Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 18:16

Today's Favorite Verse: Matthew 18:16
"But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."

This verse reminded me of Elder Neil L. Anderson's recent BYU-Idaho Devotional. He spoke on a warning President Russell M. Nelson and then President Dallin H. Oaks both gave and then quoted President Henry B. Eyring on the law of witnesses, and authorized witnesses. We need to listen when warnings are repeated. I had been meaning to look at the talk by President Eyring. First, I wanted to find more scriptures on witnesses. After that I have President Eyring original quotes from his talk, and finally repeating Elder Anderson from his talk on all of them. How grateful I am to have authorized witnesses upon the earth and to be able to hear them.

"This is the third time I am coming to you. In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established."
(2 Corinthians 13:1)

"And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall stand as a testimony against the world at the last day."
(Ether 5:4)

"One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established."
(Deuteronomy 19:15)

"It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true."
(John 8:17)

"There seems to be no end to the Savior’s desire to lead us to safety. And there is constancy in the way He shows us the path. He calls by more than one means so that it will reach those willing to accept it. And those means always include sending the message by the mouths of His prophets whenever people have qualified to have the prophets of God among them. Those authorized servants are always charged with warning the people, telling them the way to safety.
One of the ways we may know that the warning is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When the words of prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time."
(Henry B. Eyring, "Finding Safety in Counsel", April 1997 General Conference)

"President Oaks began one part of his message by saying, "I feel." Whenever a prophet says, "I feel," our ears stand up. We start listening. We listen all the time, but we especially listen when he says, "I feel." And he said to emphasize the warning President Russell M. Nelson issued to us. This warning was given in April 2018. President Nelson's first general conference address after becoming the president of the church. He spoke of the conditions of our world with a very solemn warning that was repeated by President Oaks 12 days ago. And I know many of you know these words. They've been repeated many times. Here they are.
In the coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
Now I wondered when it was first said, “in the coming days.” That was eight years ago. Have the coming days come? It seems possible. Today these powerful words stand as two bookends. April 1st, 2018, February 10th, 2026.
Now having been spoken by two beloved prophets of God in the past eight years, this serious warning has been repeated 13 times in general conference including five times by members of the first presidency and quorum of the 12. They have been spoken 19 times in BYU Idaho devotionals.
How many knew this citation, this quotation of President Nelson that President Oaks said last week? How many knew that before President Oaks said it last week? Yeah, it's been with us, hasn't it?
Think of it. This specific warning has been a part of the Lord's teaching to you if you're 20 years old. How many here are 20 years old right now? Raise your hand. Some of you are much older. If you're 20 years old, it's been with you since you were 12 years old at teaching.
Nearly 30 years ago, President Henry B. Eyring, who was then a member of the quorum of the 12, said something in general conference that I have not forgotten. Here's what he said: "One of the ways we may know that the warning is from the Lord is that the law of witnesses, authorized witnesses, has been invoked. When the words of the prophets seem repetitive, that should rivet our attention and fill our hearts with gratitude to live in such a blessed time."
The words that have been pressed upon my mind are the law of authorized witnesses. When repetitive, they should rivet our attention.
After quoting President Nelson 12 days ago, President Oaks issued a more sobering counsel. He said, "One of the many reasons you will need the constant influence of the Holy Ghost is that you live in a season in which the adversary has become so effective at disguising truth that if you don't have the Holy Ghost, you will be deceived. Many obstacles lie ahead. The distractions will be many."
(Elder Neil L. Andersen, "President Oaks and the Law of Witnesses", BYU-Idaho Devotional, 22 Feb 2026)

Day 4071

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 2:14-15

Today's Favorite Verse: 2 Kings 2:14-15
"And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the LORD God of Elijah? and when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over.
And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him."

The mantle of a prophet. When Elijah was taken up, Elisha received that mantle. It made me think about how yesterday the mantle of the prophet again fell upon a new prophet. President Eyring spoke of it when he said he saw the power of God come upon President Dallin H. Oaks. Then President Holland spoke on how it was a very, very moving experience to see that mantle come fully and completely on President Oaks. I have thought all day about their words, and how my heart wants so much to listen to the words of President Oaks. It's not that I've forgotten President Nelson already. It's just time to listen to the living prophet now.

