Post # 271 -- Grow into the Principle of Revelation

Dear Family and Friends

This article from the January 2021 Liahona, comes to you directly from our Prophet President Russell M. Nelson. He encourages us all to do the spiritual work necessary in order for each of us to   hear the Lord better. You and your family members should read through this article together and make a list on a piece of your poster board for further study. Are you ready? Okay, then let’s get to it together.

Grow into the Principle of Revelation

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I encourage you to take the necessary steps to hear the Lord better and more often so that you can receive the enlightenment He wants to give you.

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On September 30, 2017, following the afternoon session of general conference, I stopped by the hospital to check on my beloved quorum member Elder Robert D. Hales. He had been hospitalized since suffering a heart attack a few days earlier.

We had a wonderful visit, and he seemed to be improving. He was even breathing on his own, which was a good sign.

That evening, however, the Spirit spoke to my heart and mind that I should return to the hospital on Sunday. During the Sunday morning session of general conference, that strong impression returned. I felt that I should skip lunch and hurry to Elder Hales’s bedside as soon as the morning session ended, which I did.

When I arrived, I could see that Elder Hales had taken a serious turn for the worse. Sadly, he passed away 10 minutes after I arrived, but I am thankful that I was at his side with his sweet wife, Mary, and their two sons when he departed this life.

How grateful I am that the whisperings of the Holy Ghost prompted me to do something I might not have done otherwise. And how grateful I am for the reality of revelation and that the heavens are once again open.

This year our focus for personal and classroom study will be the Doctrine and Covenants. These “divine revelations and inspired declarations” can bless all who study them and act on their divine directives. They invite “all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ,”1 for truly “the voice of the Lord is unto all men” (Doctrine and Covenants 1:2).

Did you catch that? These “divine revelations and inspired declarations” can bless all who study them and act on their divine directives. They invite “all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ,”1 for truly “the voice of the Lord is unto all men”

2 For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.

Danger, Darkness, Deception

Physical and spiritual tempests are a part of life on the earth, as the COVID-19 pandemic has reminded us. Of the time prior to His Second Coming, the Savior predicted days of great tribulation. He said, “There shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places” (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:29).

29 Behold i speak fpr one elect’s sake; for nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there shall be famines, and pestolences, and earthquakes in diverse places.

Compounding such tribulation is the increasing darkness and deception that surround us. As Jesus told His disciples, “Iniquity shall abound” before His return (Joseph Smith—Matthew 1:30).

30 And again because iniquity shall abound, the love of men shall wax cold, but he that shall not be overcome, the same shall be saved.

Satan has marshaled his forces and is raging against the work of the Lord and those of us engaged in it. Because of the increasing dangers we face, our need for divine guidance has never been greater, and our efforts to hear the voice of Jesus Christ—our Mediator, Savior, and Redeemer—have never been more urgent.

As I said shortly after I was called as President of the Church, the Lord is ready to reveal His mind to us. That is one of His greatest blessings to us.2

In our day, He has promised, “If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:61).

I know He will respond to our pleadings.

42:61 If thou shalt ask, 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 life eternal.

How We Hear Him

Knowing how the Spirit speaks is essential today. To receive personal revelation, to find answers, and to receive protection and direction, we remember the pattern the Prophet Joseph Smith set for us.

First, we immerse ourselves in the scriptures. Doing so opens our minds and hearts to the Savior’s teachings and truths. The words of Christ “tell [us] all things what [we] should do” (2 Nephi 32:3), especially in these days of uncertainty and upheaval.

2Nephi 32:3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, i said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things which ye should do.

Next we pray. Prayer requires initiative, so we humble ourselves before God, find a quiet place where we can regularly go, and pour out our hearts to Him.

The Lord says, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).

Drawing near to the Lord brings comfort and encouragement, hope and healing. So, we pray in His name about our worries and our weaknesses, our longings and our loved ones, our callings and our questions.

Then we listen.

If we will stay on our knees for a while after we finish our prayer, thoughts, feelings, and direction will come into our mind. Recording those impressions will help us remember what actions the Lord would have us take.

As we repeat this process, we will, in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “grow into the principle of revelation.”3

Worthy to Receive Revelation

Refining our ability to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost and increasing our capacity to receive revelation requires worthiness. Worthiness does not require perfection, but it requires that we strive for increased purity.

The Lord expects daily effort, daily improvement, daily repentance. Worthiness brings purity, and purity qualifies us for the Holy Ghost. As we take “the Holy Spirit for [our] guide” (Doctrine and Covenants 45:57), we qualify for personal revelation.

45:57 For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived -- verily i say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.

If something is stopping us from opening the door to heavenly direction, we may need to repent. Repentance allows us to open the door so we can hear the voice of the Lord more frequently and clearly.

“The standard is clear,” taught Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing, hearing, or doing that thing. If that which is intended to entertain, for example, alienates us from the Holy Spirit, then certainly that type of entertainment is not for us. Because the Spirit cannot abide that which is vulgar, crude, or immodest, then clearly such things are not for us.”4

When we couple increased purity and obedience with fasting, diligent seeking, study of the scriptures and the words of living prophets, and temple and family history work, the heavens will open. The Lord, in turn, will fulfill His promise: “I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 11:13).

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

We may need to be patient, but God will speak to us in His own way and in His own time.

A Spirit of Understanding

Job declared, “There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding” (Job 32:8). In this new year, I encourage you to take the necessary steps to hear the Lord better and more often so that you can receive the enlightenment He wants to give you.

Before Elder Hales’s passing that October day in 2017, he prepared a short talk for general conference that he was unable to give. In that talk, he wrote, “Our faith prepares us to be in the presence of the Lord.”5

When we receive revelation, we spend time in the presence of God as He reveals His mind, will, and voice unto us (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:4). 

4 And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.

May we put our faith into action, calling upon Him, living worthy of His promised inspiration, and acting on the guidance we receive.

Let each one of us do as  our prophet has encouraged each of us to do: “.I encourage you to take the necessary steps to hear the Lord better and more often so that you can receive the enlightenment He wants to give you.

I pray that you and your family members and friends have found much wisdom and counsel from the prophet of the Lord. he has reminded us of some very important promises the Lord has made to each of us if we do our part. Until my next post, please stay safe, healthy and well:)