Personal Revelation Position Statement

I've learned a lot about personal revelation in the last year.  One of the things I have learned is that Heavenly Father wants to talk to us all the time, but many times we do not open the lines for Him to do so.  When we say our prayers more regularly and more meaningfully we make that connection easier.  When we immerse ourselves in the scriptures it does so much to open those lines.  It helps to tune our spirit in so that we can hear those quiet promptings and inspirations.  Finally, we have to turn a few things down and shut a few things off and create a quiet space where the Spirit is not drowned out by the noise we typically surround ourselves with.  When we do these things it is amazing what the Lord will share with us.  When He knows that we are going to value what He shares with us, that we are going to act on the directions He gives us, we are much more likely to get answers to our prayers and our concerns.

Return Us Home

Everyone loses his or her way at some point, to some degree. It is through the promptings of the Holy Ghost‍ that we can be brought safely back onto the right path, and it is the atoning sacrifice of the Savior that can return us home.

Elder M. Russell Ballard - April 2012 General Conference "That the Lost May Be Found"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/that-the-lost-may-be-found?lang=eng

Stay Focused

That simple practice is: In your morning prayer each new day, ask Heavenly Father to guide you to recognize an opportunity to serve one of His precious children. Then go throughout the day with your heart full of faith and love, looking for someone to help. Stay focused, just like the honeybees focus on the flowers from which to gather nectar and pollen. If you do this, your spiritual sensitivities will be enlarged and you will discover opportunities to serve that you never before realized were possible.

Elder M. Russell Ballard - October 2012 General Conference "Be Anxiously Engaged"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/be-anxiously-engaged?lang=eng

The Perfect Day

If we want to have the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, we must find time to slow down, ponder, pray, and live so we are worthy to receive and act upon His promptings. We will avoid major mistakes if we heed His warnings. It is our privilege as members to receive light and knowledge from Him even to the perfect day

Elder Quentn L. Cook - April 2010 General Conference "We Follow Jesus Christ"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/04/we-follow-jesus-christ?lang=eng

Understand for Yourself

·         Brigham Young stated: “I do not wish any Latter Day Saint in this world, nor in heaven, to be satisfied with anything I do, unless the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, - the spirit of revelation, makes them satisfied.  I wish them to know for themselves and understand for themselves.”

      Elder D. Todd Christofferson - October 2014 General Conference "Free Forever to Act for themselves"

      https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/free-forever-to-act-for-themselves?lang=eng

Safely Back Onto the Right Path

Everyone loses his or her way at some point, to some degree. It is through the promptings of the Holy Ghost that we can be brought safely back onto the right path, and it is the atoning sacrifice of the Savior that can return us home.

Elder M. Russell Ballard - April 2012 General Conference "That the Lost May Be Found"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/that-the-lost-may-be-found?lang=eng

Seek A Personal Witness

You too can seek our Heavenly Father and “this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have [testified]” in the scriptures and n this general conference.  As you seek a personal witness – your personal revelation – you will discover that Heavenly Father has provided a special way for you to know the truth for yourself; through the third member of the Godhead, a personage of spirit we know as the Holy Ghost.

Elder Robert D. Hales - October 2014 General Conference "Eternal Life - to Know Our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/eternal-life-to-know-our-heavenly-father-and-his-son-jesus-christ?lang=eng

Scripture and Personal Revelation

·         We talk to God through prayer.  He most often communicates back to us through his written word.  To know what the voice of the Divine sounds and feels like, read His words, study the scriptures, and ponder them.  Make them an integral part of everyday life.

   

      Elder Richard G. Scott - October 2014 General Conference "Make the Exercise of Faith Your First Priority"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/make-the-exercise-of-faith-your-first-priority?lang=eng

Continued Religious Education Assist in Personal Revelation

·         During this important season of preparation for a mission, eternal marriage, and life as an adult, you must continue to find ways to learn and grow and receive inspiration and guidance through the Holy Ghost.  A careful, prayerful study of the gospel through seminary, institute, or religious education classes can assist you in that goal.

