This week's Come Follow Me Study covers Doctrine and Covenants 27-28.
As a recap:
- Doctrine and Covenants 27 - Revelation given in August 1830 - The sacrament, the Armor of God
- Doctrine and Covenants 28 - Revelation given September 1830 - The living prophet is God's mouthpiece for the Church
Doctrine and Covenants 27:15-18 covers the "Armor of God."
15 Wherefore, alift up your hearts and brejoice, and cgird up your loins, and take upon you my whole darmor, that ye may be able to withstand the evil day, having done all, that ye may be able to estand.
16 Stand, therefore, having your loins agirt about with btruth, having on the cbreastplate of drighteousness, and your feet shod with the preparation of the egospel of fpeace, which I have sent mine gangels to commit unto you;
17 Taking the shield of faith wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the afiery darts of the wicked;
18 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of my aSpirit, which I will pour out upon you, and my word which I reveal unto you, and be agreed as touching all things whatsoever ye ask of me, and be faithful until I come, and ye shall be bcaught up, that where I am ye shall be calso. Amen.
It was reinforced to me as I read this how frequently the Lord reminds us to turn to Him and not take our eyes off the path of righteousness. If we can do this, everything else will work itself out, we can "quench all the fiery darts of the wicked." The Lord also reminds us in Doctrine and Covenants 28 that Joseph Smith, as the prophet of the church, is the mouthpiece of the church.
It says in Doctrine and Covenants 28:2,
"... on one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun., for he receveith them even as Moses."
It says in Doctrine and Covenants 28:4-5,
"And if thou art led at any time by the Comforter to speak or teach, or at all times by the way of commandment unto the church, thou mayest do it. But thou shalt not write by way of commandment, but by wisdom."
In General Conference in October 2020, our prophet President Russell M. Nelson reminded us,
"Thus the very name of Israel refers to a person who is willing to let God prevail in his or her life. That concept stirs my soul! The wording willing is crucial to this interpretation of Israel. We all have our agency. We can choose to be of Israel or not. We can choose to let God prevail in our lives, or not. We can choose to let God be the most powerful influence in our lives, or not." ("Let God Prevail," Russell M. Nelson)
We are asked to listen to the prophet, and guess what the prophet reminds us to do? Turn the Savior, always, and let God prevail in our lives.
Today, in answer to prayer, I read these reassuring words from Jeffrey R. Holland,
"... faith means trusting God in good times and bad, even if that includes some suffering until we see His arm revealed in our behalf. That can be difficult in our modern world when many have come to believe that the highest good in life is to avoid all suffering, that no one should ever anguish over anything. But that belief will never us to "the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."
Later he adds,
"And whether that be a short period or a long one is not always ours to say, but by the grace of God, the blessings will come to those who hold fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ."
Today's message is short but I hope, reminds you that at the end of it all, we can always look toward Christ, and we can put on the Armor of God to make that path a little easier as those arrows bounce off our armor.
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