In the scriptures we learn that all things must be done in order, that the Lord's house is a house of order, that we need to set our own houses in order and set in order our families. Not only does this mean there is no chaos but there is a framework to follow for everything.
The order I am discussing today is revelation and how there is an order or framework to receive this.
When questioned about how our church is different, Joseph Smith taught that it's the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands and that “all other considerations were contained in the gift of the Holy Ghost. …” (Documentary History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 42.)
And so it is, because the Holy Ghost is a revelator. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the spirit of revelation. (Marion G Romney, The Holy Ghost, April 1974)
Elder Renlund in his 2022 talk, “A Framework for Personal Revelation” shared
“The scriptures form the first element of this framework for personal revelation. Feasting on the words of Christ, as found in the scriptures, stimulates personal revelation.”
Elder Robert D. Hales said: “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures; for His words are spoken through His prophets. He will then teach us as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit.” (Nov 2006)
President Joseph Fielding Smith spoke about our right to guidance from Holy Ghost in this warning
“We have the right to the guidance of the Holy Ghost, but we cannot have that guidance, if we wilfully refuse to consider the revelations[in the scriptures] that have been given to help us to understand and to guide us in the light and truth of the everlasting gospel. We cannot hope to have that guidance when we refuse to consider these great revelations which mean so much to us both temporally and spiritually.
Now if we find ourselves in this condition of unbelief or unwillingness to seek for the light and the knowledge which the Lord has placed within our reach, then we are liable or in danger of being deceived by evil spirits, the doctrines of devils, and the teachings of men. And when these false influences are presented before us, we will not have the distinguishing understanding by which we can segregate them and know that they are not of the Lord. And so we may become prey unto the ungodly, to the vicious, to the cunning, to the craftiness of men.” (Doctrines of Salvation, p.43)
Elder Renlund also shared
“When we ask for revelation about something for which God has already given clear direction, we open ourselves up to misinterpreting our feelings and hearing what we want to hear.”
He then shares the story of the guy who asked him to pray about new scriptures he was convinced he'd found, but Elder Renlund testifies that he knew the guy was deceived and that he didn't need to pray about it because he knows when new scriptures are brought forward they will come via revelation from the Lord through His Prophet.
Like Elder Renlund knew, we have to know the doctrines and principles, commandments and counsel the Lord has given, otherwise how shall we know when we are being deceived?
Elder Renlund shared this warning by the Prophet Joseph Smith “Nothing is a greater injury to the children of men than to be under the influence of a false spirit, when they think they have the Spirit of God.”
Joseph taught that it's the lack of knowledge how we become deceived by false spirits because they will have more knowledge than we have.
The Preach My Gospel Manual warns:
“As you pray for inspiration, you should also confirm your feelings. For example, compare your decisions with the scriptures and the teachings of the living prophets.”
“Let me offer a word of caution. … I think if we are not careful … , we may begin to try to counterfeit the true influence of the Spirit of the Lord by unworthy and manipulative means. I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself.”
(The Teachings of Howard W. Hunter [1997], 184)
“The Spirit of the Lord always edifies.”
(Preach My Gospel: Chapter 4: How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit)
Elder Renlund shared, thus personal revelation needs to be in harmony with the commandments of God and the covenants we have made with Him.
In Doctrine and Covenants 124:84 we learn that anyone who aspires to establish their own personal counsel instead of the counsel which the Lord has ordained, “even that of the Presidency of my Church”… has set up a golden calf for the worship of the members ie they are practising idolatry.
Sometimes we want to be the exception because we dont like the Prophetic counsel given and false spirits will try to deceive us to think we are.
I was talking with an endowed sister a while ago who, along with her husband, was working full time and had limited time with her family. She had prayed about it and received the answer that considering Saturday was family day, it was okay to do her shopping on the Sabbath. She now does not go to church.
Obedience is the first law of heaven(Joseph F Smith 1873), when the Prophet receives revelation and urges or counsels us to act on his revelation we will be accountable for how obedient we are.
There is no gain in this world or in the world to come but by obedience to the law of our Heavenly Father. (D&C 130:20-21)
There's a distinct difference between doctrine and policy or counsel. Doctrine never changes and was set forth by Joseph Smith and our Prophets expound on them for our benefit. You might notice that most often as the Prophets expound on doctrine, they do quote Joseph. We do not believe in successionism, if there are new Doctrines then the Church will sustain them by common consent or church vote e.g. the Proclamation of the Family. For more on doctrine vs policy click here
Policy or counsel are words of revelation given by our living Prophets that we are expected to follow or obey whether we agree or not. To obey is better than sacrifice (Samuel 15:22) and our willingness to be obedient is the test of our faithfulness.
