Talk on Seeking the Spirit

Hyrum Olson

We have been giving the gift of the Holy Ghost, the comforter, “which was sent forth to teach the truth” (D&C 50:14).  Yet spiritual inspiration is not merely handed to us, effort is required on our part.

Understanding the voice of the Spirit is a central aspect to receiving spiritual guidance.  Each of us starts off as a novice.  After receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost we are able to understand some prompting, but we often miss many more.  As a freshly baptized youth, I could, at times, clearly identify the promptings of the Spirit.  But more often, especially on a day to day level, I was confused between mere thoughts and inspiration.  I often told myself that there must be some easy recipe or simple formula to receiving Spiritual guidance.  I thought I merely needed to tune in to the right station and I would be set for life.  But in this I was wrong.  President Hunter said: PGM pg 99.  Instead, as time pressed on I applied Alma’s suggestion: I began to experiment upon the thoughts that entered my mind in an attempt to test their validity.  As I did so I began to gain hands on experience in deciphering between mere thoughts and inspiration.  Recognizing the promptings of the Spirit became easier and clearer.  President Hinckley taught: PMG pg 97.  Regarding the effort required for gaining spiritual guidance, Elder Scott said: “I am convinced that there is no simple formula or technique that would immediately allow you to master the ability to be guided by the voice of the Spirit. Our Father expects you to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Were you to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, you would become weak and ever more dependent on Them. They know that essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit.”

Understanding the voice of the spirit is essential to receiving spiritual guidance, but there is more that is required: we must be living worthily.  Receiving spiritual guidance is perhaps fundamentally no different then learning any other skill.  We are given all the resources necessary and we are expected to study, understand, and apply them.  Of course we will make mistakes.  Naturally there will be growing pain.  We will have to experiment.  We will have to take steps into the unknown.  But as we do so we will obtain the necessary personal growth Elder Scott speaks of.

Creating Spirituality in our Lives

Frances Mark

Throughout my life I have always strived to become and to remain spiritual. I went to church, family home evening, I shared my testimony with friends when they asked questions, and I tried to live the commandments. I lived my life on the outside how I knew I should and how people would expect me to. I slowly felt myself feeling less and less spiritual I didn’t feel the spirit as often as I used to and I didn’t quite understand why. I missed having the spirit with me and being able to feel the overwhelming feeling of love that came with it.

I started to think about what I had done to lead me to this point, and I soon came to realize that it wasn’t what I had done that brought me there, it was what I hadn’t done. I hadn’t been reading my scriptures or saying my prayers daily, I hadn’t been looking for opportunities to serve, I hadn’t been looking for missionary opportunities, I hadn’t really made the habits in my life that needed to be made. I think that many people make the mistake, like me, thinking that we do not feel the spirit because of the things we have done in our lives, rather than the things that we aren’t doing

I like to look up words in the dictionary when I don’t know what they mean or if I’m trying to understand a word better so I looked up the definition of spirituality on the internet

One definition stuck out to me

It defined spirituality as being incorporeal or immaterial nature

I had to look up incorporeal too, Incorporeal means lacking material form or substance

I knew this already but it really stood out to me, us being spiritual has nothing to do with any of the things of this world; no clothing, hairstyle, technology, belongings or any other physical, tangible things can or will ever help us become spiritual beings, to become more spiritual, we have to dig deep inside of us and find our soul and connect it with our body

One way we can become more spiritual is to recognize the spiritual gifts that we have, use them and to work on others that we do not recognize in ourselves. Spiritual gifts are blessings or abilities given by God to his children through the Holy Ghost. There is a section of scripture I’m sure we have all heard many times, it’s in D & C 46, starting in verse 8,