Personal Revelation

I gave a talk on sunday and here are the notes I used. I added some when I was speaking but this is the main stuff.

Sister Julie B. Beck’s talk titled, “And upon the Handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit”.

How can we qualify for, receive and know how to follow the spirit? And also, how do we find answers to our most needed questions?

So I was flipping through my itunes the other day, looking through the new applications available for download when I came across the personal revelation app. So I thought, “Hey this is really awesome!” and I downloaded it. Whenever I needed a bit of personal revelation I just had to simply tap the app and the answers to my questions appeared!

Im gonna let that sink in for a second…. That was all one big story! There is no such app! I can guarantee if you go looking for it today after church that you wont find one!
BUT if there was an app for that it would be prayer and regular scripture study.

How to Receive personal revelation:
Sis Beck states, “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness. Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us.”

So this requires that we follow the commandments, and do all the things that we have been asked of by God.


Scripture study
Sister Beck goes on to say, “Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation.3 Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.”

Set aside a time that works best for you and your schedule. Exercising your ability to study the scriptures is just like devoting your time to physical activity…. If you don’t do it at a time that works best for you, or at a pace that works for you, then you’re not going to be consistent.

What I do is I read at night, and most of the time I only do one chapter, but that’s what works for me! The nights when I don’t read ill be laying in bed, tossing and turning, unable to figure out why I cant sleep and then ill realize that I haven’t read, so I quickly read. Then before I know it, my head hits the pillow and most of the time ill be passed out!
I also suggest that you take notes as you read, because every time you read the Book of Mormon, something new will stick out. And its that something that you needed most. This last time that I read through the Book of Mormon was on my ipod, and as I would read, if something stuck out I flip over to the notes and record the verse and a blurb of what it said.


Prayer
She goes on to say, “Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us.”
Alma 37:37

Pray for answers to specific questions that you have. This way you know what it is that you want, and then you are asking God if this is what you should do.
To receive these answers, you must be prepared to hear them. Todays world is so loud, and with all the technology around life is crazy! So before you pray, take a moment to just sit and clear your head from the mess off the day. Also I think a big part of being prepared is making sure you are in the right attitude to receive your answers. If you are constantly angry or you happen to be saying your prayers when youre not in the right mood it can ruin the whole thing. Its as if it was never said.

Moroni 7:9

My motto: “Try to be the most positive person you know!”

Being in the right places! (“Being in the right places allows us to receive guidance.”)
I think also that being in the right places also helps in allowing us to receive personal revelation.
This doesn’t just mean that you “stand in holy places”, but that your mind is in the right place as well. When you come to church, you should be focused on what is being said or taught so that you can hear the answers to you questions that come from attending church. You shouldn’t be thinking about your big physics exam coming up on Wednesday this week!

Sister Beck says, “Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.”
Its like a cup, full of all the tings that you need in life. Once you take from the cup, it has to be refilled somehow and this is done through reading your scriptures and constantly learning new things.

D&C 11:12-14
So “put your trust in the spirit, that leadeth to do good.” The spirit will never lead us astray, just the the 12 apostles.

I attend Sac State, and so in insitiute there this week we were reading in 3 Nephi and talking about this and how the Lord came and how the Lord looks to God for guidance, and the 12 who look to Christ, and so we should follow the 12 apostles because the words that they speak are true and for us today.

Measuring success, How do we know we are on the right path?
Here’s what sis Beck says, “To paraphrase a list found in Preach My Gospel, we are doing well when we develop attributes of Christ and strive to obey His gospel with exactness. We are doing well when we seek to improve ourselves and do our best. We are doing well when we increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek out and help others who are in need. We know we are successful if we live so that we qualify for, receive, and know how to follow the Spirit. When we have done our very best, we may still experience disappointments, but we will not be disappointed in ourselves. We can feel certain that the Lord is pleased when we feel the Spirit working through us. Peace, joy, and hope are available to those who measure success properly.”


A revelation in the book of Joel states that in the last days, sons and daughters of God will prophesy and the Lord will pour out His Spirit upon His servants and His handmaids.

Joel 2:28-29
And I would like to end with my testimony…