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Ron
Anderson, religion faculty member at BYU-Idaho, spoke on several principles
behind receiving revelation during his devotional address Tuesday at
BYU-Idaho.
He
began by citing scriptural examples of how one can receive revelation
through the “Light of Christ,” inspiration that comes from the
scriptures or thoughts and feelings, dreams, mechanical devices like a
staff or rod, visions or actually seeing God face to face.
“Regardless
of the way received, there are some principles that govern receiving
revelation,” he said.
The
first principle he offered is that all members of the church are entitled
to receive revelation.
The
next involves the principle of not forcing spiritual experiences.
“As
a religion teacher, there is nothing I would rather be able to do than to
flip a switch in my classroom and have the Spirit come into the room. But
it doesn’t work that way,” he said. “As a class, we can
sing, we can pray, we can be reverent, we can be respectful, we can speak
one at a time to invite the Spirit, but we cannot force it to come.”
The
third principle is the understanding that the Lord decides where, how and
when revelation will come, he said.
The
fourth principle says that impressions that come to us from the Holy Ghost
are more difficult to erase than seeing a vision.
The
fifth principle is that of using common sense. “The Lord expects us
to use the brain he has given us. He also expects us to know what he has
taught through his prophets,” he said.
He
quoted Elder Dallin H. Oaks, who said, “I suggest that there is not a
right and wrong to every question. To many questions, there are only two
wrong answers or two right answers. . . . No answer is likely to come to a
person who seeks guidance in choosing between two alternatives that are
equally acceptable to the Lord..”
Principle
six is revelation can only be received according to the stewardship you
have.
The
seventh principle is “the Spirit is not bizarre, weird or
sensational. It makes sense, it tastes good, it just seems to be
right,” he said.
The
last principle, Anderson said, is “the Spirit is quiet – it
whispers. It doesn’t shake us, but is a constant flow of
communication. It usually comes through our thoughts and feelings.”
He
concluding by saying, “We must remember that revelation is a process.
The change of the human soul takes time and effort. We must be patient and
allow the Lord to mold us into what he wants us to become.”
Devotionals
are broadcast live on KBYI 100.5 FM Tuesdays at 2 p.m. and are rebroadcast
Tuesdays and Sundays at 9 p.m. Next week’s devotional speaker is
Matthew Geddes, dean of the College of Performing and Visual Arts at
BYU-Idaho.
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