Personal Revelation Pt.4--Desire and Preparation

Alright, sorry, its been a brace of fortnights since I've updated this blog, I think. Anyway, I was talking about revelation, why its important, etc. Today I wanted to talk a little bit about how to prepare oneself to receive personal revelation.

First of all, one must desire to receive divine direction. Revelation is serious information, and it will always relate to your personal salvation or exaltation, for "I say unto you that all things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a law which was temporal..." (D&C 29:34). So if you really want an answer from God....you gotta really want it. I love the example of Enos in the Book of Mormon. He is one of my favorite characters in all of scripture because he is a man who realized that something was missing in his life. He recognized that something just wasn't quite right, and he decided to consult with the Lord and change it. But Enos did not just casually offer a trite, offhand prayer. He didn't assume that the Lord would reward a mediocre effort with an astounding solution to his problem.

His soul hungered.

"And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." (Enos 1:4)

Earlier in the chapter, Enos tells us that he had a "wrestle" with the Lord. If we really want to receive answers to our prayers, we have to be willing to sweat a little bit. We have to be willing to get a little uncomfortable. We can't wrap ourselves up in a protective covering of half-truths when we talk with God. We must go to Him with our souls bared, in complete honesty and humility. And we need to wrestle for the answer.

"Prayer is so essential a part of revelation that without it the veil may remain closed to you. Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees....Prayer is your personal key to heaven. The lock is on your side of the veil." (Boyd K. Packer, Oct. 1994).

So desire is step #1.

Next is preparation. And it starts with worthiness. A person cannot receive revelation without first being clean. Thankfully, we have the Atonement of Jesus Christ in order to repent of our sins and become clean by making and keeping our baptismal covenants. But in order to have the constant companionship of the Spirit, we have to live worthy of our covenants. I have noticed in my own life that when I am being exactly obedient to the commandments (Word of Wisdom, chastity, tithing, daily scripture study, frequent prayer, church attendance, etc.) I am exponentially more sensitive to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. And the Spirit is the medium by which our prayers are most often answered. So in short, if you want to receive an answer, repent.

Another thing one must do to prepare himself for revelation is to study and ponder. When Nephi desired to have the vision of the tree of life explained to him, he knew that he needed to do his homework beforehand. "For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord..." (1 Nephi 11:1).

The incredible vision of the degrees of glory that was given to Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon did not come until after much study and prayer. "And while we meditated upon these things, the Lord touched the eyes of our understandings and they were opened." (D&C 76:19).

And once again, when Oliver Cowdery failed to receive the spiritual gift that he was seeking, the Lord bluntly told him, "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. 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" (D&C 9:7-8).

To sum up, I would like to bear my testimony that the Lord recognizes and honors the efforts of those who prepare themselves to receive answers to their prayers. I have made the mistake in my life of offering quick, cheap prayers that have had no previous preparation. They usually never work. I have learned that as I put in my own sweat and bookwork beforehand, the experience of searching is a lot more....well, spiritual. I know that as you and I desire revelation and prepare ourselves to receive it, Heavenly Father will give it to us. "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened." (Matthew 7:7-8).

Personal Revelation Pt. 3: What is it and why do we need it?

Jesus Christ taught us in His Intersessory Prayer that, "this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." (John 17:3)

Joseph Smith the prophet taught us that "the first principle of revealed religion is to know the character of God."

We need to understand the character of God in order to become like Him. But how can we know our Father? How can we really find out who He is? How do we know what He wants for us? How can we know what His voice sounds like?

Jacob of the Book of Mormon taught us that "no man knoweth of his ways save it were revealed unto him" (Jacob 4:8). Just as prayer is "the appointed means for obtaining the highest of blessings," and is the way that we (as children of God) communicate to our Father, revelation is "the communication from God to His children." (Bible Dictionary). We receive revelation in many different ways and is often very personal, but it is always necessary to know spiritual truth.

Revelation is indespensible to spiritual progression. Without it, we can never know of spiritual truths, nor can we know who our Father is. So it becomes our duty to develop a relationship with Him through prayer. In my own experience, I was not sure of what my Father wanted for me because I had not yet developed a relationship with Him. I didn't understand Him because I hadn't spent time with Him. But, "If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal" (D&C 42:61).

