Are You the Exception or Just Disobeying? 6 Ways to Know if You Are the Exception

Months ago, I had someone reach out saying, “I have been very prayerful about it and I feel strongly that I shouldn’t get the Covid vaccine, but what do I do if the Prophet tells us to get vaccinated? How will I know for sure that I am receiving revelation telling me I am the exception?” My initial response to this sincere inquiry was, “that will never happen,” but that question about being the exception rang in my mind until I searched for the answer myself. What I found were six guiding principles about how to help determine if you are the exception to the rule. I am so glad I took the time to ponder long enough to get that second response, because now that the “impossible” has happened a lot of people are asking this same question. Here are the six guiding principles to help you determine if you are the exception:

1. You Probably Aren’t an Exception

First off, it is important to realize and be willing to admit that you probably aren’t the exception. If the Prophet feels it is necessary to share counsel with the world, then wouldn’t it make sense that the majority of people in the world are supposed to follow it? There are two main groups of people that heard this counsel: saints who have been vaccinated, and saints who have not. If one group is doing what is being counseled already, then the counsel isn’t specifically being directed to them. And if the majority of the saints that aren’t vaccinated feel like they are the exception, then who is the counsel for? It’s still meant for most of those people who think they are the exception. If God wanted to share a message with just a select few he wouldn’t be sending it through the Prophet. If you and all your friends are all receiving ‘personal revelation’ that you are all exceptions, then you are simply disobeying.

2. You Have a Desire to Follow

Like those in the scriptures, those who are the exception today are those who have a desire to do the right thing, are willing to do it, but then are given a clear message to do otherwise. Nephi had no desire to kill Laban, which made him the perfect candidate to be able to do it with clean hands and a pure heart. Do you think that if Leman or Lemuel were told to kill Laban they would’ve done so regretfully? Or would they have been grateful for the opportunity to get revenge for all of their riches being stolen from them? The same goes for saints today: those who were already unwilling to follow the counsel given by their church leaders and then claim they have received the revelation they do not have to are not doing so with clean hands and a pure heart. They may have gotten a feeling that they don’t have to follow the counsel, but that feeling came from their own bias, if not from the father of lies himself.

Then there are those who are willing. Those who are the exception never ask the question, “Am I the exception?” in their prayers, but rather, “How do I apply the counsel I have been given?” This shows a willing heart. In the case of the first presidency’s letter about the Covid vaccine, there is a definitive action that can be taken to show a willingness of heart: schedule a time to get the vaccine. Once you have shown through your intent and through your actions that you are willing to follow the counsel given, then you can go to the Lord in prayer and ask for guidance. A person who has real intent wouldn’t ask IF they need to follow the prophet but would pray, saying something like, “Lord, I have decided to follow the counsel of thy servant and will follow through on Monday. If this is not thy will for me, please send me a clear impression otherwise, because if I don’t feel like you are telling me not to then I will follow through.” Many will be surprised that if they follow this pattern they are not stopped, even if they had felt previously that the counsel wasn’t for them.

Think of Abraham when he was commanded by God to sacrifice Isaac. While God never intended for Abraham to actually kill his son, it wasn’t until Isaac was tied up on the alter that God sent an angel to tell Abraham to stop. He showed intent to follow, and then the commandment to stop was clear. If Abraham was unwilling to go up the mountain with Isaac until he knew he was the exception, then no angel would have been necessary. He would’ve stayed at the base of the mountain waiting for personal revelation he would not be ready to receive, having failed the Lord’s test.

3. Your Personal Revelation is Inline With Gospel Doctrine

This concept is a simple one: God will never tell you to do something that goes against the basics of the gospel of Jesus Christ. In early church history, many saints felt like they were being guided by the Spirit to proclaim new doctrine to the Saints, but God has made it clear that the only one who can receive revelation for the church is the one He has called as His Prophet. Similarly, the Lord will never tell you that you don’t have to follow the law of chastity. The Spirit confirms truth, not contradicts it. The Spirit will never tell you that the Prophet or his counsel is wrong, but that you specifically need to act upon it differently. So if you believe you do not have to follow the counsel of the Prophet simply because you don’t think it is correct, then you are not an exception, you are just disobedient.

President Nelson has repeatedly taught us that we need to learn how to receive personal revelation. Arguably, the most important lesson to learn is how to authenticate our personal revelation. We authenticate our personal revelation by comparing it to the revealed word of God in the scriptures, the teachings and counsel of our current prophet, and good common sense! But all too often we get it backward, we judge the prophets based upon our personal revelation thus opening the door to Satan to give us false revelation. To prevent deception ensure you have prepared and invited the Spirit by prayer, fasting, going to the temple, receiving a priesthood blessing, etc. And when you receive personal revelation authenticate it by ensuring follows the established principles of personal revelation.

