Live By Every Word (part two)

One of the most important revelations given on the spirit of revelation was given to Hyrum Smith (D&C 11).  It is very important to note that the Lord teaches at the end of that revelation, "Behold, I speak unto all who have good desires, and have thrust in their sicle to reap." (D&C 11:27)

 

Because we were also in the beginning the "Spirit of Truth" (D&C 93:23) and from the beginning (pre-earth life) so much of what the Lord has said unto one He can say to all.  Why?  Because we all came her for the same purposes - to cast out Satan and to help the Lord turn the earth into a Celestial Kingdom (D&C 88:17-20).  Yes, each one of us is different and we all have different talents and ways to use those talents, however, at the same time our ultimate goal is the same. 

 

Notice that Hyrum is told to put his trust in "That Spirit."

 

D&C  11:12-15
 12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good--yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
 13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;
 14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.

 

The reason that the Lord has to tell him to trust that Spirit is because everyone gets those feeling to do good, to do justly, to walk humbly and to judge righteously but they do not trust it and therefore they do not act upon that Spirit.  Here the Lord identifies "That Spirit" by saying, "THIS IS MY SPIRIT."

 

The Lord explains as in D&C 8:2 that this Spirit communicates to your mind and your soul/heart.  By using this Spirit the Lord can reveal "all things . . . pertaining unto things of righteousness." 

 

Elder Heber C. Kimball made his calling and election sure by trusting in this Spirit and writing down what this Spirit told him to write,

 

"My family having been gone about two months, during which time I heard nothing from them; our brethren being in prison; death and destruction following us everywhere we went; I felt very sorrowful and lonely. The following words came to my mind, and the Spirit said unto me, 'write,' which I did by taking a piece of paper and writing on my knee as follows: 
"FAR WEST, April 6th, 1839. 

"A word from the Spirit of the Lord to my servant, Heber C. Kimball: 
"Verily I say unto my servant Heber, thou art my son, in whom I am well pleased; for thou art careful to hearken to my words, and not transgress my law, nor rebel against my servant Joseph Smith, for thou hast a respect to the words of mine anointed, even from the least to the greatest of them; therefore thy name is written in heaven, no more to be blotted out for ever, because of these things; and this Spirit and blessing shall rest down upon thy posterity for ever and ever; for they shall be called after thy name, for thou shalt have many more sons and daughters, for thy seed shall be as numerous as the sands upon the sea shore; therefore, my servant Heber, be faithful, go forth in my name and I will go with you, and be on your right hand and on your left and my angels shall go before you and raise you up when you are cast down and afflicted; remember that I am always with you, even to the end, therefore be of good cheer, my son, and my spirit shall be in your heart to teach you the peaceable things of the kingdom. Trouble not thyself about thy family, for they are in my hands; I will feed them and clothe them and make unto them friends; they never shall want for food nor raiment, houses nor lands, fathers nor mothers; brothers nor sisters; and peace shall rest upon them forever; if thou wilt be faithful and go forth and preach my gospel to the nations of the earth; for thou shalt be blessed in this thing: thy tongue shall be unloosed to such a degree that has not entered into thy heart as yet, and the children of men shall believe thy words, and flock to the water, even as they did to my servant John; for thou shalt be great in winning souls to me, for this is thy gift and calling; and there shall be no gift withheld from thee, if thou art faithful. Therefore, be faithful, and I will give thee favor in the eyes of the people; be humble and kind and you shall obtain kindness; be merciful and you shall obtain mercy; and I will be with you even unto the end. Amen." 
   (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, p.241-242) (emphasis added)

 

This revelation came to him on one of the worst days of his life.  Joseph Smith was in Liberty Jail, Brigham Young was in Illinois trying to get the saints settled there because they were being driven out of Missouri.  It was Heber C. Kimball's responsibilty to get the rest of the saints out of Missouri.  It was cold the weather was bad and he had not seen nor heard from his family for over two months.  He had put them in a wagon and sent them out of Missouri with no place to go.  He had no idea if they were alive, had a roof over their heads, or had clothing or health, etc.  It was under these circumstances that this Spirit spoke to him. 

 

I ask, what if he had not trusted that Spirit and did not write down what it said?  How often does this happen to many of this world who do not trust that Spirit, what great blessings are they missing?

 

These are important revelations to help guide us through our foreordained missions.