The Holy Ghost

My dear friends, it is wonderful to be with all of you today. Thanks for your presence in this devotional. I love Ensign College for several reasons. First, two out of my three chilMy dear friends, it is wonderful to be with all of you today. Thanks for your presence in this devotional. I love Ensign College for several reasons. First, two out of my three children started their education in this marvelous institution. I am grateful for everything they learned that helped them not only to start their career but also their spiritual character.Thank you President Kusch for teaching the students so well an organization so well prepared to establish a great spiritual foundation for their lives.Second, two of my great friends, Brother Kusch and Brother Sloan, are the president and vice president of this marvelous institution. Besides being great friends of mine, these brothers along with their sweet wives, are some of the most devoted disciples of Jesus Christ that I know and are great examples of the Savior’s light to the world. Thank you, Brother Kusch and Brother Sloan and your dear wives for the marvelous work you do here and for the example you bring into our lives.

I bring with me the love and greetings of our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, as well as the members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They truly love and care for you more than you can possibly imagine.
Well, I pray that the Lord will bless us that today our time together this morning may be helpful in building our faith in Jesus Christ and that we leave this devotional feeling how much our Heavenly Father cares for us and is always willing to help and bless us.

My friends, we are living in an extraordinary age of technology, aren’t we? We have been blessed with a greater availability of information than any other era. When I was a college student like you, our main source of research was basically a physical library at the school where we would spend hours researching information in thousands of books. We had to go through the index and then find a subject and then pick the books from the shelves, we would spend a lot of time in doing those things.Today, through your smartphone, you are able to tap some buttons to quickly and efficiently find the information you need. Through this technology, we can not only do research, but learn, work, shop, communicate and do many other things. But it does not work unless you connect your smartphone to a network which allows you to use it in its full capacity and search for the information you need. Without this, a smartphone is of no use for much.

Similar to having your smartphone connected to a network, we all need to connect our mind and heart with our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in order to receive heavenly guidance through the Holy Ghost throughout our life.

The Holy Ghost is a gift from our Heavenly Father to all of us. Being a conduit of the power of the Lord in our life, the Holy Ghost performs a special mission, as he blesses and inspires all of us as God’s children. If we are connected with him, the Holy Ghost can and will reveal to us what we need to do to stay on—and progress along—the path to happiness in this life, in order to inherit eternal life. He can prompt us in a still, small voice to do good and right. And when we do right, of course we feel right. At that moment we can know that the Holy Ghost is speaking to us.[1] We have been promised that “by the power of the Holy Ghost [we] may know the truth of all things.[2] Nephi taught: “For behold, again I say unto you that if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”[3]

In one of his memorable messages to the whole church, our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, gave the following warning: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” In fact, He urged us to “stretch beyond [our] current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that ‘if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal’.”[4]

My dear friends, just like the smartphone needs to be connected with a network to function, we need to connect with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ to receive guidance from heaven, so we survive in this complex world we are living in. Perhaps this is one of the main tasks we need to accomplish as we face mortality — to know how to receive and recognize the promptings and guidance from the Holy Ghost. Keeping that in mind, I would like to consider with you some fundamental principles in the process of learning how to receive and recognize promptings and guidance from the Holy Ghost.

So, first and primarily, we all need to know and feel that God loves all of us, His children, and that He is always willing to communicate with us. Our Heavenly Father is filled with an infinite and perfect amount of holy, pure, and love beyond description, for each of His children. We are important to Him. Of course, we are His children. He loves every one of us, even though we are incomplete or imperfect. The work of God is to help us gain eternal life.[5] He is concerned not only about our comfort but even more about our upward progress. Our Heavenly Father is always concerned about the steps we take here on earth. He knows which decisions we must make, and which actions we must take, so that we may fulfill our divine potential as the sons [and daughters] of God.[6] More than we could ever imagine, He wants us to achieve our celestial destiny—to return with honor to our heavenly home. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost, His love encompasses us completely. [7]He has promised that we can turn to Him for help and guidance anytime.

