Personal revelation requires humility to corroborate and not concoct impressions. Observation, reason, and faith propel us to corroborate spiritual impressions. As we pray for inspiration, we compare our spiritual impressions with the scriptures and the teachings of living prophets. Impressions from the Spirit will align with these sources. We rely on personal revelation only within our own purview and not within the prerogative of others. When we seek revelation that is rightly the prerogative of others, it is easy to be deceived.
Years ago, three acquaintances separately mentioned to me that they felt inspired that they were going to marry the same woman. None of the three had even gone on a date with her. I believe all three misinterpreted physical attraction and raging hormones as spiritual promptings. None of the three ended up marrying her. Heavenly Father respects agency and is unlikely to send promptings that violate the agency of someone else. He may prompt us to further action, but coercion will never be part of His plan.
I have already shown that in a direct revelation from the Lord, there is no imperfection, but where the Almighty uses a man as an instrument, the manner in which that revelation is imparted to men may receive a certain human coloring from the prophet through whom it comes.
We hold that there can be no true Christian Church without a priesthood directly commissioned by and in immediate communication with the Son of God and Savior of mankind. Such a church is that of the Latter-Day Saints, called by their enemies Mormons; we know no other that even pretends to have present and direct revelations of God’s will.
I sometimes think that one of the best-kept secrets of the kingdom is that the scriptures open the door to the receipt of revelation. However talented men may be in administrative matters; however eloquent they may be in expressing their views; however learned they may be in the worldly things-they will be denied the sweet whisperings of the Spirit that might have been theirs unless they pay the price of studying, pondering, and praying about the scriptures.
I sometimes think that one of the best kept secrets of the kingdom is that the scriptures open the door to the receipt of revelation.
“The greater the distance between the giver and the receiver, the more the receiver develops a sense of entitlement.”
This personal line of communication with our Heavenly Father through His Holy Spirit is the source of our testimony of truth, of our knowledge, and of our personal guidance from a loving Heavenly Father.
The direct, personal channel of communication to our Heavenly Father through the Holy Ghost is based on worthiness and is so essential that we are commanded to renew our covenants by partaking of the sacrament each Sabbath day.
And the right to the continuous companionship of this Spirit needs to be affirmed each Sabbath as we worthily partake of the sacrament and renew our baptismal covenants of obedience and service.
In all of these examples—familiar to each of us—the Holy Ghost acts in his office as a teacher and revelator, communicating information and truths for the edification and guidance of the recipient.
Revelation from God serves all five of these purposes: testimony, prophecy, comfort, uplift, and information.
Closely related to this example is the person who has a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices.
Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.
We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment.
Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation.
Sometimes we are delayed in the receipt of revelation, and sometimes we are left to our own judgment. We cannot force spiritual things. It must be so. Our life’s purpose to obtain experience and to develop faith would be frustrated if our Heavenly Father directed us in every act, even in every important act. We must make decisions and experience the consequences in order to develop self-reliance and faith.
When one person purports to receive revelation for another person outside his or her own area of responsibility - such as a Church member who claims to have revelation to guide the entire Church or a person who claims to have a revelation to guide another person over whom he or she has no presiding authority according to the order of the Church—you can be sure that such revelations are not from the Lord.
If a matter appears of little or no consequence, we should proceed on the basis of our own judgment. If the choice is important for reasons unknown to us, the Lord will intervene and give us guidance.
Even in decisions we think very important, we sometimes receive no answer to our prayers. This does not mean that our prayers have not been heard. It means only that we have prayed about a decision that, for one reason or another, we should make without guidance by revelation. Perhaps we have asked for guidance in choosing between alternatives that are equally acceptable or equally unacceptable. Similarly, the Spirit of the Lord is not likely to give us revelations on matters that are trivial. If a matter appears of little or no consequence, we should proceed on the basis of our own judgment. If the choice is important for reasons unknown to us, the Lord will intervene and give us guidance.
The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken.
The commandments from God we obey and the inspired counsel from Church leaders we follow principally focus upon obtaining the companionship of the Spirit.
Our best days are ahead of us, not behind us. This is why God gives us modern revelation! Without it, life might feel like flying in a holding pattern, waiting for the fog to lift so we can land safely. The Lord’s purposes for us are much higher than that. Because this is the Church of the living Christ, and because He directs His prophets, we are moving forward and upward to places we’ve never been, to heights we can hardly imagine!
As the prophet reveals the truth, it divides the people. The honest in heart heed his words, but the unrighteous either ignore the prophet or fight him. When the prophet points out the sins of the world, the worldly either want to close the mouth of the prophet, or else act as if the prophet didn’t exist, rather than repent of their sins. Popularity is never a test of truth. Many a prophet has been killed or cast out. As we come closer to the Lord’s second coming, you can expect that as the people of the world become more wicked, the prophet will be less popular with them
The trouble with you is you want to see the end from the beginning. You must learn to walk to the edge of the light, and then a few steps into the darkness; then the light will appear and show the way before you.
