Prophets: articles and tips | FAIR

by Autumn Dickson

Just to give some context on where we’re at in the biblical timeline here…we just finished reading in Jeremiah and Lamentations where Babylon attacked during King Zedekiah’s reign. Babylon emptied Jerusalem and set it on fire at this point in the timeline.

Before that, Babylon had attacked Jerusalem earlier. The Babylonians won and took a bunch of Jerusalem’s elite into Babylon; we will be reading about one of these exiles, Daniel, in the future. He followed the Law of Moses instead of eating the King’s food. Babylon put King Zedekiah in as a puppet king.

Ezekiel was called as a prophet to the first wave of exiles. We have gone back in time before everything we just read about Jeremiah.

Ezekiel’s mission was going to be arduous and unfruitful. He was called to preach to hard-hearted people that were not going to repent, and he was warned of how hard his mission would be.

Chapter 33 really expounds on the principle of a watchman. Ezekiel has been called to be a watchman on the tower. He is placed up high where he can see afar off, and it is his job to see the enemy coming and warn everyone down below that can’t see. If the watchman doesn’t warn the people, their blood is on his hands. He didn’t do his job. They weren’t able to prepare.

On the flip side, there is personal accountability as well. If you ignore the watchman sounding the alarm, then you have no one to blame but yourself.

There are some really beautiful literary elements that we read here.

Ezekiel 33:10-11

10 Therefore, O thou son of man, speak unto the house of Israel; Thus ye speak, saying, If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how should we then live?

11 Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the wicked turn from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

In other words, the Lord tells Ezekiel that the people are going to say, “We are rotting away because our sins and transgressions are upon us. How can we live?” The Lord then tells Ezekiel to respond, “I don’t want you to die. I don’t like it so do something about it! Turn away from evil. Why do you insist on dying?”

I think it can be easy to de-personalize God sometimes. It’s easy to not jump into the meat of what He’s trying to express to us and His people. It’s easy to not feel the gravity. It’s easy to pass over and not hear the pleading of a tender parent.

The analogy of the watchman can help us better understand what the Lord (and consequently, Ezekiel) are feeling.

Place yourself in the story. There are city walls, and you are placed upon a great tower so that you can see far into the distance. Everyone knows there is an enemy that lies in wait to attack, and so a beautiful system is set up in which everyone can be warned of impending trouble. The people continue on in their lives without having to worry about a surprise attack. The watchman is there and will warn them.

Imagine being the watchman. You look out one day to see a mass army coming towards the city. They are armed and prepared and on their way. You sound the alarm. You are ringing a giant bell (or however the warning system worked) over and over and over to alert everyone. You want every single person in the city to hear and know what is coming.

You finally stop ringing the bell, and you look down, confident that the people will be springing into action to avoid the coming bloodbath. You are taken aback to find people going about their day as if there is no enemy approaching. You try to ring the bell a couple more times, but still, there is no response. You climb down the tower and start trying to talk to people directly. Maybe they don’t remember what the bell is for. Maybe you just need to remind them. Maybe they don’t understand that there really is an army headed their way. Maybe they think you were just overreacting to an odd shadow on the horizon.

You start yelling to the crowds around you, “There is an army coming. They’re armed and prepared. They want to conquer and take you as slaves. They will be here.”

Some people ignore you completely. It’s as if they can’t hear you. Some people have the gall to get angry at you for interrupting their day.

Why won’t anyone listen? Do they want to die? Surely they care enough to not let their children die, right?

Wrong. They’re not listening.

Now let’s take a step back from being in the story. There is plenty of emotion here, but why does it matter to us? We feel for Ezekiel and what he has been called to do. We feel for the Lord and all that He’s done for His children, only to watch them reject Him and then call Him unfair. We see the love that was involved in this process of trying to reach people who didn’t want to listen.

But what does this story teach us? What do we need to learn?

I suppose that depends on whether you’re the watchman or the citizen.

