Promptings 101

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Was It a Prompting or Just Me?

• Promptings 101

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Mensa Definitions

• 1- Reintarnation
• Coming back to life as a hillbilly.
• 2- Bozone
• The substance surrounding some people that
  stops bright ideas from penetrating. The
  bozone layer, unfortunately, shows little
  sign of breaking down in the near future.
• 3- Sarchasm
• The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit
  and the person who doesn't get it.
• 4. Karmageddon
• It's like, when everybody is sending off all
  these really bad vibes, right? And then, like,
  the Earth explodes and it's like, a serious
  bummer.
• 5. Arachnoleptic fit
• The frantic dance performed just after you've
  accidentally walked through a spider web.
• 6. Beelzebug
• Satan in the form of a mosquito, that gets into
  your bedroom at three in the morning and
  cannot be cast out.

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Common Questions about Prayer

• Recently Divorced Man
• I thought I got an answer to
  marry her. What did I
  miss?
• Wife of husband with pornography issues
• I guess Im not sure I can really trust the
  answers I get.
• Young man
• I feltsomething. How do I know I wasnt just
  telling myself what I wanted to hear?
• Critic of the church
• Brain scans have proved that the spirit is
  just an increase of hormones in the brain

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3 Nephi 11

• 3 Nephi 11 3 they heard a voice as if it came
  out of heaven and they cast their eyes round
  about, for they understood not the voice which
  they heard
• and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a
  loud voice nevertheless, and notwithstanding it
  being a small voice it did pierce them that did
  hear to the center,
• 4 And it came to pass that again they heard the
  voice, and they understood it not.
• 5 And again the third time they did hear the
  voice, and did open their ears to hear it

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Elder Enzio Busche

• There seems to be, inside of us, the capacity
  to be spiritually illiterate, in spite of
  brilliant knowledge that we may have about the
  facts of the restoration, the plan of
  salvation, and the organizational part of the
  restored gospel.
• (Unleashing the Dormant Spirit, BYU
  Devotional,14 May 1996)

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Common Misunderstandings

• DC 9 The Burning and The Stupid of
  Thought
• Behold, you have not understood you have
  supposed that I would give it unto you, when you
  took no thought save it was to ask me.
• But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study
  it out in your mind then you must ask me if it
  be right, and if it is right I will cause that
  your bosom shall burn within you therefore, you
  shall feel that it is right.
• But if it be not right you shall have no such
  feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought
  that shall cause you to forget the thing which is
  wrong therefore, you cannot write that which is
  sacred save it be given you from me.

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Elder Mark E. Peterson

• This particular revelation was to given to Oliver
  Cowdrey as he was attempting to translate the
  Book of Mormon.
• It would be applicable to all of us only if we
  were all translating the Book of Mormon.
• Personal Notes (England Leeds Mission, May, 1976)

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Elder Dallin H. Oaks

• I know from experience that some seasoned
  members of the Church do not know when they
  are receiving a witness of the Spirit. . . .
• Perhaps lifelong members of the Church don't
  recognize the testimony of the Spirit because
  they have had it so often they take it for
  granted. Perhaps they are looking for something
  startling and different. . . .
• I have heard adult members of the Church claim
  they do not have a testimony because they have
  never experienced a 'burning in the bosom.' (DC
  98.)
• If I thought this scriptural "burning" only
  referred to caloric heat, I would have to say
  that I have never had a burning in the bosom
  either. . . . In this usage, it does not seem to
  refer to heat but rather to an intensity of
  feeling.
• For me, the witness of the Holy Ghost is an
  intense feeling of serenity or well-being.
• (Teaching, Learning 'by the Spirit', LDS
  Church News, 1993, 01/02/93)

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President Eyring

• To God, we are all infants, and so I take
  comfort and direction in these words from
  Joseph Smith "We may come to Jesus and ask
  Him He will know all about it if He comes to
  little child, he will adapt himself to the
  l language and capacity of a little child.
• And Joseph also taught this later "The Lord
  deals with this people as a tender parent with a
  child, communicating light and intelligence and
  the knowledge of his ways as they can bear it."
• So I can drop the pose and habits of the
  tough-minded intellectual and know that I may
  listen as a little child, having confidence that
  the gospel is simple. In fact, if I listen
  humbly, with the expectation that what matters
  most will be clear even to a little child, then I
  will be both meek enough to be quiet insideand
  therefore able to hear the still, small voiceand
  humble enough to take correction easily. That is
  how the Prophet Joseph assures me I may listen
  with confidence as a little child.
  To Draw Closer to God
  A Collection of Discourses ( 1997)

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Important Questions

• How does the Holy Ghost communicate with you?

