How We Naturally Learn to Better Hear His Voice

 

Heavenly Father Wants to Speak to You

By Elder Neil L. Andersen

Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles

As we have faith in Him and keep His commandments, we naturally learn to better hear His voice....

Answers and impressions cannot be forced. We pray and we wait with a believing heart. Some answers will not come in this life, but to the righteous, the Lord will always send His peace (see John 14:27). Answers often come when we are praying to help those around us. At times, they come “line upon line, precept upon precept” (Doctrine and Covenants 98:12).

The voice of heaven can come to us at unexpected times and in unexpected places, but we find our most notable opportunities in quiet spaces and sacred places. In the stillness of my early morning prayers and ponderings, I find unusual blessings. A daily, personal, uninterrupted reading of the scriptures, while routine at times, brings the voice of the Spirit into our hearts like fire at other times.

At times, the impressions are specifically from what we are reading, and at other times, what we are pondering brings an answer to a very different concern....

He Will Reveal Your Personal Foreordination

 

Foreordained to Serve

By Elder Steven R. Bangerter

Of the Seventy

Our Heavenly Father desires to reveal to you your personal foreordination, and He will do so as you seek to learn and follow His will....

My young brothers and sisters, as you protect the private times of your life with wholesome recreation; listening to uplifting music; reading the scriptures; having regular, meaningful prayer; and making efforts to receive and ponder your patriarchal blessing, you will receive revelation....

Our Father in Heaven will answer your prayers, especially your prayers offered during the private times of your life. He will reveal to you your foreordained gifts and talents, and you will feel His love envelop you, if you will sincerely ask and genuinely desire to know. As you protect the private times of your life, your participation in the ordinances and covenants of the gospel will be more meaningful. You will more fully bind yourself to God in the covenants you make with Him, and you will be lifted to have greater hope, faith, and assurance in the promises He has made to you. Do you want to know God’s plan for you? I bear witness He wants you to know, and He inspired His prophet to the world to invite each of us to pray and receive this eye-opening experience for ourselves.

Rays of Revelation

 

Pillars and Rays

By Elder Alexander Dushku

Of the Seventy

If we have received the gift of the Holy Ghost and are striving to exercise faith, repent, and honor our covenants, then we are worthy to receive these divine rays constantly. In Elder David A. Bednar’s memorable phrase, “we are ‘living in revelation.’”

My rays:

1. The NG tube coming out on my birthday

2. My dream about Kassie after her death

3. Peace after a pregnancy announcement

4. My family made the plane flight for the baby blessing

5. All of the spirit and testimony that Trek brought

6. Pain relief from social media prayers with my gallbladder

7. Tears after finishing the Book of Mormon for the first time

8. Gracyn's recovery

9. A text to the sister I minister to moments after her mom died. 

Spend time in the Presence of God

 

Grow into the Principle of Revelation

By President Russell M. Nelson

President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Lord says, “Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63).

Drawing near to the Lord brings comfort and encouragement, hope and healing. So, we pray in His name about our worries and our weaknesses, our longings and our loved ones, our callings and our questions.

Then we listen.

If we will stay on our knees for a while after we finish our prayer, thoughts, feelings, and direction will come into our mind. Recording those impressions will help us remember what actions the Lord would have us take.

As we repeat this process, we will, in the words of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “grow into the principle of revelation.”^3....

^{When we couple increased purity and obedience with fasting, diligent seeking, study of the scriptures and the words of living prophets, and temple and family history work, the heavens will open. The Lord, in turn, will fulfill His promise: “I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind” (Doctrine and Covenants 11:13).....}

^{In this new year, I encourage you to take the necessary steps to hear the Lord better and more often so that you can receive the enlightenment He wants to give you....}

^{When we receive revelation, we spend time in the presence of God as He reveals His mind, will, and voice unto us (see Doctrine and Covenants 68:4).}

Lay Aside Things that Distract and Delay our Progression

An Especially Noble Calling

By Joy D. Jones

Primary General President

The Lord loves effort, and effort brings rewards....