If you are the watchman, there is value in loving the citizens. There is value in calling out to them even when they refuse to listen. It brings you closer to God. It helps you understand Him as you practice doing His work. If you are the citizen, the Lord is reaching out constantly. He doesn’t want you to die, but He will not vaporize enemies and put you in a bubble. The point of mortality was to come here and grow in wisdom. You can’t learn those lessons in a bubble. Please listen to Him and the warnings of His watchmen.

I testify that the Lord is ever reaching out. The battle with evil is very real to Him. He is feeling all the feelings because He loves us. His omnipotence does not get rid of those feelings. His wisdom does not make Him cold. We are His purpose. I testify that listening to His counsels are a gift.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Ezekiel 1–3; 33–34; 36–37; 47 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Have you ever felt quiet confidence in the Lord? What did that look like? What were you doing in your life that you felt that way? Do you still feel it?

Isaiah 30 warns Israel that they will be scattered for rejecting the prophets and trusting in Egypt. The children of Israel want the prophets to “prophecy not” and to “speak unto us smooth things.” They want the seers to “see not,” and they want prophets to “prophesy deceits.”

They want lies from the prophets so they can hold on to their wickedness a bit longer without any annoyances or interruptions. They prefer their temporary wickedness to hard truths that will ultimately benefit them. They’d rather roll over in the mud where they will rot rather than getting up and getting cleaned off.

And the Lord is distraught over it.

Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.

Ye would not. You refused the returning, rest, quietness, and confidence.

Have you ever refused the happy ending He wanted to give? Have you ever refused to put stock in the happy ending that He promised to give? Perhaps you were too afraid to put weight on it, but ironically, it just robbed you of more positive feelings.

Did you ever think about choosing faith and confidence before He sends the answer or fixes the problem?

It is a powerful thing to choose faith beforehand. It is a powerful thing to voluntarily shove your fear away, dig deep, and stand still, waiting for the Lord’s arm to be revealed. It is a powerful thing to say, “The Lord has not personally assured me yet, but I’m assuring me because I believe in the Lord.”

It was powerful when David laid everything on the line to go and fight Goliath despite the fact that he didn’t pray about it beforehand. It was powerful when the widow of Zarephath made a little cake for Elijah before she received any kind of confirmation that she would get unending supplies of food for the duration of the famine. It was powerful when Nephi walked into Jerusalem to get the plates without knowing what the plan was. It was powerful to watch Hezekiah hold still inside Jerusalem before he knew an angel would show up and destroy the Assyrian army.

Choosing faith without knowing the plan is powerful. Some of the biggest miracles in the scriptures came when people showed faith before the Lord showed up directly.

And many of these miracles are loud and impressive and we love to read about them. But there are also quiet miracles that come when we’ve chosen to put our trust in God. It is the miracle of return, rest, quietness, and confidence. These feelings really are miracles in a day and age when peace shall be taken from the earth. It is miraculous when we feel calm and content when all evidence points to the contrary. That is true power. It is powerful when Satan can’t touch our peace because it is firmly planted in the Lord where it is safe. It is powerful when opposition and uncertainty can’t break it because the trust has already been chosen.

One of my oft-repeated, favorite stories is when my daughter showed her faith in my husband.

I am rather convinced that Conner can fix anything. Apparently, my children have adopted the same attitude. I was standing in our kitchen one day, very pregnant, and I turned to Conner and said, “I think my water may have just broken.” From the other room, Evelyn yelled, “It’s okay, mom! Dad can fix it!”

Evelyn obviously didn’t know what had just broken, but it didn’t matter to her. She believed her dad could fix it.

Imagine the power that could come if we had that faith in the Lord. If anything bad happens, our immediate, knee-jerk reaction is, “It’s okay. Father can fix that.” When we reach the point where our knee-jerk reaction is that Heavenly Father can fix anything, we find what the Lord is trying to offer: returning, rest, quietness, and confidence.

