Flowing From the Fountain Above


Flowing From the Fountain Above
A Presentation on Personal Revelation by Christy Anderson
Quotes:
 “I would like to speak about receiving personal revelation, how each individual member of the Church can come to know of the divinity of the work, can have the whisperings of the Spirit in his heart and soul, and in addition, can see visions, speak with angels, behold the face of the Lord, and receive all the knowledge and wisdom that has been poured out upon faithful people in any age.

“Reading the experiences of others, or the revelation given to them, can never give us a comprehensive view of our condition and true relation to God. Knowledge of these things can only be obtained by experiences through the ordinances of God set forth for that purpose. Could you gaze into heaven five minutes, you would know more than you would by reading all that ever was written on the subject.”
- Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Section 6, Subheading 59, paragraph 1, p. 324.



 “Sister Eliza R. Snow taught that individual women could receive inspiration to guide them in their personal lives, their families, and their Church responsibilities. She said: "Tell the sisters to go forth and discharge their duties, in humility and faithfulness and the Spirit of God will rest upon them and they will be blest in their labors. Let them seek for wisdom instead of power and they will have all the power they have wisdom to exercise."

“Her inspired instruction helped Relief Society sisters face the trials of their day. She taught that if they would continually seek guidance and comfort from the Holy Ghost, they could enjoy peace even in the midst of adversity. She said that the Holy Ghost "satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that Spirit, my soul is satisfied, and I can say in good earnest, that the trifling things of the day do not seem to stand in my way at all. But just let me lose my hold of that spirit and power of the Gospel, and partake of the spirit of the world, in the slightest degree, and trouble comes; there is something wrong. I am tried, and what will comfort me? You cannot impart comfort to me that will satisfy the immortal mind, but that which comes from the Fountain above. And is it not our privilege to so live that we can have this constantly flowing into our souls?"
- Eliza R. Snow from Daughters in My Kingdom pgs. 45 & 46

 “The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. … It requires a conscious effort to diminish distractions, but having the spirit of revelation makes it possible to prevail over opposition and persist in faith through difficult days and essential routine tasks. … 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.”
-          Julie B. Beck from Daughters in My Kingdom pg. 158

 “If we truly want to walk away from the world, our single most important pursuit is to seek to hear the voice of the Spirit. I don’t think it will be possible to survive spiritually in the last days without the Holy Ghost as our constant guide. The Spirit is the ultimate protector and judge between good and evil. The Spirit can detect the slightest variance from truth and alert us to all spiritual danger, because the Holy Ghost speaks “of things as they really are” (Jacob 4:13), rather than as they appear to be, and shows us “all things
what [we] should do” (2 Nephi 32:5).

“There is no simple formula for learning to hear the voice of the Spirit. But purity is key, for it makes us a more pure receptacle. The scriptures are key, because they teach the language of revelation. The temple is key, for there we learn how to come out of the world and into the presence of God while in mortality. And regular personal worship is key.”
-          Sheri Dew from Awake, Arise and Come Unto Christ


Elder Kikuchi’s Suggestions For:
Daily Personal Devotional
*Rise from bed early.
*Exercise for a few minutes.
*Wash your body - make yourself clean.
*Dress for the day.
*Go to a quiet place inside your home.
*Kneel, subdue your spirit before Heavenly Father, and call upon Him. Talk with Him in reverent prayer.
*Wait for His holy inspiration, ponder the scriptures or a recent general conference talk & think about the specific problems you face.

