Sunday's Talk: Personal Revelation

Personal Revelation:

Intro

I have never been great when it comes to listening. Over my lifetime, my mother, a convert
has received revelation frequently. Heavenly Father has always had a purpose for her, because He
knows that she listens and she acts.

I don’t always listen well. Sometimes it takes me several times to respond. I wish, sometimes, that my
promptings were louder, like my mother’s. But I know that Heavenly Father wants me to exert my faith
and learn to recognize His voice. Each person is different, and so how we receive revelation is
different. But we can learn, over time to recognize how Heavenly Father speaks to us through the
Holy Ghost.

   

Today I want to speak on 3 points relating to personal revelation:

• What Personal Revelation Is and Why Heavenly Father gives it to us
• How Do We Receive Revelation
• And what to do about it when we receive it.

   

What Personal Revelation Is

Bible Dictionary:

“Continuous revelation from God to His Saints, through the Holy Ghost or by other means,
such as visions, dreams, or visitations, [which] makes possible daily guidance along true paths
 and leads the faithful soul to complete and eternal salvation in the celestial kingdom….

...It also consists of individual guidance for every person who seeks for it and follows the
prescribed course of faith, repentance, and obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Personal Revelation allows for Personal Salvation. It also means day-to-day guidance.

In Pres. Nelson’s talk from last April (2018) General Conference, titled, “Revelation for the
Church, Revelation for our Lives,” he quotes Pres. Lorenzo Snow: “This is the grand privilege
of every Latter-day Saint … that it is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every
day of our lives.”       

Why Does Heavenly Father Give Revelation To Us?

In many ways, we are the sand upon the seashore. We are nothing, when compared to God.
Yet we are EVERYTHING to Him.

Moses 1:3-6

“3 And God spake unto Moses, saying: Behold, I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is
my name; for I am without beginning of days or end of years; and is not this endless?           

4 And, behold, thou art my son; wherefore look, and I will show thee the workmanship of
mine hands; but not all, for my works are without end, and also my words, for they never cease.        

5 Wherefore, no man can behold all my works, except he behold all my glory; and no man can
behold all my glory, and afterwards remain in the flesh on the earth.   

6 And I have a work for thee, Moses, my son; and thou art in the similitude of mine Only
Begotten; and mine Only Begotten is and shall be the Savior, for he is full of grace and
truth; but there is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all 
.”

God gives us Personal Revelation because HE LOVES US. If He was willing to give up His
Only Begotten Son for us, it’s not a surprise that he is willing to give us Daily guidance.

How do We Received Revelation

When we wish to receive Revelation there are several sets of instructions. In the scriptures we
are told to ask via prayer. That is one of the ways in which to receive revelation.

In Matthew 7:7-8 we are told:

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened.”

Joseph Smith had a question, a worry. He was raised during the second great “Great
Awakening,” or religious revival, in the United States. Much like current political debates, there
were a lot of conflicting voices and he didn’t know where to turn.

He was instructed by James 1:5, on what to do:

“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth
not; and it shall be given him.”

So he turned to Heavenly Father in prayer. A sincere, heartfelt, prayer desiring to simply know
the truth. And Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ answered.

“I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended
gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose
brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake
unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the Other--This is My Beloved Son.
Hear Him!”

He, a fourteen year old boy, asked God for an answer, and it changed the world. All of us
either have been fourteen or will be fourteen. So if Heavenly Father was willing to choose
Joseph Smith as His future prophet, what does that say about us as individuals? That Heaven
Father knows us, one by one by one, and He knows our needs and our potential.

So first, in order to receive, you have to ask.

You also have to study it and ponder it in your mind.

You can receive answers through scriptures. The same scripture can be read over and over
and mean something completely different. The same goes for Patriarchal Blessings and regular
 Priesthood Blessings. What means one thing at fourteen might mean something else at 31.

When I was twenty one I wanted to go on a mission. As I prayed the feeling was, “do what you
think is best. It’s your decision.” But when things fell apart my friends’ responses were along the
 lines of, “yeah, I’m not surprised that she didn’t follow through. She doesn’t finish the things
she starts,” I felt intense shame and sorrow.