He has offered those gifts. He has fixed things and proved Himself. He continually tries to convince us to trust these promises, but only we can make the decision whether to choose the faith ahead of time.

So what are you facing right now? What is eating at you? What keeps you up at night? What holds up a huge portion of your mental energy? Write it down at the top of a piece of paper and underline it.

Then, underneath it, write down every adjacent promise to that problem. Write down everything He has covenanted to deliver to you. Write down all of His characteristics that are relevant. Have you had any similar problems before? What happened? How did He help take care of them?

Sometimes finding returning, rest, quietness, and confidence doesn’t come from clinging desperately until your muscles ache and the problem blows over and you feel like you can breathe again. Returning, rest, quietness, and confidence can come in the middle of the storm when you choose to believe in the end of the storm. Sure, you’ll still feel the blowing but your heart and mind are at rest.

I testify that the Savior can fix it. I testify that you don’t have to hold on for dear life because He is holding on to you, and He is stronger than any storm. You just have to choose to trust in that strength and you will find the quiet. I testify that it is possible to choose faith when evidence points to the contrary.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 13–14; 22; 24–30; 35 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There is a passage in Isaiah about the daughters of Zion. Not gonna lie…it can be a hard one to read. It calls out the women in Zion for their pride in the form of outward ornamentation, and it prophesies of their downfall.

And though it’s a difficult topic, I want to talk about this passage and its insights into modesty.

Isaiah 3:16-18

16 Moreover the Lord saith, Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet:

17 Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the Lord will discover their secret parts.

18 In that day the Lord will take away the bravery of their tinkling ornaments about their feet, and their cauls, and their round tires like the moon,

There are a couple of things in there that we’re going to talk about, but let’s start with the beginning. They are haughty, walking with stretched forth necks and wanton eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet.

In other words, these girls are working the room. Their stretched forth necks make them taller, more noticeable. Their wanton eyes were flirtatious and inviting. Their “mincing” means that they were taking these tiny steps that were fashionable. In fact, some even had chains around their ankles that would limit their gait so they would have to take tinier steps. Their tinkling feet announced they were coming and invited everyone to pay attention to their status and wealth.

So let’s talk about immodesty. Traditionally (at least since the 1900’s onward), modesty has an association of covering yourself up with clothes, and these verses don’t necessarily say anything about whether these women were wearing revealing clothing. It mainly talks about their ornamentation and purposes. The word modesty has been reduced to talking about how much skin you’re showing; it used to mean so much more.

Modesty is an attitude. It can be reflected in one’s dress, but one could be wearing a plethora of different styles and find themselves modest or immodest depending on their heart.

If an immodest heart were to speak aloud, it would say, “Look at me. Pay attention to my looks, status, wealth. You don’t really have to even consider anything else about me. Just look at me. I want your attention.”

A modest heart would say, “How can I do good?” Completely uninhibited by the opinions of others or the need for someone to notice them.

Outwardly, you can wear a great many things. You can make yourself look nice and have fun expressing yourself, and this goes for both men and women. Modesty is an attitude, not clothing.

There have been plenty of times in my life that I’ve walked around with an immodest attitude. Especially growing up, I remember trying to draw attention to myself even though my clothes were considered perfectly modest. I craved attention. It made me feel better, but it never lasted. Focusing yourself on drawing attention is a vastly empty endeavor; it doesn’t feel good for very long. It also affected how I felt about myself. I reduced the entirety of myself to how much attention I could attract rather than focusing on what I could truly give to the world. When you’re only feeling rewarded for being noticed for how you look, you sometimes lose the best parts of yourself. This attitude wasn’t constant in my life, but it was present enough to cause problems.

And while I think that clothing can affect your attitude, I don’t think it’s an end-all. I wore perfectly “modest” clothes, and yet, I was plenty immodest in my heart.

