Good morning, brothers and sisters. I am humbled and honored to have this opportunity to speak today. My prayer is that I can teach by the Spirit and that my words may touch those who are seeking. I have served in ecclesiastical positions on this campus and as I have attended devotional and listened to the messages, it never failed that later in the evening, when counseling with members of the ward, I could bring up something that I learned that day in devotional relevant to the needs of that member. I pray that the Spirit might touch someone’s heart today.
My heart was touched last week as I recognized the Lord’s hand in preparing messages for you when Elder Arnulfo Valenzuela, speaking of the Holy Ghost, said “His communication to our spirit carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive through our natural senses. As we strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger.” His talk ties nicely to mine. Today, I want to talk about seeking for direction from our Heavenly Father and the importance of listening to and acting upon the promptings of the Spirit, which is the Holy Ghost.
I have worked on this campus for 27 years and have served in campus wards in different callings for many of those years. I have watched young people in the process of making life’s decisions, as well as many coworkers and employees making life’s choices. I have noticed that those who were most successful used a simple formula: seek, listen, act, and receive. Seeking the Lord’s help can come from prayer, as well as fasting along with prayer. Seeking can also include advice from people you trust. Listening can be difficult; we all want an answer immediately. If you seek advice from others, weigh that advice out in your mind and take it to your Heavenly Father and listen for the Spirit to guide you, remembering God can give you information through others. When you feel you have been given direction, then act moving in the direction you feel is correct. You will then begin to receive. Remember the direction you feel prompted to move in may open new thoughts and options and a change of direction. As you continue to listen, act, and trust in God, you will receive.
An example from Church history comes from young Joseph Smith. As we remember, there was much confusion on the subject of religion. Joseph Smith wrote:
During this time of great excitement my mind was called up to serious reflection and great uneasiness; but though my feelings were deep and often poignant, still I kept myself aloof from all these parties, though I attended their several meetings as often as occasion would permit . . . While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know, and unless I could get more wisdom than I then had, I would never know . . . At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God.”[1]
Joseph had a need to understand what religion he should join. His seeking started with the study of scripture, which taught him how to gain that knowledge. He then acted—in this case, coming to God in prayer. He then received the answer he sought and much more; he was given the duty to usher in the last depensation. I would encourage each of you to study the life of Joseph Smith and take note that he used this formula—or something very similar—each time he sought for guidance and direction for himself or the Church. Anyone who has been touched by disciples of the Savior in the last days, whether a member of the Church or not, have been blessed because of the continuing Restoration of the gospel started through Joseph Smith.
There may be times in our lives that, as we seek guidance from the Lord, we will be impressed to help others. God needs us to accomplish His work. We should always be watchful for the opportunity to bless and help others. I am reminded of Alma in the Book of Mormon who had great success teaching in many Nephite cities. In his journeys, he came to the city of Ammonihah with the desire to find the same success. This was his experience:
Alma labored much in the spirit, wrestling with God in mighty prayer, that he would pour out his Spirit upon the people who were in the city; that he would also grant that he might baptize them unto repentance. Nevertheless, they hardened their hearts, saying unto him: . . . we know that thou art high priest over the church which thou hast established . . . according to your tradition; and we are not of thy church, and we do not believe in such foolish traditions.[2]
Alma, having been cast out of the city, began his journey “being weighed down with sorrow, wading through much tribulation and anguish of soul.”[3] Now, we may feel this way if we seem unsuccessful as we seek direction in our lives, but remember the Lord hears us and needs us to be successful. He will give us direction, maybe not as dramatically as he did for Alma.
Behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto him, saying: Blessed art thou, Alma; therefore, lift up thy head and rejoice, for thou hast great cause to rejoice; for thou hast been faithful in keeping the commandments of God from the time which thou receivedst thy first message from him. And behold, I am sent to command thee that thou return to the city, and preach again unto the people . . . Now it came to pass that after Alma had received his message from the angel of the Lord he returned speedily to the land of Ammonihah.[4]
I am inspired by Alma as he listened to the message. He acted by returning speedily to the city where he would receive a great blessing: a missionary companion who had been prepared by the Lord to assist in the work. His name was Amulek. Amulek had an interesting story, knowing of the ways of the Lord and being called many times, but at first would not answer. Here is his testimony:
I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and his mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people. Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart . . . As I was journeying . . . behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house . . . And it came to pass that I obeyed the voice of the angel, and returned towards my house. And as I was going thither I found the man whom the angel said unto me: Thou shalt receive into thy house.[5]
Because these men acted on the direction given them, they became great missionaries, bringing many people into the Church. I hope that through this example, we can recognize sometimes we will be prompted in a way that we can bless others’ lives, allowing us to grow and fulfill the will of God.
I would now like to relate a personal example that involves my family. Our son’s family was living in the Boise area. He had gone there to school and had found a job after graduation. He had started to feel like the firm where he was working may not be the right place for them, so he started the process of searching for something different.
The process they started was to fast and pray, attend the temple, and counsel together. They continued doing these things for some time and determined that they should continue on the path of looking for new employment. As they did so, he began to feel the promptings that they should search closer to home. At this point, they started to exercise faith by letting the yearly lease lapse on their home and changed to renting month-to-month.
As he continued the search, he found how difficult it is to work a full-time job and look for work several hours away—and do a good job at both. As he and his wife counseled together, he was sure that from praying and fasting and temple service, the distinct prompting was to get back home. His wife had a simple and scary response: “Then quit your job and let’s move.” This is the point that we realized that getting back home literally meant back home. They moved their family of four children and a dog in with us.