Until I was in the Jordan River Temple, waiting to do Baptisms for the Dead, and while reading
scriptures ran across one in D&C that told me--directly--that I was forgiven. That my offering
was acceptable, and that I was to go on with my life and not blame myself. This allowed me to
heal enough so that when I got a STRONG prompting four years later to go on a mission, that
I could do it without feeling like I was going to fail again.

Revelation sometimes doesn’t come easily

Sometimes I have had questions and the answer was to wait. Or to make the choice on my
own. Or Heavenly Father simply didn’t give me an answer--just a reassurance that everything
would be okay. There are some things I am still waiting on answers for.

Doctrine and Covenants 9:7-9 records the instance in which Oliver Cowdery wanted to
translate, but found out that receiving revelation was a little more complicated than that.

“Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you
took no thought save it was to ask me.

8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask
me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you;
 therefore, you shall feel that it is right.

9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought
that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that
which is sacred save it be given you from me.”

Burning in the Bosom.

When most people think of a “Burning in the Bosom” they think of a firey feeling that burns in
your chest. I have only experienced something like that once, and it was in relation to reading
scriptures when I was in High School.

In most cases, it’s not like that. It’s a warmth of joy that feels welcoming and loving. Like
someone has come up to you and given you a hug, or wrapped you in a blanket. That is the
most common feeling of, “burning in the bosom.” It’s a joy of warmth that chases away the
sadness.

Or oftentimes when I go to the temple it’s the feeling that your lungs filling up with air for the
first time. Or a smile on your face that lasts so long that your cheeks hurt and you feel like you
might be stuck that way.

The Burning is Happiness. When the Holy Ghost comes, He brings with Him Happiness.

In that last scripture it also talked about “a stupor of thought.”

For many questions I practically live in the world of, “a stupor of thought.”

A stupor of thought feels like a billion ideas in your head, anxiety, wishy-washiness in your
decision-making, and the inability to focus on any one idea. It can be frustrating, especially
when you are looking for answers, but sometimes that feeling IS the answer.

The opposite is a Clarity of thought.

Where Heavenly Father suddenly gives you the answers you are seeking everything falls into
place, ideas are pumping through your brain, everything makes perfect sense.

That’s how I was led to living in this Ward. After months of anxiety, a friend had an open room
and suddenly everything felt right and I could breathe. I moved forward, full-steam ahead.

This also includes having scriptures pop into your mind as you write talks and prepare to teach
as a missionary! I am terrible at memorization, but Heavenly Father will give me little snippets
of scriptures and stories to share that I otherwise wouldn’t have remembered because of my
crappy memory. This also goes for tests, schoolwork, and important conversations. Even these
small things are examples of Clarity of thought.

Past Saints have seen visions, heard voices, had dreams.

You might say, “those things are dead, they don’t happen in this day and age.” I am a witness
that they do. I know people who have experienced all of the above. I can’t say more than that,
but if the Lord wishes it He will give you all those things, if that is the best way to help you at
that time.

But most Revelation comes through the simple feeling of joy in your heart and clear thoughts in
your mind, all of them a bit too brilliant to have come from you.

This is the “Still Small Voice”

When Elijah was running from the evil princess Jezebel he was told to go to a mountain. While
there he experienced this in 1 Kings 19:11-12:

“And [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the
Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks
before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the
Lord was not in the earthquake:

And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small
voice.”

My mission was the best place to learn to listen to the Still Small Voice, to recognize when the
Holy Ghost was by my side and directing my work. So that after the mission, even though I
didn’t feel the Spirit as strong or as often, when it appears I stop, I listen, and I act. Because I
know how the Holy Ghost speaks to me.

All these things and more can be received when we ask, study, listen and, what’s more,
are worthy to receive through our obedience and desire to follow God.

What to do when we Receive Personal Revelation

We all have agency. We can either act on our promptings in faith, or we can choose not to. But
there are consequences to both.

I have two stories to explain this.

From the ages of 18 to about 25 I had extreme anxiety.

Certain situations paralyzed me. In this case I was on a bus at the age of 18 or 19. I was
prompted--meaning that the thought came into my mind as a Still Small Voice, backed by a
strong feeling of the Spirit in my chest--multiple times to tell a woman that her hair was
beautiful.

I justified not saying anything, telling myself how awkward it would be. That I couldn’t just
stand up on the bus. That I would talk to her when I got off and say it as I walked by. Then
when she got up and walked off I thought, “see, it wasn’t meant to be. She got off before I
could say anything.”

