LILI ANDERSON, LCSW, PH.D.

1
Seeking the Gift of Personal Revelation

• LILI ANDERSON, LCSW, PH.D.
• BYU OPAC CONFERENCE
• 13 MARCH 2009

2
seek ye earnestly the best gifts (DC 468).

• WE WILL REVIEW
• --WHY we MUST learn the language of the Spirit
  in order to live safely and peacefully in the
  latter days.
• --KEYS to receiving, recognizing, and
  understanding personal revelation

3
Robert D. Hales

• While we are commanded not to seek after
  signs, we are commanded to seek
  earnestly the best gifts (DC 468). These gifts
  include the Holy Ghost and personal revelation.
• Personal Revelation The Teachings and
  Examples of the Prophets, Liahona, Nov 2007,
  8689.

4
Personal Revelation--

• Distinguishes us as members of the Kingdom of
  God.

5
James E. Faust

• Of an interview in 1839 between the
  Prophet Joseph Smith and Martin Van Buren,
  who was then president of the United States,
  the following was recorded
• In our interview with the President, he
  interrogated us wherein we differed in our
  religion from the other religions of the day.
• Brother Joseph said we differed in mode of
  baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost by the
  laying on of hands. We considered that all other
  considerations were contained in the gift of the
  Holy Ghost.
• (History of the Church, 442, emphasis added)

6

• Joseph Smith said
• No man can receive the Holy Ghost without
  receiving revelations. The Holy Ghost is a
  revelator.
• (History of the Church, 658)

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Personal Revelation--

• Distinguishes us as members of the Kingdom of
  God.
• Makes it possible for us to progress from
  terrestrial to celestial life.

8
2 Nephi 321, 3, 5-6
I suppose that ye ponder somewhat in your hearts
concerning that which ye should do after ye have
entered in by the way.
feast upon the words of Christ for behold, the
words of Christ will tell you all things what ye
should do.
if ye will enter in by the way, and receive the
Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what
ye should do.
Behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and there
will be no more doctrine given until after he
shall manifest himself unto you in the flesh. And
when he shall manifest himself unto you in the
flesh, the things which he shall say unto you
shall ye observe to do.
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Personal Revelation--

• Distinguishes us as members of the Kingdom of
  God.
• Makes it possible for us to progress from
  terrestrial to celestial life.
• Is the oil in the lamps.

10
DC 4556-57

• And at that day, when I shall come in my glory,
  shall the parable be fulfilled which I spake
  concerning the ten virgins.
• For they that are wise and have received the
  truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their
  guide, and have not been deceivedverily I say
  unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast
  into the fire, but shall abide the day.

Painting by William Blake
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Personal Revelation--

• Distinguishes us as members of the Kingdom of
  God.
• Makes it possible for us to progress from
  terrestrial to celestial life.
• Is the oil in the lamps.
• Helps us feel Gods love and mercy for us.

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Keys to Revelation

• Ask

13
Boyd K. PackerReverence Invites Revelation,
Ensign, Nov 1991, 21(emphasis added)

• No message appears in scripture more times, in
  more ways than, Ask, and ye shall receive.

14
Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive

15
Boyd K. Packer

• The world grows increasingly noisy.
• This trend to more noise, more excitement,
  more contention, less restraint, less
  dignity, less formality is not
  coincidental nor innocent nor harmless.
• The first order issued by a commander mounting a
  military invasion is the jamming of the channels
  of communication of those he intends to conquer.
• Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary
  by obstructing the delicate channels of
  revelation in both mind and spirit.

Reverence Invites Revelation, Ensign, Nov 1991,
21
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Time to Commune

• When?
• Early Morning, if possible
• How Long?
• At least half an hour
• Where?
• A Private Place

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What Do I Do?

• Start with Praise.
• Give Thanks.
• Ask Forgiveness.
• Pray for others.
• Read Scriptures.
• Pray for Personal Needs.
• Listen.
• Keep a Journal.

18
Martin Luther

• I have got so much to do today that I need to
  spend another hour on my knees praying.

19
Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive
• Yield to the Will of God

20
DC 224

• seek not to counsel your God.

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Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive
• Yield to the Will of God
• Respect Stewardship Keys

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• It is contrary to the economy of God for any
  member of the Church, or any one, to receive
  instruction for those in authority, higher than
  themselves.
• Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel.
  Joseph Fielding Smith (1976), 21.