The plan was to stay with us, look for work, and save money for a down payment for a home. As they took that step into the darkness, the blessing started to come. The first blessing for their obedience came quickly. Within just a few weeks, he was offered a new job in Idaho Falls, which he enjoys and continues to work at today. Thinking that the plan was working out nicely, we settled in and they continued the next phase of saving for a home. This was the summer of 2019 and all our lives were about to be turned upside down. And my son would learn that following the promptings of the Spirit when seeking personal revelation would bless his family—as well as our entire family. As we moved into 2020 and the COVID pandemic became a reality, we were blessed to have my son’s family with us, as well as my daughter’s family living just a mile away. We were all together.
As lockdowns started, my son realized that the job he left in Boise most likely would not have sustained them through the difficult time and they would have been locked down miles away from family. With this move, they were with family and he would be able to work and provide for his family. In fact, each of us—my son, son-in-law, and I—were able to work through the lockdowns.
The next blessing received became apparent as we started at-home church. We came together as a family each Sunday to partake of the Sacrament and worship. Our seven grandchildren’s ages were 10 and under, so our church usually consisted of sacrament meeting and Primary. With homemade sacrament trays, the children learned the importance of the sacrament. They learned more of the priesthood as they watched their dads and grandpa take turns conducting meetings and blessing and passing the emblems of the Savior. They learned to stand and bear testimony. The first fast Sunday, they watched as each of the adults stood to testify, but the children were too timid to try. By the second fast Sunday, all except the little ones stood and bore testimony—a habit that many of them continue to do when prompted. We each took turns preparing and giving talks. The children learned new songs. We were treated to Mother’s and Father’s Day Primary songs and, of course, a Primary program Here's a portion of that: (Video: ”Primary“). It should not be surprising that today, our daughter teaches Primary and our daughter-in-law is the Primary president in their ward in Idaho Falls.
We were able to receive blessings of happiness—and even a little insight into eternity when temple covenants are in place—through the difficult time of the pandemic. Because our son used the same formula that I spoke of earlier, feeling the need for change, he began to seek for guidance. He listened to the promptings—and I will add here, counseled with his wife—then together, they acted. As a result, not only did they receive, but our entire family received blessings of safety and security, of gospel learning and testimony, and memories never to be forgotten.
On the devotional discussion board, I posted the questions: When seeking direction in your life, what experiences have you had when you listened to and acted on the promptings of the Spirit? What are the blessings you received? Jian Walker wrote:
Joining BYU-Idaho was a followed prompting that has been a great blessing. I had just finished my mission earlier that year and was uncertain how I would do in college, financing it, doing it online, and I really wanted a positive experience.
The blessings for just trying Pathway not really knowing how it would go have blessed me with academic talents I didn't know I had. I learned how to learn, met a lot of great people, and I have been spiritually fed by BYU-Idaho's gospel focus. I've also learned from BYU-Idaho's culture and example to be a disciple leader. Ultimately, this prompting has really helped my development.
I have given examples of seeking, listening, acting, and receiving and the relation to the Holy Ghost. This process can be equated to personal revelation and can best be realized when we are living obedient lives. I feel to caution you now that answers from God don’t always come as we may expect and always come as our Heavenly Father sees best. From the most recent conference, Elder D Todd Christofferson said:
Some misunderstand the promises of God to mean that obedience to Him yields specific outcomes on a fixed schedule. They might think, “If I diligently serve a full-time mission, God will bless me with a happy marriage and children” or “If I refrain from doing schoolwork on the Sabbath, God will bless me with good grades” or “If I pay tithing, God will bless me with that job I’ve been wanting.” If life doesn’t fall out precisely this way or according to an expected timetable, they may feel betrayed by God. But things are not so mechanical in the divine economy. We ought not to think of God’s plan as a cosmic vending machine where we select a desired blessing, insert the required sum of good works, and the order is promptly delivered. God will indeed honor His covenants and promises to each of us. We need not worry about that. The atoning power of Jesus Christ—who descended below all things and then ascended on high and who possesses all power in heaven and in earth—ensures that God can and will fulfill His promises. It is essential that we honor and obey His laws, but not every blessing predicated on obedience to law is shaped, designed, and timed according to our expectations. We do our best but must leave to Him the management of blessings, both temporal and spiritual.[6]
There are many ways for us to not fall into this type of thinking. One that I have found is through gospel study and specifically searching the truths in the Book of Mormon. In 2017, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk on the Book of Mormon in which he gives us promises as we study daily. Please listen to the words of our Prophet.
When I think of the Book of Mormon, I think of the word power. The truths of the Book of Mormon have the power to heal, comfort, restore, succor, strengthen, console, and cheer our souls. My dear brothers and sisters, I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.[7]
Promises from a prophet that will help each of us as we make our way through life, seeking God’s guidance, listening as He speaks, and acting on the promptings we receive. In April 2018 general conference, President Nelson taught us how to seek and receive personal revelation:
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.”[8]
Brothers and sisters, I challenge you as you make decisions in your life to seek direction from your Heavenly Father and listen for the Spirit to teach what you should do. Then, act on those promptings. As you do, I promise you will receive personal revelation according to your needs and the Lord’s timetable. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Joseph Smith–History 1:8, 11–13.
[2] Alma 8:10–11.
[3] Alma 8:14.
[4] Alma 8:14–16, 18.
[5] Alma 10:5–8.
[6] D. Todd Christofferson, “Our Relationship with God,” Liahona, May 2022.
[7] Russell M. Nelson, “The Book of Mormon: What Would Your Life Be Like without It?,” Ensign, Nov. 2017.
[8] Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign, May 2018.