Our Father in Heaven has a superb
communication system through which He transmits messages and feelings and
power. (1) While the ultimate source of spiritual power is
God our Father, the messenger of that power is the Holy Ghost. (2) The Holy
Ghost, a third member of the Godhead (2), is "the
powerline". (4) He is the channel through which the Almighty
reveals Himself to us, and the way God works through us. We are taught in the Doctrine and Covenants, “I (God) will
tell you in your mind and in your heart, by
the Holy Ghost.” (5)
The
Holy Ghost is our connection to God the Father's total priesthood: to accessing
and acting on God’s power, love and brilliance. It is the Spirit who “broadcasts” the knowledge and wisdom of God to
mankind. (6) He is our conduit to heaven. He is the "revelation
super-highway" running with endless "heavy traffic of eternal truths".
(7)
Covenant-keeping
men and women have access to God's intelligence and power through the Holy
Ghost for use in their personal lives and within their stewardships. When we honor our covenants and strive to be more like
our Savior, we are entitled to a constant stream of divine guidance through the
influence and inspiration of the Holy Ghost. (8) Elder Richard G. Scott
taught that this is an inexhaustible source of
guidance and inspiration from our Heavenly Father and reaffirmed that the path
for spiritual guidance is given to mankind through the promptings of the Holy
Ghost. (9) This access to His omniscient, omnipotent, all-loving,
perfect priesthood power is one of the most amazing gifts that God gives to His
children.
“Power”
as applied to mankind, is the miracle of men and women being magnified by
God. It is an amplification, an enhancement, and enabling by the Divine beyond
our mortal abilities. It is supernatural heavenly strength (10), drawing on
God's power to do and know things that humans can't do or know, and being
lifted beyond our ordinary capacity. (11) Our power comes when we are magnified
by His power, which He kindly gives us access to through the Holy Ghost.
Spiritual
power comes from one source-- God the Father. (12) He is the wellspring.
Qualified by and founded upon personal righteousness (13), there is an
extraordinary opportunity given to all of His children to act on and draw on
God's total priesthood power.
Elder
Ballard taught that God the Father is kind and liberal in allowing mankind
access to this power. He said, “Our Father in Heaven is generous with His
power. All men and all women have access to this power for help in their lives.
All who have made sacred covenants with the Lord and who honor those covenants
are eligible to receive personal revelation, to be blessed by the ministering
of angels, to commune with God, to receive the fullness of the gospel, and,
ultimately, to become heirs alongside Jesus Christ of all our Father has.” (14)
In
order to protect our agency, the initiative must be ours to ask for God the
Father’s augmentation. He expects that we will reach for His power. (15) He has
said, “If thou ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge
upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things.” (16)
Our ability to receive strength and enabling from God the Father is potentially
limitless.
This power is transformative. Parley P. Pratt explained that “The
gift of the Holy Ghost…quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases,
enlarges, expands…(He) inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness,
gentleness and charity…(He) invigorates all the faculties of the physical and
intellectual man.” (17)
Elder
Brian Ashton taught that we can receive this kind of power through “the
channel” of the Holy Ghost. “It is Heavenly Father who sends both the influence
and the gift of the Holy Ghost into our lives. Through the gift of the Holy
Ghost, the glory—or intelligence, light and power—of the Father can dwell in
us.” (18)
This “intelligence, light and power” is the capacity
to do things that are superhuman. It is the ability to know things that we
wouldn't have ever known of ourselves and to do things that we are not, of
ourselves, capable. It is the opportunity to see and understand things that
humans can't see and understand. It is spiritual augmentation that transcends our innate abilities so that we have the power we need to do His work. (19)
To
know that we have this access to God the Father through the gifts of the Holy
Ghost fills us with confidence in our varied roles and responsibilities. We can
know that we are not left to do God’s work with merely the talent, skills and
strength that we now possess. Elder James E. Faust taught this comforting doctrine,
“Latter-day Saints, having received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on
of hands, are entitled to personal inspiration in the small events of life as
well as when they are confronted with the giant Goliaths of life.” (20) To call the
challenges of life "Goliaths" is really fitting. Goliath was
extraordinarily advantaged in the fight against little David and it seemed
impossible that the young shepherd boy could be equal to the battle that he was
slated to fight. (21) But like David learned so long ago, the promise of God is
that through the Holy Ghost we can do things that for us, alone, would be impossible.
