I had several people ask me for a copy of the talk I gave in Sacrament Meeting, so I thought I’d post it here.
March 20, 2022
When I was asked to speak about personal revelation a couple of weeks ago, it gave me the opportunity to reflect upon my life choices and the experiences that I have gone through.
I know for certain that many of the choices I have made as a mother, a wife, and an educator have been guided by my Heavenly Father.
I know that I have not been behind the driver’s wheel alone.
Receiving personal revelation takes some growth and experience to become comfortable with the concept of receiving personal revelation.
Just like any teaching of the gospel, our understanding of what constitutes revelation and how we receive it changes with our experiences in life and our efforts to learn more about it.
In our efforts to receive revelation, we need to become comfortable with the Spirit and allowing us to be guided by it.
Our own personal revelation comes in many forms and in many ways. But in all cases, revelation is basically the communication from the Holy Ghost to our soul.
Whether we consider his communication as coming into our minds, our hearts, as a feeling or an intuition, it is a channel that opens up from God to instruct and enlighten us.
When we first start learning about how the Spirit teaches us and communicates with us, we may experience something completely differently than what we experience years later after much practice and having grown accustomed to His methods of speaking to us.
What works for me may not get your attention, and what enlightens you may escape my else’s attention altogether.
The nature of revelation is deeply personal. There is no one-size-fits-all formula for every situation. Some things remain relatively constant, but other aspects of revelation change as we grow and change.
President Russell M. Nelson stated the following in the April, 2018 General Conference:
Quote:
Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.
End Quote
We have been given direction from President Nelson that we need to be more closely tied to the influence of the Spirit so we can receive personal revelation. It is a matter of spiritual survival as we go forward and build one day upon another.
Personal revelation is a basic belief we have in the church that we can be more connected to God and live more righteously in our world today. This practice is not present in other religions.
As Satan tries to blur all lines between good and evil. Wemust become more spiritually in tune so we can see the subtle lies and avoid falling into Satan’s traps.
No generation before us has had to deal with the things we have had to deal with and not to the extent in which we have experienced them in this world.
It is our obligation to learn to receive revelation so we can personally survive, as well as be able to teach the next generation how to manage themselves and stay strong.
We are stewards of our Lords possessions. This means we will not receive personal revelation for someone or something outside of our own stewardships.
Spiritually is a personal experience between you and the Lord and no one can give you a perfect checklist of how to become one with God. It’s up to each individual person, not matter what stage of life you are in.
The power of doing the basics in the gospel cannot be overstated. Following basic habits are universally needed by anyone ever hoping to receive personal revelation.
Reading from the scriptures with a real desire to understand them is is critical. Regular study to help us seek answers needed, understand teaching and gain a better understanding of how what we read can affect our lives in the present.
Reading from the scriptures should be done in a thoughtful way. This will give us a purposeful awareness that we are always trying to learn more about the Lord and his ways.
Having diligence in our personal prayers is another habit we need to be receptive to in order to receive personal revelation.
As we focus on expressing gratitude, reflecting on our thoughts and feelings through prayer it will help us tremendously in our personal progress.
If the essence of revelation is a recognition of the communication that comes from the Spirit, then we need to become aware of His presence in our lives as a daily practice. This becomes easier when we keep our weekly sacramental promise to remember Christ always so his Spirit can always be with us.
Technology advancements have made our lives easier, but it has also sped up our lives dramatically. In our hurry to do more and be more we have missed opportunities to be still and be mindful of the moment. By being still we will have more opportunities to connect with the Spirit.
Another way we can be open to receive personal revelation is to actively participate in practicing the principles of righteousness. This is important to our learning and our ability to stay connected with the Spirit.
This means we are choosing to keep the commandments we have been taught. We are trying to live like the Lord wants us to live. This means we are being considerate of others and seeking ways we can help those we come in contact with.
When basic gospel principles are combined, it creates a harmony that opens spiritual doors of opportunity. And with these opportunities is a greater flow of personal revelation.
It is important to remember that our purpose in life is to develop a Christlike character. We do this by how we live each day of our lives. It does not mean that we will be perfect along the way because we all have bad days and we all make mistakes. However, we do need to be more kind and understanding of others in their journey.