President Nelson taught: “One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind since my new calling as President of the Church is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will. The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.”[8]

Second – we need to be prepared and strive to be worthy to receive guidance through the Holy Ghost. In the gospel context, being worthy of the Spirit means doing our best to live a life that aligns with the teachings of Jesus Christ. We can demonstrate our worthiness through faithful and righteous actions and thoughts, thus allowing the Holy Ghost to be present in our lives. Our willingness to have the Spirit as a constant companion signifies our commitment to striving to keep the commandments, maintain purity, and seek the Lord’s guidance. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is a response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency.

Therefore, in order to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost in our lives, we need to be worthy and cleansed through Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice. Our obedience to the commandments, our willingness to follow His will, and our sincere prayers in faith will influence how clearly the Savior can direct us.[9] We [also] open ourselves to inspiration and revelation from the Spirit… by listening to the counsel of living prophets.[10]

Failing to strive to live a clean life weakens the likelihood of receiving promptings from the Spirit. Those who strive to be worthy and prepared to receive the whisperings of the Spirit can enjoy a spiritual gift that provides greater understanding, enrichment, and guidance in all aspects of life, both spiritual and temporal. Imagine how the Holy Ghost can help us in our studies, our jobs, our family, and all your righteous endeavors. Imagine what it is like to always have the influence of the Holy Ghost with us.

Well, my dear friends, we can cultivate worthiness by regularly examining our lives, maintaining high moral standards, seeking help for our shortcomings and asking forgiveness for our sins. We can also do it by recognizing our dependence on God, striving to serve others, showing love and compassion, and engaging in other righteous actions as taught in the scriptures and by our living prophets.

Now, although we need to strive to be worthy to have the Holy Ghost as our constant companion, we do not need to be perfect before we can receive His guidance and comfort. Worthiness is a process, and perfection is an eternal trek. [11] We can be worthy to enjoy certain privileges without being perfect. Our dear prophet, President Russell M. Nelson once taught: “Mortal perfection can be achieved as we try to perform every duty, keep every law, and strive to be as perfect in our sphere as our Heavenly Father is in his. If we do the best we can, the Lord will bless us according to our deeds and the desires of our hearts.”[12] So, let us do our best to be worthy of the companionship of the Holy Ghost because it is a gift of love from our Heavenly Father and is available to all who strive to be worthy of it.
             
Third principle – learning and understanding how the language of the Spirit works. Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter, it is a sacred privilege.
Metaphorically speaking, learning to receive revelation through the Holy Ghost may be compared to learning a second language. At first, we understand little or perhaps nothing at all. But as we continue to apply ourselves, we pick up on words, then sentences, then whole thoughts. Eventually we find ourselves understanding what is being said. I can promise you I have been through this experience myself trying as I have tried to learn your beautiful language. But, not only that but your culture of the United States where we are living now and even idioms I’ve been collecting because I go to meetings and people use a lot of them and sometimes at the end of the meeting I need to ask somebody what it means this idiom?So, I will publish a book in probably two or three years with the 262 idioms I already have learned. So, I have been through this process and is an ongoing process.

Therefore, in a similar way, to learn the language of the Spirit, we have to desire to learn; study in the scriptures and in the words of the living prophets how revelation is received; be attentive to spiritual impressions; ask God to send us guidance through the Holy Ghost; be willing to receive—not ignore or take lightly—the instructions received; and of course obey the commandments, and earnestly seek to receive additional guidance.