There are a great many curses that follow after this attitude, but one of the phrases in these verses that really caught my attention in these verses was the idea that the Lord would take away the BRAVERY of their ornamentation. We see that plenty. It is hard to feel beautiful, even with ornamentation, when we’re competing with an illusion on the internet. It is hard to be brave and defend yourself when you’re merely arming yourself with beauty. Even when you do well, you still get attacked.

And so we change. Instead of walking into a room and trying to impress everyone so that we can make friends, we forget about ourselves and really try to think about others. When we’re having a conversation, sometimes we talk in a certain way or say certain things because we have this great desire to be loved. Sometimes it’s not just about being admired; we are truly seeking love. Ironically, if you really want to be loved, your most effective strategy is a focus on making the other person feel special. I have found deeper relationships, more acceptance, and more fulfillment with this strategy than my previously desperate attempts to be liked.

We don’t know exactly what the last days will look like, but if we get to the end and find ourselves without the ornamentation, we won’t feel bereft and have to go through the process of completely redefining ourselves. We will still have a basis for loving ourselves.

One last thought. Reading these verses can cause some inward reflection about whether we’re personally seeking attention. This is a good reflection and reminder. It can also cause us to reflect on others we know who are seeking attention.

Refrain from making ultimate judgments or removing yourself from them. I would tell you to stop making judgments completely, but I don’t think that’s necessarily wise either. Humans are given judgment to protect ourselves and help us make better decisions. We just can’t take that judgment beyond its proper bounds and write a person off.

In this chapter, Isaiah was warning against pride. It would be rather ironic to dress the opposite of the daughters of Zion and find yourself with pride over the idea that you are not like them.

Instead, when you notice signs that someone may be seeking attention, recognize they are probably seeking love but don’t know how to do it in a way that’s healthy. Make a friend and try to help them see themselves as so much more than ornamentation. Consistently draw attention to qualities that matter more than how they look. Love them enough that eventually they don’t feel a need to seek love in ways that won’t fill them.

I testify that an attitude of modesty is a blessing. Focusing on others can inoculate us against emptiness and despair. It can shield us when the world pronounces unfair judgment. There are much happier ways to live, and I’m grateful the Lord seeks to teach us of His ways.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Isaiah 1–12 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

Time for another Old Testament story.

Jehoshaphat is a king of Judah. He is a righteous king who worked on pushing the hearts of his people towards the Lord. He tears down idols. He seeks out the will of the Lord. He’s a good man, though imperfect at times.

At one point in time, Jehoshaphat finds himself in Israel with his ally, the wicked King Ahab. Ahab wants to go fight Syria to recapture a city that was taken from Israel. Jehoshaphat agrees but wants to consult a prophet first. After consulting 400 false prophets who declare that they will be victorious, Jehoshaphat insists on consulting a true prophet.

The true prophet, Micaiah, comes and prophesies that they will lose and Ahab will die. Micaiah is actually quite awesome, but he is a story for another day.

Despite Micaiah’s prophecies, Ahab and Jehoshaphat try to fight Syria. It obviously doesn’t go very well. Ahab tells Jehoshaphat to wear royal robes, and Ahab dresses like a common soldier. Syria immediately starts trying to kill Jehoshaphat, and Jehoshaphat calls out to the Lord and is saved. Ahab takes a random arrow and dies.

Jehoshaphat returns home and is greeted by a prophet from his own kingdom.

2 Chronicles 19:2-3

2 And Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him, and said to king Jehoshaphat, Shouldest thou help the ungodly, and love them that hate the Lord? therefore is wrath upon thee from before the Lord.

3 Nevertheless there are good things found in thee, in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land, and hast prepared thine heart to seek God.

After this experience, Jehoshaphat continues to make reforms to point his people towards the Lord. Jehoshaphat was not a perfect king, but he was a good king. In the Old Testament, we read a lot about the Lord punishing disobedience quickly and strongly. There is a reason for that; the Lord is warning us about the spiritual consequences of disobedience. And yet, the Lord doesn’t do this with Jehoshaphat despite his multiple recorded failings.