We all know that human judgment and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. We need revelation from God. And we will need not just one revelation in a time of stress, but we need a constantly renewed stream. We need not just one flash of light and comfort, but we need the continuing blessing of communication with God.
“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."
The temple is a holy place where revelation comes to us easily if our hearts are open to it and we are worthy of it.
Now I testify it is a small voice. It whispers, not shouts. And so you must be very quiet inside. That is why you may wisely fast when you want to listen. And that is why you will listen best when you feel, 'Father, thy will, not mine, be done.' You will have a feeling of 'I want what you want.' Then, the still small voice will seem as if it pierces you. It may make your bones to quake. More often it will make your heart burn within you, again softly, but with a burning which will lift and reassure.
“Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.
Prayer and fasting will allow us to be susceptible to spiritual promptings. Communicating with Heavenly Father while purposefully abstaining from food and drink allows us to “loose the bands of wickedness [and] to undo the heavy burdens.”18 Prayer, combined with fasting, will provide so that when we “call, … the Lord shall answer; … [and when we] cry, … he shall say, Here I am.”
Wait a minute! Our conscience is a form of revelation? I know what my conscience feels like. Maybe I am further along in this process than I realized. This is great news! All mankind is blessed with the Light of Christ. From the Bible Dictionary we learn: The light of Christ is just what the words imply: enlightenment, knowledge, and an uplifting, ennobling, persevering influence that comes upon mankind because of Jesus Christ. For instance, Christ is “the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (D&C 93:2; John 1:9). . . . The light of Christ is related to man’s conscience and tells him right from wrong (see Moro. 7:12–19). The light of Christ should not be confused with the personage of the Holy Ghost, for the light of Christ is not a personage at all. Its influence is preliminary to and preparatory to one’s receiving the Holy Ghost. The light of Christ will lead the honest soul who “hearkeneth to the voice” to find the true gospel and the true Church and thereby receive the Holy Ghost (see D&C 84:46–48).3
Elder Bruce R. McConkie explains the relationship between the Light of Christ and our conscience. “The Light of Christ has an edifying, enlightening, and uplifting influence on men [and women]. One of its manifestations is called conscience, through which all men [and women] know right from wrong.” [The Light of Christ] is the means by which the Lord invites and entices all . . . to improve their lot and to come unto him and receive his gospel.”7 President David O. McKay taught that “for those in the Church in the line of their duty, the Holy Ghost normally speaks through the conscience.”
A major advantage that comes with our conscience is that it has a much lower worthiness bar than promptings from the Holy Ghost. In fact, one of the most useful aspects of our conscience is that it is triggered precisely when we have done something wrong. We are all familiar with what it feels like to have a “guilty conscience.” However, our conscience is not bullet proof. Repeatedly ignoring its direction gradually dims its voice until it is hardly heard at all.
Our conscience is not only there to remind us when we sin. It also “suggests” what is right to do. We feel we should help our spouse put the children to bed, pray before retiring for the night, put on our exercise clothes, read the scriptures, avoid that second helping of dessert, call our ministering family, turn off the TV and help with a child’s homework assignment, apologize for an unkind outburst, or better yet avoid the unkindness in the first place and the list goes on. These are commandments individually tailored for us.
For those who have received the Gift of the Holy Ghost promptings can come through the medium of the Light of Christ as stated by President McKay above. Elder Charles W. Penrose taught that a person who receives the gift of the Holy Ghost receives “a greater and higher endowment of the same spirit [Light of Christ or our conscience] which enlightens every man that comes into the world.”10 If we are unsure how to recognize when the Holy Ghost speaks to us, just imagine our conscience on steroids.
The key to more revelation is to be obedient to the light and knowledge we have already been given. Obedience is what drives this virtuous cycle.
We are not left alone on this path of using the virtuous cycle to move from conscience to constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. One of the roles of the Holy Ghost is “Sanctifier”-making us more holy. President Ezra Taft Benson shared this about the sanctifying powers of the Holy Ghost: The Holy Ghost causes our feelings to be more tender. We feel more charitable and compassionate. We are calmer. We have a greater capacity to love. People want to be around us because our very countenances radiate the influence of the Spirit. We are more godly in character. As a result, we are more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost and thus able to comprehend spiritual things.