Perhaps Oliver Cowdery’s experiences were recorded for us to understand how the Lord communicates with us through the Holy Ghost. Oliver was told: “That assuredly as the Lord liveth, … even so surely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive…I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost.”[13]

Through the experience of Oliver Cowdery along with what is taught in the scriptures, we learn that the Holy Ghost most often communicates with us as a feeling, as a small voice, and inspires Christlike attributes.[14] We can sense it in words that resonate with us, that are meaningful, and that encourage us to act. The help we receive from heaven through the Holy Ghost will frequently come as customized instructions for our specific needs. These feelings are gentle, like a nudge to take action, say something, or respond in a particular way. But remember, such guidance will entice us to do good[15] and will always be in harmony with the teachings of the living prophets and the holy scriptures. The Lord tells us to “put [our] trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good.”[16]

Our dear prophet gave us the perfect pattern to follow. He taught: “Follow the example of the Prophet Joseph. Find a quiet place where you can regularly go. Humble yourself before God. Pour out your heart to your Heavenly Father. Turn to Him for answers and for comfort. 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. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will “grow into the principle of revelation.”[17]

Fourth principle, heavenly guidance will come in the Lord’s own time and way My dear friends, God is a perfect Father; He loves us beyond our capacity to understand. He knows what is best for us in every moment of our lives. He sees the end from the beginning. He is at this moment aware of us, our feelings, and the spiritual and temporal needs of everyone around us. So, heavenly guidance is a reality, but it is important to understand that it comes in the Lord’s way and according to His timetable and not always in the way we expect. I deeply admire what Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, “Faith also includes trust in God’s timing.”[18]

Sometimes our prayers are answered quickly with the outcome we hope for. But sometimes don’t, yet with time we learn that God had greater blessings prepared for us than we initially anticipated.

I recall a certain occasion when I had to make an important decision regarding the direction of my professional career, which initially did not seem very appealing to me. My coworkers and even family members told me that it would be a step backward in the progression of my career if I would act upon that direction. For some reason, however, I felt compelled to consider that opportunity given the circumstances I was facing at that crucial moment in my career. My wife and I were newly married and somewhat inexperienced. However, we were striving to live worthily according to the principles and commandments of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and we felt that the Lord would not leave us without guidance regarding a matter that would undoubtedly affect our future.

After thoroughly studying the matter in our minds, counseling with one another, and weighing the pros and cons of that decision, we sincerely sought the Lord’s counsel. After many prayers and visits to the temple to seek revelation from the Lord, we felt clearly that we should move forward with that change, despite our concerns about the negative aspects of the decision. Over time, that decision turned out to be perfect for our lives and opened the door to other professional experiences that led me to higher levels of progress, both professionally and spiritually. And brought me here where I am with you today.This experience taught my wife and me that we need to be careful not to allow anything to distract us from the Lord’s voice or cause us to fail to listen carefully to what He would have us hear according to His will and timing.

Another aspect to consider regarding receiving heavenly guidance in the Lord’s own time and way is that we are expected to take responsibility by acting on a decision that aligns with His teachings, even without prior confirmation from him. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken to us.The Lord expect that we act. Some of our decisions concern everyday matters and our Heavenly Father expects us to “do many things of our [our] own free will and bring to pass much righteousness”[19] during our mortal journey. However, some things we can accomplish only with heaven’s help.

This was exactly the experience Nephi went through when he was asked to return to Jerusalem, along with his brothers, to obtain the plates from Laban. After experiencing some misfortune in their initial attempt to accomplish what their father asked them to do, Nephi crept into the city and went forth toward the house of Laban. At that moment he was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which he should do.[20] At that moment the Lord performed a miracle for him, and Nephi was able to accomplish what he had been asked to do.

My dear friends, most often, when we act upon the things we know to be right, the Lord will confirm the correctness of our choices along the way, in His own time and way, sometimes even performing miracles in our lives, as He did with Nephi in that episode any many other lives like mine. That confirmation generally comes through small bundles of help found along the way. They are like notes from a loving Father as evidence of His approval. If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, the Lord in His perfect mercy and love, will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings. I testify of that by my own personal experiences in life.