Learning is integral to progression, especially as the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost teaches us what is needful for each of us to lay aside—meaning that which could distract us or delay our progression....

In this conference, we will hear truths that inspire us to change, improve, and purify our lives. Through personal revelation, we can prevent what some call “general conference overwhelm”—when we leave so determined to do it all now. Women wear many hats, but it is impossible, and unnecessary, to wear them all at once. The Spirit helps us determine which work to focus on today.¹³

The Lord’s loving influence through the Holy Ghost helps us know His priority for our progression. Heeding personal revelation leads to personal progression.¹⁴ We listen and act.

Help with Your Righteous Endeavors

Try, Try, Try

By President Henry B. Eyring

Second Counselor in the First Presidency

As you remember that ‘with God nothing shall be impossible’ (Luke 1:37), know that He is your Father. You are a son or daughter created in His image, entitled through your worthiness to receive revelation to help with your righteous endeavors. ...

He is carrying her [his wife] through her troubles now, as He will carry you through yours.

Open the Heavens

Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives

By President Russell M. Nelson

April 2018 General Conference

...what will your seeking open for you? 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.”

...Nothing opens the heavens quite like the combination of increased purity, exact obedience, earnest seeking, daily feasting on the words of Christ in the Book of Mormon,14 and regular time committed to temple and family history work.

To be sure, there may be times when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.

I am optimistic about the future. It will be filled with opportunities for each of us to progress, contribute, and take the gospel to every corner of the earth. But I am also not naive about the days ahead. We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.

We learned that the purpose of Relief Society as established by the Lord is to organize, teach, and inspire His daughters to prepare them for the blessings of eternal life.

To fulfill this purpose of Relief Society, the Lord has commissioned each sister and the organization as a whole to:

1. 1. 
   Increase in faith and personal righteousness.
2. 2. 
   Strengthen families and homes.
3. 3. 
   Provide relief by serving the Lord and His children.

We can do this work in the Lord’s way only when we seek, receive, and act on personal revelation. Without personal revelation, we cannot succeed.

• APRIL 2011
• THE PURPOSE OF RELIEF SOCIETY

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VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE

The Purpose of Relief Society

Julie B. Beck

Relief Society General President

Go to bed early and get up early

As a new General Authority, Elder Marion G. Romney (1897–1988) felt inadequate in fulfilling his important calling, so he sought advice from his friend Elder Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The counsel offered that day both surprised and motivated Elder Romney. Elder Lee said: “If you are to be successful as a General Authority, you will need to be inspired. You will need to receive revelation. I will give you one piece of advice: Go to bed early and get up early. If you do, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of inspiration and insight than at any other time of the day.”

Years later, reflecting back on that experience, then-President Romney said: “From that day on, I put that counsel into practice, and I know it works. Whenever I have a serious problem, or some assignment of a creative nature with which I hope to receive the influence of the Spirit, I always receive more assistance in the early morning hours than at any other time of the day.”

See Joe J. Christensen, To Grow in Spirit: A Ten-Point Plan for Becoming More Spiritual (1989), 27–28.

Learn From the Wise Men

There is much we can learn from the Wise Men. Like them, we should study the scriptures and know the signs to watch for as we all prepare the earth for the Savior’s Second Coming. Then, as we search and ponder the scriptures, we will more fully desire to seek the Lord every day of our lives and, as a gift to Him, give up our selfishness, pride, and rebelliousness. When personal revelation comes to alter the plans we have made, we can obey, having faith and trust that God knows what is best for us. And ultimately, through lives of true discipleship, we must fall down and worship the Savior in humility and love.

Elder Patrick Kearon

• PG 33 ENSIGNDECEMBER 2011
• COME, LET US ADORE HIM

Increase in Worthiness = Increase in Revelation

 “An increase in worthiness and spirituality brings an increase in revelation. Nephi understood this and used the counsel of the Lord to remind his two wayward brothers about the process of revelation: “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” (1 Nephi 15:11).

