"We live in very interesting times, yet in marvelous times. We are in the dispensation of the fulness of times, when the fulness of the gospel has been restored, and as the world is being prepared for the glorious Second Coming of the Savior. These are days of looking forward, of beautiful anticipation. These are our days.
"We know as we approach the Second Coming of the Savior, our world will be full of commotion and confusion. Many in society will disregard the commandments of God. I have often quoted this statement by President Thomas S. Monson: “Where once the standards of the Church and the standards of society were mostly compatible, now there is a wide chasm between us, and it’s growing ever wider.”
"As these temptations and distractions increase, as the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes less palatable to the world, sadly, we will see more among us who will lose their way.
"When I was a young man growing up in southeastern Idaho, I remember frequently hearing a quote from Elder Heber C. Kimball given in 1867: “To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess his personal knowledge or witness will fall. … The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to [stand] on borrowed light.”
"As we find our way in a world less attentive to the commandments of God, we will certainly be prayerful, but we need not be overly alarmed. The Lord will bless His Saints with the added spiritual power necessary to meet the challenges of our day.
"Here is my major theme this morning: As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight.
"My brothers and sisters, as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory power, an additional spiritual endowment, a revelatory gift for the righteous.
"This added blessing of spiritual power does not settle upon us just because we are part of this generation. It is willingly offered to us; it is eagerly put before us. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursuing it, and living worthy of receiving it. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?”
"Faith is the muscle of spiritual knowledge and power. Faith is a spiritual gift of God, but it is developed and magnified as we eagerly pursue our journey of embracing and following the Savior."
--Elder Neil L. Andersen, A Compensatory Spiritual Power for the Righteous, August 18, 2015
So true. I am so grateful for the testimony I have. As I see so many falling around me--at alarming rates--I am so thankful for what I know...especially when the fallen try and tell me I don't know. To see them fulfilling prophesy, saying word for word, that which is prophesied in the scriptures. It is unbelievable.
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