Elder Scott taught that we can depend on God’s
magnification. He said that we can reach out to God the Father in prayer with
the needs that reach beyond our own abilities and that He can augment us
through the Holy Ghost. “We do not have to measure our potential for
success by our known capabilities alone. We can count on the power of God and
its expanding influence on our lives. We can know that our ability and strength
can be magnified to meet any challenge that confronts us. When we receive the
gift of the Holy Ghost, we must strive to become increasingly sensitive to its
singular influence in our lives. Prayer is our communication link with God. He
answers earnest prayer through the Holy Ghost, which brings inspiration,
direction, and power into our lives.” (22)
An
amazing partial list of promises of the power made available from God the
Father through the Holy Ghost might include: prophecy, revelation,
sanctification, new information, wisdom, understanding, ability, capacity,
tongues and languages, righteous desire, belief, counsel, testimony, healing,
warnings, dreams, casting out devils, visions, instruction, guidance, knowing
what to speak, words in your mind, voices, remembrance, charity, ideas,
witnesses, remission of sins, things are shown to you, discernment, the authority to
speak, the authority to chastise, protection, strength, the mysteries of God, a
softening of heart, and a convincing power.
In
short, we have access to all of the gifts of the Spirit that the Father sees
fit to bless us with. (23) Moroni directed, “…
deny not the
gifts of God, for they are many; and they come from the same God….and they
are given by the manifestations of the Spirit of God unto men (or mankind).” (24) Moroni teaches that gifts come from
God the Father and are ferried to us through the Holy Ghost.
The scriptures are
brimming with examples of people who were strengthened by God’s power. Jacob
said that he could command the trees, mountains, and waves of the sea. (25) Paul
spoke with tongues, healed diseases, and cast out evil. (26) Samuel the Lamanite
and Abindi were given authority and the words to chasten and warn. (27) Phillip
was able to perceive the thoughts and needs of the Eunich from Ethiopia. (28) Chains
fell from Peter’s wrists. (29) Captain Moroni had wisdom beyond his own to
guide his armies. (30) King Mosiah was able to translate the Jaredite record
that was written in an unknown language. (31) The
scriptural examples that show humans being magnified are endless. There are
countless true stories where mere mortals were magnified to comprehend the
things of God and were able to do things beyond their own capacity.
The
Opportunity Begins with Baptism
In
His explanation of the Doctrine of Christ, the Savior taught that after we have
repented, been baptized, and received the gift of the Holy Ghost, we are given
a command: “He that is baptized in my name, to him will the Father give the
Holy Ghost, like unto me; wherefore, follow me, and do the things which ye
have seen me do." (32) And then, “Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and
come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by
the reception of the Holy Ghost, …For the works which ye have seen me do shall
ye also do; for that which ye have seen me do even that shall ye do.” (33)
If
I might restate these two scriptures a bit—“You've been baptized. You have
received the Holy Ghost which is access to the power of God the Father.
Now, GO! Go and do the things that you've seen Jesus do!” This is a
directive to covenant men and women to now access the total priesthood
power and authority of God through the gift of the Holy Ghost to do the same
kinds of miracles that Christ was able to do by the power and authority of God
the Father. It mentions specifically "speak with the tongues of
angels", but, as listed above, there are many, many other things, that we
have seen Christ do, and that we, too, are able to do through "the
powerline" of the Holy Ghost.
The
Savior taught the church leaders of this dispensation that, “…every soul who
believeth on your words and is baptized by water for the remission of sins,
shall receive the Holy Ghost. And these signs shall follow them that believe—
In my name they shall do many wonderful works; In my name they shall cast out
devils; In my name they shall heal the sick; In my name they shall open the
eyes of the blind, and unstop the ears of the deaf.” (34) This scripture is so
inclusive. It teaches that every soul who is baptized and receives the Holy
Ghost can do “many wonderful works”.
