Moroni 10:32

Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God.

We are perfected, or completed, only by Christ. We cannot do it on our own. All the self-help books in the world cannot change us enough to meet God's standards. Only Jesus and the atonement and the power of the Holy Ghost can make the kind of changes in us that qualify as perfection.  We must try and do our best, but we must always remember where the power to please God comes from.

Moroni 10:7

And ye may know that he is, by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore I would exhort you that ye deny not the power of God; for he worketh by power, according to the faith of the children of men, the same today and tomorrow, and forever.

God's power operates according to our faith. Our goal here is to learn to exercise faith, from which power comes. God himself works by faith. He has power because he has faith. We must therefore learn faith as a prerequisite to learning power. God's power does not vary, but as our imperfect faith fluctuates, his power in our lives waxes and wanes. Moroni is clear that it is not God who changed but us.

Moroni 10:4-5

And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

If Joseph Smith was a fraud, this promise of a testimony from God would be the most audacious, outlandish, bold-faced lie ever perpetrated on the public. Joseph was either a lunatic or a prophet. He lays it all on the line. He invites us not to take his word for it nor to rely on the words of any other human. He says we should go to God and put it in his hands. Joseph was confident of the outcome. Millions have put this promise to the test and have found it to be true.

Mormon 8:12

And whoso receiveth this record, and shall not condemn it because of the imperfections which are in it, the same shall know of greater things than these. Behold, I am Moroni; and were it possible, I would make all things known unto you.

The scriptures are a gateway to revelation. By the power of the Holy Ghost we can learn more than the words on the printed page. Moroni knows far more than he has written in the plates. It is not, however, his place to teach us all things. Some teachings God reserves for himself to give to us individually as we are ready to receive them.

3 Nephi 29:6

Yea, wo unto him that shall deny the revelations of the Lord, and that shall say the Lord no longer worketh by revelation, or by prophecy, or by gifts, or by tongues, or by healings, or by the power of the Holy Ghost!

God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. What he has done in the past we will do among us today and in the future. God does not change, but men change. If he does no miracles among a people, it is not because he lacks the power, but because they lack the faith.

3 Nephi 20:9

Now, when the multitude had all eaten and drunk, behold, they were filled with the Spirit; and they did cry out with one voice, and gave glory to Jesus, whom they both saw and heard.

The end result of our partaking of the sacrament should be a filling by the Holy Spirit. If we make the covenants of the sacrament with sincerity, full purpose of heart, and real intent, we are promised to have Christ's Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ. It can come to us immediately, even as it did for the multitude who were in Christ's very presence.

According to the words of the sacramental prayer, we only have to be willing to make and keep the covenants. If we are willing at that moment, then in that moment we can be filled with his Spirit.

Now, the vicissitudes of life and the realities of mortality may break down our wills and thwart our desires, and chances are that we won't make it through the day without stumbling in our determination, and we may find ourselves withdrawn from the Spirit by degrees. We know we are going to fall from grace again, and God knows it. Nevertheless, in that precious moment, we can be filled.

The Lord will take whatever opportunity we give him, however brief and fleeting, to give us a taste of the spiritual banquet he has in store for us, in the hope that his gift will taste sweeter than the worldly satisfactions of the natural man. He is anxious for us to break the cycle of habit, weakness, and temptation and to turn to him. For every tiny step we take in his direction, he runs to us and takes us in his arms and cheers us on. He weeps for us when we lose our grip and stumble in the wrong direction, but if our heart is right, he knows we'll be back soon. And so he waits anxiously while we grope our way back to the sacrament table again and start over. He is so pleased when we try, even though we both know we will fail. The victory of mortality is in the trying. God blesses us when we try.

3 Nephi 19:9

And they did pray for that which they most desired; and they desired that the Holy Ghost should be given unto them.

Though these people had been in the very presence of the resurrected Christ and had heard him speak with his own voice, they wanted more than anything to have the Holy Ghost. Why? Because the Holy Ghost is the manifestation of the spirit of Christ, which he had promised they could always have with them. As life-changing as seeing the Savior would be, the Holy Ghost can change our lives even more. He does not address our eyes and ears but rather our minds and hearts. He will work continuously, if we let him, to change us and purify us and sanctify us. Though we may see with our eyes that Christ lives, that is no proof that we will live. The Holy Ghost testifies to us, however, that we will live, and it is that testimony, combined with faith in Christ, that gives us hope. These disciples wanted that hope that comes through the Holy Ghost.

3 Nephi 11:3

And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause their hearts to burn.

Often the feeling described when a person has a close encounter with the Holy Spirit is burning. The burning feeling is the pure elements of our soul reacting to the purifying fire of the Holy Ghost. It lights us up, and a byproduct of light is heat.

Alma 57:21

Yea, and they did obey and observe to perform every word of command with exactness; yea, and even according to their faith it was done unto them; and I did remember the words which they said unto me that their mothers had taught them.

We defeat the adversary through exact obedience. We must trust that we are receiving good instructions, and then we must do all in our power to follow those instructions. We call this being diligent in keeping the commandments. It us our only sure defense. We do not keep commandments to earn points or to buy our way into heaven, but to minimize the damages of mortality and to protect ourselves from the constant attacks of Satan from the outside and the traitorous natural man on the inside. Christ saves us and redeems us, but he can work only with a willing heart that can be taught by the Holy Spirit. Blessings are predicated on obedience to law. When we keep the commandments, we qualify ourselves to receive the Holy Ghost, who teaches us how to come unto Christ and receive salvation from his hand.

Alma 56:46

For as I had ever called them my sons (for they were all of them very young) even so they said unto me: Father, behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go, lest they should overpower the army of Antipus.