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Moroni 108
Wait, Why would we deny a gift?

• 8 deny not the gifts of God, for they are many
  and they come from the same God.
• And there are different ways that these gifts are
  administered
• 17 And all these gifts come by the Spirit of
  Christ and they come unto every man severally
  (individually, distinctly), according as he will.
  

Fear Im not sure I want to be responsible for
the result
Pride (I can do it better , And with less
disruption to my life)
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Now, a Warning

• Elder Busche
• Many times in our life it happens that these
  gifts of the spirit rest dormant in us
• The Spirit is a divine entityIt will not intrude
  into our lives.
• The Holy Ghost has been given to us as a gift,
  but it can only become an active part of our
  lives when we become aware of its dormant state
  and develop in our souls a desire to awaken the
  Spirit to life.
• Unleashing the Dormant Spirit, May 1996

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Important Questions

• How does the Holy Ghost communicate with you?
• How is your gift different from friends, family
  or ward members?
• Do you ever find yourself comparison shopping
  with other ward members?
• How do you know what you felt was the spirit or
  just you?

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Key Differences

• President Eyring
• You can test what we have talked about today.
  What you do in the classes you attendcan build
  your foundation more solidly on truth. Just try
  two things listen for the whisperings of the
  Spirit and then commit to obey.
• Write down impressions or thoughts that you feel
  came from Godthink carefully about whether the
  truth you received requires action.
• In this hour you may have committed to act on
  something you felt was true.
• I fear that more people make promises to God than
  keep them, so you will please Him when you are
  the exception and you keep your promise to obey.
• A Life Founded on Light and Truth, BYU
  Devotional, 15 Aug, 2000

Promptings
Just Me
Still, Small Voice
I know what I want
Joseph Smith, in vision, to Brigham Young Tell
the peoplethey can tell the Spirit of the Lord
from all other spirits It will whisper peace and
joy to their souls It will take malice, hatred,
strife and all evil from their hearts and their
whole desire will be to do good, bring forth
righteousness, and build up the Kingdom of God
Feelings of Peace, Gratitude
Feelings of Excitement
Visualizing What I want
Marching Orders
Sense of Being Stretched
More Feelings Of Excitement
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Question

• Are there reasons active, committed Latter Day
  Saints might resist the voice of the Spirit?

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Every Sunday

• that they might always have His spirit to be
  with us.
• President Ezra Taft Benson "Spiritualitybeing in
  tune with the Spirit of the Lordis the greatest
  need we all have. We should strive for the
  constant companionship of the Holy Ghost all of
  our days. Seek the Spirit in all you do. Keep it
  with you continually."
• ( Ensign, April 1988, page 5.)

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Four Basic Personality Styles

• Talkers
• Socially Oriented
• Spontaneous
• Dislikes too many rules
• Avoids routines (too boring!)
• Emotional/feeling based
• Thinkers
• Analyzers
• Thoughtful and Careful
• Prefers Structure
• Questioning, wants answers
• Rationally Based

• Doers
• Goal oriented
• Impulsive
• Impatient
• More leader than follower
• Focused on results
• Planners
• Process Oriented
• Organized
• Follows set routine
• Avoids the spotlight

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How might we resist the Spirit?
It doesnt make any rational sense to feel the
spirit constantly. We are responsible to think
things through, then have our decisions
confirmed!
Ive got one friend who says she hears a voice,
and another feels a burning. How can I feel the
spirit if I dont know what to feel?
Talkers
Doers
Thinkers
Planners
Following the spirit sort of feels like giving up
your free agencyand I dont like feeling out of
control.
To be honest, I kind of was planning on doing
something else. How do I really know Im feeling
the spirit?
President Benson Seek the Spirit in all you do.
Keep it with you continually."
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Elder F. Enzio Busche

• In my humble understanding, it can be said that
  are only two elements that separate us from the
  Holy Spirit
• First, our lack of desire to repent
• Second our lack of desire to forgive

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London Temple