Immediately after I felt a strong feeling of disappointment. It didn’t come from me--it came from
Heavenly Father. I could feel His sorrow, as He had been trying to work through me to bless
the life of one of His children and I. Hadn’t. Listened.

That feeling of sorrow and disappointment so changed me that I made a vow, then and there,
to act on every prompting to speak to His children, especially where compliments were
concerned. Any good thought is meant to be shared and acted on, whether it is from yourself
or from God.

Missionary age change.

When it happened, I thought, “this is so great for my little sister!” Immediately after that I got a
strong impression, “this means you, too.” I was 25--I was in the middle of college.

I told Heavenly Father, “Alright, I’ll do it. But if you want me to go, you’ve got to help me. I am
out of money and can’t pay for school.”

I was told to take a break for a semester, prompted to write for the college newspaper, and just
make an extra effort at paying my tithing. At the end of that semester it was announced that
there would be a tuition waiver for all Visual Art and Design students, paying for my schooling
up until I got my Associates Degree.

In that instant I got a testimony of the power of tithing and acting on faith in the Lord, following
His promptings with exactness.

You May Feel Like You Don’t Want To Bother Heavenly Father with all Your “Little Problems.”

The scriptures tell us the opposite.

(Alma 34:17-28)

17 Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith
unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you;

18 Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save.

19 Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him.

20 Cry unto him when ye are in your fields (jobs), yea, over all your flocks (callings/church
responsibilities).

21 Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and
evening.

22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies (bullies and abrasive bosses).

23 Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness.

24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields (your paperwork, dissertations, homework and
finals), that ye may prosper in them.

25 Cry over the flocks of your fields (your children), that they may increase (and grow knowing
that both you and God love them).

26 But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your (sometimes-literal) closets, and your
secret places (including libraries and bathrooms, cars and moments before everyone wakes up
in the morning), and in your (the) wilderness (that is your backyard).

27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto
him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you.

In Pres. Nelson’s talk, mentioned previously, he also says this:

“Through the manifestations of the Holy Ghost, the Lord will assist us in all our righteous
pursuits…”

Referring to Joseph Smith and James 1:5 Pres Nelson Asks:

“What wisdom do you lack? What do you feel an urgent need to know or understand? 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.”

Closing

I want to close by stating: all that is important to us, is important to God.

In the film, “Meet the Mormons,” Coach Ken Niumatalolo is quoted as saying:

“I have heard someone tell me at church that...the Lord doesn’t really care about Navy football.
And I think to some extent, that’s true. But I know He’s concerned about me and my family.
This is my job. ...these are my ‘crops.’ ...I’m trying to provide for my family. And, if I lose...I
won’t be able to take care of my family. So I go to the Lord to help me make decisions. Not to
win or lose, but to make decisions.”

The first Prayer I ever remember being answered, was as a child, losing my mother’s ring,
praying to find it, getting a mental image of where to look. If Heavenly Father is willing to
answer the prayer of a child with a lost ring, He is also willing to answer the prayer:

• A 12 to 13-year old who felt lost and alone.
• A 14 year old who didn’t know if she was strong enough to keep her family together.
• A 15 year old who had two peers die that year.
• A 16 year old dealing with PTSD.
• A 17 year old who poured her heart out so that a family friend with HIV could be healed.
• A 21 year old feeling horrible about not being able to go on a mission.
• A 25 year old who was abruptly given the opposite answer!
• A 27 year old who was facing a difficult, wonderful, growing period of 18 months.
• A 28 year old who discovered health issues.
• A 29 year old who came back from Japan to realize that she was different than when she had
  left. And neither she nor her friends knew what to do with that knowledge.
• A 30 year old with reawakened childhood trauma.
• And a 31 year old making a new life for herself, letting go of her YSA comfort zone to attend a
  family ward.

Heavenly Father is in the details of our lives. He loves us, as does our Older Brother, Jesus Christ.
We aren’t alone in our struggles, trials and questions. I have received Personal Revelation throughout
my life, and so anyone can. Because each and every one of us are loved. We have to have faith
enough to ask, faith enough to study, faith enough to ponder and wait and to seek the Lord’s hand.
Then to follow it.

I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.