Elder Boyd K. Packer
"There are those within the Church who are disturbed when changes are made with which they disagree or when changes they propose are not made. They point to these as evidence that the leaders are not inspired. . . Changes in organization or procedures are a testimony that revelation is ongoing. While doctrines remain fixed, the methods or procedures do not.” (CR, October 1989)
D&C 21:4-5
4 Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give heed unto all his words and commandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;
5 For his word ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.
Harold B. Lee taught
"Now the only safety we have as members of this church is to do exactly what the Lord said to the Church in that day when the Church was organized. We must learn to give heed to the words and commandments that the Lord shall give through his prophet, 'as he receiveth them, walking in all holiness before me;...as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith.' There will be some things that take patience and faith. You may not like what comes from the authority of the Church. It may contradict your political views. It may contradict your social views. It may interfere with some of your social life. But if you listen to these things, as if from the mouth of the Lord himself, with patience and faith, the promise is that 'the gates of hell shall not prevail against you; yea, and the Lord God will disperse the powers of darkness from before you, and cause the heavens to shake for your good, and his name's glory'.(CR, Oct 1970)
“Often when the Lord warns us about the perils of the last days, He counsels thus: “Stand ye in holy places, and be not moved.”2
In 2021 we were counselled by our beloved Prophet to get the covid shot. Because I knew how important it is and was to follow the Prophet I knew I had to be obedient, but I was not happy. Getting the covid vaccine contradicted everything I had previously decided on and lived with. I lost my good friends outside the church and was fearful of my life. I thought of all the Saints in history who gave their lives to the Lord and I decided if I died, it was a sacrifice I was willing to give, my reward would be just. It sounds so dramatic now, but it was one of the biggest acts of faith I have made. Pres Nelson taught in April 2021 that if you want to increase in faith then act in faith, he said, “receive more faith by doing something that requires more faith”. I testify my faith has grown exponentially since that day. This decision was a hingepoint to my future in the church and everything has changed since then.
President Henry B. Eyring warned
"Another fallacy is to believe that the choice to accept or not accept the counsel of prophets is no more than deciding whether to accept good advice and gain its benefits or to stay where we are. But the choice not to take prophetic counsel changes the very ground upon which we stand. It becomes more dangerous. The failure to take prophetic counsel lessens our power to take inspired counsel in the future. The best time to have decided to help Noah build the ark was the first time he asked. Each time he asked after that, each failure to respond would have lessened sensitivity to the Spirit. And so each time his request would have seemed more foolish, until the rain came. And then it was too late." (Finding Safety in Counsel, Apr 1997)
M. Russell Ballard shared
“Today I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray” (“His Word Ye Shall Receive,” May 2001).
General conference is next weekend(when I wrote this).
It is my practice to get up in the night and watch all the sessions live. I particularly look forward to Pres Nelson’s address and take note of every counsel he gives us. I get excited when he urges us (his most used word) because then I get to show my obedience to the Lord.
Will you follow the Prophet?
Between you and the Lord, who studied D&C 109 as President Nelson counseled us last year(2024)?
3 Nephi 28:34
34 And wo be unto him that will not hearken unto the words of Jesus, and also to them whom he hath chosen and sent among them; for whoso receiveth not the words of Jesus and the words of those whom he hath sent receiveth not him; and therefore He will not receive them at the last day;
Marion G. Romney warned
"Some members assume that one can be in full harmony with the spirit of the gospel, enjoy full fellowship in the Church, and at the same time be out of harmony with the leaders of the Church and the counsel and direction they give. Such a position is wholly inconsistent, because the guidance of this Church comes not alone from the written word but also from continuous revelation, and the Lord gives that revelation to the Church through His chosen prophet. It follows, therefore, that those who profess to accept the gospel and who at the same time criticize and refuse to follow the counsel of the prophet are assuming an indefensible position. Such a spirit leads to apostasy." (Unity, April 1983)
Elder R. Conrad Schultz of the Seventy shared in 2002,
“One of the sneaky ploys of the adversary is to have us believe that unquestioning obedience to the principles and commandments of God is blind obedience. His goal is to have us believe that we should be following our own worldly ways and selfish ambitions. This he does by persuading us that “blindly” following the prophets and obeying the commandments is not thinking for ourselves. He teaches that it is not intelligent to do something just because we are told to do so by a living prophet or by prophets who speak to us from the scriptures.
Our unquestioning obedience to the Lord’s commandments is not blind obedience. President Boyd K. Packer in the April conference of 1983 taught us about this: “Latter-day Saints are not obedient because they are compelled to be obedient. They are obedient because they know certain spiritual truths and have decided, as an expression of their own individual agency, to obey the commandments of God. … We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see” (“Agency and Control,” Ensign, May 1983, 66).
Elder Schultz goes on to say
“We might call this “faith obedience.”... "Faith obedience” is a matter of trust. The question is simple: Do we trust our Heavenly Father? Do we trust our prophets?” (Faith Obedience, 2002)
I know that the President of the church is the Lord's mouthpiece here on earth and it is our privilege to follow him. He directs and leads us based on his revelation from God. I know as we qualify the Holy Ghost will guide us to receive our own personal revelation, both are crucial for our spiritual survival. What a grand blessing the gift of revelation is.
President Nelson:
"In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost. My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation... Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly." (Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives, April 2018)
I pray we may all participate fully in these blessings, in the name of Jesus Christ amen
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