“This verse gives us a four-part formula for receiving revelation: softening our hearts, asking with faith in Christ, believing that we will receive, and keeping the commandments. Not all revelation comes immediately or as clearly as we may want, but it does come. The receipt of revelation depends on our faithfulness, but the clarity of revelation depends on our listening skills. Learn to listen for it, learn to feel it, learn to recognize how it comes to you, act upon it, and be grateful for it.”

Elder Ian S. Ardern, “Shunning Temptation: A Key to Receiving Revelation,” Ensign, Feb 2014, 56. 

Spirits to Blossom

"... we must exercise works. . . .We cannot hope to receive personal revelation unless we conduct ourselves like faithful disciples of Christ. Respecting the covenants we have made with God qualifies us to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost, who enlightens our intelligence and causes our spirits to blossom."

Bishop Gerald Causse, "Keeping the Faith in a World of Confusion," Ensign, Aug 2012, 29.

Spirit of Inspiration

 “We are entirely dependent upon the spirit of inspiration, and if there ever was a time, since Adam occupied the Garden of Eden, when the Spirit of God was more needed than at the present time, I am not aware of it. The signs of the times, and the rapid approach of scenes that will try the hearts of the Latter-day Saints, and their integrity, demand that we now seek earnestly the Spirit of God, and Divine assistance, for it will certainly be needed in the scenes now rapidly approaching. We know that we have needed it in the past. We can easily see that if we had not been in the possession of the Spirit of God to direct us through many of the scenes through which we have passed, we should not have been in the enjoyment of our present prospects of exultation and glory, and our circumstances would have been much less favorable. And if we have needed the Holy Spirit in the past, we may truly understand that it will be needed in the future.”

“Teachings of Lorenzo Snow,” pg 77-78.

The Spirit Of Revelation

“When a choice will make a real difference in our lives . . . and when we are living in tune with the Spirit and seeking his guidance, we can be sure we will receive the guidance we need to attain our goal. The Lord will not leave us unassisted.”

Elder Dallin H. Oaks, “Revelation,” in Brigham Young University 1981-82 Fireside and Devotional Speeches (1982), 26. 

Sacred, Revelatory, Profoundly Instructive Experiences

"My message today is that when you have no other choice, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lords in any situation you are in," Elder Holland said, drawing on lessons learned from Joseph Smith's experience in Liberty Jail. "Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: You can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life--in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."

Jeffrey R. Holland. Find a link of video of the devotional by searching "military devotional" at news.lds.org. or see "Church Leaders Address Serviceman and Servicewomen in Military Devotional," Ensign, Oct 2012, 77, for summary.

Prepare for Revelation

The following ideas can help you prepare to be taught by the Spirit:

1.       Set aside time and create a distraction-free environment in which you can receive spiritual promptings.

2.       Seek divine guidance through prayer.

3.       List personal questions or concerns for which you are seeking answers.

Michael Barber and David Marsh, “Getting More Out of General Conference,” Ensign, Apr 2012, 9. 

Personal Revelation

“Sister Eliza R. Snow, our second Relief Society general president, was a strong and faithful early leader. She understood that the Spirit “satisfies and fills up every vacuum.” Through different seasons in her life, she struggled with poor health and loneliness. However, she was strengthened as she was able to receive and act on personal revelation. To her, personal revelation and the constant companionship of the Spirit were like a fountain. She said, “And is it not our privilege to so live that we can have this constantly flowing into our souls?”

“Examples such as this throughout our history help us remember that the ability to receive and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill we can acquire in this life. With it we cannot fail; without it we cannot succeed.”

Julie B. Beck, “Relief Society History: A Look at the Lord’s Vision for His Daughters,” Ensign Sept 2011, 40-43.