Scriptures
3 Nephi 11:1-7
When the Savior came to the Nephites, the voice of the Father had to introduce his Son three times. Even though the people were gathered around the temple and discussing the coming of Christ, they were not listening to the Spirit. They were engrossed in their surroundings and their person conversations. They perceived that there was a sound, but they did not understand the source of the voice nor its meaning. Their conversation turned from the physical appearance of the temple to the sound they had just heard, but again, they were not listening, they were talking. The voice came a second time to disrupt their debates. They still did not understand it, but they began to recognize that something unique and marvelous was happening. They finally stopped talking and and started listening. They stopped looking at their surroundings and each other and looked instead toward heaven, the source of the voice. Finally the third time, when they were quiet and attentive, when the voice spoke the understood it and comprehended the words.
When we pray and ask for the Holy Ghost to enlighten us, do we ever stop to listen, or do we just monologue until the very end and then get off our knees and wonder why we never get an answer?
Psalms 46:10
To be still means more than to simply stop moving. It means to be quiet inside and out. It means to quiet not only our mouths and our movements, but our thoughts. It means to stop worrying and fretting and planning and scheming. It means to stop and give God a chance to do his peaceful work within us.
To know that God is God is to know his power and his love. It is to know that he loves us deeply and personally. It is to know that he will exercise his infinite power in our behalf, as weak and as imperfect and as unworthy as we are.
We have to be still to know God because he requires our undivided attention, just as he gives us his undivided attention. We are the most important thing in the universe to him. He ought to be the most important thing in the universe to us. He is a jealous God who does not want to have to compete with the noise and clamor of the world for our attention. To show our love for him, we must be willing to set aside all of our entertainments, our amusements, our passtimes, our work, our distractions and focus completely and devoted on him. Anything less than full devotion is not enough.
D&C 63:64
To speak of things "with care" to be careful about how we talk about sacred things. We should speak reverently about sacred things. We ought also to be careful not only about how we speak of sacred things but about the setting in which we talk of them and even about to whom we talk about them.
To be "constrained by the Spirit" is to be either constricted or compelled. These two opposite meanings are interesting. Sometimes the Spirit will stop us from speaking when the time, setting or audience is not right. Other times the Spirit will encourage us to speak when we are in the proper setting and the timing is right for those to whom we are speaking to hear our message. It is only by acting under the direction of the Spirit that we can teach properly and effectively.
We invite the Spirit to properly constrain us in either direction by asking for his guidance and then listening and responding to the promptings we receive.
D&C 84:54-57
We treat things lightly when we do not take them seriously. We may receive a beautiful gift from a parent or friend. We may even recognize it for the beauty and value that it has and the sacrifice that the giver experienced to provide us with the gift. But if we throw it in a drawer and never make use of it, we are treating it lightly.
The Lord accused the Saints of treating the Book of Mormon lightly because they did not read it regularly and use it in their missionary work. Because of their light-minded treatment of the Book of Mormon, the Lord placed the people under a curse. We can lift the curse from ourselves by taking the Book of Mormon seriously. We do so by studying it diligently, learning all we can from it, and the sharing it with others as the wonderful treasure that it is.
President Boyd K. Packer, "Reverence Invites Revelation" General Conference, October 1991
"A testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ, a witness that the Book of Mormon is true, comes in a delicate, refined spiritual communication. It is described in the scriptures as light, as burning in the bosom. It is best described as a feeling. No message appears in scripture more times, in more ways than, “Ask, and ye shall receive.” While we may invite this communication, it can never be forced! If we try to force it, we may be deceived. Unless you have experienced it, it is very difficult to describe that delicate process. If doctrines and behavior are measured by the intellect alone, the essential spiritual ingredient is missing, and we will be misled.A testimony is profoundly personal, and occurs in response to very private prayers and pleadings.
"Inspiration comes more easily in peaceful settings. Such words as quiet, still, peaceable, Comforter abound in the scriptures: “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Ps. 46:10; italics added.) And the promise, “You shall receive my Spirit, the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which shall teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom.” (D&C 36:2; italics added.)
"The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing and grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Raucous music, with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights flash psychedelic colors, characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth. This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental nor innocent nor harmless. The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit.