23
Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive
• Yield to the Will of God
• Respect Stewardship Keys
• Learn how God communicates with His children

24
Stand Ye in Holy Places, 13842, 14445
Harold B. Lee

• If we will live worthy, then the
• Lord will guide us
• by a personal appearance,
• or by His actual voice,
• or by His voice coming into our mind,
• or by impressions upon our heart and our soul.

25
Elder Dallin H. OaksTeaching and Learning by
the Spirit, Ensign, Mar. 1997, 14).

• Visions do happen. Voices are heard
  from beyond the veil. I know
  this. But these experiences are exceptional.
  Most of the revelation that comes to leaders and
  members of the Church comes by the still, small
  voice or by a feeling rather than by a vision or
  a voice that speaks specific words we can hear.

26
Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive
• Yield to the Will of God
• Respect Stewardship Keys
• Learn how God communicates with His children
• Understand how the Holy Ghost communicates with
  us

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How does the Holy Ghost Communicate with Us?

• He uses a still, small voice to communicate to
  our minds and hearts. DC 823 856
• He enlightens our minds. DC 615 DC 1113-14
• He brings peace to our minds. DC 622-23
• He may cause a burning in the bosom. DC 97-8

28
Elder Dallin H. OaksTeaching and Learning by
the Spirit, Ensign, Mar. 1997, 14).

• What does a burning in the bosom
  mean? Does it need to be a feeling of caloric
  heat, like the burning produced by combustion? If
  that is the meaning, I have never had a burning
  in the bosom. Surely, the word burning in this
  scripture signifies a feeling of comfort and
  serenity.
• Truly, the still, small voice is just that,
  still and small.

29
Elder Boyd K. PackerThat All May Be Edified
1982, 335.

• These delicate, refined spiritual
  communications are not seen with our eyes
  nor heard with our ears. And even though it is
  described as a voice, it is a voice that one
  feels more than one hears.

30

• The Prophet Joseph Smith
• taught that revelation may
• come as sudden strokes of ideas that flow
  into our minds as pure intelligence.
• Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel.
  Joseph Fielding Smith 1976, 151.

31
Keys to Revelation

• Ask
• Prepare to Receive
• Yield to the Will of God
• Respect Stewardship Keys
• Learn how God communicates with His children
• Understand how the Holy Ghost communicates with
  us
• Rely on Two Witnesses

32
Two Witnesses

• I will tell you in your mind and in your
  heart. (DC 82)
• What is in my heart?
• God granteth unto men according to their
  desire. (Alma 294)
• many revelations daily. (Helaman 1123)
• Fasting
• What is in my mind?
• Give the Lord something to work with
• Read, Study, Memorize, Ponder

33
(What I Hope You Will Teach My Grandchildren and
All Others of the Youth of Zion, address to
Seminary and Institute personnel, Brigham Young
University, 11 July 1966, p. 6.)
President Spencer W. Kimball

• I find that when I get casual in my
• relationships with divinity and when it
• seems that no divine ear is listening and
• no divine voice is speaking, that I am far,
• far away. If I immerse myself in the
  scriptures the distance narrows and the
  spirituality returns.

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Two Witnesses

• I will tell you in your mind and in your
  heart. (DC 82)
• What is in my heart?
• God granteth unto men according to their
  desire. (Alma 294)
• many revelations daily. (Helaman 1123)
• Fasting
• What is in my mind?
• Give the Lord something to work with
• Read, Study, Memorize, Ponder
• Which speaks most loudly to me? Mind or Heart?
• Section 50

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Revelation is Conditional

• But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will
  not do all these commandments
• And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your
  soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do
  all my commandments, but that ye break my
  covenant
• I will break the pride of your power and I
  will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as
  brass
• (Leviticus 2614-15, 19, emphasis added)

36
L. Tom PerryWe Believe All That God Has
Revealed, Liahona, Nov 03, 8588, emphasis added

• A person who petitions the Lord for
  guidance must be worthy to receive it.
  His life must be in harmony and in
  keeping with the standards the Lord has
  prescribed for His children. His life must be in
  good standing before God and His people. It must
  be in harmony with the teachings of the
  scriptures, the prophets, and the order of the
  Church.