Places where revelation is the strongest:
*During our Daily Personal Devotional (see Elder Kikuchi’s suggestions for this above)
*When at the Temple
*During the Sacrament
*During General Conference
*During Stake Conference
*When doing Genealogy Work
*When testifying of Christ and His Church
*When teaching our Children
*When Fasting

Resources on Revelation:
*Bibliography on back of handout
*The Scriptures, including the TG & BD
*General Conference Talks
*Teachings of the Prophets
*LDS.org search – search Personal Revelation, Listening to the Holy Ghost, etc…
*Preach My Gospel – specifically chapter 4 *Church Magazines
*Daughters in My Kingdom

Everyday places I receive revelation
Out in Nature
Doing dishes, laundry, (or any other simple and repetitive chore)
Taking a shower
Driving in the car in silence
Through someone else’s comments
While listening to peaceful, happy and/or sacred music
Reading a good book
Listening to children
While painting
While creating
While talking with a good friend


Great Talks on Personal Revelation

Revelation by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Personal Revelation by Elder L. Lionel Kendrick Of the Seventy

Opening the Heavens by Elder Yoshihiko Kikuchi of the Seventy

How to Get Personal Revelation by Elder Bruce R. McConkie

How to Obtain Personal Revelation and Inspiration for your Personal Life by Elder Richard G. Scott

Eight Reasons for Revelation by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Chapter 5 Wilford Woodruff The Holy Ghost and Personal Revelation

Words of Christ – Our Spiritual Liahona by W. Rolff Kerr of the First Quorum of the Seventy

Scripture Reading and Revelation by Elder Dallin H. Oaks

Because We Have Them Before Our Eyes by Elder David A. Bednar

Come Unto Me by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

A Time of Urgency by Elder Marvin J. Ashton

Awake, Arise and Come Unto Christ by Sheri Dew

Ways to Recognize the Promptings of the Spirit from Preach My Gospel Chapter 4 pg. 96 & 97

*Gives feelings of love, joy, peace, patience, -
D&C 6:23; 11:12–14;

*Meekness, gentleness, faith, and hope - Romans 15:13; Galatians 5:22–23

*Gives ideas in the mind, feelings in the heart -
D&C 8:2–3

*Occupies the mind and presses on the feelings -
D&C 128:1
* Helps scriptures have strong effect. -
Joseph Smith History 1:11–12

*Gives good feelings to teach if something is true - D&C 9:8–9

*Enlightens the mind - Alma 32:28; D&C 6:14–15; 1 Corinthians 2:9–11

*Replaces darkness with light - Alma 19:6

*Strengthens the desire to avoid evil and obey the commandments - Mosiah 5:2–5

*Teaches truth and brings it to remembrance - John 14:26

*Gives feelings of peace and comfort - John 14:27

*Guides to truth and shows things to come - John 16:13

*Reveals truth - Moroni 10:5

*Guides and protects from deception - D&C 45:57

*Glorifies and bears record of God the Father and Jesus Christ - 2 Nephi 31:18; D&C 20:27; John 16:14

*Guides the words of humble teachers - D&C 42:16; 84:85; 100:5–8; Luke 12:11–12

*Recognizes and corrects sin - John 16:8

*Gives gifts of the Spirit - Moroni 10:8–17; D&C 46:8–26; 1 Corinthians 12.

*Helps to perceive or discern the thoughts of others - Alma 10:17; 12:3; 18:16, 20, 32, 35; D&C 63:41

*Tells what to pray for - D&C 46:30; 50:29–30

*Tells what to do - 2 Nephi 32:1–5; D&C 28:15

*Helps the righteous speak with power and authority - 1 Nephi 10:22; Alma 18:35

*Testifies of the truth - D&C 21:9; 100:8; John 15:26

*Sanctifies and brings remission of sins - 2 Nephi 31:17; Alma 13:12; 3 Nephi 27:20

*Carries truth to the heart of the listener - 1 Nephi 2:16–17; 2 Nephi 33:1; Alma 24:8

*Enhances skills and abilities - 1 Nephi 1:1–3; Exodus 31:3–5

*Constrains (impels forward) or restrains - 1 Nephi 7:15; 2 Nephi 28:1; 32:7;

*(holds back) - Alma 14:11; Mormon 3:16; Ether 12:2

*Edifies both teacher & students - D&C 50:13–22
*Gives comfort - D&C 88:3; John 14:26