How Can I Recognize Revelation? (Elder and Sister Bednar)
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- Опубліковано 18 лис 2024
- This video clip comes from the LDS Face to Face worldwide activity that featured a discussion with Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and his wife, Susan. Youth around the world asked Elder and Sister Bednar questions before and during the event. #LDSface2face
HOST: Serenity asked, "How do I tell the difference between promptings from the Holy Ghost and my own thoughts?" And William asked, "Can you teach me how to recognize the Holy Ghost when He speaks to me?"
ELDER BEDNAR: I think we over-complicate this. I think we over-analyze it. Moroni teaches that all good emanates from Christ. So if you have a thought to do something good, it's prompted by the Holy Ghost. So for example, if a student goes to early-morning seminary class, and your mother every day says, "Be sure to say your prayers," and one day you forget to say your prayers, and in your mind you hear your mother's voice saying, "Be sure to say your prayers," is that the Holy Ghost or is that you? What difference does it make? Is Moroni going to come to deliver that message? Or would the Holy Ghost use the memory of your angel mother to deliver the same message? So if it invites and entices to do good, it comes from Christ, and we ought to do it.
Now, I'm sure these folks who ask the question--"Well, OK, but what if I'm making a decision about, should I go to this school or should I go to that school? How do I begin to know the difference?" You study it out in your own mind. You don't just sit and wait for heaven to deliver the answer. You have to learn about the two options. You do your best to understand and compare them.
And then, ultimately, you make a choice. And you take that option that you've selected in prayer to our Heavenly Father, and you ask in the name of Christ, "Is this the right one?" You and I have the responsibility to study that out. If it's right, then over time, we'll come to know, by the simple reassurance of the Holy Ghost, that yeah, this is the thing to do.
Sometimes you have two good options and you never feel really strong about one or the other. There are even some times where Heavenly Father will say, "You make a judgment here." If it's wrong, you'll be warned as you begin to try to apply the decision that you've made. No member of this Church who's trying to be a good boy or a good girl will fail to be warned by the Holy Ghost if they're heading in a direction that is not right.
But you won't always know that, necessarily, before you begin pressing forward. So we have to study it out; we have to act. And most answers from the Holy Ghost come a little bit at a time, not all at once. They come in small packages, not great big bundles. So we can pray one time and think, "Well, I didn't get an answer." Well, you probably got a part of the answer, but you have to keep pressing forward to get the other parts of the answer that help you know which path you need to pursue.
SISTER BEDNAR: This is a way that I like to think about this. When we're baptized and we come under covenant, we make promises that we're willing to take upon ourselves the name of Christ, that we'll always remember Him, and that we'll keep His commandments. And then a glorious promise is given back to us: that we will always have His Spirit to be with us. Now, that Spirit can stay with us if we're obedient and if we're doing the things that we should. And when we are doing those things, then I think that we don't always feel a really big dramatic thing going on when we're trying to make a decision.
I think that we can just trust that if we're living the way we should, that the Lord's there, guiding us and blessing us along the way, like Elder Bednar said. And I love the scripture--it's in Moroni chapter 7, and it says, "Behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." I think that answers my question most of the time about, "Is this the Holy Ghost telling me what to do, or is it my own feelings telling me what to do?" If we're being enticed to do good and to love God, then that's definitely from the Holy Ghost.
ELDER BEDNAR: I need to add one more scriptural episode. Sometimes I think in the Church, we believe that "I have to receive a revelation, I have to know it's a revelation, and I'm not going to do anything until that happens." Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ is a principle of action and of power. We act in accordance with the teachings of Christ; then His power follows. So sometimes what we do is pray for the power so we can act, when the Lord's pattern is to act and do what He said, and then the power comes. Nephi has to go to Jerusalem three times to obtain the plates of brass....
For the complete discussion and text see: www.lds.org/me...
Priceless council and message ❤️
So hugely helpful. Thanks so much. 💛🙏🏼
I think you can summarize what they said under a few main points:
1. You know it’s revelation(as opposed to your own thought) when it’s a thought to do something you know is good because the spirit only tells us to do good things.
2. You shouldn’t ‘not act’ because you haven’t received an answer.
3. Revelatory answers to questions can come piecemeal.
I’m not sure any of these answers properly answer the question in the title. Rather they skirt the subject by answering the question, “what should I do if I get no answer?”
Did I misunderstand anything?
#givethanks one of my favorite speakers. Grateful for this insight!❤️❤️❤️❤️
Thank you so much for uploading this. It's very helpful!
Every Good and Perfect thought cometh of Christ
James 1 17
Moroni 10 18
Philippians 1 29
Acts 17 25
This is a COVID-19 Sacrament meeting in our house today! The blessings of technology!
“Over complicate” “over analyze”... absolutely. Right and wrong are obvious. Listen and do. Feel and do. Good is good.
I love this!
🤓🤓🤓🤩💕❤