 20) what was true.  He had his own testimony.  He didn’t have to borrow anyone else’s anymore, and it didn’t matter what other people said or if they disagreed with him.  He knew, and he had confidence in his own knowledge.  Joseph says, “For I had seen a vision; I knew it, and I knew that God knew it, and I could not deny it” (verse 25).  Great teenagers learn wisdom in their youth (Alma 37:35), strengthen their testimony early, and then stick to their guns of what they know is true despite the mocking and taunting that might come from others around them.  When friends, or teachers, or media messages treat the Church, its doctrines, and its standards with “great contempt, saying it all [is] from the devil” (verse 21), a personal witness will give you the power to withstand the mocking that comes from shallow souls in the great and spacious building (see 1 Nephi 8:27).
2. Choose your friends carefully (Verse 28).  Notice in this verse that Joseph tells us he hung out with “all kinds of society” and with “jovial company,” which led to him saying that he “frequently fell into errors, and displayed the weakness of youth.”  Notice the connection: Dumb friends=dumb decisions.  Joseph probably is telling us in this verse that he didn’t have very good friends during his teenage years, and they led to him making some bad decisions. Joseph tells us that our teenage years are “very tender years,” because we are so influenced by who we hang out with.  Make sure you are choosing good friends who help you act in such a way that is “consistent with that character which ought to be maintained by one who was called of God.”
3. Talk to your parents (Verse 20 and verse 49-50 of Joseph Smith History).  Who were the first people that Joseph Smith talked to about his first vision and the appearance of the angel Moroni?  His mama, and his papa.  The more we talk to our parents and tell them what is going on in our lives—what is happening, what we are thinking, what we are hoping and fearing, the better our teenage years will be.   Elder Neil L. Andersen said, “Talk to your parents. Does that sound like a revolutionary idea?” (Ensign (CR), April 2005).  Successful teenagers keep the communication lines always open between them and their parents.
4. Don’t be light-minded and mock sacred things (verse 28).  Joseph tells us that one of the sins of his youth was that he was “guilty of levity.”  Levity is when we make light of sacred things.  This doesn’t mean we can’t be funny; it just means we need to know what we should be funny about.  A common tool that the adversary uses against good LDS teens is that he wants them to have to think that everything has to be funny—that everything has to be light minded and not serious.  The Lord has told us there is a time and a place to be funny, and that there are TWO things we should never mock or make light of and that are NEVER funny: 1) Sacred things and 2) Sacred people.  President Hinckley said: “[Some] evidently enjoy seeing that which is sacred made to look funny. I cannot think of anything less in harmony with the spirit of the Christ than this kind of activity” (Gordon B. Hinckley, Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, p.123 – 124).  Elder Pinegar of the Seventy said: ““So often our communication is flippant, light-minded, casual, and worldly. It seems that everything now has to be fun or funny. I’m not saying we can’t laugh (I love to laugh as much as anyone else!), but there’s a right time and a right place.  Sober-mindedness is one of the most essential traits in order to be a spiritual giant, in order to speak by the Spirit, to be led by the Spirit” (Ed J. Pinegar, Especially for Missionaries, 4 vols., volume 2).  Remember, every person is a sacred person, especially Jesus.  We can’t make fun of people and demean their character and then just say, “I was joking!”  There is always a little truth behind every joke.  The For the Strength of Youth teaches: “Do not insult others or put them down, even in joking” (p. 22).
5. Repent with confidence (verse 29). We love that Joseph Smith repented of his teenage mistakes, don’t we?  We love it!  It shows his humility, and his faithfulness.  We also love that he said he prayed to God “for forgiveness of all my sins and follies” and that he had “full confidence in obtaining a divine manifestation” from it. In other words, he knew God would hear him, forgive him, and let him know it.  Great teenagers do the same!  Pray for forgiveness, and trust will full confidence that Christ can and will cleanse you and let you know you are cleansed!
