Do We Truly Follow the Prophet?

Last week, while visiting another ward, someone from their elders quorum mentioned that the next general conference is approaching.  I'd been contemplating President Nelson's talk from the last general conference (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng) and what I should be teaching about it today.  It was an unusual lesson in that I taught the same thing roughly a couple of months ago and the quorum president felt that we should review it again.  As I heard, last week, that the next conference was approaching, it occurred to me that we have little time left to obey President Nelson's instruction to us before he gives us more.

I did take his counsel to heart.  In fact, one of his remarks has struck me possibly more than any other from any general conference in my lifetime: "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."  I believe it easily, as I've already seen people I love fall and lose the blessings of their testimony.  But there's a difference between hearing God's word through His prophets, and obeying that word.

I counted the number of direct instructions President Nelson gave us, starting about two thirds of the way into his talk.  By my count, he gave fourteen direct instructions and implicitly directed us to act another seven times.  Specifically, he told us to do the following: "Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart.  And then listen!  Write the thoughts that come to your mind.  Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take."  He then suggested that it should be a daily activity: "As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will 'grow into the principle of revelation.'"

Pray.
Listen!
Write our thoughts.
Record our feelings.
Follow through with actions.

Does our religion mean something?  Does our claim to discipleship mean something?  One method for gauging this would be to ask: are we following the direction of the prophet of God?  Are we seeking revelation from God and then writing down what we receive and acting upon it?

I write this with a bit less focus on just myself, partly because President Nelson's counsel was directed to everyone living on the earth.  Some of us, and likely many of us, are not already doing what he directed us to do.

If not, what are we to do?  The answer is simple: we are to obey.  If we're not doing all that we should, we still have an opportunity.  He told us to "stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation" and again to "increase [our] spiritual capacity to receive revelation."

So we should get some paper and a pen, or open a new computer file where we record revelation regularly.  We should "choose to do the spiritual work required".

Naturally, President Nelson told us of promised blessings, but he also gave a very direct warning, letting us know that some of us will not survive spiritually in the modern world.  That's a thought that merits concern, and his counsel merits the obedience of true discipleship.

Last thoughts for now:
We have a little less than a month left to obey the prophet's counsel before we receive more.  Granted, late obedience will still bring blessings, but by not following the counsel now we risk not following it ever, and God is only telling us these things so that out lives can be better for it.  A while back I picked up a small, fat notebook and began recording what I believe are inspired thoughts and feelings.  I haven't been seeking revelation daily yet, but I know I can improve, and I know that as I follow President Nelson's counsel by seeking revelation I will be better prepared for what God has to give us in the next general conference.

Receiving and Knowing the Holy Ghost

In teaching youth each Sunday I get to observe them.  I've spent quite a bit of time instructing young men over the last seven years.  The boys I help teach right now are a bit hard to keep focused on the Spirit.  When I talk to them about knowing the Holy Ghost, and what the Holy Ghost produces inside us, I get the sense that they don't know the Spirit as well as they could.  They're not used to recognizing the Holy Ghost, and in a sense seem to be unaware of the very real presence that is there when we're correctly testifying of Christ and the Gospel.

It's understandable; I didn't have a full sense of what the Holy Ghost was like when I was young.  It took time to develop that sense.

There's also something else.  In the Missionary Training Center our teachers taught us of the importance of helping others to recognize and identify the Holy Ghost as we taught them.  This made sense to me in a basic way, but I struggled a bit initially.  I didn't feel like I was able to do it.  I went on with my time there, and one day, in the middle of a class, I thought to myself, "Wow; the Spirit is really strong here right now."  Then, I suddenly realized that I had done it.  I had recognized the influence of the Spirit.  What's more, I had done so many times in the past, but from that point on I learned to be more sensitive to the feelings that the Holy Ghost produces in us.

It's really more than just simple feelings, though we certainly do feel and experience the things described in Galatians 5:22.

My hope for the young men that I teach is that they also gain a greater sensitivity to the Spirit.

While in Afghanistan I had several discussions about science and religion with another officer.  I rather enjoyed the discussions, and I hoped in a way that one day he would be interested in seeking a testimony of the restored Gospel.  In one discussion he brought up a scientific study he'd heard of that involved people being attached to electrodes (around the brain) and feeling "the Spirit of God", or the same feelings that God produces in us, after being stimulated electrically.  He took it as proof that our feelings are not, in fact, from God.  I saw it quite in the opposite way; when I've felt the Holy Ghost many times in the past, I'm quite certain I didn't have electrodes hooked up to my brain, so the only other place the feelings could come from is God.

One of my favorite life experiences is to listen to the simple words of an Apostle during General Conference and feeling a strong witness from the Holy Ghost.  There's no inspiring music at that moment, no external influence of any kind, and of course no brain-wired electrodes that could possibly provide me a counterfeit feeling like that of the Holy Ghost.  The pure and beautiful truth that they speak, inviting the Holy Ghost to testify to us, is the only thing that it could possibly be.

Over the last few years, with some particular struggles, I've grown weaker at times.  When we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we're instructed with a specific verb: "receive".  We have to act in order to stay close to the presence of the Spirit of God.  Throughout our lives, we can draw closer to God or let ourselves slip farther away, and it's vital that we make daily efforts to move closer.