We see Jehoshaphat’s weakness a few more times over his reign.

Later on, Jehoshaphat makes another alliance with Ahab’s son, the new king of Israel. They built a bunch of ships together, and the prophet, Eliezer, prophesies that the ships will get destroyed. They get destroyed.

One of the ways that these two nations were allied was through a marriage. Jehoshaphat’s son, Jehoram, marries Ahab’s daughter. It comes back to haunt Jehoshaphat later when Jehoram starts worshipping idols and Ahab’s daughter tries to wipe out the Davidic line.

I love the nuance here.

Jehoshaphat made mistakes, but God spares him. He has weaknesses; he keeps trying to connect himself further with the northern kingdom that is wicked and idolatrous. There are two “despites” here that teach something really important.

Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat loves God, his disobedience and lack of trust come back to bite him. He loves God, but he has to experience consequences because of his flaws.

Despite the fact that Jehoshaphat has flaws, God continues to save him. He is directly saved in the battle that he fought with King Ahab, but he is preserved upon the throne until he “rested with his ancestors.” This is a biblical phrase that suggests he died peacefully.

I see it in my own life all the time. Despite the fact that I love God, I have flaws and they come with consequences. They drive me to be unhappy. When I get frustrated with my kids or get prideful or uncharitable, I find innate consequences that come back to bite me.

And yet, despite the fact that I have flaws, God continues to save me. We just keep on trying to move forward.

As I pondered this pattern, I thought of some of the other patterns I find in the Old Testament, specifically the pattern where God punishes those who trust mankind over Him. We see examples of kings that trusted Egypt but found themselves completely fallen to Babylon. Why didn’t Jehoshaphat find himself in this category? As I pondered Jehoshaphat’s exception, I was reminded that Hezekiah is another example of this. Hezekiah tried paying tribute to Babylon to get them to go away, and he even stripped the gold and silver out of the temple in order to pay that tribute.

So why were Hezekiah and Jehoshaphat spared when they also didn’t put their trust fully in God?

There is one more verse I want to share. It’s about Jehoshaphat, but Hezekiah did a similar thing.

2 Chronicles 18:31 And it came to pass, when the captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel. Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved them to depart from him.

What was the difference? Jehoshaphat called out to God. Hezekiah did similarly. After stripping the temple and failing, Hezekiah went to the temple and pleaded with the Lord.

When do we really lose the battle? When we turn on the Lord and don’t turn back to Him again after.

I think that’s really one of the keys to life here. We all fail. It’s inevitable. What keeps us in the pattern of Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah? We turn to the Lord again even after we failed Him. We plead to Him and ask for forgiveness even in the midst of the potentially devastating consequences that we got ourselves into.

We just keep turning back, no matter how many times we’ve failed.

I testify that we can turn to God, no matter how many times we’ve failed. I testify that this pattern is the one that really grants us success: turning to the Lord over and over and over and over. Even when we’ve failed Him, we turn right back. We trust that He will still love us, and we ask Him to help us get out of it and get better.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Part 2 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Chronicles 14–20; 26; 30 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 2 Kings 2–7 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

There are major themes throughout the stories we read in the Old Testament. Some of the more negative themes are idolatry, fear over losing power, disobedience, and corrupting influences. The Old Testament does not shy away from showing the fallibility of humankind. There is great hope in faithful stories in the scriptures; there are also important warnings in the stories of people who were not obedient to the Lord.

One of the stories we read this week shows themes of obedience and disobedience. We see people who have a connection to God and follow Him, but we also watch them choose against God and find themselves in deep water because of it.

There are a lot of details for our story in this post, but stick with me. They are important because they set the stage for our principle.

