I told her briefly about the Restoration, and I explained that the restored Church of Jesus Christ has a living prophet today. This really seemed to pique her interest, and she wanted to know what the prophet had said. As I started to tell her about the Doctrine and Covenants and modern revelation, she said, “But what has he said lately?” I told her about general conference and that the Church had a monthly publication with a message from the prophet. Then she got really interested. I was so embarrassed to admit that I hadn’t read the current message. She concluded our conversation by saying, “You mean you have a living prophet and you don’t know what he said?”We can avoid that awkward situation (and as a bonus, receive heaven's blessings for following prophetic counsel) simply by remembering what the prophet said in General Conference and by trying to apply it.
Without looking at my notes, I remember one talk President Monson gave. It was in the Priesthood Session, and it spoke of the mighty battleship Bismarck which was undefeated and deemed unsinkable until a torpedo disabled its rudder and it spun around in circles for hours, if not days, until it was eventually sunk. President Monson related us to that battleship. As long as we steer a proper course, we're unbeatable, but if we allow our rudder to become disabled (repentance repairs rudders, in this analogy) or if we spin around in circles of our own choice, we'll become easy targets for the Adversary.
Looking at LDS.org and my notes now, I'm reminded that he gave another talk called Ponder the Path of Your Feet. I remember this talk, but I didn't remember that it was President Monson who gave it, mostly because I'm actually remembering a different talk in which another General Authority quoted Proverbs 4:26. He had spoken of the importance of taking time to get your bearings and making sure you're on the right path. Shortly afterward, President Monson reminded us that the right path to follow is that of the Savior. Jesus endured temptations and trials, just as we all do, but He prevailed. President Monson told us of the examples hat Jesus had set of obedience, service, and prayer. "As we look to Jesus as our Exemplar and as we follow in His footsteps, we can return safely to our Heavenly Father."
Taking the two talks together, President Monson taught us that Jesus Christ showed the way that we should follow Him, and as long as we don't deviate from that course, we will be unstoppable. Perhaps that's because, as we follow Jesus Christ, we'll be doing the work of the Lord, and while Satan certainly has the power to frustrate us, he does not have the power to thwart the work of God. I find that thought encouraging. I know that I'm not undefeatable, but I know that God is. As long as we're on the same side, we can't lose. Actually, He won't lose, regardless of whose side I'm on, but I won't lose as long as I'm on His side. The Savior's example is a hard one to follow, but it's the only one that leads to certain victory.
So, in case anybody asks you some time in the next six months, President Monson told us that if we follow the path marked by the Savior, Satan will be unable to stop us. That's good to know to avoid an embarrassing situation, but it's also good to know to help us confidently follow Jesus into Eternal Life.
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