The healthy mind normally has three voices. The first voice is our own mind. “You hear your self think. You talk with yourself, discuss things with yourself, argue with yourself, berate, praise, and jabber with yourself all day long. This voice is distinguishable because it is unsure, or in other words, it questions things, and is seldom definite or decisive. It almost always asks questions. What was that? Who said that? Why did you say that? What does it mean? Do you suppose? What would happen if? I wonder?”13 The second voice is the influence of the adversary. Elder Faust explained some of the forms this voice takes: The adversary tries to smother this voice [voice of the Holy Spirit] with a multitude of loud, persistent, persuasive, and appealing voices: murmuring voices that conjure up perceived injustices, whining voices that abhor challenge and work, seductive voices offering sensual enticements, soothing voices that lull us into carnal security, intellectual voices that profess sophistication and superiority, proud voices that rely on the arm of the flesh, flattering voices that puff us up with pride, cynical voices that destroy hope, entertaining voices that promote pleasure seeking, commercial voices that tempt us to “spend money for that which is of no worth” and our “labor for that which cannot satisfy” (2 Ne. 9:51)…”14 “The third source of information in our minds is the voice of the Lord through the Holy Spirit. It begins as the conscience, the light of Christ, and is a free gift. In its most rudimentary stages it is a quiet urging to choose right, to abandon wrong choices, and to seek greater truth.
Good promptings comes from God. Evil comes from the adversary. Questions and analysis come from within. It really is just that simple.
Claiming the authority to speak in the name of God and at the same time claiming that the heavens have been sealed since New Testament times is no different than claiming to be God’s spokesman while admitting that he has not spoken to you for two thousand years. This picture simply does not hang straight.
According to the testimony of the Scriptures in all ages of the world, whenever God was about to bring a judgment upon the world or accomplish any great work, the first things he did was to raise up a Prophet, and reveal unto him the secret, and send him to warn the people, so that they may be left without excuseProphetswarned the people[even when] theygave no heed[and] rejected their testimony;[then] the judgments came upon the people
we can draw principles of truth from the Prophet Joseph’s experiences that provide insights for receiving our own revelation. For example: We labor under difficulties. We turn to the scriptures to receive wisdom to act. We demonstrate our faith and trust in God. We exert our power to plead with God to help us thwart the adversary’s influence. We offer up the desires of our hearts to God. We focus on His light guiding our life choices and resting upon us when we turn to Him. We realize He knows each of us by name and has individual roles for us to fulfill.7 In addition, Joseph Smith restored the knowledge that we have divine potential and eternal worth. Because of that relationship with our Heavenly Father, I believe He expects us to receive revelation from Him.
Learning is integral to progression, especially as the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost teaches us what is needful for each of us to lay aside—meaning that which could distract us or delay our progression.
The Prophet Joseph taught of the importance of knowing that the path we are pursuing in this lifetime is approved of God. Without that knowledge, we “will grow weary in [our] minds, and faint.”
In this conference, we will hear truths that inspire us to change, improve, and purify our lives. Through personal revelation, we can prevent what some call “general conference overwhelm”—when we leave so determined to do it all now. Women wear many hats, but it is impossible, and unnecessary, to wear them all at once. The Spirit helps us determine which work to focus on today.13
Our continuing role is to receive continuing revelation... The Lord’s loving influence through the Holy Ghost helps us know His priority for our progression. Heeding personal revelation leads to personal progression.
This formula makes revelation simple. We are not asking the Lord to tell us what to do, we are asking him to give us the “green light” or “red light” to our decision. This allows us to “counsel with the Lord in all [our] doings” (Alma 37:37) but it also allows us to exercise our agency.
It is as if we are being invited to move quickly, surely and potently to a new level of spiritual maturity. Convenience, comfort, or ease had nothing to do with it. The Lord is issuing an invitation to a higher, holier way of living and to stride with greater purpose on His covenant path. It is as if He is saying, “You are sufficiently mature and I trust you.” We are to understand that we cannot rely on the Church alone for our spirituality and that spirituality cannot just be spoon-fed to us.
“For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the ‘Mormon Church.’ But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself,” President Nelson said. “I realize with profound regret that we have unwittingly acquiesced in the Lord’s restored Church being called by other names, each of which expunges the sacred name of Jesus Christ!”
That means it will never be enough just to be active in the Church, Instead, God has to be active in your soul. It won’t be enough that the gospel doctrine teacher read the lesson and pondered the attached scriptures, we have to read the lesson and ponder the scriptures. It is not enough that the sister bearing her testimony knows how to get answers to prayers, we have to receive answers to our own prayers.
The Church will assist us. The Church will support us, but now we are being gifted with the opportunity to take a much greater responsibility for our own spirituality and that of our children. The Lord is saying, “I want you to grow up in me.” No more passing the buck, expecting the Church to drag us along while we have one foot in Babylon. Nobody can place in my heart, what I have not been willing to work on to place in my heart—that deepening tie to God. Our families cannot live on someone else’s borrowed light.
Remind them that James did not say, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him Google!”
Though His plans are known to Him, there is no premature exposure of the Lord's plans. This could bring unnecessary persecution upon an unready Lord's people. Further, a premature showing of His power and strength in support of His Saints could cut short the trial of our faith.