37
Harold B. LeeOctober Conference, 1966

• It isnt the Lord who withholds himself from us.
  It is we who withhold ourselves from him because
  of our failure to keep his commandments.

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A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.

39
Bruce R. McConkie

• were faced with two propositions.
• One is that we ought to be guided by
• the spirit of inspiration, the spirit of
  revelation. The other is that were here under a
  direction to use our agency, to determine what we
  ought to do on our own and we need to strike a
  fine balance between these two.
• Agency or Inspiration?, New Era, Jan 1975, 38
  (emphasis added).

40
Bruce R. McConkie

• Well, maybe it will be a little shock to you,
• but never in my life did I ever ask the Lord
• whom I ought to marry. I went out and found
  the girl I wanted she suited me I evaluated and
  weighed the proposition, and it just seemed a
  hundred percent to me as though this ought to be.
  
• Agency or Inspiration?, New Era, Jan 1975,
  38.

41
William E. BerrettAdministrator of Seminaries
and Institutesof Religion for The Church, quoted
by Dallin Oaks

• Those who pray that the Spirit might give them
  immediate guidance in every little thing throw
  themselves open to false spirits that seem ever
  ready to answer our pleas and confuse us. The
  people I have found most confused in this Church
  are those who seek personal revelations on
  everything.
• (quoted in The Holy Ghost, 2930, emphasis
  added).

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A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.

43
A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order

44
A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order
• You cant stop God from blessing you if you
  deserve it.

45
DC 12133

• How long can rolling waters remain impure?
  What power shall stay the heavens? As well might
  man stretch forth his puny arm to stop the
  Missouri river in its decreed course, or to turn
  it up stream, as to hinder the Almighty from
  pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads
  of the Latter-day Saints.

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A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order
• You cant stop God from blessing you if you
  deserve it.
• Recognize Gods kindness and patience with us.

47
A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order
• You cant stop God from blessing you if you
  deserve it.
• Recognize Gods kindness and patience with us.
• Remember

48
Harold B. LeeQualities of Leadership, address to
the Latter-day Saint Student Association
convention, Aug. 1970, 5.

• President David O. McKay taught us this in
  the temple one day. I want to tell you one
  thing When the Lord tells you what to
  do, youve got to have the courage to do
  it or you had better not ask him again. Ive
  learned that lesson, too. it takes a lot
  of courage to act when directed as an
  answer to prayers.

49
A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order
• You cant stop God from blessing you if you
  deserve it.
• Recognize Gods kindness and patience with us.
• Remember
• Yield to Gods Will and Timing.

50
Elder Dallin H. OaksEnsign, Mar. 1997, 1011.

• The Lord will speak to us through
• the Spirit in his own time and in his
• own way. Many people believe
• that when they are ready and when it suits
  their convenience, they can call upon the Lord
  and he will immediately respond. Revelation does
  not come that way.
• It shall be in his own time, and in his own
  way, and according to his own will (DC 8868).
  We cannot force spiritual things.

51
they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength they shall mount up with wings as
eagles
they shall run, and not be weary and they shall
walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40 31
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A Few More Thoughts on Revelation--

• Dont overdo it.
• Stop me, if Im making a mistake.
• If we truly seek His will, the Lord is on our
  side.
• Keep peddling
• Move forward in Faith.
• Righteous Stewards and the Patriarchal Order
• You cant stop God from blessing you if you
  deserve it.
• Recognize Gods kindness and patience with us.
• Remember
• Yield to Gods Will and Timing.
• Trust in Gods Love.

53
Be still, and know that I am God. Psalms 4610
54
Joseph Smith andthe Doctrine and Covenantsas a
Manual on Revelation

• SECTIONS OF THE DC
• I MADE THIS MY RULE
• When God commands, do it. (HC 2170)

55

• God hath not
• revealed anything to Joseph, but what he will
  make known unto the Twelve, and even the least
  Saint may know all things as fast as he is able
  to bear them.
• (TPJS, p. 149)

56

• I know not by what methods rare,
• But this I know, God answers prayers.
• I know that He has given His Word,
• Which tells me prayer is always heard,
• And will be answered, soon or late,
• And so I pray and calmly wait.
• I know not if the blessing sought
• Will come in just the way I thought
• But leave my prayers with Him alone,
• Whose will is wiser than my own,
• Assured that He will grant my quest,
• Or send some answer far more blest.
• Hickok

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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. James 15