President Nelson’s address to the Saints of California | California Member Devotional, Sunday, February 27, 2022

President Nelson blessed the Saints of California with “increasing faith in the Lord, increased spiritual strength, power to gather friends and families giving all souls the opportunity to hear and accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ!”

Watch it here!

 

 

Sister Nelson:

As we choose to follow the Lord’s prophets, we will be doing what the Lord wants us to do. And we will be blessed spiritually and temporally.

We will be safe.

I’m intrigued by a statement my husband made several years before he was called to be a member of the Quorum of the 12. He said “Once you stop putting question marks behind the Prophet’s statements, and put exclamation points instead and do it (meaning follow through with a prophetic counsel), the blessings just pour.”

That statement from 40 years ago prompted me to wonder what positive changes would you and I notice in our lives if we tried an experiment?

What if for only 30 days, we put an exclamation point after every statement made by a prophet who had happened to our level of peace, joy, clarity of thinking and spiritual prosperity? Who would happen if for 30 days, we prayerfully studied, fully embraced, and lived by every prophetic teaching we could find. Now, how can following the Prophet bless our lives?

President Nelson is always looking to the future.

Several years ago when we returned from a very important, even history-making, trip, we arrived home about 3 am.

The first thing we did was to kneel and thank the Lord for the once in a lifetime experiences he had provided.

My husband was voice for our prayer.

He was very thorough, and he was enumerating the experiences we had and thanking the Lord for them.

As I listened, such vivid images came to my mind of all that had transpired—miracles really—and I was looking forward to reviewing those experiences in my mind and with my husband over and over again in the coming days.

So I was jolted when he continued our prayer with these words: “And please help us put those experiences in our memory bins so we can move forward and do what thou needs us to do now.”

President Nelson is always looking to the future, and lately I’ve noticed something different about his future orientation.

He now looks ahead 50 to 100 years.

Recently, he said to me, “Oh, I wish I could tell you one of the decisions we made today, it will be thrilling.”

I said, “Well, when will I know?”

“Oh, you’ll know in about 50 years.”

So President Nelson is always looking to the future and he’s always looking up.

Well, I could tell you so many more inspiring glimpses into President Nelson’s heart, including his devotion to avoid contention, the awe he has for the laws of God, and his admiration for those who pay the price to accomplish something difficult.

Now, where will following the Prophet lead you?

As you follow the Prophet your love for your Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ will grow as well your desire to keep your covenants with them.

Your ability to discern between what is true and what is not will increase.

You will long to be in the temple more than ever before, because you know whose house it is, and who teaches you supernal truth there.

My dear brothers and sisters of California, it is my testimony that before the foundations of this earth, Russell Marion Nelson was foreordained by God to be the Lord’s prophet to the world, and President of the Lord’s church at this precise time.

I’ve learned that one precision in timing is involved, the Lord is involved.

I know that prophets speak the truth, because the Lord speaks to His prophets.

And I know that following the Prophet is the only way to be safe during these latter days.