Pattern of Prophets

 Some might ask the question, "Why is a prophet important?” hopefully through this we can come to see the significance of having prophets in our life.  All throughout history there has been a pattern of prophets.  From Adam down to the present day, God has called prophets and those prophets teach the world the will of God, specifically true principles of the gospel of Christ, which are: faith, repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Now the pattern is that those prophets and the teachings are rejected and the world falls into a state called an apostasy.  This is when they are without the truth and for a time the Lord's church is not found on earth.  But because God loves us He always calls another prophet on the earth.  Without a prophet the world is without the full truth and is in spiritual darkness.  Having a prophet is a great blessing if we follow their counsel.  One simple example of this is Noah.  Noah was a prophet and the Lord warned him of the flood that was coming.  As he tried warning the people to repent and follow him, they rejected him and disbelieved his words.  The flood came as he prophesied and everyone was destroyed.  We can relate this to our lives, we have council and guidance from prophets today and in the past and as we heed their words we can avoid the "floods" of the world that are present daily.  Another key element of a prophet is that they hold the priesthood of God.  This priesthood gives him the power and authority to act in the name of God and can only be given by the laying on of hands.  I know and testify that we have a prophet today, Thomas S. Monson.  He is our prophet and speaks the will of God.  If we follow his counsel we will be blessed immensely.