In 1 Kings 13, we read about a man of God and an old prophet. Those are the only “names” we receive for these men, and these titles can get confusing especially when you’re reading the details of the story. Though they were labeled as a man of God and an old prophet, we see their fallibility on full display.

For some quick background, Israel has split into two kingdoms: Judah and Benjamin in the south and the rest of the ten tribes in the north. The man of God was from Judah where the true temple was. The northern kingdom had fallen into idolatry. The man of God was commanded to go to Bethel (in the northern kingdom) and condemn the idolatrous practice. He does so and performs a couple of wonderful miracles as well.

The Lord warns and commands the man of God to not eat or drink in Bethel. The man of God originally follows this command very well as he works to return to Judah. Unfortunately, another man, the old prophet, comes along and finds the man of God resting under the shade of a tree. The old prophet offers the man of God some food and drink, and the man of God refuses. The old prophet says this.

1 Kings 13:18 He said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the Lord, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

The man of God listens to the old prophet and partakes in food and drink. While the man of God eats, the old prophet tells him that he won’t make it home because of his disobedience. On the way home, the man of God is killed by a lion. The old prophet collects the body, gives the man of God an honorable burial, and requests to be buried next to the man of God when he dies. The old prophet calls the man of God a brother. He testifies that the prophecy made by the man of God earlier regarding the idolatrous altar in Bethel will come true.

There are a lot of confusing details. I don’t know if this was one of those parts of the bible that was translated incorrectly or whether it’s simply highlighting the fallibility of real people who sometimes follow the Lord.

Who was the old prophet? Was he an actual prophet to the Lord? He was in the idolatrous kingdom so when they called him a prophet, was he a false prophet? Was he trying to tear down the man of God for prophesying against the northern kingdom? We know that the old prophet received some revelation from the Lord. He prophesied of the death of the man of God, and he testified of the prophecy given by the man of God. So why did he lie? Was he threatened by the man of God or did he see no harm in his white lie? Was he trying to just nourish the man of God? Was he wicked but then received a testimony while he watched the man of God come and eat?

There is a lot of ambiguity. Oftentimes, I’ll try to take one biblical theory and talk about true principles from it regardless of whether the details are perfect. This time, I’m going to embrace the ambiguity.

The man of God listened to the old prophet and found himself dead because of it.

I’ve seen a pattern on social media. This is a pattern that has existed for a long time, but I’ve seen it more readily because of its prevalence on social media.

On social media (and in real life), we find people who are disgusted by the church. They hate it. They actively fight against it. Their entire online persona can be defined by, “I hate the church.”

But there is another group of people. They claim to be part of the church, to receive revelation, and to love the Lord. Some of their posts are uplifting and encouraging, but some of their posts teach things that can be found in direct conflict with the Lord’s commandments. Some of their posts might not necessarily be in direct conflict, but they are critical of the church in the name of their love for the Lord.

These people are much more ambiguous. What are their true motives? What does it mean that they call themselves members? Because heaven knows you can call yourself a member without actually following Christ.

I don’t have any real desire to discover their motives. If they are sincere, the Lord will work with them and hopefully they will listen. If they are not sincere, then the Lord can handle all of that. I don’t need to know their motives or even condemn them.

Rather, I’d like to highlight a warning from this story. The man of God died because he followed the ambiguous old prophet who had some claim to God but also lied.

I don’t think we’ll get killed by a lion if we follow these accounts, but I do think it can spiritually deaden us. It can blind us.

Isn’t that funny? The rest of the world would call us blind and accuse us of drinking the Kool-aid, and yet, either side could be logically labelled as propaganda. Both sides label themselves enlightened. Everyone thinks their version is the closest one to the truth.

So how do we know whether we can trust the old prophet? How do we know whether we should whole-heartedly follow the prophet of our church?