For a moment, think about how a cook become a great chef. It takes constant practice in the kitchen. It requires experimentation, repetition, dedication, and patience. Over time this practice becomes second nature for the chef. The ability to think, feel, and become an amazing chef comes naturally. When a chef is in a new situation and called into question, they have a sense for what needs to be done and how it should be handled the right way.
The more we practice receiving personal revelation, the more open we come to understand the underlying principles involved in doing it well.
Revelation is what guides us in making life decisions and inspires us to make right choices. Some people mistakenly assume that it is just for really spiritual people, but personal revelation is actually something that all of us can receive.
Sometimes the problem is that many of us do not feel confident in our ability to receive personal revelation or the ability to recognize it when we do. The challenge we all face is to learn how to receive and recognize revelation for ourselves.
Spirituality is different for everyone. This means we need to get out of the business of competition. There is no need to label one person as more spiritual than another, we are all on the same playing field. And you should not allow others make you feel less about your ability to connect with the Spirit.
We must be in the right mindset to be allowed to understand connecting with the spirit, The more we obey the gospel principles, the more the Spirit will open up our minds.
This is so we can grasp the full meaning of spiritual teachings and put them into practice when we need to. It is all customized to each person’s needs and worthiness.
The Spirit can also teach us through feelings and urges. We may suddenly feel right or wrong about a course of action. Sometimes we may suddenly have a thought that blocks us from being able to move forward in an action.
There may be times in our lives that without warning the Spirit gives us a spontaneous reaction to do the right thing at the right time.
There are several ways the Spirit can teach us what we need to do. But always, whatever we are directed to do, it will bring with it a feeling of peace or assurance that it is the right thing to do.
It is important to realize that we can receive revelation when we need revelation. Receiving revelation doesn’t need to be something where you fully rely on the Lord.
We cannot go through our lives hoping he will someday fix everything we are dealing with. And that he will reveal the truth to us when he feels like it. The gift of the Holy Ghost doesn’t work like that.
The point of the gift we have been given at baptism is that as we draw nearer to the Spirit through living the basics of the gospel faithfully. He will be there with us when we need to be kind, to fill our minds with new knowledge and gain a deeper understanding of the situation we are in.
When we have been trying to live the best lives that we can and we’re doing the best that we can do, we will have the Spirit participate with us in teaching us when we need it.
Yes, there are times when we are left to struggle on our own. This is because we need to learn certain lessons, even the hard ones.
When we have been living righteously, we can expect to have the Spirit’s help to open our minds and heart to go in the right direction.
How does someone know they are going in the right direction? One way is to always follow the first feeling to do something that is rigging . Once you have practiced following the first inclination to do the right thing, then the Spirit knows that this is a way for him to communicate with us.
We have to discover and master this receive personal revelation through our own individual practice.
The Lord expects each of us to learn on our own and do it without having to be directed every step of the way. We cannot totally depend on God to make our choices for us. He wants us to be more like him, but that can’t happen if he’s holding our hand our entire lives.
So, we must learn to feel what is right and act accordingly.
We are not left completely alone. The Lord gives us experiences and leaves us to practice doing the right thing on our own.
Sometimes, when we are facing a decision and we feel unsure which direction to go. It is at this point that it becomes our responsibility to “feel” for the Spirit. We need to take the time and listen.
It has been my experience that he will not let us stray far from the path before giving us a course correction.
I personally have not had a holy spirit visit with me in the middle of the night, but I have known others that have regular visits from beyond the veil.
How the Spirit speaks to me will be slightly different than His method for speaking with you.
Seeking to comprehend the things of God is a conscious choice we have to make. For all if us it requires practice, practice, practice. And it also means we will fail many times. That is the nature of practicing.
The ultimate question is: Do we continue to try to learn from those failures, and recognize when we were successful? Absolutely!
In conclusion, becoming spiritually active and seeking personal revelation is an ongoing process. I know that I am still growing and changing and there still many more things to come in my life. I constantly depend on inspiration and guidance of my Heavenly Father in the decisions I make. I can testify that we need to know and have the desire to follow the promptings of the Spirit. So when he speaks to us through personal revelation, I believe we need to listen and follow his directive.