"No one of us can survive in the world of today, much less in what it soon will become, without personal inspiration. The spirit of reverence can and should be evident in every organization in the Church and in the lives of every member. The spiritual power in the lives of each member and in the Church will increase. The Lord will pour out his Spirit upon us more abundantly. We will be less troubled, less confused. We will find revealed answers to personal and family problems without all the counseling which we seem now to need."
Elder Paul B. Pieper, "To Hold Sacred", General Conference, April 2012
"Our experiences with the divine may not be as direct or dramatic nor our challenges as daunting [as were the experiences of Moses, Alma, and Joseph Smith]. However, as with the prophets, our strength to endure faithfully depends upon recognizing, remembering, and holding sacred that which we receive from above. Our divine encounters will mostly involve the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost.
"As we seek answers from God, we feel the still, small voice whisper to our spirits. These feelings—these impressions—are so natural and so subtle that we may overlook them or attribute them to reason or intuition. These individualized messages testify of God’s personal love and concern for each of His children and their personal mortal missions. Daily reflecting upon and recording the impressions that come from the Spirit serve the dual purposes of helping us (1) to recognize our personal encounters with the divine and (2) to preserve them for ourselves and our posterity. Recording them is also a formal recognition and acknowledgment of our gratitude to God, for “in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things” (D&C 59:21).
"Light and knowledge from heaven is sacred. It is sacred because heaven is its source. Sacred means worthy of veneration and respect. By designating something as sacred, the Lord signals that it is of higher value and priority than other things. Sacred things are to be treated with more care, given greater deference, and regarded with deeper reverence. Sacred ranks high in the hierarchy of heavenly values.
"Today the struggle continues. Secular voices are growing in volume and intensity. They increasingly urge believers to abandon beliefs the world considers irrational and unreasonable. Because “we see through a glass, darkly” (1 Corinthians 13:12) and “do not know the meaning of all things” (1 Nephi 11:17), at times we may feel vulnerable and in need of greater spiritual assurances. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery:
“If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?” (D&C 6:22–23).
"The Lord reminded Oliver and us to rely on sacred personal witnesses already received when our faith is challenged. Like Moses’s, Alma’s and Joseph’s before, these divine encounters serve as spiritual anchors to keep us safe and on course in times of trial."
Why do we sometimes miss the impressions of the still, small voice? Why does the lord give us sacred experiences? Why is it important to write down the sacred experiences and feelings we have?
True to the Faith, p. 145
"Reverence is profound respect and love. When you have a reverent attitude toward God, you honor Him, express your gratitude to Him, and obey His commandments. You should be reverent in your behavior as well as your attitude. Reverent behavior includes prayer, scripture study, fasting, and payment of tithes and offerings. It includes wearing modest clothing and using clean, wholesome language. The depth of your reverence is evident in your choice of music and other entertainment, in the way you speak of sacred subjects, and in the way you dress and act when you attend church and the temple. You show your reverence for the Lord when you serve other people and treat them with kindness and respect.
"As you become more reverent, you will notice a quiet transformation in your life. The Lord will pour out His Spirit more abundantly on you. You will be less troubled and confused. You will be able to receive revelation to help you solve personal and family problems."
Define reverence. What does reverence feel like? What are examples of reverence? What are examples of irreverence?
True to the Faith, p. 140-4
According to your faithfulness, you can receive revelation to help you with your specific needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help you strengthen your testimony.
Quiet spiritual promptings may not seem as spectacular as visions or angelic visitations, but they are more powerful and lasting and life changing. The witness of the Holy Ghost
makes an impression on the soul that is more significant than anything you can see or hear. Through such revelations, you will receive lasting strength to stay true to the gospel and help others do the same.
The following counsel will help you prepare to receive promptings from the Holy Ghost:
- Pray for guidance.
- Be reverent.
- Be humble.
- Keep the commandments.
- Partake of the sacrament worthily.
- Study the scriptures every day.
- Take time to ponder.
- When seeking specific guidance, study the matter out in your mind.
- Patiently seek God’s will.
Amid the many noises and messengers in the world today, you must learn to recognize the whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Following are some of the principal ways the Holy Ghost communicates with us:
- He speaks to the mind and heart in a still, small voice.
- He prompts us through our feelings.
- He brings peace.
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