Last thoughts for now:
I hope to grow closer to the Spirit of God again and to be strong in service to my Heavenly Father and His children.  I hope to assist the young men I help teach to truly know the Holy Ghost, whose power and influence they so definitely need right now and will need in the future.

Acting in Faith

I've tried to be supportive of those around me who are dealing with trials. Before the priesthood session of General Conference began, I tried to seek out two friends because I was concerned about them.

One was already planning to go to the priesthood session. I wanted to ensure that his family had watched the earlier sessions (they had watched part; I encouraged them to watch the rest later because I felt it would be very good for them in particular). I hope that as I showed up on my friend's doorstep he knew that I was visiting him out of love, concern, and hope.

The other probably didn't realize that it was Conference Weekend until I found him, the second time I drove to his house. With some encouragement, he showered, dressed and accompanied me to the church to watch the priesthood session. I was humbly pleased to have helped him, and I'm certain that I found him at home on my second visit in answer to my prayers.

I have two thoughts about faith in action as it relates to these friends:

First, in both cases I don't know how much my actions helped, either in the short term or particularly in the long term. I don't know if my friends felt grateful to or annoyed by me. So many times in the past I've been left to wonder how much good I've actually done as I've made efforts to help and encourage people to follow our Savior. Maybe this is how things often are; maybe people only rarely see concrete results of their efforts to help God's children receive their exaltation. Regardless of what it's like for others, I usually don't know what good I've actually done. I try to keep my faith, doing my besy to figure out what is right to do in any given case even if I'm never fully sure that it was the best course of action.

Second, at the very least I know I made myself available. I'm convinced that people frequently deny themselves the opportunity to joyously act as the hands of God in others' lives simply because they are distracted and busy. There are countless ways to turn our attention away from the Holy Ghost, but as we put these distractions out of our lives we will find that we are needed elsewhere to care for our brothers and sisters.

I hope that I truly have been of service to my two friends, and I hope also that I may find confirmation that I've been of use to them.

Last thoughts for now:
I think that faith is acting even when I'm uncertain that I can do something truly useful. I rely on it. I know that it's only when I free myself of distractions that the Holy Ghost can guide me and that I can truly act in faith. I thank my God for allowing me to serve my brothers and sisters here.

Inspired Words

Elder Neil L. Anderson was the final speaker for the 2010 Spring General Conference, aside from President Monson. He commented, as I've heard before, that none of the speakers are assigned topics, but that God guides His servants through revelation. It astounds me how the speakers so naturally reinforce themes and speak to such relevant concerns for our time. The guidance of the Holy Ghost during General Conference truly is a wonderful thing.

I've often heard people say that they felt a given talk was written just for them because it applied to them so directly or touched them so deeply. I loved the talks that were given, but I actually felt that pieces of the conference were actually given for other people I know. Some friends of ours are experiencing a challenge in their marriage right now, and as I watched the Saturday morning session I thought of them several times. A talk in the afternoon session seemed perfectly applicable to them. Today's messages seemed to reinforce ideas that we had shared with another friend last night (as we talked until about 3:00 am).

I am so grateful for living prophets. As I hear their words I feel my Heavenly Father's love for me and for everyone. At times, General Conference can be downright thrilling; it is most certainly inspiring. I'm grateful also for the strength the Holy Ghost gives me as I listen to God's servants.

Last thoughts for now:
I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's true church and that He has called prophets to lead and help us. I know that these prophets speak by revelation and I know by revelation that their words are true. I know that God loves and cares for us, wants us to know the truth, and wants us to be happy.

Same Old, Same Old

Sometimes people complain that they always hear the same thing in church, or they don't want to watch General Conference because "they always say the same stuff". I've known people who didn't see the need to read scripture more than once.

Well, yes, we do hear the same thing over and over again. I know of five reasons why:

1. Each time we receive a particular message, we may learn more if we invite the Holy Ghost's influence and have readied ourselves by practicing more basic principles. Many people have had the experience of learning something new from a passage of scripture they've read multiple times before. We hear things repeated because there is deeper knowledge to gain.

2. Simply hearing the truth from the prophets will bring us the Holy Ghost and ready us for personal revelation on any topic. Many people have listened to a witness of Christ and received personal revelation for something that is important but unrelated to what is being spoken.

3. We haven't really listened yet. So often we hear the standard answers: pray, read your scriptures, go to church. Are we doing these things? I tend to think I'm a good person, but I know that I have often forgotten to pray in the morning and I sometimes struggle to read my scriptures. (It's been pretty bad recently. I wake up early and go to work, leaving the house at 6:00 am at the latest. I haven't made it a habit recently to read my scriptures in the morning, and then I don't get to them later. Then, in my Gospel Doctrine class, I know I don't have as much to contribute because I haven't done enough studying.) Anyway, we hear things repeated because we often haven't obeyed yet.

4. There are other people listening who haven't heard it yet. So many people are only hearing the restored Gospel for the first time. We can be patient as they are enlightened by glorious truth, particularly since it's still good for us.

5. Repetition reinforces ideas. Truth ought to be reinforced in our lives (especially to counteract the falsehoods that come to us over and over again).

Beyond that, we actually do hear some new things in General Conference sometimes, and it can be thrilling. I should give a list of my favorite conference talks some time.

Last thoughts for now:
It's okay to hear a good thing again. Heavenly Father knows what He's doing.