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Showing posts with the label personal revelation

God has not left us to grope in darkness (Joseph Fielding Smith)

It was never the intention of our Father in heaven to leave men to grope and feel their way in darkness and that without any light to guide them, and expect them under such conditions to find their way back into his kingdom and into his holy presence. That is not the way of the Lord. All down the ages from the beginning our Father in heaven has shown his kindness for his children and has been willing to give them direction. From the earliest times the heavens have been opened, the Lord has sent messengers from his presence to divinely appointed servants, men holding the authority of the priesthood who have been commissioned to teach the principles of the Gospel, to warn the people and teach them righteousness; and these men have received this knowledge, this inspiration and guidance from these messengers from the presence of God. This is true of our own dispensation. There is no need for men to shut their eyes and feel that there is no light only as they may depend upon their reason, f

Five Principles for Educating Your Conscience (Covey)

How do you educate your conscience? I suggest five principles.  First , if you really want an educated conscience,  feast regularly upon the words and the love of Jesus Christ . What does that mean? Seriously make a daily program to study the scriptures. Ponder the scriptures and meditate upon them. Be still. Perhaps you will read only one verse a day, but you're going to read the word of the Lord. Memorize some of the scriptures. It's like programming a computer. Get them into your heart. If you feast upon the words of Christ, then the Holy Ghost will bring to your remembrance the things you need to do, based upon the guidance that you have received on a moment-by moment basis. The Church will teach us principles, and the Holy Ghost will teach us specific practices and specific applications. Second, when you pray, listen . Look on your prayers, not as a time to counsel the Lord, but as a time to take counsel from him. I really believe too many times we go down a chec

The Holy Ghost can be compared to a radio transmitter; answers to prayer (McConkie; Covey)

Elder Bruce R. McConkie in a message to institute and seminary people on this campus several years ago used this physical illustration to distinguish between the Spirit of Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. It was very instructive and impressive to me. He said, "The Spirit of the Holy Ghost could be compared to a radio transmitter; you and I, to the radio receivers. The radio waves would be the Spirit of Jesus Christ." This physical symbol illustrates the difference. The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead who performs very specific functions on this earth—to sanctify, to guide, to witness, to testify of the Father and Son and things pertaining to their kingdom, and to confirm the promise of the Father when you and I enter into a covenant relationship in the waters of baptism. When we renew our covenants in other ordinances the Holy Ghost confirms the promise of the Father to us, his covenant children, that if we will live true we will have peace in this world and eternal li

the spirit of discernment; ministering of angels (Heber C. Kimball)

We are instructed in the Scriptures to contend for that faith which was once delivered to the Saints, and which inspired them with dreams and visions, tongues and the interpretation thereof. Pray, tell me who is capable of interpreting an unknown tongue without inspiration? It cannot be done, except the person be dictated by the Holy Ghost. How can I discern that a man is wrong, or that he is corrupt, except I have the Spirit of revelation? I cannot do it. How can President Young discern that there is is an evil designed against him, unless he has the Spirit of revelation? He cannot know it beforehand, except it is revealed to him.  Now, I assuredly know it to be true that angels are ministering spirits to minister to men who are heirs of salvation. Now, God says, in another part of his word, that he will reason with us. But how will he do this, unless we are submissive like clay in the hands of the potter? He says he will do it before the world, the philosophers, the kings, and th

personal revelation (Bateman; Joseph Smith)

The Prophet Joseph Smith, in speaking of revelation, said: A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon.  [ TPJS, 151]... To receive spiritual truths, one must be obedient as well as diligent (see D&C 130:19). Spiritual light is received when one follows the doctrine of Christ--that is, the first principles and ordinances of the restored gospel. I challenge you to increase your faith by living gospel principles more precisely, by repenting when you fall short, by taking an active role in your ward, by rendering service to others, and by making prayer and scripture study a part of your everyday life. In this manner you will find true joy. In closing I turn to the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, who wrote about the connection between heaven and our intellect

you will know for yourselves and not for another (Joseph Smith)

"Search the scriptures--search the revelations which we publish, and ask your Heavenly Father, in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, to manifest the truth unto you, and if you do it with an eye single to His glory nothing doubting, He will answer you by the power of His Holy Spirit. You will then know for yourselves and not for another."  (The Prophet Joseph Smith)

dream of Brigham Young's father re tutoring God (Brigham Young)

