Hearing the Voice of the Lord

Hearing the Voice of the Lord

JORDAN FALSLEV
28 August 2016
Smithfield YSA 1^st Ward

Good morning! I’m Jordan Falslev and I’ve been a member of this Ward for a few months now. If we haven’t met, I’d love for you to introduce yourself.  I love what spirit this great Ward conveys each Sabbath day. I pray that the Spirit of the Lord will testify to each of you of the importance of personal revelation, and that you will be taught from on High and receive personal direction and inspiration as new adventures start for many of you this coming Monday. 

The opening lines of the Doctrine and Covenants begin with a commandment and then a declaration, both of which refer to the voice of the Lord:

“Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, . . . listen together. For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men. “(D&C 1:1-2).

In that one simple yet stunning statement, the Lord sets forth one of the defining characteristics of His relationship with mankind. God speaks to His children!

Events through my life, and especially those on the mission field, taught me especially the need for revelation in the Lord’s work and personal revelation in my own life. Personal revelation is the way we know for ourselves the most important truths of our existence: the living reality of God, our Eternal Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ; the truthfulness of the restored gospel and God’s purpose and direction for our individual lives. 

I love personal revelation! I could honestly talk forever about this principle.

Personal revelation is surely the word of God in its purest and simplest form: unfiltered, unedited, untranslated, pure, intimate, specific, and direct. I have total confidence in promising that anyone who grasps hold of personal revelation as his or her rod of iron, never letting go, obeying every prompting, will walk through the mists of darkness and arrive and feast upon the fruits of the tree of life.

The Lord wants to guide us in our lives, and actually does so. The problem is we fail to hear most of what He says. Only an occasional shout from the heavens gets through, while the quiet whisperings of truth remain unheard.

Revelation is very demanding. Even the most seemingly insignificant communication from the Lord must be acted upon courageously and without complaint. The Lord does not take revelation lightly, and neither should we. 

Personal revelation defines the straight and narrow path upon which we are to journey home. There is no other path or course of life by which we can reach exaltation. No one will accidently wander through life and find themselves exalted in the end. 

There are many forms of revelation: the still small voice, burning in the bosom when truth is presented, bursts of understanding, dreams, visions, patriarchal blessings, flashes of insight, prophetic words in priesthood blessings, and many others. All these are employed from time to time, but most often it is the still small voice which communicates the will of God. Even the prophets of God receive revelation this way. 

-D&C 8:2-3 “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.” 

Please sincerely answer the following question in your mind: When was the last time you remember really feeling the Spirit or having been inclined by the Holy Ghost?

            So when was it? How long ago was the event that you immediately thought of? What was the occurrence? Some common answers might be; “When I received my patriarchal blessing” or “I really felt the spirit on my mission” or “when I went through the temple”. However, it’s less common for us to answer this question by saying, “I really felt the Spirit this morning when I prayed” or “About ten minutes ago when we sang the opening hymn.”

            Each week when we partake of the sacrament we are promised to “always have {God’s} Spirit with {us}.” Did you notice the word always? The promise is not that we will have the Holy Ghost with us sometimes, or just in Church buildings, or during key life events. No, we are promised that the Spirit will be with us always – in our homes, at school, with our friends, at work, and even on dates. ☺ Always. So why then do we sometimes have to search back months or years into the deep of our memories to recall the last time we think the Spirit influenced us?

Elder David A. Bednar said, “Sometimes as Latter-day Saints we talk and act as though recognizing the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives is the rare or exceptional event” when the reality is that “the Holy Ghost can tarry with us much, if not most, of the time – and certainly the Spirit can be with us more than it is not.”

            Perhaps the problem is not that we aren’t being influenced by the Holy Ghost in our day to day lives, but simply that we don’t recognize it or are overlooking it.

            Let me explain a little better…

            Have you ever had an idea burst into your mind to do something? Maybe you saw your mom clear off the dinner table and thought, “I should help her,” or perhaps driving home from work and thought, “I should go visit Tanner.” Maybe you’ve had a clear warning voice of coaching in your mind, such as, “This movie isn’t good… turn it off” or “Get out of this situation now.”

            The Lord taught us, “As often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit”. These instructions in our mind often come in the form of “Do this…” “Don’t do that…” “Go here…” Don’t go there…” “Look into this…”

            The spiritual instructions that come to our minds will direct us to follow Christ, obey His gospel, and draw nearer to Him. If we receive an instruction in our mind to do something we know is damaging, we can know it is not of God.

            Have you ever been going through a hard time or having an awful day and then as you studied the scriptures, or prayed, or heard a gospel talk or lesson the thought came to you, “I’m going to be okay,” or “Everything will work out,” or “Stay confident,” or “God is aware of you and your situation. He loves you and will help you.” Comforting thoughts similar to those are another way the Lord speaks to our mind through the Holy Ghost.

