The youth need to begin with the end in mind. - They need to know NOW the importance of following God's prophets. The following is 5 principles on following prophets, each with an application. (Scriptures are written to preserve principles (laws). Applications show us how to live them.)

1. Prophets are foreordained to their particular ministry
   • Abraham 3:23
   • Jeremiah 1:5
   • What kind of rulers are they? What have they been chosen to do?
   • D&C 138:52,55
   • Application:
     1. Prophets have been proven worthy before the Lord.
     2. Each prophet is the "man of the hour" (he has his own place!)
2. We can trust the words of God's prophets
   • Moses 6:32-34 (Enoch)
   • Exodus 4:10-14 (Moses) (D&C 21:5, 107:91,92) (vs 15-16 prophets speak for God - so we can trust them.)
   • 1 Samuel 3:19-21 (D&C 1:38)
   • Joshua 3:7; 4:14
   • Application:
     • We will be blessed for sustaining God's prophets D&C 1:38 - servant or God = same
3. Prophets tell us what we NEED to hear, not what we WANT to hear.
   • Pride - Numbers 11, Numbers 16
   • Personal Sin - 1 Kings 22
   • Ahab - opposite of what God wants his people to be. (Hates the prophet of the Lord because he doesn't prophecy good things for him.)
   • Application:
     • It requires faith to follow the prophets. (ie, we don't know the
     • outcome - the test comes before the witness is given)
4. To receive the Lord's servants, we must become humble and teachable
   • as a little child.
   • Abraham - Genesis 18
   • Naaman - 2 Kings 5
   • General conference - our preparation duty is to make sure that our
   • hearts will be ready for the message.
   • Application:
     • 1. To follow the prophets we must be willing to sacrifice. (broken
     • heart, contrite spirit.)
5. Happiness comes from following the counsel of God's prophets.
   • Sodom - Genesis 19
   • Widow of Zaraphath - 1 Kings 17:8
   • Jahaziel - 2 Chronicles 19-20
   • The plumb line - Amos 7
   • Teachings of Joseph Smith, pg 171-172 - people destroyed for rejecting the prophet
   • Ensign, May 1997, pg 111 - quote on Sodom
   • Neal A. Maxwell, "Not Withstanding My Weakness", p. 18
   • Jahaziel - 2 Chronicles 2:15-17;20 - Message of hope! salvation!
   • Believe in the Lord and prosper!
   • Application:
     • Safety today is found in following the Lord's prophets.

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