Yesterday in General Conference Club, I mentioned that I've been reading a fictional series by Chad Daybell. The 5-book series is called Standing in Holy Places. In this series, the author takes scriptures and prophesies about the last days and uses them to create the plot for these books which follow three fictional families. I should let you know that (a lot like my blog) these books are not the most well-written, there are some plot and editing mistakes, but the message of the books makes up for that.
The Message: Follow the Prophet.
In this day and age, evil is all around us. Satan is trying his best to win souls over to his side. If we follow the Prophet, we won't get caught up in Satan’s plans. In these books, the author shows us how easy it is for even “active” members of the church to get sucked into Satan’s cunning plans and turn away from the teachings of Church Leaders. On the other-hand, he also shows us what great blessings can come from following the prophet- after-all "He knows the way".
President Ezra Taft Benson declared that “our [very] salvation hangs on” following the prophet, and that is exactly what these books teach. Reading these books has placed in me an even stronger desire to follow the prophet with exactness, even if it's hard or inconvenient.
May I echo the words of Kevin R. Duncan when he said:
"We can choose to follow the prophet, or we can look to the arm of flesh. May we have the wisdom to trust in and follow the counsel of the living prophets and apostles. . .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."