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.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.