I recollect a dream that my father had. He dreamed that he was travelling, and that during his journey he came to a tremendous mountain of snow and saw that his pathway was hedged up. But some one said, “Take one more step.” My father replied, “But that will be the last.” However, he took that step, and then his guide said, “Do you not, see that there is room for you to take another?” When he had taken another, his guide told him to take still another in advance; and there was a passage all the way through. So it will be with us. The Lord will not reveal all that we at times wish him to . If a schoolmaster were to undertake to teach a little child algebra, you would call him foolish, would you not? Just so with our Father: He reveals to us as we are prepared to receive , and I hope to continue to learn. There is no cessation, in time nor in eternity, to the progress and increase of the righteous. If we will but put away every selfish feeling, we can come in possession of all the bl

doctrine, instruction, questions, inspiration (Eyring)

"Sometimes I go to the scriptures for doctrine. Sometimes I go to the scriptures for instruction. I go with a question, and the question usually is 'What would God have me do? or 'What would He have me feel?' Invariably I find new ideas, thoughts I have never had before, and I receive inspiration and instruction and answers to my questions."  (President Eyring, Ensign, July 2005, 22)

line upon line (Orson Pratt)

You are not to suppose that you are going to be jumped into the midst of revelations, and by one great and grand step are to burst the vail, and to rend it from your eyes, do you think that you are to step into the celestial kingdom and see it all at once? No, these blessings are by far too precious to be attained in such a way; they are to be attained by diligence and faith from day to day, and from night to night. Hence you are to become habituated to do good in your thoughts and conduct, in all that you do, until you become perfectly initiated into the great principles of righteousness, and continue to live uprightly until it becomes a kind of second nature to be honest, to be prudent, to govern all your passions, and bring all of the influences of the flesh, of the fallen nature, into the most perfect subjection to the law of God. Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses 3:348

faithful study of the Scriptures brings the Holy Ghost to us (Eyring)

...read and ponder the standard works of the Church and the words of living prophets. There is a promise of help from God that comes with that daily practice. Faithful study of scriptures brings the  Holy Ghost  to us. President Henry B. Eyring, April 2004 General Conference  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/in-the-strength-of-the-lord?lang=eng

The Almighty is with this people (Woodruff)

President Wilford Woodruff said in 1894: “The Almighty is with this people. We shall have all the revelations that we will need, if we will do our duty and obey the commandments of God. … While I … live I want to do my duty. I want the Latter-day Saints to do their duty. Here is the Holy Priesthood. … Their responsibility is great and mighty. The eyes of God and all the holy prophets are watching us. This is the great dispensation that has been spoken of ever since the world began. We are gathered together … by the power and commandment of God. We are doing the work of God. … Let us fill our mission”  (in James R. Clark, comp.,  Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of  Jesus Christ  of Latter-day Saints,  6 vols. [1965–75], 3:258). Quoted by President Gordon B. Hinckley, April 2004 General Conference Full Address by President Hinckley:  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/the-dawning-of-a-brighter-day?lang=eng

God continues to speak to His children (Uchtdorf)

"Today is not different from ages past. The Lord does not love the people of our day any less than in past times. One of the glorious messages of the Restoration of the Church of Jesus Christ is that God continues to speak to His children! He is not hidden in the heavens but speaks today as He did in ancient days." —Dieter F. Uchtdorf, " Why Do We Need Prophets? ",  Liahona and Ensign , March 2012

search the revelations of God...(Joseph Smith)

Search the revelations of God; study the prophecies and rejoice that God grants unto the world Seers and Prophets.  They are they who say the mysteries of godliness;...they saw the glory of the Lord when  he showed the transfiguration of the earth on the mount;...they saw the day of judgment when all men received according to their works, and they saw the heaven and earth flee away to make room for the city of God, when the righteous receive an inheritance in eternity...Fellow sojourners upon the earth, it is your privilege to purify yourselves and come to the same glory, and see for yourselves and know for yourselves. Joseph Smith, Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith , pp 12-13

A matter of survival (Packer)

“No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less what it will become, without personal inspiration,” warns President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “The gift of the Holy Ghost operates equally with men, women, and even little children,” President Packer says. “It is within this wondrous gift and power that the spiritual remedy to any problem can be found,” he teaches, and then quotes from the Book of Mormon: “And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, not only men but women also. Now this is not all; little children do have words given unto them many times, which confound the wise and the learned” (Alma 32:23). President Boyd K. Packer http://www.lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/unto-all-the-world/guided-by-inspiration?lang=eng