Counsel in Perilous Times

We are living in perilous times. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is crucial to trust in the Lord and use the tools he has given us in order to stay on the straight and narrow path that will lead to eternal happiness. One of the most important tools we as Latter-day Saints have been given is the abundant number of general authorities who give prophetic advice on how to return to live with our Heavenly Father again. Their ability to rhetorically communicate well gives us modern day direction on how to live our lives in accordance with the doctrines and principles of the gospel.
The general authorities of the church have been blessed with the ability to communicate their thoughts in an effective and captivating manner. One definition of rhetoric is “the art of communicating well” and the general authorities are capable of doing this. When a talk is given in General Conference or through a broadcast, the message is portrayed in a way that initially grabs the listener’s attention and holds the listener’s attention throughout the rest of the address. To an individual who is not be a member of our church it may seem like these authorities are simply good public speakers; however, we know that the Lord has a direct influence on this ability. In Helaman 13: 3, Samuel was instructed to “prophesy unto the people whatsoever things should come into his heart.” The Lord wanted his message shared with the Nephites, so he directly told Samuel the things he wanted made know. Likewise, the Lord will inspire modern day prophets to speak the words relevant to our day and time. If we remember that the words spoken by general authorities are in reality from the Lord, we can receive the Lord’s direct, modern council through the mouths of others on a regular basis.
By listening to and pondering the words of general authorities, we are able to be influenced by their form of rhetoric and are resultantly compelled to live the principles of the gospel because we know that what they’re saying is directly from God.