President Henry B. Eyring:
I am equally surprised, as was President Christofferson, at the wonderful opportunity to serve in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I love Him, and I've always felt that He was urging me to be better and that I was never quite doing it. And so the feeling of being asked, I believe under inspiration, to come and serve again in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I cannot express the gratitude that I feel for the trust, the trust from the Lord and the trust that President Oaks has shown to me. I love him and know him and can testify that I know that he is the head of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by inspiration. I have seen the power of God come upon him, and it's been a reassuring thing to me to know that, just as in the days of old when Peter and others would lead the Church, that the people would be able to recognize that that was the Lord's servant to lead His Church. I've had that blessing and that assurance come to me, and I'm so grateful for that, and grateful for the trust and for the people whose faith I know will sustain us in this great work of the Restoration and the final preparation of the Lord's Church for His coming. I bear you my testimony that preparation is occurring and that President Oaks is the perfect one to do the things that I know the Lord will want done. I am grateful to be at his side. I testify Jesus is the Christ, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

President Jeffrey R. Holland:
I am thrilled to speak for the Quorum of the Twelve, for the Seven Presidents of the Seventy, the Presiding Bishopric, organizational heads, all of whom support and sustain unequivocally President Dallin Oaks as the president, prophet, seer, and revelator leading this Church for its next moment in time. We love him, we have known him, we've watched him be prepared, and have had the confirmation that that is the Lord's will this day. That has been a unanimous and a very, very moving experience to see that mantle come fully and completely on President Oaks. We stand ready to serve him out to the newest convert and the most recently called missionary. I know, beyond anything else I know, that this is God's Church. This is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The Father and the Son and the gifts of the Holy Ghost will come upon President Oaks in full measure, and I know that that line of gift and promise is true and that has been reaffirmed as well today. I love the work that we're in, bear testimony of it, and say that in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
(Special Announcement: The New First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, YouTube 14 Oct 2025)

Day 3849

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 15:3

Today's Favorite Verse: Doctrine & Covenants 15:3
"And I will tell you that which no man knoweth save me and thee alone—"

God knows the thoughts and intents of our hearts. We cannot hide anything from Him. He knows our sins and earnest desires. He is a perfect confidant and friend.

"Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart."
(Doctrine and Covenants 6:16)

“For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?”  (Mosiah 5:13)
Now, you will still be startled, as President Benson said you would be, to realize how familiar the face of our Heavenly Father is. But when you see him, you will know his voice, because you will have prayed, listened, obeyed, and come to share the thoughts and intents of his heart. You will have drawn nearer to him."
(Henry B. Eyring, "To Draw Closer to God", Apr 1991 General Conference)

Day 3604

Today's Favorite Verse: Joel 2:28-29

Today's Favorite Verse: Joel 2:28-29

"And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:

And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit."

When the angel Moroni visited Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1823 he quoted Joel 28-32 and said it was not yet fulfilled, but was soon to be. (Joseph Smith-History 1:41) That was 200 years ago. I am reminded of what President Henry B. Eyring recently posted.

"There are many reading this today who feel a pressing need for a blessing of personal revelation from our loving Heavenly Father.

For those in a war-ravaged place in the world, it will be a desperate need to know whether to move their family to safety or whether to stay where they are. For many it’s praying to know how to help the Lord rescue a lost sheep.

We all know that human judgment and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. We need revelation from God. And we will need not just one revelation in a time of stress, but we need a constantly renewed stream.

Heavenly Father hears your prayers. He loves you. He knows your name. Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and our Redeemer. I promise that He pours out revelation upon all of us through the Holy Ghost as we seek His guidance."

(President Henry B. Eyring, Facebook post 7/16/2023 at 9:00 am)

The thoughts of those now in war-ravaged places praying, and the wars spoken of in Joel, it feels like we are in the days prophesied.

Day 3037

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 19:4

Today's Favorite Verse: Jeremiah 19:4

"Because they have forsaken me, and have estranged this place, and have burned incense in it unto other gods, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, nor the kings of Judah, and have filled this place with the blood of innocents;"

The Lord tells Jeremiah of the destruction he will bring upon this place because of their worship of Baal. The reference to the blood of the innocents is because they sacrifice and eat the flesh of their children. I pondered on how "other gods" doesn't necessarily mean an organized religion. It can be any corrupt belief that is damaging to others, especially children. I pondered on several philosophies of man right now that are damaging to our innocent children, even to the point we mar their flesh. It also made me think of several general conference talks I heard today, about needing to teach our children the doctrine of Christ, and repentance. President Eyring's comment really stood out to me.

"The rising generation will become the nurturers of the generation to follow. … the Lord’s kingdom on earth will be prepared and ready to greet Him with shouts of hosanna. There will be peace on earth.”

(President Henry B. Erying, "Finding Personal Peace", Apr 2023 General Conference)

It made me think how the Lord's plan is to prepare a righteous people to receive him. Which is through our raising and preparing them. That Satan has his own plan to raise the most wicked generation. This is the most important battle of humankind, the battle of our souls. We know which side wins. It's a matter of which side we are on.

Day 2923