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. 

 

 

Live By Every Word (part one)

As the Lord began the process of the restoration it became important that these new young elders know how the spirit of revelation worked.  The Lord begins with Oliver Cowdery by explaining the process of revelation.

D&C  6:14-24
 14 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.
 15 Behold, thou knowest that thou hast inquired of me and I did enlighten thy mind; and now I tell thee these things that thou mayest know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth;
 16 Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.
 17 I tell thee these things as a witness unto thee--that the words or the work which thou hast been writing are true.
 18 Therefore be diligent; stand by my servant Joseph, faithfully, in whatsoever difficult circumstances he may be for the word's sake.
 19 Admonish him in his faults, and also receive admonition of him. Be patient; be sober; be temperate; have patience, faith, hope and charity.
 20 Behold, thou art Oliver, and I have spoken unto thee because of thy desires; therefore treasure up these words in thy heart. Be faithful and diligent in keeping the commandments of God, and I will encircle thee in the arms of my love.
 21 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the same that came unto mine own, and mine own received me not. I am the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.
 22 Verily, verily, I say unto you, if you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night that you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know concerning the truth of these things.
 23 Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have than from God?
 24 And now, behold, you have received a witness; for if I have told you things which no man knoweth have you not received a witness?

It is important that it be remembered that this revelation was given by the Spirit to the Prophet Joseph Smith who is dictating it to Oliver who is writing down the words.  Therefore, when it comes through Joseph Smith revealing the time that Oliver had peace spoken to him (that only he and the Lord knew about) he then realizes that Joseph Smith is a conduit of the Spirit which is a sign to Oliver that the work is true.  It is important to note that the Lord uses the word "instruction" in verse 14.  He doesn't give yes and no answers but instead he give experiences which instruct and which allows the receiver to come to correct conclusions. 

Then again Oliver is given another revelation where the Lord explains the revelatory process:

D&C  8:2-3
 2 Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
 3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground. 

We are taught in the Law of Moses that in the mouth of two or more witnesses every truth will be established.  Notice that the Lord has two places in our body that receives revelation - our heart and our mind.  The two must be in agreement with each other to establish the truth of the revelation.  Sometimes the feeling in the heart is also called a burning of the bosom:

D&C  9:7-9
 7 Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me.
 8 But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.
 9 But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a stupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is sacred save it be given you from me.

 

Notice that much of revelation deals with "feelings."   That is very important.  One must learn to know when the spirit is present and when it is confirming an answer by the feelings one receives. 

As in the D&C 6:14-24 revelation - speaking peace to ones mind is a feeling. 

Merry Christmas

http://www.youtube.com/user/mormon?v=9Wxixc0KI58

The Prophet Brigham Young On Progression

I wish to notice this. We read in the Bible, that there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars. In the Book of Doctrine and Covenants, these glories are called telestial, terrestrial, and celestial, which is the highest. These are worlds, different departments, or mansions, in our Father's house. Now those men, or those women, who know no more about the power of God, and the influences of the Holy Spirit, than to be led entirely by another person, suspending their own understanding, and pinning their faith upon another's sleeve, will never be capable of entering into the celestial glory, to be crowned as they anticipate; they will never be capable of becoming Gods. They cannot rule themselves, to say nothing of ruling others, but they must be dictated to in every trifle, like a child. They cannot control themselves in the least, but James, Peter, or somebody else must control them, They never can become Gods, nor be crowned as rulers with glory, immortality, and eternal lives. They never can hold sceptres of glory, majesty, and power in the celestial kingdom. Who will? Those who are valiant and inspired with the true independence of heaven, who will go forth boldly in the service of their God, leaving others to do as they please, determined to do right, though all mankind besides should take the opposite course. Will this apply to any of you? Your own hearts can answer. Do you know what is right and just, as well as I do? In some things you do, and in some things you may not know as well; but I will explain what I mean, in the following words-I will do all the good I can, and all I know how to do, and I will shun every evil that I know to be an evil. You can all do that much. I will apply my heart to wisdom, and ask the Lord to impart it to me; and if I know but little, I will improve upon it, that to-morrow I may have more, and thus grow from day to day, in the knowledge of the truth, as Jesus Christ grew in stature and knowledge from a babe to manhood; and if I am not now capable of judging for myself, perhaps I shall be in another year. We are organized to progress in the scale of intelligence, and the least Saint by adhering strictly to the order of God, may attain to a full and complete salvation through the grace of God, by his own faithfulness.    
            (Journal of Discourses, 26 vols., 1:, p.313)

The Nobility of Man

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Speaker John Boehner is working against fiscal responsiblity

The Purge of Conservatives!  Several tea party conservative U.S. House members have been removed from their respective powerful committees by Speaker John Boehner, in a move that is being called "vindictive" by some members. It is no surprise Boehner made this move against these anti-tax crusaders, seeing as he just offered the President $800 billion in new revenue (aka tax hikes) in his fiscal cliff counter offer. The members who were pulled from their committees were Kansas Republican Rep. Tim Huelskamp, Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash and Arizona Republican Rep. David Schweikert. All three were on either the Budget or Financial Services Committees, each with lots of power in fiscal matters. These conservatives are some of the boldest in the House of Representatives, and Speaker Boehner's decision to remove these men from their posts is a sign of hostility toward fiscal conservatism. These members of Congress were elected to hold firm to their principles of fiscal responsibility and low taxes and they are showing courage by not backing down to the Speaker and his latest $800 billion tax hike! Friends, the establishment of the Republican Party does not welcome tea party conservatives. This report of conservative committee purging comes on the heels of the Republican's counter-offer budget to the President that included a whole host of new taxes. The conservative wave of 2010, and the reelection of a conservative U.S. House this November was not a fluke and the people DEMAND better! The Contract From America was created so that selfish politicians would be held accountable to conservative principles. We salute Representatives Huelskamp, Amash and Schweikert, and thank them for standing up for the same convictions that have made this Contract so strong! So far the backlash to the Speaker's move has been harsh, and the chorus of discontent among conservatives is growing! For that we want to thank you, and hope you keep speaking out against the establishment. We will be right there alongside you every step of the way! In Freedom,  Contract From America Team

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