We have been promised that the Holy Ghost can be with us always – each day of our lives, not just each huge event in our lives. I testify that this is true, and that we all can be spiritually influenced and led each day – multiple times each day. The next time somebody asks, “When was the last time you felt the Spirit?” you want to be able to respond saying, “Well, what time is it?”

Another question that may come to your mind, as it has mine, “How should I act if I feel I haven’t received an impression or an answer at all?”

Richard G. Scott said the following;

“We are expected to assume accountability by acting on a decision that is consistent with His teachings without prior confirmation. We are not to sit passively waiting or to murmur because the Lord has not spoken. We are to act.

Most often what we have chosen to do is right. He will confirm the correctness of our choices His way. That confirmation generally comes through packets of help found along the way. . . . If, in trust, we begin something which is not right, He will let us know before we have gone too far. We sense that help by recognizing troubled or uneasy feelings.”

Once again, we have the awesome opportunity to soon hear from Living, Latter-day Prophets and Apostles of Jesus Christ. Just five weeks away! What a grand opportunity to be edified, taught and counseled by the Holy Spirit. I can’t think of a better opportunity for an outpouring of personal revelation. 

We are so privileged as Latter-day Saints! We have the current word of God right at our finger tips! Back in the Old Testament times, prophets were scattered and few in numbers. During the New Testament, Jesus and His Apostles could only be in one place at a time. Many never met them or heard them speak. In these ‘Last Days’ we have scripture from both the old and new worlds, revealed lost and new doctrine and the current will of God today; every month in church magazines, every six months in General Conference, and in many other avenues. We are so blessed and watched over. 

Are we truly using our resources? What did the Spirit speak to you last General Conference? What was God’s will for you? I invite you to have a pen and paper this upcoming, and before we know it, October Conference! Show the Lord that you are ready and willing to be edified by His Spirit. I promise you, you will learn new truths and receive divine personal direction to where the Lord would have you go and experience.

I remember well as one General Authority spoke about the Savior and His ministry and then bore a fervent testimony; the Holy Spirit confirmed to my soul that he had spoken the truth. At that moment I had no doubt that the Savior lives. I also had no doubt that I was experiencing personal revelation which confirmed to me “that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.”

As an eight-year-old child I was baptized and confirmed and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. It was a wonderful blessing then but has become increasingly important as I have grown and experienced the gift of the Holy Ghost in many ways since then.

Often as we grow from childhood to adolescence and then to adulthood, we have challenges and experiences along the way which cause us to know that we need the divine help that comes through the Holy Spirit. As struggles come, we may ask ourselves, “What is the answer to my problem?” and “How can I know what to do?”

I often reflect upon the account in the Book of Mormon about Lehi teaching his family the gospel. He shared with them many revelations and teachings about things to come in the latter days. Nephi had sought the guidance of the Lord in order to more fully understand the teachings of his father. He was lifted, blessed, and inspired to know that the teachings of his father were true. That enabled Nephi to carefully follow the commandments of the Lord and live a righteous life. He received personal revelation to guide him.

On the other hand, his brethren were disputing with each other because they did not understand the teachings of their father. Nephi then asked a very important question: “Have ye inquired of the Lord?”

Their response was a weak one: “We have not; for the Lord maketh no such thing known unto us.”

Nephi took that opportunity to teach his brethren how to receive personal revelation. He said: “Do ye not remember the things which the Lord hath said?—If ye will not harden your hearts, and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you.”

The way to receive personal revelation is really quite clear. We need to desire to receive revelation, we must not harden our hearts, and then we need to ask in faith, truly believe that we will receive an answer, and then diligently keep the commandments of God.

Following this pattern does not mean that every time we ask a question of God, the answer will immediately appear with every detail of what to do. However, it does mean that if we diligently keep the commandments and ask in faith, answers will come in the Lord’s own way and in His time.

Most often personal revelation will come as we study the scriptures, listen to and follow the counsel of prophets and other Church leaders, and seek to live faithful, righteous lives. Sometimes inspiration will come from a single verse of scripture or from a line in a conference talk. Perhaps your answer will come when you hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing a beautiful song. These are all forms of revelation.

Boyd K. Packer, speaking to a Church Educational System fireside for young single adults, said that every young Latter-day Saint “has not only the right but the obligation to understand what the gift of the Holy Ghost is.” He noted that Latter-day Saints typically “use the gift so little and so infrequently, but it is ours, and if we prepare ourselves, that voice will speak to us.”

Packer concluded his address with this promise: “Take hold of that supernal gift of the Holy Ghost. Learn to be taught by it. Learn to call upon it. Learn to live by it. And the Spirit of the Lord will attend you.” 

That is the task that lies before us. The voice of the Lord is unto all men – so has the Lord boldly declared throughout scripture. What can we do to capitalize as fully as possible on that marvelous gift of a member of the Godhead to be our personal Companion, Guide, Teacher, and Protector?