How do I study effectively by receiving revelation?

This is the final installment in this series on effective study. Preach My Gospel teaches us, "Learning the gospel is also a process of receiving revelation... As you study, pay careful attention to ideas that come to your mind and feelings that come to your heart."

The scriptures, and the Book of Mormon in particular, contain the fullness of the gospel. The gospel and doctrine of Christ as expressed in the written word and the pronouncements of living prophets and apostles is sufficient to save us. Exaltation and eternal life, on the other hand, require more knowledge than we can get from published writings. Personal revelation is essential.

And now, behold, my beloved brethren, I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts concerning that which ye should do after ye have entered in by the way. But, behold, why do ye ponder these things in your hearts? Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost? 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 what ye should do. (2 Nephi 32:1-3)

Nephi's admonition to feast on the words of Christ is not a plea for us to read the scriptures. He wants us to receive the words of Christ directly through revelation, as do the angels in heaven. The scriptures only go so far. They cannot tell us everything that we need to do. But revelation can tell us "all things what [we] should do."

And what should we do? Make the Holy Ghost our constant companion, come unto Christ, receive and retain a remission of our sins, make our calling and election sure, be sealed up unto eternal life, receive the Second Comforter, and enter into the rest of the Lord until our mission on earth is complete and we return to the Father and sit with him in his throne as joint heirs with Christ. These blessings come by revelation, by acting on that revelation, and by qualifying for more revelation - line upon line, precept upon precept, from grace to grace, until we ascend up, part the veil of unbelief, and enter into the Lord's presence, and with him enjoy eternal life and exaltation.

The Revelatory Process

President Boyd K. Packer taught, "Enos, who was 'struggling in the spirit,' said, 'Behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind.' (Enos 1:10; italics added.) While this spiritual communication comes into the mind, it comes more as a feeling, an impression, than simply as a thought. Unless you have experienced it, it is very difficult to describe that delicate process" (General Conference, October 1991).

Revelation comes in two forms. First there are thoughts and ideas. The Holy Ghost brings all things to our remembrance, including things that we may have learned in the pre-existence. As we attune ourselves to the Spirit, we will receive ideas as we study and pray that have nothing to do with the written words on the page. The scriptures become a urim and thummim to us that unlock "treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures" (D&C 89.19).

Second, feelings of assurance come to us to convince us that what we have heard from the Spirit is right and good. The Holy Ghost both teaches and convinces.

Essential to receiving revelation are

1. having good desires
2. intending to act on our knowledge
3. self-discipline to follow through with actions
4. keeping our lives in harmony with the Spirit. 

Testimony

The more we act, the more will we be given to act upon. A man cannot be saved in ignorance, and he cannot be exalted in idleness. There is much to learn regarding our futurity, only part of which is contained in the scriptures. They are a vital beginning, but they are not the end. We need the tongue of angels, which are the words of Christ directly revealed to us. Only through personal revelation will we know all things what we should do.

I bear my testimony that the principles I have discussed in this article and indeed in the whole series of articles about effective study are true and faithful. I have tested them, and they have changed my life. As I have created a habit of prayerfully studying the scriptures and the words of the living prophets, I have pondered them and likened them unto myself. I have exercised faith and used my agency to try to internalize the principles I have learned, and continue to learn, by acting on them. Over the years, my desires for righteousness have increased as a result of putting righteous knowledge into action. As I have grown in the gospel, my ability to serve others has increased, I have been consoled when challenges have seemed overwhelming, I have found solutions to many perplexing problems, and I have been strengthened to endure to the end.

Throughout this process, I have learned to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Revelation has come and continues to come to me daily, not in grand visions and visitations, but in the still small voice as the Holy Ghost whispers to me. Visions and visitations may still await me, but for now, I have a rich source of truth and personalized commandments from the Holy Ghost to keep me occupied for a long time. Ideas come to my mind and feelings come to my heart, just as President Packer has promised.

I promise that if you will read and ponder the scriptures as often as you can, have faith in Jesus Christ, listen for and obey the promptings of the still small voice of the Spirit, and practice what you learn, you can know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God lives, that Jesus is the Christ, that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living church. Your life will change for the better as you grow in the gospel. I bear this witness in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

How do I study effectively through proper desires and actions?

In Chapter 2 of Preach My Gospel we learn that "successful gospel study requires desire and action."

What he want from our gospel study determines the effectiveness of our study. If we want to satisfy our vain ambitions, to impress people, to look smart, or to satisfy idle curiosity, our study efforts will be ultimately ineffective. On the other hand, if we seek knowledge so that we can act better, serve more effectively, teach more diligently, and draw closer to the Savior, then we can expect heavenly help in our studies.

A story about Aristotle illustrates that desire is an important prerequisite to learning. A would-be disciple came to Aristotle and asked him to teach him. Aristotle took the young man to the nearby beach and waded into the water. The eager student followed. Aristotle grabbed him and pushed him under the water. The young man flailed about and struggled mightily to get his head above water, but Aristotle held him firmly beneath the surface. Just as the boy's struggles began to subside, the philosopher jerked him from the water and dragged him to the beach. When the young man finally caught his breath, Aristotle said, "When you want to learn as much as you wanted to breathe, talk to me again."

