Living the Word of Wisdom and sharing it with others not only helps future generations be more healthy and intelligent but also strengthens families and nations, said Elder Eduardo Ayala Saturday morning. He was sustained a member of the Seventy last April.

"Without question, the Word of Wisdom is one of the commandments which we most need to obey in these days." That is because of "the great quantity of stimulants and drugs that have weakened the lives of those individuals who ignore the marvelous promises that the Lord has made to men if they will avoid using these harmful substances," he explained.By keeping the Word of Wisdom, members of the Church become worthy of the promise: " . . . the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them (D&C 89:21)," said Elder Ayala.

He told of a member of the Church who holds a prominent position among the world's micro-neurosurgeons, a career he chose following the death of a daughter from a brain disease.

While studying micro-neurosurgery, the doctor asked the Lord that the promises contained in Section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants "would be made manifest in him so he could bless the lives of those who would depend on his skill."

As the years passed, Elder Ayala explained this faithful man mastered the skill necessary to work on the human brain and also grew in his testimony of the Word of Wisdom.

However, the day before his proficiency exam, the final exam, he noticed some trembling in his hands, which continued the following day. Elder Ayala said the man meditated and "prayed to our Father in Heaven with all his heart that His guidance and protection would be with him.

"The time came to perform brain surgery on his patient and when he saw his hands through the microscope, he noted with great emotion that his prayer had been heard and that his hands were steadier than they had ever been," he added. The surgery was also performed in an hour less than expected.

Elder Ayala said prophets constantly teach about the principles of the Word of Wisdom, "but men seem to mock them, even as they are being underminded and destroyed by those harmful substances which not only destroy the body and the mind, but also the spirit. Our clinics and hospitals are full of these people, and yet men still resist the word of the Lord, and refuse to recognize the wisdom that lies therein."

He concluded by saying, "I pray for those who can still be saved, and for those who have now accepted the counsels of the Lord and have separated themselves from those things that could cause their destruction."