The Gift Who Guides

“The constant companionship of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest spiritual gifts Latter-day Saints enjoy.” This is the tagline for Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s address, “Promptings of the Spirit”, given at the October 2023 General Conference.

I’ve talked about Patriarchal Blessings and the gifts promised in them. In my Patriarchal Blessing, it says the following, “Seek the guidance of the holy spirit and as you keep the commandments the Holy Ghost will be a companion and guide and will direct your paths and will lead you along those ways that will bring you success and joy.” The gifts are promised if we will put in the work. Notice that my blessing says “Seek the guidance of”, not “You have the guidance of”. Elder Stevenson puts it this way, “It is important to remember that a gift alone does not a master make.” Later he says, “Exercising spiritual gifts requires spiritual exercise.” How do we exercise spiritually?

Keys to Promptings

“Promptings of the Spirit are very personal and come in different ways.” I know from my experience that the promptings are different based on the scenario. Sometimes, I get a prompting that I feel throughout my body. Other times, it is a still small voice or feeling (more on those later) that could be missed if I’m not paying attention. In order to strengthen the ability to receive promptings, there are four keys that Elder Stevenson gives.

Stand in Holy Places

The first key Elder Stevenson gives is to stand in holy places. Two of the places he lists as most sacred are the temple and the home. I know that it is in our home where I have the best chance of bringing the spirit. It is also the best chance I have for receiving promptings. This is the place where I study the word of God, where my prayers are most frequent, and where I try to live my best life as a husband, father, and child of God.

Stand with Holy People

The second key is to stand with holy people. This was firmly rooted into me on my mission. My father did not join the church when my mother did and consequently, but not regretfully, I did not have a father raising me in the gospel. Instead, I had to rely on other father figures for gospel teaching. One person who was a great influence and example to me was my mission president.

President Zwick had no idea who I was when I arrived at the Chile, Santiago South mission. This was due to some circumstances with my original assignment to Bolivia. In 1989, there wasn’t the same communication we have today with the internet, so I arrived and they didn’t have any information about me. That didn’t matter. From day one, I was treated as a son and felt his love and concern for me. I wanted to be someone who was like him and be a spiritual giant.

Several years after my mission, President Zwick was assigned to participate in the reorganization of the stake I lived in. When a reorganization happens, the visiting authorities have a packed schedule. I asked if my family could have five to 10 minutes with President Zwick to meet this man who meant so much to me. Through the diligence of the stake clerk, we had that opportunity. I will never forget the spirit that was in that room and how much it meant to stand with a holy person.

Testify of Holy Truths

The third key is to testify of holy truths. As I write this, it is Fast Sunday. It is a time when members of the church can bear testimonies to the truthfulness of the gospel. I was prompted today to share my testimony. I was prompted to share my experiences with the Holy Ghost and how I know that He is a guide in our lives.

One of the keys to bringing the spirit into our home is by testifying of truths whenever possible. One of my goals as a parent has been to always be ready for a teaching moment. This also means being ready for a testifying moment. I have had the opportunity to testify to my children about the truths of the gospel and felt the spirit in the room.

Finally, we have been blessed to have wonderful missionaries in our ward. Every time they visit, they bring the spirit. This spirit has been felt by my children and they do not argue about coming in and listening when those missionaries are over.

Listen to the Holy Spirit

The last key is to listen to the Holy Spirit. I said earlier that I have learned that the Holy Ghost can speak with a “still, small voice” or through a small feeling. The example may seem trivial, but it is a key to strengthening my companionship with the Holy Ghost.

For everyday trips, like going to Costco, I usually take the same route. I would say 99 out of 100 times, I can go the route without anything happening. However, every so often, there comes a moment when I am prompted to take an alternate route. I never know why that is, but I listen to that prompting and always take the alternate route. I never regret the decision, even if I know it will add time to my trip. I also never wonder what would have happened if I had gone the normal route.

I believe that there are two reasons for these promptings. The first, and most obvious, is that going the normal route will lead to danger. The second, and something I have learned over time, is that it is a test. Abraham was told that God created this earth to “prove [us] herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command [us].” I believe that sometimes we get promptings to test us and see if we will follow them. The promptings will never lead us astray but can test our faithfulness.

Validate the Prompting

One of the things I love about the gospel plan is that we can find out for ourselves if the promptings are right. Elder Stevenson gives us another set of keys for validating what we have been prompted to do:

1. Confirm your spiritual impressions – Does the impression align with the gospel of Jesus Christ as revealed to us by the prophets and scriptures?
2. Be certain that the feelings you receive are consistent with your assignment – We never get impressions for others where we haven’t been given stewardship. This means that I can only receive an impression for someone in my current calling.
3. Spiritual matters cannot be forced – we cannot force the spirit to give us inspiration, or impressions.
4. Use your own best judgment – if we do not receive an impression, we must keep in line with our knowledge of the gospel and act according to the truths we have learned.

Conclusion

I started this post with a quote from my Patriarchal Blessing. I’m ending it with another quote, “Seek every good gift and you have the promise, through your obedience, of eternal life, the greatest of all of God’s gifts.” One of those “good gift[s]” is the gift of the Holy Ghost. But as with all gifts, we must exercise to hone it and make it stronger. We can do this through standing in holy places and with holy people, testifying of the truths of the gospel, and not only listening to but following the promptings of the Holy Ghost.