Action is also a key to learning. If we sit comfortably and wait for knowledge to be poured upon us, we will learn nothing. We are told to "seek learning". That implies action on our part. Not only do we have to go after knowledge, we also must act on the knowledge we receive. If we seek a testimony, we should plan to bear that testimony to others. If we want to understand the law of tithing, we must be committed to live it. If we want to learn charity, we must do our best to act in charitable ways towards our neighbors. If we want to receive the will of God for us, we must be prepared to follow his will.

Scriptures

If any man will do his will, he will know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself. (John 7:17)

The Savior invites us to put the doctrine and the will of God to the test through action. He does not say that we should just ponder his teachings or discuss them or philosophize about them or speculate on them. He does not even say to pray about them, although prayer is certainly part of the formula. He says to do them. We must act upon what we have learned as a sign to the Lord that we believe him and we want to follow him. Only when we put our knowledge into action will we receive a witness. Alma teaches that we must "experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith" (Alma 32:27). "Experiment" and "exercise" are action verbs.

And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith. (D&C 88:118)

In this single verse the word "seek" is repeated three times. In scriptural language, such repetition is significant. The Lord places great emphasis on seeking. To seek implies desire and action. We are to desire words of wisdom and learning, and then we are to go after them diligently. The best seeking involves a plan and a goal. To seek successfully, we must know what we are looking for. If we do not know what we want, we will not know when we find it.

Colonial farmers in Titusville, Pennsylvania, were perturbed by a thick, black, viscous liquid that oozed up from the ground and spoiled sections of their fertile fields. They could not figure out how to get rid of the messy stuff. A century later, after the flammability and other properties of petroleum were discovered, the search for oil became intense. The first oil well was drilled in Titusville, and the rest, as they say, is history. The nature of oil had not changed, but men's perceptions of it had changed dramatically. It became an object of earnest seeking. Everyone wanted it, and greedy men worked hard to find it.

If we sought gospel knowledge with the same fervor and diligence as oil barrons seek oil and miners seek gold, we could have great treasures of knowledge.

Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. (2 Nephi 2:16)

We are accountable to God for our actions. He has given us agency. We are free to pursue whatever it is that we desire. We decide what we want, and we decide how we will get it. We will be judged on our use of this, the greatest gift of God to man in mortality. The War in Heaven was fought over this very principle. We can use our agency to learn the gospel, grow closer to the Savior, and become a disciple; or we can use it to acquire worldly treasures, fame, and power, which will canker and rust and remain behind when we depart this life. "Thou mayest choose for thyself, for it is given unto thee," the Lord said to Adam regarding the commandment to abstain from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Moses 3:17). It gives to us as well to choose what we will do with the resources he has given us. Our choices are crucial to our progress and our ultimate destination.

For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves. And inasmuch as men do good they shall in nowise lose their reward. (D&C 58:28)

This scripture reinforces the previous statement by Nephi. We must choose well, and then we must do well. There is a reward for righteous actions that follow righteous intents. The reward is the opportunity to choose good and do good again. We are also rewarded with the opportunity to repent and invite the Holy Spirit into our lives. Our "confidence [shall] wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distill upon thy soul as the dews from heaven" (D&C 121:45). We will increase in our knowledge of the doctrine of the priesthood. It will fill not only our minds but our very souls. It will come to us in a natural way. It will surround us and fill us from the very air around us. It will cling to us as dew clings to the grass, and it will bring us life.

Proper desires and actions are the keys to this promised blessing from God. Our studies are most effective when the Holy Ghost is our guide and teacher, and he can play that role most fully in our lives when we choose righteously and then follow up our choices with righteous actions. When we humbly repent, the Atonement takes effect in our lives and the fruits of the Atonement are peace and confidence in the presence of our Lord and Savior.

Examples

An obvious example of one whose desires followed by actions led to great treasures of knowledge is Joseph Smith. He desired to know the truth about the churches that were actively proselyting in his area. He acted on this desire by attending meetings, talking with others, and studying the scriptures. Not satisfied with what he was learning, his desires for sure knowledge increased, and with that increase came an increase in action. He took his questions directly to God in prayer. His desires coupled with appropriate actions opened the door to the greatest revelation in history and the initiation of a new dispensation of the gospel.

Abraham is another who desired "to be one who possessed great knowledge, and to be a greater follower of righteousness, and to possess a greater knowledge, and to be a father of many nations, a prince of peace, and desiring to receive instructions, and to keep the commandments of God" (Abraham 1:2). His righteous desires led him to righteous actions. The Atonement came fully into his life, and he received great knowledge from God about the plan of salvation, the universe, and all of God's creations.

May we follow Abraham's example in desiring greater knowledge and then acting on what we learn by being of greater service to our Heavenly Father.