Fifth principle, wait upon the Lord. What does it mean to wait upon the Lord? In the scriptures, the word wait means to hope, to anticipate, and to trust. Hope and trust in the Lord requires faith, patience, humility, meekness, long-suffering, keeping the commandments, and enduring to the end.

Therefore, to wait upon the Lord means planting the seed of faith and nourishing it with great diligence, and patience. It means to stand fast and press forward in faith, having a perfect brightness of hope. It means relying alone upon the merits of Christ and with His grace assisting us saying: Thy will be done, O Lord, and not ours. As we wait upon the Lord, we are immovable in keeping the commandments, knowing that we will one day, even after this life, understand everything.

My dear friends, we have to be willing to do God’s will and put His will above our own desires. In His perfection and wisdom, God knows what is before and best for us. His will, based on divine perspective, shows us a better way. But it will often challenge us. In this, as in all things, the Lord Jesus Christ is our perfect example. He made the Father’s will His own. As the Savior suffered for our sins, He prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt.”[21]

My friends, as we accept His will and do it, we prepare ourselves to receive further guidance. As we honor our covenants and obey the commandments, and as we continually strive to do good and improve, we can walk with the assurance that God will guide our paths.[22]

My dear friends, once again, just as our smartphone needs to be connected with a network to perform its functions correctly, our eternal progress depends on how well we are connected with our Heavenly Father and His son Jesus Christ, as well as on receiving personal guidance from the Holy Ghost. When we believe and trust that God wants to send us direction through the Holy Ghost, then, as we earnestly center our lives on pursuing heaven’s help, we will receive the guidance we need according to the Lord’s will and time.

My dear and great students from Ensign College, let us not forget to apply the principles we discussed today as we seek heavenly guidance, not only during our college years but throughout the rest of our lives. You are learning now what you need to structure and base life in the heavenly guidance that we all need day after day. The Lord expects us to act in faith in what we know to be true but He is also available anytime to all of us to guide and lead us in our challenge and personal needs.It has been a privilege and a blessing to be with you today. I testify to you that our Heavenly Father loves you and is there for you. He loves you perfectly. I witness to you that He is always willing to answer your prayers in faith. Like the primary song says: “Pray, He is there; Speak, He is listening. You are His child; His love now surrounds you. He hears your prayer; He loves the children. Of such is the kingdom, the kingdom of heaven.” Come Jesus like the choir sang this morning because he wants to be with us through the Holy Ghost in every day of our lives.I testify that the Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, and we can enjoy His presence in our life as we strive to live righteously according to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I testify of Him, even Jesus Christ and His divine and loving sacrifice for all of us. He lives – I know he lives and He leads this church through His prophets, seers, and revelators. Of these truths I testify in the sacred name of our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, amen.

[1] To the Children of the Church, Ensign, May 1989, 82.

[2] Moroni 10:5.

[3] 2 Nephi 32:5.

[4] Doctrine and Covenants 42:61.

[5] See Moses 1:39.

[6] Moroni 7:48.

[7] See “The Love of God”, Dieter F. Utchdorf, 2009 General Conference

[8] See Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” 94.

[9] See “Rise to Your Call,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2002, 76.

[10] “Scripture Reading and Revelation,” Ensign, Jan. 1995, 7.

[11] See On Being Worthy, Marvin J. Ashton, Ensign, May 1989,

[12] See Perfection Pending, Russell M. Nelson, October 1995; Doctrine and Covenants 137:9.

[13] Doctrine and Covenants 8:1–2.

[14] See Galatians 5:22-23

[15] See Moroni 7:13.

[16] Doctrine and Covenants 11:12.

[17] Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, Russell M. Nelson, April 2018 General Conference.

[18] Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds, Neil. L. Maxwell, April 1991 general conference.

[19] Doctrine and Covenants 58:27.

[20] 1 Nephi 4:5-6.

[21] Matthew 26:39.

[22] See “The Spirit of Revelation,” David A. Bednar, Ensign or Liahona, May 2011, 90.
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