Written By Courtney Rogers:
His smile was toothless, his cardboard sign claimed he was homeless, and he seemed to be harmless. I suddenly had an overwhelming feeling to offer him some spare change, but brushed it off and walked away as I gave the prompting a second thought.
Spiritual promptings. They come in many shapes and sizes. Whether it is as small as an impression to help someone in need, or as big as making a life-changing decision, recognizing and heeding each spiritual prompting is important in building faith and trust in Heavenly Father.
Just as we believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (and the world) receives revelation from modern-day prophets, we also believe that all can receive revelation personally. We believe that every child of God is entitled to receive personal revelation, depending on obedience and sensitivity to the spirit. Seeking and receiving personal revelation is an emotional, spiritual, and often physical experience. The manifestation of the spirit of revelation comes to different people in different ways... Some feel warmth from within; others get the chills from head to toes. Some have one specific overwhelming moment of inspiration, a lightbulb; others hardly notice the revelation taking place until long after it has arrived, a sunrise. Each experience is unique, and personal revelation is just that: personal.
While pondering my own method of personal revelation, I have discovered that many of my spiritual experiences have been slow, steady, and not on my own time schedule. Many of my experiences have been unexpected and not easily recognized. So, how do we know whether a strong feeling is truly personal revelation coming from God, or just a fleeting thought running through our minds?
I have contemplated this all too often.
Like most beautiful things in life, true inspiration cannot be fabricated or forced. This has been reiterated by scripture, prophets, and apostles. President Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles stated: “While we may invite this communication, it can never be forced! If we try to force it, we may be deceived.” As written in the scriptures, those who seek for signs are asking for trouble (See Jacob 7). We may mistake “signs” in our lives as answers to prayers, when the truth of the matter is, we as humans are biased: we often accept instant gratification to be divine guidance, which may lead us to believe that our own desires are the answer. However, patience brings about truth and everlasting peace. By God’s own timing, and by His own will, revelation will come – if we allow it. Elder John A. Widtsoe of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Revelation always comes; it is not imposed upon a person; it must be drawn to us by faith, seeking and working.”
So, how do we prepare for appropriate personal revelation, and strengthen our sensitivity to the spirit? Well, first we must understand how the spirit presents itself. Ancient scripture and modern revelation have taught that the spirit usually whispers to our minds through a “still small voice”. In order to hear the spirit, we must rid our lives of any distracting noise that may be blocking our minds from receiving revelation. Turn it down! In this restless world, a person’s value seems to be based on their busy-ness. However, a busy soul is at risk of becoming numb to the promptings of the spirit: “He hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words” (1 Nephi 17:45). Free your mind and allow your soul to accept the spirit.
Through study and experience, I have found that the spirit of the Lord will reveal itself in many ways: compelling us to act, giving us a peaceful answer to our prayers, or even leaving us to forget a wrong decision (D&C 9:9). However, if we seek honestly and prayerfully, God has promised not to leave us. But we must open our hearts and seek to understand His will for us.
“If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things” (D&C 42:61).
0 comments:
Post a Comment