Most members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints know that the light of Christ exists in each and every person on the earth. We had it before we came here and we will have it when we leave.
It is our source of inspiration, moral sense or conscience. What this paper will address today is the reality that we as a body of Saints have the opportunity to use it much more than perhaps we realise.
We can learn to hear it, cultivate it and appeal to it in our daily lives.
We can learn to use it to find answers to every single question that we might have.
The light of Christ is defined in the scriptures as "the Spirit which giveth light to every man cometh in to the world" (D&C 86:46), "the Spirit of Jesus Christ" (D&C 84:45), "the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor 3:18, Mosiah 25:24), "the Spirit of truth" (D7C 93:26) "the light of truth", (D&C 88:6) and in Moroni 7:16 we find the the spirit of Christ fosters everything that is good.
We have access to this power to help us and direct us to moderate our action- unless as Pres Boyd K Packer warned "we subdue or silence it". Ensign Apr 2005
In Thes 5:19 we are admonished not to quench the spirit.
It is always there, it can never leave but the evil one will attempt to confuse us and even have us believe we are beyond feeling.
Elder Marvin J Ashton (1987 Oct General Conference) taught that the ability to hear and use a still small voice is a gift of the spirit.
In the Improvement Era March 1916 The First presidency wrote "there is a universally diffused essence which is the light and the life of the world, 'which lighteth every man that cometh in to the world", which proceedeth forth from the presence of God throughout the immensity of space, the light and power of which God bestows in different degrees to 'them that ask of him 'according to their faith and obedience'.
Faith is a principle of action and power, in a 1975 BYU address, Stephen R Covey taught the students that by pondering specific questions they would find the still small voice give them an inward awareness of the answers, lets try the same experiment giving a few seconds to seriously consider what you might receive.
Q1. What do I need to do to draw closer to Jesus Christ?
Q2. What do I need to do to be a better member of my family?
Q3. What do I need to do to more fully magnify my church membership and callings?
Did you receive direction?
What will you do about it?
One of the other ways I like to use this is by asking questions about my health and wellbeing preferences.
You might like to ponder and experiment with how that could work for you.
Questions you could ask could be?
- What do I need to do to have a healthy and alert mind?
- What more can I do to love my body?
- How can I strengthen my spirit?
Next, Brother Covey suggested five principles to help us cultivate this gift:
1. Feast regularly on the words of Christ; make a daily program to seriously study the scriptures. Ponder and meditate on them- be still. Get them into your heart.
2. When you pray, listen
3. Covenant to obey what you hear- take your stewardship seriously
4. Keep the covenant/commitment
5. Return and report; give an accounting of your stewardship
Over the years as I have acted in faith and developed this spiritual gift, I have had amazing experiences of support and guidance. I have found it is like a muscle; the more we exercise it the stronger it grows. We subdue or silence it by ignoring it, we develop it by listening and taking action- no matter how difficult or inconvenient the feedback might be.
President Nelson has specifically asked us to develop the ability to Hear Him, I believe this is one of the ways he is asking us to learn to listen.
I am grateful for this knowledge and gift and I pray that you may benefit from it too
In the name of Jesus Christ A-men
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