For more on the principles of personal revelation see the following two articles: Two Guiding Principles of Personal Revelation That Every Latter-day Saint Needs To Know. and the Seven Principles of Personal Revelation as taught by Elder Gerald N. Lund

4. You Consult Your Priesthood Leaders

Regardless if you are 100% sure or only 50% sure you are the exception to something, it is always wise to counsel with your bishop/branch president. A couple I am close to who has four children were seriously considering having the husband get a vasectomy, they felt like their whole family is already there. They counseled together and prayed on the matter without any answers about their particular situation. At a loss of whether that meant they should go forward, they decided to counsel with their bishop. Surprisingly, their bishop said they could plan on the surgery and it would all be alright, but both of them knew leaving their bishop’s office that it wasn’t right. Even though he had given his approval, something he had said during their conversation made them realize they weren’t the exception to the church’s general guidance of discouraging it.

I share this example because it isn’t necessarily what your bishop or branch president says that is the final word, but how you feel about it after earnestly listening to the counsel they give. Keeping in mind that even though they are speaking to you in their role as a judge in Israel, it is what you feel the Spirit is telling you that should have the final say. If you truly are the exception for some reason, you should feel good going forward after talking with your priesthood leader.

5. You Still Support the Rule

Like I mentioned before, the Spirit will never tell you that the Prophet was wrong, but that you are to apply his words in a different way than everyone else when you are the exception. God didn’t tell Abraham that he should never sacrifice again but provided a ram for the sacrifice instead of sacrificing his son Issac. Sometimes how you are instructed to apply it is by not doing it at all, but you still believe that the counsel is generally correct. You still believe and support the prophet. Can you think of a single instance in the scriptures where they teach you NOT to follow the prophet? It doesn’t happen. There is a word used in the scriptures for those who complain about having to follow the prophet or his teachings, murmuring, and it is never used in a positive context. When you are the exception, you will feel at peace when the rule is taught. You won’t be tempted to murmur about the counsel or teaching that is given.

I invite you to focus on the commandment from living prophets that bothers you the most. Do you question whether the commandment is applicable to you? Do you find ready excuses why you cannot now comply with the commandment? Do you feel frustrated or irritated with those who remind you of the commandment? Are you slothful in keeping it? Beware of the deception of the adversary. Beware of murmuring.

H. Ross Workman “Beware of Murmuring” October 2001 General Conference

6. You Will Keep Personal Revelation Personal

While the scriptures and church history don’t have any examples where disobeying the prophet is the right thing to do, there are many instances where those who stray from the prophet’s counsel and encourage others to do the same eventually apostatize. Yet so many people who want to be the exception feel the need to tout their decision as to the only right one. These people not only imply they are the exception, but that the Prophet was wrong for asking us to do what he did. They go on social media and argue with those that support the prophet, saying that they have received personal revelation that they do not have to follow, as though their personal revelation should influence the actions of others. It is never appropriate to apply your personal revelation to others outside of your stewardship by discouraging them from following the prophet. If you are doing so, you are not the exception. If you are, you will hold that revelation sacred and only share it when it feels necessary; and you will always support following the rule.

“Whenever you see a man disobeying the counsel of the Lord through the Holy Priesthood, you may know that unless he repents, he will apostatize. It is a sure sign of apostasy. A man may be an Apostle, a Seventy, a High Priest, an Elder or a Bishop, yet if he tries to divide the people and persuades them to disobey the Prophet of God, he will surely fall, unless he repents with all his heart. The Lord asks us to obey Him. He tells us how to do so. He does not ask for blind obedience, because He gives His Holy Spirit to all who ask for it to show them that it is right to obey.”

George Q. Cannon (“Satan Hates a United People,” Gospel Truth, Vol. 1, p. 210–11 (italics and bold added))

Conclusion

While being the exception is rare, it does happen. It is so interesting to me though that most people who are the exception are willing to follow the rule, but they are made the exception out of necessity. There are factors in their lives beyond their control that make the rule extremely difficult or even impossible to follow, but they always desire to follow. My mind goes to young moms who need to work outside of the home, elders who can’t serve because of health, or the individual who is warned by the Spirit not to get the vaccine. These people are valiant in their willingness to follow the original counsel and are still valiant in their response to being the exception. If you find you are in this category, do not feel bad about having your plan look different from others. If, after reading this, you feel like you are the exception to something, then go forward in confidence that you are doing everything in your power to follow the counsel of the Prophet and commandments of God.