      Elder M. Russell Ballard - April 2015 General Conference "The Greatest Generation of Young Adults"

        https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/the-greatest-generation-of-young-adults?lang=eng  

God Still Speaks

My dear brothers and sisters, if the Restoration did anything, it shattered the age-old myth that God had stopped talking to His children. Nothing could be further from the truth.

Elder Russell M. Nelson - October 2014 General Conference "Sustaining the Prophets"

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/sustaining-the-prophets?lang=eng 

Our Real Potential

Our Heavenly Father sees our real potential. He knows things about us that we do not know ourselves. He prompts us during our lifetime to fulfill the measure of our creation, to live a good life, and to return to His presence.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf - October 2012 General Conference "Of Regrets and Resolutions"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/of-regrets-and-resolutions?lang=eng

Trusting God Brings Happiness and Leads to Personal Revelation

Lack of trust has brought sorrow to Heavenly Father’s children from before the world was created. . . Trust comes from knowing God. . . My heart is filled with gratitude for what God has revealed about Himself that we might trust Him. . . You show your trust in Him when you listen with the intent to learn and repent and then you go and do whatever He asks. If you trust God enough to listen for His message in every sermon, song, and prayer in this conference, you will find it. And if you then go and do what He would have you do, your power to trust Him will grow, and in time you will be overwhelmed with gratitude to find that He has come to trust you.

President Henry B. Eyring - October 2010 General Conference "Trust in God, Then Go and Do"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2010/10/trust-in-god-then-go-and-do?lang=eng

My Thoughts on Personal Revelation

Revelation is such a necessary part of a successful life.  The Lord wants to communicate with us.  He wants to guide us and help us.  Because of this He provided a way for it to happen.  Revelation has many different levels, it can come from our leaders in their stewardship over us, it can come to a parent to help guide their children, and it can come to us personally to assist us in our own lives.  The Holy Ghost will confirm to our hearts revelation from our leaders if our hearts are soft and we seek that confirmation.  As parents we are wise to seek revelation from the Lord concerning our families and our children. After all, they were the Lord’s first and He desires their success even more than we do.  Personal revelation is also an incredible gift from the Lord.  He can help us in all our varying circumstances if we will learn to listen. If we show Him that we value the help He is giving us we will receive more and more until it becomes a constant stream of information to instruct and guide us.  I know this is something I need to continue to work towards.

Constant Stream of Revelation

“We all know that human judgment and logical thinking will not be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. We need revelation from God. And we will need not just one revelation in a time of stress, but we need a constantly renewed stream. We need not just one flash of light and comfort, but we need the continuing blessing of communication with God.”

President Henry B. Eyring - October 2014 General Conference "Continuing Revelation"
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/10/continuing-revelation?lang=eng

My Thoughts on Personal Preparation to Guidance

Although I do not hold the priesthood, I believe that the concepts President Eyring is teaching about personal guidance and revelation still apply to me.  I know that the Spirit can guide us and give us specific instructions for our individual circumstances and callings, but we have to be living worthily to have this spiritual guidance.  Not only must we be keeping the commandments, but we also have to be putting in the time and the effort to pray and study and make that personal connection with the Lord.  The more we do this the more clear his promptings, warnings, and instruction will become to us.  The Lord is constantly trying to speak to us and trying to give us guidance.  We have to fine-tune our receptors so that we learn how to hear and heed His communications to us.  If we do this we can become better tools in His hands to help and lift His other children as well as ensuring our own spiritual safety and growth.

Companionship of Holy Ghost

“You will not survive spiritually without the protection of the companionship of the Holy Ghost in your daily life.  You must pray for it and work to have it. Only with that guide will you be able to find your way along the strait and narrow path through the mists of evil. The Holy Ghost will be your guide as He reveals truth when you study the words of prophets.  Getting that guidance will take more than casual listening and reading. You will need to pray and work in faith to put the words of truth down into your heart. You must pray that God will bless you with His Spirit, that He will lead you into all truth and show you the right way. That is how He will warn and guide you into the right path in your life and in your priesthood service.”


“President Henry B. Eyring - April 2015 General Conference "Priesthood and Personal Prayer” 
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2015/04/priesthood-and-personal-prayer?lang=eng