I can’t answer that question for everyone. All I know is that I talk to the Lord, and He responds. I can’t answer for other people, but the more I study the gospel and the church, the more I see the Lord’s perfect hand working with the imperfection of mankind. I have watched some of my loved ones listen to these posts and believe they can disobey the Lord in little ways and be fine, and I have watched some of my loved ones turn these voices off. With the experiences that I’ve had in the gospel, I have no desire to follow anyone (real or on the internet) who tells me that I can disobey the Lord. It’s not just about avoiding dying either. I have found too much joy in the protection and safety of the Lord, and I refuse to lose that joy.

I testify that being obedient to the Lord provides safety and warmth and true happiness. I testify that even in the darkest times, following Him is where we will find respite. I testify that He teaches us through powerful stories in the scriptures, and that His patterns reflect across all generations on the earth. I testify that there is safety in joy in following the word of the Lord as given from Him directly.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – 1 Kings 12–13; 17–22 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

by Autumn Dickson

In a day and age where many are curious as to why women can’t hold specific positions in the church or be ordained to priesthood offices, reading about Deborah the prophetess can be confusing. Here is a verse that describes her as a prophetess.

Judges 4:4 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time.

If Deborah can be a prophetess, can we have a prophetess in our day? What does it even mean that she was a prophetess and what are the implications for women in the latter days?

I think it’s important to note that I’m not an official representative of the church. However, I’d like to share some of my own perspectives and interpretations surrounding Deborah and what it means as a female Latter-day Saint.

But first, some context.

Judges is a book of scripture that describes the time period when Israel had no king. Joshua, the prophet after Moses, died, and there was no prophet that directly succeeded him. We don’t know exactly how long it took before the Lord called another centralized prophet (Samuel), but educated guesses suggest 300-450 years.

As a society, they had the Law of Moses, and the government could be described as a tribal confederation. Despite having a law given unto them from God, they often fell in with Canaanites and found themselves in varying levels of apostasy.

Sometimes, in response to the Israelites finding themselves in trouble, the Lord would send a “judge.” The way that we define “judge” is not necessarily accurate in this particular book of scripture. In this context, a judge was a charismatic military leader that would help Israel. There were some major judges such as Samson; there were other minor judges that would help regions rather than the entire nation of Israel.

So who was Deborah?

Deborah was one of the major judges sent by God to help Israel. She was a judge in every sense of the word. She was a military leader, but people also literally went to her for guidance to settle their problems. She was also a spiritual leader over the nation of Israel.

Was she a prophet? The scriptures describe her as a prophetess, and she led all of Israel politically and spiritually. But was she a prophet in the way that we define “prophet” in our day?

At this point, I think it’s important to clarify what it means to have a prophet.

Definition One. The way that we usually define “prophet” in our church in the Latter-days is unique. It’s not just someone who studies the scriptures and knows them really well. It’s not just someone who receives revelation. When Latter-day Saints speak of prophets, we are often describing the man who has the authority to speak for God on behalf of the entire church. He is the only one with spiritual jurisdiction to lead (under Christ) the church. He holds all of the priesthood keys.

And yes, he is a male.

We don’t know if that will ever change. I don’t know if it’s doctrine that means this particular role will always be male, or if someday the Lord will use His unchanging love and wisdom to adapt His church according to circumstances as He has throughout the course of history.

But there is also a broader definition of this term, “prophet.”

Definition two. Anyone can have the spirit of prophecy which is defined as a “testimony of Christ.” We know that Jerusalem had centralized prophets in ancient times as well as lesser “prophets” who would also be sent by the Lord to teach and call upon people to repent. I am not a prophet in the sense that I hold all the priesthood keys or can define doctrine on behalf of the Lord for the entire church. However, I have come to view myself as a prophetess within my own family. Beside my husband, I lead our home. I receive revelation on behalf of our kids and what we need to do. I learn the will of the Lord for our family. I fulfill so many of the “prophetic” responsibilities often associated with prophets; I simply do it within the context of my own family. Most importantly, I am a witness of Christ to my family.

