Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge, a General Authority Seventy of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, began his Jan. 22 devotional by saying he had wanted to give a different talk to the students but the Spirit repeatedly directed him to give a revised message.
Elder Corbridge said that for a previous assignment, he had to sift through material antagonistic toward the Lord and the Church, a task that left him feeling gloomy. According to Elder Corbridge, this active antagonism toward the Lord’s kingdom is a sign of the last days before Jesus Christ’s second coming.
“The kingdom of God is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,” he said. “It will stand forever. The question is, will you and I stand? Will you stand forever or will you go away? And if you go, where will you go?”
Elder Corbridge said deception, a prevailing tool of the adversary in our day, is seeping into the lives of many Latter-day Saints. From extreme attacks on the Book of Mormon’s validity to the more subtle prevalence of daily distractions, our world is full of diverse forms of deception.
Elder Corbridge said knowledge is an antidote to any personal deception. “Knowledge is crucial to avoid deception and discern between truth and error, to see clearly and chart a course through the hazards of our day,” he said.
Elder Corbridge then listed four primary questions whose answers point the way to real truth: Is there a God and who is our Father? Is Jesus Christ the Son of God, the Savior of the world? Was Joseph Smith a prophet? Is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints the kingdom of God on Earth?
To answer these questions, Elder Corbridge taught students four different methods to discover truth. He listed the scientific method, analytical method, academic method and divine methods as each being necessary.
Elder Corbridge said he knew the answers to the primary questions by his experience, reason, evidence, study and treasuring up the “words of life” continually.
“I know them by the Spirit of revelation and with that, I know everything I need to know to stand forever,” he said.
The next forum address will be given by Matt Luhn, a story and branding consultant for Pixar, on Jan. 29 in the Marriott Center. The forum will begin at 11:05 a.m. MST and will be broadcast online and on BYUtv.
