How blessed we are to gather here upon the sacred grounds of a prophetically led university. My name is Parker Anderson, and I am truly grateful to be with you all today.

Faith Through Unexpected Means

Naaman was known for his excellence, he was a successful commander, a prominent leader in Syria; however, he was afflicted with skin disease. He became aware that there may be a prophet in Israel who could heal him. A message was sent requesting healing on his behalf. Elisha the man of God overheard this message and sent word to Naaman.

He approached the house of Elisha with his horses and charriots. Then, a messenger of Elisha spoke to Naaman saying: “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean”¹. Disappointed and angered, Naaman walked away saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God and would wave his hand over the spot and cure the skin disease! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage.”

In his final conference address, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland speaks of the plain and simple means Jesus Christ works mighty miracles among the children of men. He declared, “Another truth that is evident here are the instruments the Creator of heaven and earth and all that in them are used to provide this miracle: spit and a handful of dirt! These very unlikely ingredients declare that God can bless us by whatever method He chooses. Like Naaman resisting the River Jordan or the children of Israel refusing to look at the serpent on the staff, how easy it is for us to dismiss the source of our redemption because the ingredients and the instruments seem embarrassingly plain.” ²

Hearing his rage, the servants of Naaman approached saying, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”³ Naaman’s heart was softened, he heeded the words of the prophet and to his astonishment he found himself restored and clean.

Sometimes we may find ourselves in the same position as Naaman, I know I do; failing to heed a prophet’s invitation because we relied upon our own wisdom rather than the wisdom of God. What must we do to counter this?

The account of Naaman illustrates one great solution: surround yourself with people of faith. As he was about to walk away and abandon the prophetic invitation, his servants came and convinced him to follow the prophet’s words. Never underestimate the profound impact your discipleship can have upon your friends.

Signs of Apostasy

The next great solution the Spirit impressed upon me is the truth and council given by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles at the North America West Area General Leadership meeting.⁴

A portion of this meeting was dedicated to defining personal apostasy. Speaking upon this subject the prophets spoke, “Apostasy refers to a person’s abandonment of most basic personal beliefs, belief in God the Father, the mission of His Son Jesus Christ, and of the restoration.”

They then outlined a common pattern that leads to personal apostasy:

1. Looking to past prophets more than living.
2. Over focusing on misalignment on science and religion.
3. Proposing one’s own special learning as a substitute for prophetic leadership.
4. Persisting to speak on subjects that the Lord has chosen not to reveal more about at this time.

May we continually be watchful of ourselves as King Benjamin expresses, and intentionally take time to prayerfully study the teachings of modern prophets.

Brothers and Sisters, “the Restoration is not the filling of a bucket, but like fire emerging from the wilderness.” Even during our most extreme trials, as we hold tightly to our Savior Jesus Christ, we will find deliverance and greater faith in Him. What a marvelous blessing this is: we may find truth in some of the most unexpected of places. However in a world full of voices, Christ urges us to seek the words of His ordained prophets: “And whosoever will hearken unto my words and repenteth and is baptized, the same shall be saved. Search the prophets, for many there be that testify of these things.”⁵

Prophets, Seers, Revelators

When we sustain the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Presidency as Prophets, Seers, and Revelators, do we truly apprieciate how much that means? Are we continually seeking to live our lives in accordance with the words of Jesus Christ spoken by the mouths of these witnesses. It is my prayer that the Holy Spirit may enlighten our minds as to what we must do in our private and public lives to better sustain the prophets.

As I’ve pondered and prayed in preparing for this talk, I’ve had many distinct impressions to share the prophetic words that Elder Neil L. Andersen expressed when touring the Canada Vancouver Mission.⁶ I will do so now.

• “Here is the key to finding your future spouse: Find someone of deep, deep faith. Make that your number one priority. You can see a lot of markings of a person of faith.”

• He then spoke of the revelatory process and the sacred experience of ordaining Russel M. Nelson as President of the Church. “It is a priviledge to know a Prophet of God,” he added that he felt the revelation when they ordained President Nelson.

• “Learn what you can. This is the time of your life. You learn how to put forward your faith. Nothing is stronger in scriptures than the lessons of faith. We live in a scientific world. But the lessons in the scriptures are centered strongly in faith. You need to be familiar with how the scriptures come together.”

• Speaking of Christ’s visit to ancient America he emphasized, “even those people that had faith in Him, didn’t recognize Him mortally when He appeared to them in America.”

• “Faith is garnered over years, it’s not that you have it or you don’t. Look for people of great faith, get that into your own bones, your testimony will never leave you.”

• “Every life changing decision should be made in the Celestial room in the House of the Lord.”

Closing Testimony & Prophetic Invitation

I bear you my personal testimony and witness that prophets are special witnesses of Christ’s resurrected body. The reality of Jesus Christ, His everlasting light, and the infinite enabling and reconciling power of His Atonement is marvelous and breathtaking. I am continually changed forever by Him, and to that I can only be forever grateful. Recently I had an experience in the House of the Lord that has only cemented the promise that His reality and His presence are to be found in these sacred sanctuaries. I witness to you as you seek Christ the Lord, you will find Him in His holy temples.

In closing, I’ll share the words of President Dallin H. Oaks, speaking to young adults world-wide:⁷ “my dear friends, one of the greatest opportunities to learn, gather, and lift others is found at institute… At institute you will learn how to distinguish truth from error, build your relationship with Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, find direction and discover answers to life’s greatest questions, meet others to help you along the covenant path and meet people who you may choose to date and marry and prepare to love and lead like the Savior. My dear young adults, I invite you to consistently attend institute; I also encourage you to invite friends to share in these same blessings. I promise that your time in institute will bring the Savior’s peace, joy, and divine love.” in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.