Recently, President Henry B. Eyring
told a personal story from a time when he was a young adult and a student at a prestigious
university studying mathematics and physics. He was discouraged and
uncomfortably aware of his personal limitations. In answer to these feelings of
insufficiency, he had an experience where he learned of God’s power to magnify.
Elder Eyring said that during
this difficult time he had this insight come to his mind, “I was a spirit child
of God. I had inherent in me the potential to learn what He knows. Because of
the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ and my faith in Him, my sins could be
washed away…I could receive the gift of the Holy Ghost as a companion. And I
came to know that by the power of the Holy Ghost, we may know the truth of all
things…(God) knows all
truth—in physics and in everything else…if I live worthy of the Holy Ghost, I
can learn true things beyond my human ability.” (35) President Eyring was taught that because a person is clean through Christ, he/she can
learn what God the Father knows through the Holy Ghost. After this
experience, he understood better how he could be magnified through the Spirit
in his school work.
For
the entirety of our lives we must repeat the process of relying on Christ and
repenting so that scarlet sins and weaknesses are washed away. (36) This
process enables righteousness in us and makes us more and more worthy of the
constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. (37) Then, as President Eyring
taught, we can know what God the Father knows.
Ammon understood this principle. He knew that he, of himself, was weak, but he
also knew that God would give him strength and power beyond his own. “I know
that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of
myself, but I will boast of my God, for in His strength I can do all things.”
(38)
In the midst of abridging the Book of Mormon record,
Mormon gives us a good example of being aware of where his own capacity ended
and where the magnification from God began. “And I (make this abridgment of
the record) for a wise purpose; for thus it whispereth me, according to
the workings of the Spirit of the Lord which is in me. And now, I do not know
all things; but (God) knoweth all things which are to come; wherefore,
he worketh in me to do according to his will.” (39) Mormon taught that
even though he was insufficient, God the Father was omniscient and would work
with him through the Holy Ghost.
The
Fruits of the Gift of the Holy Ghost are for All
Some
years ago my husband and I attended a brother-in-law’s wedding in Brazil. It was an amazing event, and the music and
dancing were upbeat and went on enthusiastically for more than five
hours. Much of the time I enjoyed just sitting at the side and watching the
people dance. You see, my shoes were too small, I was wearing several too many
layers of clothing for this Brazilian summer evening, and my dress was too long
so I kept tripping on its fabric.
I
loved watching what was going on the dancing floor, but I was not in a position
to join. This seemed to be of great concern to Max the wedding planner,
whose job it was to see that every guest was participating joyfully. He must
have wondered if I was joyful. Near the end of the night, the traditional
Brazilian group dances began and our new friends were determined. Max grabbed
my hands and said in his heavy Portuguese accent, "For All". I
didn't immediately understand his words, but he said them several times,
"For All!" "For All!" “For All!” Finally, I got it!
That dance was for everyone-- married, single, male, female, American,
Brazilian, really good dancers and beginners with awkward dresses like
me. That dance was "for all".
Max had
his assistant take my dress up off the floor by tying a big knot in the hem,
and I was swept out to the dance floor where he taught me a little Samba
step. I had so much fun. I was so glad that I was encouraged to
participate in something so delightful and so glad that it was meant "for
all". Like that Brazilian dance, access to God the Father’s infinite and
endless power is also, “for all”. Magnification
by God the Father through the Holy Ghost is the privilege and the right of
every member of the Church. (40)
President
Joseph F. Smith taught that the many, many gifts are available to men and women
through the Spirit. And although this quote speaks to women, notice that he
included mention of "sons of Zion” as well. These promises are for
men and women who have received the Holy Ghost.
