Nephi goes on to warn us about the conditions in our day with these words: "And they deny the power of God, the Holy One of Israel; and they say unto the people: Hearken unto us, and hear ye our precept; for behold there is no God today, for the Lord and the Redeemer hath done his work, and he hath given his power unto men." (2 Nephi 28:5.) Now while that sounds like a "Gentile" problem, it certainly is not exclusively a "Gentile" problem. In particular, the warning about the claim God has "given his power unto men" strikes a note with the Saints which ought to give us all some pause. Nephi intends to do this. He wants us to reflect and be troubled. Ultimately, he would like to drive us to our knees in prayer for guidance and direction from God, Whom to know is eternal life. Nephi wants us to acquire eternal life. Therefore he would like us to get acquainted personally with God. He intends to dislodge us from depending upon others, and instead requires us to rely upon the Spirit.
Nothing in that releases us from the obligation to respect, sustain and honor those who are called to preside in the Church. In particular, when it comes to the First Presidency of the Church, we have the responsibility to sustain them with our prayers, faith and confidence.