The Holy Ghost

Being completely honest here- I have not been having very meaningful scripture study the last couple of weeks. I don't know if I have just been having some "off" time or if I have been doing something wrong. The talks in sacrament meeting today gave me a jump start. Their subject matter was the Holy Ghost. I have had many thoughts come to me today so hopefully I can put them in a somewhat cohesive manner.

One of the speakers quoted extensively by this talk from Richard G. Scott. It is one that I studied and was touched by, but have not reread recently. He says that while the goal of being led by the spirit can "be a daunting task [it] will be much easier to manage over time as you consistently strive to recognize and follow feelings prompted by the Spirit. Your confidence in the direction you receive from the Holy Ghost will also become stronger."

This reminded me of a great talk that was given at my aunt's baptism a couple of years ago. He gave the example of a doctor who hadn't practiced medicine in some years. As a patient you would not go to him to receive care because it had been so long since he had actively practiced. He compared practicing medicine to the guidance of the Holy Ghost. It is a skill that needs to be developed and practiced. I thought it was a wonderful analogy.

Next I started thinking about how that related to something my mentor teacher would tell his students. He would say that no matter how well you brushed your teeth yesterday you still need to do it again today. He was talking about practicing your instrument, but applies to the Holy Ghost as well. Even if I read my scriptures yesterday and had meaningful prayer, which allowed the Holy Ghost to present with me, I need to do it again today.

Elder Scott goes on to say- "Spirituality yields two fruits. The first is inspiration to know what to do. The second is power, or the capacity to do it. These two capacities come together." I have always known the first fruit, but I had never realized the second. It is such an amazing blessing and I should have realized it sooner! We know that when we are on the Lord's errand we are entitled to His help. If you have received direction from the Lord, He will give you the help or power to do it. I need to remember that even though I am weak when I yoke myself to Him, His power will help me.

Next Elder Scott shares some experiences of when he received revelation. I won't go into them too much in detail, but I hope you will read his talk and go through them. The part that I do want to share is the importance of recording inspiration as it comes. A few years ago I was in the habit of reading with a notebook and recording thoughts that came. As I would reread the things I had written I would sometimes find guidance for my current problems which I had no idea of when I recorded them. I am recommitting to getting into this habit again.

One more quote from Elder Scott that I don't think needs any explaining. "The inspiring influence of the Holy Spirit can be overcome or masked by strong emotions, such as anger, hate, passion, fear, or pride. When such influences are present, it is like trying to savor the delicate flavor of a grape while eating a jalapeño pepper. Both flavors are present, but one completely overpowers the other. In like manner, strong emotions overcome the delicate promptings of the Holy Spirit."

We had a wonderful discussion in relief society today. We were studying Doctrine and Covenants 121. We were studying the priesthood so we didn't read the end verses, but I reread them. I chose the address for this blog from verse 45. If we continue with verse 46 it says - "The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever." I had to look up some of these words for a better understanding. After reading this I thought what more can we ask for? Having the Holy Ghost constantly with us, having power made of truth and righteousness and dominion (which I interpret to mean our families) coming unto us of their own free will forever! How wonderful is that!?

One final thought. Work. The carnal side of me does not like this word. I have this terrible habit of just wishing and praying insincerely for blessings and guidance, but then I don't follow through. Then I whine about how I wish things were better (Laman and Lemuel alert!). I need to work harder to invite the Lord and the Holy Ghost into my life. The past two nights I have been pondering over what the Bible Dictionary says about prayer. I had always been impressed by this line-Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. But there is much more to it. I need to dig deeper in my studying. Anyway, this part is very pertinent to me right now-Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings. I need to get past this mentality and get to work. It is as simple as that.

1 Nephi 10:19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, . . .

This turned out to be much longer than I thought so I'm sorry for that, but I want to publicly commit to inviting the spirit into my life. I need His help so desperately. I have been reading my scriptures at night and I want to keep doing that, but I feel that I need to invite the Holy Ghost into my life in the mornings so he can be present throughout my day. I am going to wake up 30 minutes earlier and make sure I have my pen and paper with me. Bring on the blessings!