6. Know that God has a work for you to do (verse 33).  When the angel Moroni appeared to Joseph Smith in his bedroom, one of the first things he told him was that “God had a work for me to do.”  Brigham Young taught that ““It was decreed in the councils of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he (Joseph Smith) should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people and receive the fullness f the keys and power of the priesthood of the Son of God. . . .He was foreordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation.” (Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses 7:289-290, October 9, 1859). Good teenagers understand that they are foreordained to do certain things as well—that God has a specific work for them to achieve.  They might not be foreordained to be prophets, but they are foreordained to use their talents for good, to be fathers and mothers, to serve in the church, to be missionaries, and to bless the world for good.  Joseph Smith taught that ““Every man who has a calling to minister to the inhabitants of the world was ordained to that very purpose in the Grand Council of heaven before this world was. I suppose that I was ordained to this very office in that Grand Council.” (Joseph Smith, Jr., Documentary History of the Church 6:364, May 12, 1844)
7. Have spiritual daydreams! (verse 42). You gotta love that while the angel Moroni is talking to Joseph Smith that he starts to daydream.  Joseph says that, “While [Moroni] was conversing with me about the plates, the vision was opened to my mind that I could see the place where the plates were deposited.” Can’t you just see him spacing off as an angel talks to him?  “Hey, Joseph, are you listening to me?  Hello?” Maybe that is why Moroni had to tell him the same thing three times in one night!  Actually, Joseph is teaching you a great principle:  When you are in tune, the Spirit will teach you specific, personal things in your mind, even if the scriptures/teacher/class don’t say them.  You can be in a class, and the class might be on “tithing,” and while you are participating in a class on tithing the Spirit could whisper to you, “Make sure you tell your Mom about what time you’ll be home tomorrow night.” We call these spiritual daydreams, where the Spirit whispers a direct message to you while you are spiritually in tune in a class, regardless what the speaker says. Great teenagers spiritually daydream and act on the promptings they get.
8. Go to seminary for all four years (verse 54).  When Joseph was shown where the plates were, he went there to go get them, but the angel Moroni told him it wasn’t time yet, “neither would it, until four years from that time; but he told me that I should come to that place precisely in one year from that time, and that he would there meet with me. . . . Accordingly, as I had been commanded, I went at the end of each year, and at each time I found the same messenger there, and received instruction and intelligence from him at each of our interviews, respecting what the Lord was going to do, and how and in what manner his kingdom was to be conducted in the last days.” Isn’t it interesting that Joseph Smith was taught for FOUR YEARS about how the kingdom of God works before he went out to fulfill his life’s work?  Hmmmmmm. Don’t you wish that we could meet with teachers and be instructed in the gospel for four years before we head off to college and do our work?  Oh wait, we can! It’s called seminary!  We get the privilege during each week of our teenage years to go be instructed in the things of the kingdom.  President Monson said, ““Seminary will fortify you in your determination to be your best self” (President Thomas S. Monson, Your Celestial Journey, Ensign (CR), May 1999, p.96).  Awesome teenagers do awesome in seminary, and in every other gospel class they get to learn from.

We hope these few keys have been helpful.  We know that as you live and implement them and follow the example of our Savior Jesus Christ, and also the examples of his chosen prophets like Joseph Smith, we will be blessed during our teenage years and throughout our lives.

“As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we are blessed to be led by living prophets—inspired men called to speak for the Lord, just as Moses, Isaiah, Peter, Paul, Nephi, Mormon, and other prophets of the scriptures. We sustain the President of the Church as our prophet, seer, and revelator—the only person on the earth who receives revelation to guide the entire Church. We also sustain the counselors in the First Presidency and the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as prophets, seers, and revelators.

“Like the prophets of old, prophets today testify of Jesus Christ and teach His gospel. They make known God’s will and true character. They speak boldly and clearly, denouncing sin and warning of its consequences. At times, they may be inspired to prophesy of future events for our benefit.

“You can always trust the living prophets. Their teachings reflect the will of the Lord…” (“Prophets,” True to the Faith, (2004),129–30).

After being in the presence of prophets and hearing their words, our testimonies were confirmed once again that we are indeed blessed to have living prophets, seers, and revelators on earth once more.