Who is a Prophet?
A prophet is a man called by God to speak for Him. When a prophet speaks for God, it is as if God were speaking. Prophets have always told people what Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ want them to do. Prophets have always testified of Jesus Christ. They can help us to know that Jesus is the Savior. We can also learn this by prayerfully studying the Book of Mormon, and obeying the commandments.
Lehi Preaches to His People
One of the first figures in the Book of Mormon is Lehi. Lehi lived in Jerusalem around 600 BC and was concerned for his people who were becoming wicked. While praying for them he saw a vision of the destruction of Jerusalem that was soon to come (1 Nephi 1:5-13). As a result, Lehi goes to preach to the people of Jerusalem to try to warn them of what is to come. He also testifies of the coming of Jesus Christ (1 Nephi 1:18-20). Lehi was mocked because of this, and the people attempted to kill him.
Nephi and his Family are Blessed
“Lord spake unto [Lehi] . . . and said unto him: Blessed art thou Lehi, because of the things which thou hast done; and because thou hast been faithful and declared unto this people the things which I commanded thee . . . the Lord commanded [Lehi] . . . that he should take his family and depart into the wilderness . . .” (1 Nephi 2:1–3).
Lehi and his family took provisions but left everything else, including their riches. His oldest sons Laman and Lemuel “murmured” (complained) because of their “stiffneckedness” (Stubbornness or pride). One of his other sons, Nephi,
“did cry unto the Lord . . . and did soften [his] heart [and believed] all the words which had been spoken by [his] father; wherefore, [he] did not rebel . . . like [his] brothers” (1 Nephi 2:11-13,16).
Because Nephi was willing to pray for and follow the prompting of the spirit – to follow his father Lehi – he and his family, for many generations, were blessed in many ways. We have a prophet today that leads guides Jesus’ Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints), and we too can know the truthfulness of his words if we are willing to pray for our own personal confirmation as Nephi did.
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