What kind of prophetess was Deborah? With the information we’ve been given, I feel pretty safe assuming she was the second kind of prophet. The Lord had declared that priesthood responsibilities would go through male descendants of Aaron and the tribe of Levi. Deborah was not ordained nor did she hold any keys.

So Deborah was a prophetess but not necessarily how we often define it in our day.

Perhaps there are some who are disappointed by this news. Perhaps there are some who hoped that because Deborah was a prophetess, we could have one in our day. Perhaps there are some who cling to the idea that things will change and long for the day to see a prophetess lead the church. I don’t know whether that will be a thing. If anyone has any insight into that particular doctrine, feel free to comment. But as far as I know, we don’t know.

Here’s what I do know.

Deborah doesn’t need to be disappointing. In fact, if we understand her properly, we should be exultant. If we understand what the Lord would like to bestow upon His daughters and His sons, then we would hold no fear. Deborah is excellent proof of what the Lord would have all of us do.

Deborah may not have been a prophetess in the modern sense of the word, but guys! She was still a prophetess! She was a national leader, and people followed her. She changed Israel. She made a difference. She has been regarded with respect by millions who learned about her generation after generation.

And she didn’t need the priesthood keys to do it.

The Lord is wonderful and wise and set up a priesthood organization with offices and keys. I know that can be a painful sticking point for some. I understand that. I’m personally grateful for this organization, but I can simultaneously understand why it’s painful. But that’s not really my point today.

My point is that you have all that you need to become everything God wants you to become, and He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. This has implications for men too. About 3-5% of men will hold priesthood keys at any given time in the church. That number jumps to 10-20% of men who will hold priesthood keys at some point in their lifetime.

BUT YOU DON’T NEED KEYS TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE AND CHANGE THE WORLD.

No one came to Deborah and ordained her as a prophetess. The bible doesn’t tell us how she rose to that role, but I have my guesses as to how it happened.

It happened because she was a faithful daughter of God who chose to follow the Lord wherever He chose to lead her.

Following the Lord and handing your life over to Him in faith (female or male) does not mean you will be recorded for people to pore over your life story for generations to come. It doesn’t mean you’ll be famous or even particularly loud. But if that’s what you’re looking for, then you’re in the wrong place anyway.

I love the example of Deborah, if for no other reason than her story means that I can be a powerful tool for the Lord regardless of what mankind recognizes in me. Regardless of whatever official roles I’ve been given, I could part seas or change lives. Really what it comes down to is what the Lord wants for me and what He’s trying to teach me. Having enough power to change the world isn’t really the question here; the Lord will give me everything I need. The true question is whether I will give my life over to Him in whatever capacity He asks.

I have as well as I can, and I love my life.

I testify that we have everything we need to do everything the Lord wants us to do and become everything He wants us to become. I likewise testify that He has much more in mind for you than you have for yourself. If you (female or male) feel left out because you can’t be or aren’t a bishop, then hold tight. The Lord has much bigger plans for you. He loves you so much. You are so important to Him. It would be silly to ask more from Him when He already plans on giving you everything that He has.

Autumn Dickson was born and raised in a small town in Texas. She served a mission in the Indianapolis Indiana mission. She studied elementary education but has found a particular passion in teaching the gospel. Her desire for her content is to inspire people to feel confident, peaceful, and joyful about their relationship with Jesus Christ and to allow that relationship to touch every aspect of their lives. Autumn was the recipient of FAIR’s 2024 John Taylor Defender of the Faith Award.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Judges 2–4; 6–8; 13–16 – Part 1 – Autumn Dickson appeared first on FAIR.

Jennifer Roach Lees holds a Master in Divinity as well as a Masters in Counseling Psychology. She is a licensed mental health therapist and lives in Utah.

The post Come, Follow Me with FAIR – Deuteronomy 6–8; 15; 18; 29–30; 34 – Jennifer Roach Lees appeared first on FAIR.