Earlier, I posted the Joseph Smith lesson from a week ago, entitled “Personal Revelation.” One sentence in this lesson really struck me. I quote:
No man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a revelator. – Joseph Smith
I stopped to ponder that for a moment. I was baptized into the Church and confirmed a member. At the time of my confirmation, I received the Holy Ghost. Does that mean I can now receive revelations?
Yes, it does. Every person who has the Holy Ghost can have revelations.
But that doesn’t mean that you’ll necessarily see angels or have visions. You might not hear voices. But you will be guided from day to day, even in small things.
“I’ve never had a revelation,” I’ve heard some say.
But have you ever thought to yourself on the way out the door, “I should take my cell phone,” only to shrug off the feeling and go without it? And then, when your car breaks down at the side of the road, do you wish you’d listened to yourself and taken the phone? That was the Spirit, revealing to you that you would need your phone.
Have you ever been working on a project and suddenly had the thought to go check on your kids, and you go in their room just in time to see your two-year-old pick up the sharp scissors that shouldn’t have been in that room in the first place? That was the Spirit, revealing to you that your child was in danger.
I’ve had several instances where I’ve seen my children heading for danger, and I knew exactly what was going to happen. Just as I arrived, I reached out to catch their hand just before the predicted event occurred, and I was able to save them from harm. I’ve also had instances where I was prompted about something, I didn’t take action, and something bad did occur. Some would call this having ESP or being psychic. I call it, being warned by the Spirit.
Have you ever been sitting in sacrament meeting and felt warm and comforted as you listened to a speaker? That was the Spirit, revealing to you the truth of what you heard.
Revelation doesn’t have to be major. It doesn’t have to come in the form of an angelic visitation. It is usually quiet. It comes as a thought or a feeling. And it’s there, almost constantly, as we strive to live righteously. If you feel you’re living righteously, and yet don’t feel as though you’re receiving revelation, I encourage you to find a quiet place and really listen. Sometimes the noise of our lives drowns out everything else, but it is there, just waiting.
Related Blogs:
Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost