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?"
“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
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
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
*Replaces darkness with light - Alma
*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
*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
*Helps to perceive or discern the
thoughts of others - Alma
*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
*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
*Edifies both teacher & students
- D&C 50:13–22
*Gives comfort - D&C 88:3; John
14:26