"The
daughters of Israel have been born of the water and of the Spirit, and they
have been endowed with the gift of the Holy Ghost, by the laying on of hands of
those who had authority to convey that power and that gift to
the daughters of Zion, as well as to the sons of Zion. I believe that
every mother has the right to … know what to do in her family and in
her sphere, over her children, in their guidance and direction; and that
mother and every mother possessing that spirit has the gift of revelation,
the gift of inspiration and the gift of knowledge, which is the
spirit of prophecy, the spirit of discernment, a gift of God to
them, to govern their households and lead their children in
the path of righteousness and truth." (41)
This
quote was a launching pad for me in the search for my own personal access to
God and His power. When I read that mothers/women were endowed with the gift of
the Holy Ghost, and thus revelation, prophecy, discernment, knowledge and
inspiration, I immediately knew where I was sourced. I am not sure that I can
even write how relieved and empowered I was to understand my conduit to God the
Father and His behemoth power.
That
led me to ask how men are powered. I guess I had assumed that they were fueled
by Melchizedek Priesthood since there is much talk about the significance of
being an ordained priesthood holder. But that was erroneous. Baptized boys and
girls, starting at the tender, accountable-age of eight years old, can access
the power of God through the Gift of the Holy Ghost. All covenant-keepers have
access to the power and authority of the omnipotent, omniscient Heavenly
Father. He is the source of all power and priesthood, and He is how all of us
are potentially lifted beyond our natural abilities. That privilege is not
gender-exclusive. It is simply worthy-exclusive. These blessings are vast
and awesome, and universally accessible from God the Father.
On
April 28, 1842, Joseph Smith spoke at a meeting of the Female Relief Society of
Nauvoo. Part of his discourse was based on the Apostle Paul’s teachings in 1
Corinthians about the gifts of the Spirit. (42) Joseph Smith emphasized
that “these signs, such as healing the sick, casting out devils, etc. should
follow all that believe.” (43) It has
also been written, “Because Latter-day Saint women (and men) have received the
gift of the Holy Ghost, they can seek and be blessed by spiritual gifts such as
the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of
tongues, and so forth.” (44)
Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that faithful men and women
are equally blessed with augmentation from God the Father. “Where spiritual
things are concerned, as pertaining to all of the gifts of the Spirit, with
reference to the receipt of revelation, the gaining of testimonies, and the
seeing of visions, in all matters that pertain to godliness and holiness and
which are brought to pass as a result of personal righteousness—in all these things men
and women stand in a position of absolute equality before the Lord. He is no
respecter of persons nor of sexes, and he blesses those men and those women who
seek him and serve him and keep his commandments.” (45)
This
would explain how mothers and fathers, Elder and Sister missionaries, Young Men
and Young Women leaders, Primary teachers, wives and husbands, girls and boys,
are enhanced by God the Father through the Holy Ghost.
In
recognizing communication with the Holy Ghost, we don’t want to miss that the
wellspring is the endless, boundless power or priesthood of God the Father. Although
we correctly credit inspiration to the Spirit, we rarely “push” the Divine-gift
of revelation backwards a step to the true source of power. It is especially strengthening
to remember that we are “fueled” by the God of this Universe for these miracles
of inspiration, amplification, enhancement, and magnification beyond our human
ability. Our General Conferences, Sacrament meetings, and family conversations
are filled with experiences and examples of the Holy Ghost’s inspiration. It is
important to understand that our potential for magnification comes from our
most magnificent Heavenly Father. By framing it this way, we realize that this miracle of tapping into God’s
power has already been happening in our lives. Sister Reyna Aburto of the
General Relief Society Presidency said, “The truth is that we have already been
drawing upon God's power without knowing it, but maybe we just need to be more
intentional in (crediting Him in) our personal life and in our callings.” (46) To fully understand the
possibilities, we need to attribute this process to God and to His omnipotence
and omniscience.