So much of the secular data men have accumulated is accurate, but ultimately unimportant. Even learning useful things has often diverted mankind from learning crucial things. Furthermore, let us not forget that great insight given us about the premortal world. The ascendancy of Jesus Christ (among all of our spirit brothers and sisters) is clearly set forth. Of Him it was said that He is "more intelligent than they all." (Abraham 3:19.) This means that Jesus knows more about astrophysics than all the humans who have ever lived, who live now, and who will yet live. Likewise, the same may be said about any other topic or subject. Moreover, what the Lord knows is, fortunately, vastly more—not just barely more—than the combination of what all mortals know. Even with the "brightest and the best," for instance, the current scientific competency in predicting earthquakes is a very inexact science. Scientists recently predicted a major quake along Alaska's coastline. When? Sometime in the next several decades. Rather indefinite as to when. Prophecy, happily, springs from very exact knowledge in the mind of the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Eternal Father, and it is surely very exacting in our lives as we experience its fulfillment.
The depth of the concepts in the Book of Mormon are a constant source of inspiration, if we will but contemplate them. There, more abundantly than in any other volume, the Lord opens the windows of heaven, not only to pour out blessings, but to let us look in. He lets us see things, if only fleetingly
For instance, if one is impatient and patience is a requirement for sainthood, the Lord appears willing to have tribulation visited upon such so that he may learn patience—because it is a virtue that seems to be acquired in only one way. (See Mosiah 3:19; James 5:11; Romans 5:3; Romans 12:12; Mosiah 23:21; D&C 66:9; D&C 31:9.) Correcting circumstances, therefore, can be a form of divine communication to us
Prophets have a way of seeing more deeply and more distantly than the rest of us. They can, under the direction of the Spirit (to refer to an episode in the Old Testament), see a thundercloud when it is no larger than a man's hand. (1 Kings 18:44.) Their mortal sense of anticipation is sharpened by the divine, fully developed and perfected anticipation of God Himself—of which much is written in an earlier chapter.
Another steady follower of the earliest Church leaders was President Wilford Woodruff. In an address given October 6, 1856, he observed, "Whatever counsel the Presidency of this Church have been led to give unto this people, it has been dictated by the Spirit and power of God, and our safety and salvation lies in obeying that counsel and putting it into practice.
The Holy Ghost communicates important information that we need to guide us in our mortal journey. When it is crisp and clear and essential, it warrants the title of revelation. When it is a series of promptings we often have to guide us step by step to a worthy objective, for the purpose of this message, it is inspiration.
Said President Lorenzo Snow, “This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint … that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives.
Simply said, a place of security is anywhere you can feel the presence of the Holy Ghost and be guided by Him.15 When the Holy Ghost is with you, you can teach truth, even when it runs counter to prevailing opinions. And you can ponder sincere questions about the gospel in an environment of revelation.
Life without God is a life filled with fear. Life with God is a life filled with peace. This is because spiritual blessings come to the faithful. Receiving personal revelation is one of the greatest of those blessings.
I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that "if thou shalt see, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things - that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth eternal life.
In the coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
Please do the spiritual work to increase your capacity to receive personal revelation.
Sincere questions lead the earnest seeker to knowledge and revelation.
The translation process of the Book of Mormon was also a miracle. This sacred ancient record was not “translated” in the traditional way that scholars would translate ancient texts by learning an ancient language. We ought to look at the process more like a “revelation” with the aid of physical instruments provided by the Lord, as opposed to a “translation” by one with knowledge of languages. Joseph Smith declared that through God’s power he “translated the Book of Mormon from [hieroglyphs], the knowledge of which was lost to the world, in which wonderful event [he] stood alone, an unlearned youth, to combat the worldly wisdom and multiplied ignorance of eighteen centuries, with a new revelation.”11 The Lord’s help in the translation of the plates—or revelation, so to speak—is also evident when considering the miraculously short time Joseph Smith took to translate them.12 Joseph’s scribes testified of the power of God that was manifested while working on the translation of the Book of Mormon. Oliver Cowdery once said: “These were days never to be forgotten—to sit under the sound of a voice dictated by the inspiration of heaven, awakened the utmost gratitude of this bosom! Day after day I continued, uninterrupted, to write from his mouth, as he translated … ‘The Book of Mormon.’”
Personal revelation requires humility to corroborate and not concoct impressions. Observation, reason, and faith propel us to corroborate spiritual impressions. As we pray for inspiration, we compare our spiritual impressions with the scriptures and the teachings of living prophets. Impressions from the Spirit will align with these sources. We rely on personal revelation only within our own purview and not within the prerogative of others. When we seek revelation that is rightly the prerogative of others, it is easy to be deceived.