We may not be victorious in every battle, but when the Holy Ghost confirms to us that God is with us, we can enter the fray unafraid of the outcome. God's power can make up for our lack of experience and even skill. We just have to be willing to try.

Alma 56:22

And it came to pass that we kept spies out round about, to watch the movements of the Lamanites, that they might not pass us by night nor by day to make an attack upon our other cities which were on the northward.

Who is our spy who can tell us what the adversary of our souls is up to? Is it not the Holy Spirit?

Alma 51:21

And thus Moroni put an end to those king-men, that there were not any known by the appellation of king-men; and thus he put an end to the stubbornness and the pride of those people who professed the blood of nobility; but they were brought down to humble themselves like unto their brethren, and to fight valiantly for their freedom from bondage.

Before we can do battle without, we must win the battle within. We must conquer ourselves and put down the natural man and his pride. Satan doesn't usually have to mount an all-out attack from the outside because he knows he has a strong and treacherous ally already on the inside. He just needs to stir up the natural man from time to time. Our internal enemy makes enough commotion to keep us occupied, distracted, and off balance almost all the time. He is well ensconced within us, and we lack sufficient power on our own to dislodge him from his strongholds. We may be able to harass him, but we cannot win without a strategy and additional power. Christ and his atonement are the reinforcements we need, and the Holy Ghost conveys the strategy from headquarters. The battle plans are in the scriptures. If we obey our captains, the living prophets, we can overcome and force the natural man to surrender. But we must be diligent and faithful.

Alma 38:12

Use boldness, but not overbearance; and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness.

To bridle means to restrain, guide or control. A passion is a strong emotion. To be an effective servant and teacher, it is important to control our strong emotions so we can be sensitive to the Holy Ghost. The Spirit speaks most often through our feelings. If our emotions are out of control, the Spirit will not be able to communicate with us. Without the Spirit, we cannot teach. In addition, love -- the greatest passion -- needs room in our hearts to flourish. If we are filled with negative emotions, love cannot grow. Without love, we can neither teach nor serve. Unbridled passions are a characteristic of the natural man. We have to rely on the atonement and the grace of Christ to overcome the natural man and bridle his passions.

Alma 36:24

Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost.

The result of rebirth is increased service. One who is truly reborn does not sit on his laurels, frame his rebirth certificate, and wait passively to enter the pearly gates to his eternal reward. He is motivated and enlightened to work harder, to be more faithful and obedient, and to share what he has experienced with as many people as possible. If we are filled with energy and anxious desire to share and invite others to enjoy what we are enjoying, we have a sign that we have been born of God.

Alma 36:5

Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself;

With conversion and spiritual rebirth comes wonderful knowledge. The Holy Ghost can teach us many things. In fact, he can reveal to us everything we need to know to have a successful life. In Alma's case, the instruction from heaven began even before he knew he needed it. God is so anxious to teach us he will jump at even the slightest opening. He cannot wait to share the good news with us.

Alma 32:37

And behold, as the tree beginneth to grow, ye will say: Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us. And now behold, if ye nourish it with much care it will get root, and grow up, and bring forth fruit.

We do not manufacture our conversion, but we must cultivate it. If we are careless in how we treat the gifts we have received and treat lightly the tender feelings the Spirit has planted in us -- in other words if we take this marvelous interaction with the Holy Ghost for granted -- it can be withdrawn. Or rather, we draw ourselves away from the source of our new joy. Choices and decisions are at the heart of conversion. It is not something that just happens to us. It is something we choose, seek, invite, and nourish.

Alma 32:28

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.

To give place for the seed is to exercise agency in the direction of faith. We decide to let the seed of belief in, and the we choose to let it grow. The longer we allow the seed of belief to mature in us, the more telling the results. We will feel ourselves changing. As long as we choose to believe, we make room for the Holy Ghost to work on us. We do not change ourselves, but our choices enable God to work on us through the influence of his Spirit. One of the signs that the Holy Ghost is working on us is increased enlightenment or knowledge. Enlightenment is not knowing more facts, but understanding and appreciating more truth.

Alma 31:31

O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul in Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these afflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.

Our souls are comforted in Christ when we are comforted by the love of Christ, which is given to us through the power of the Holy Ghost, who is the Comforter. We are comforted about the troubles we face by the knowledge that Christ has suffered all things and overcome all things. He will not let us fail if we are trying. He will make up for our weaknesses and pardon our mistakes. We can have hope and comfort in this life and the rest of the Lord in the life to come.

Alma 31:5

And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God.

Disasters and destruction can sometimes awaken a people to their plight when they are too stubborn to listen to preaching, but disasters do not convert any more than miracles convert. These events may get our attention, but only the Holy Ghost converts, and then only if we are willing.

Alma 26:15

Yea, they were encircled about with everlasting darkness and destruction; but behold, he has brought them into his everlasting light, yea, into everlasting salvation; and they are encircled about with the matchless bounty of his love; yea, and we have been instruments in his hands of doing this great and marvelous work.

What a contrast between being encircled by darkness and being encircled by love! Satan must be very crafty to get us to make such a ridiculous choice. If we could see our lives through God's eyes, the right way would be so obvious that we could not possibly go wrong. But instead, he has placed the veil between him and us so we get to make a real choice.  From our vantage point, Satan's shiny chains can look as attractive as the Lord's light. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil can seem just as attractive and inviting as the tree of life. Without the guidance of, first, the Spirit of Christ and, then, the Holy Ghost, we might never figure it out. Thankfully the Spirit of Christ is given to every person who comes into the world. We don't have to be fooled.