Here
are a few modern-day examples of mankind being magnified with the power of God
through the Holy Ghost:
We
know that Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon by the power and authority
of God (47). A young adult with a third-grade education (48), took etchings of
ancient Reformed Egyptian (49) and with the powers of tongues and translation,
produced a book of scripture in English. This was work that was way beyond
Joseph’s educational and intellectual ability at the time and he could not have
accomplished it without the power of God through the Holy Ghost. And remember
that translation was done in large part before Joseph had been ordained to any
Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthood office. (50)
President
Thomas S. Monson told this story about being compelled by the Holy Ghost to
act: “I felt the unmistakable prompting to park my car and visit Ben and Emily,
even though I was on the way to a meeting…I approached the door to their home
and knocked. Emily answered. When she recognized me…she exclaimed, “All day
long I have waited for my phone to ring. It has been silent. I hoped that the
postman would deliver a letter. He brought only bills. Bishop, how did you know
today was my birthday?” I answered, “God knows, Emily, for He loves you.” (51) This story illustrates how God’s
knowledge and omniscience were evidenced through inspiration from the Holy Ghost
to President Monson. He did not know that it was Emily’s birthday, but God did.
Wilford
Woodruff had a similar experience where God’s knowledge of the future was given
to him in the form of a warning. "...an impression… came to him (Brother
Woodruff) in the night telling him to move his carriage and mules away from a
large tree. He did so, and his family and livestock were saved when the tree
crashed to the ground in a tornado that struck 30 minutes later." (52)
The
following experience that Elder Dallin H. Oaks shared is also illustrative. It
teaches that God knows the timing and the future needs (omniscience) of His
children and can inspire us with thoughts and ideas through the inspiration of
the Holy Ghost.
"I
had another choice experience with impelling revelation a few months after I
began my service at BYU. As a new and inexperienced president, I had many
problems to analyze and many decisions to reach…One day in October, I drove up
Provo Canyon to ponder a particular problem. Although alone and without any
interruption, I found myself unable to think of the problem at hand. Another
pending issue I was not yet ready to consider kept thrusting itself into my mind…After
ten or fifteen minutes of unsuccessful efforts to exclude thoughts of this
subject, I finally realized what was happening. The issue…did not seem timely
to me, and I was certainly not seeking any guidance on it, but the Spirit was
trying to communicate with me on that subject. I immediately turned my full
attention to that question and began to record my thoughts on a piece of paper.
Within a few minutes, I had recorded the details...Hurrying back to the campus,
I reviewed it with my colleagues and found them enthusiastic. A few days later
the Board of Trustees approved our (proposal) barely in time to make (it)
effective (for the next academic year)." (53)
Several
years ago, I was asked to prepare a Primary display for our new church
building's open house. I studied the Primary manuals for several weeks but was
still unsure on how to proceed in presenting our children’s ministry to the
community. One Friday night, my husband and I attended the Dallas Temple.
During that session, I felt like heaven opened up to me. I was immersed in a
series of ideas and even saw in mind the pieces of the display. I knew where to
focus and what to emphasize. I saw décor, execution and presentation, phrases,
and scriptures. I left the temple that evening, wrote down all that I had seen,
and then over the next weeks simply executed what had been shown to me in that
time of personal revelation. This was a powerful experience where God
inspired me in my preparations through ideas, scenes, and information given to
me by the Holy Ghost.
When
I was a young adult, I recall a Sunday where I was seated in a Sacrament
Meeting with my younger siblings. My brother Michael, who had a congenital
heart defect and had struggled through multiple life-threatening times in his
life, was very sick again. Sickness was not new in his fragile little body, and
our family had seen his life extended for years through many, many miracles.
During that church meeting, words came into my mind, "This time is going
to be different, Valerie. Michael will not get better." This was new
information that I had not sought out. I was surprised, yet comforted by the
message. As prophesied to me, he died a few weeks later. The Spirit had told
me, in advance, things that I did not know, but that God knew. I believe this
prophecy came to me so that I could prepare for the grief and loss.
These
examples are just a few that show a divine pattern-- access to God’s total
priesthood power is shared with us, His children, through the Holy Ghost. The
Holy Ghost magnifies and enhances our natural abilities to see and do and know.
The source for men and women is always God the Father, and the powerline is
always The Spirit. The Holy Ghost is the channel through which the Almighty
reveals Himself to men and women, and the way He works through us. This is an amazing and empowering doctrine.
