New Year's resolution: Listening to the Spirit

My new year's resolution is to be more in tune with the Spirit. We live in difficult times, many people are falling away from the church. President Nelson has taught us that "In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost."  As I was studying the first lesson on Come Follow Me this year, which was Doctrine and Covenants 1, "Hearken, O Ye People" I had some thoughts on hearing the voice of the Lord and so I studied what I could do to do better at listening His voice and feeling the Holy Ghost.  I want to write down what I learned so that I don't forget and perhaps help others too. 

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of divine revelations. It is the Lord speaking to the members of the church and "for the benefit of all mankind  and contain an invitation to all people everywhere to hear the voice of the Lord Jesus Christ, speaking to them for their temporal well-being and their everlasting salvation" (D&C Introduction). The Lord invites all of us to hear His voice and to follow Him.  

Hearken:

Doctrine and Covenants Section 1 verses 1 and 2:

1. Hearken, O ye people of my church, saith the voice of him who dwells on high, and whose eyes are upon all men; yea, verily I say: Hearken ye people from afar; and ye that are upon the islands of the sea, listen together.

2. For verily the voice of the Lord is unto all men, and there is none to escape; and there is no eye that shall not see, neither ear that shall not hear, neither heart that shall not be penetrated.

The first word that the Savior said was Hearken. What does hearken mean? In the Guide to the Scriptures the meaning of Hearken is: To hear and obey the voice or teachings of the Lord.

How do I listen to the Holy Ghost?

Sister Wendy Nelson said in an interview that "Everything we do in our home is to increase our ability to hear the voice of the Lord as brought to us by the Spirit. To increase our ability to receive personal revelation for our life."

To receive revelation from the Spirit we need to "remove anything that prevents the Spirit to be in our home in full abundance" sister Nelson said. She gave these examples: Zero contention, turn off movies with contentions, turn off sports games that become contentious instead of competitive.

She also mentioned how when we are baptized we are "immersed" we are not sprinkled with water, likewise we need to be immersed in all the light and truth we can, in terms of what we read, what we watch, what we say and what we think. "If we sprinkle our lives with a little scripture here, a little prayer there and a little fasting there, we will only know enough about the gospel to feel guilty and not enough to feel joy" she said.

Sister Nelson also said that "we need to take note of what the Lord tells us when we pray, how you can increase the light and truth in your life. God will lead us to do it."

I hear the voice of the Lord when I read the scriptures, when I listen to the prophet and when I receive personal revelation. 

Doctrine and Covenants 88:63 it says:

Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

President Nelson said: When we receive revelation, we spend time in the presence of God as He reveals His mind, will, and voice unto us.

Doctrine and Covenants 68:4

And whatsoever they shall speak when moved upon by the Holy Ghost shall be scripture, shall be the will of the Lord, shall be the mind of the Lord, shall be the word of the Lord, shall be the voice of the Lord, and the power of God unto salvation.

President Nelson tells us how we can hear him:

1. we immerse ourselves in the scriptures. 

2. we pray.

3. we listen. Stay on your knees for a while, after you pray, thoughts and direction will come.

As we repeat this process we will "grow into the principle of revelation" Joseph Smith.

The Lord expects us to make a daily effort, repent and improve daily. We are not required to be perfect to be worthy but we are required to strive for increased purity. Purity qualifies us for the Holy Ghost, when the Holy Ghost is our guide we then qualify for personal revelation.

Doctrine and Covenants 45:57

For they that are wise and have received the truth, and have taken the Holy Spirit for their guide, and have not been deceived-verily I say unto you, they shall not be hewn down and cast into the fire, but shall abide the day.

To hear the voice of the Lord we need to seek personal spiritual experiences:

As members of the church "we must hunger and thirst after righteousness, before we can be filled. Individual, personal testimony of gospel truth, particularly the divine life and mission of the Lord Jesus Christ, is essential to our eternal life. “And this is life eternal,” said the Savior, “that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.” In other words, life eternal is predicated upon our own individual, personal knowledge of our Father in Heaven and His Holy Son. Simply knowing about them is not enough. We must have personal, spiritual experiences to anchor us. These come through seeking them in the same intense, single-minded way that a hungry person seeks food." (M. Russell Ballard)

Matthew 5:6

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness for they shall be filled.