So the first thing I learned from my experience with personal revelation, and the point of this post, is that we need to first spend time with our Heavenly Father before we expect great truths to be given to us. And my exhortation to anyone reading this blog is to pray. Pray your soul out, and seek for a testimony to be given to you from the Holy Ghost, because "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost" (1 Corinthians 12:3). Be like Peter, who said to Jesus, "thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God." He received this testimony not by intellectual guesswork, but by pure, uncontaminated truth from heaven. "Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 16:16-17).

It is my testimony that we all can receive spiritual confirmation of Gospel truths, and that we all can be brought to a knowledge of the divine Sonship of our Savior Jesus Christ. And I know for a fact that time spent in prayer is sacred and is essential. I testify that as we spend time with our Father, He will commune with us, for "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power" (Ephesians 1:17-19). God lives. He loves us. He will speak to us.

Personal Revelation Pt. 2: The Story

To start out, I think I'm just going to give a basic outline of the story without a whole lot of details. After I show the basic story, I'm gonna go back through and pick specific instances where I learned, grew, or anywhere I can point out the doctrines of the Gospel. Those will be followed up on in further posts. But today is going to be the fast version of the story. So stay tuned! Here it is:

When I was a junior in high school, I first got interested in going to the United States Naval Academy when I got an email for a summer program called Summer Seminar. I had gotten lots of letters from different universities to come to their summer programs and I knew that I wanted to go to one of them. The one at USNA was the cheapest.

So I went.

I had fun, I liked it, and I kept the option in mind when it came time to start applying to colleges for real. I was very interested in being in the military, but I wasn't sure if I wanted to go to a service academy or if I just wanted to go through the ROTC program at a civilian school. After weighing out all my options, I came up with two choices of where to go: 1) USNA and 2) University of Utah, NROTC Nursing Option.

I applied to both. I got into both. I was very divided on the subject and I felt very confused. They were both good options, they both had their pros and their cons, and I really couldn't decide which choice to make. I struggled with it for quite some time. My mother reminded me that a decision like this would definitely need to be prayed over (thanks, Mom, for always giving great advice!).

So I started to pray over the question. Rather, I started to say prayers. I say that I was saying prayers, because honestly, I'm not sure if I had ever really prayed for an answer to anything up until that point and I didn't really know how to do it. I just couldn't seem to find my answer. I didn't really feel anything when I was praying.

A little shaken by that, I took the question to my bishop. I set up an interview and laid out the situation to him, asking him for advice on what I should do. I asked him if it even mattered to the Lord where I went, or if He just wanted me to be a good boy and keep the commandments regardless of the school I attended. I asked him if my answer was that I could choose. Bishop Elsbury looked at me and told me, "That is a answer...." and he stopped for a few seconds. Then he said, "But that is not your answer. I don't know what your answer is, but I know that the Lord has something specific in mind for you, and that He wants you to wrestle Him for it."

That statement struck my heart and I think at that moment I finally understood that I really needed to pray seriously. One Saturday morning, I decided to really put in the effort to find my answer.

I took with me all the pamphlets, brochures, books, emails, letters, etc. that I had received from both colleges and my scriptures into my bedroom and closed the door. I was alone. It was just me and God. And we wrestled. 

I prayed. I read the scriptures. I prayed. I reviewed the letters, pamphlets, etc. I prayed. I made a pro/con list. I prayed. I reviewed the materials again. I prayed. I pondered. I prayed. I weighed the options in my mind. I prayed. I prayed. I prayed.

Hours later, at a point where my spirit literally felt exhausted and the edge of my bed was soaked in tears, I received my answer. It was not a voice, nor was it a sign or a vision. It was nothing more than a feeling. But it was a feeling that penetrated my soul and left me with a SURE answer to my question. I can't explain the feeling, but I know that I received it. And these were the words that I felt, "I need to go to the Naval Academy for the purpose of missionary work."

I was filled with joy and the Spirit, and I knew that I had finally found my answer. I poured out my soul in gratitude for the following hour and just let the feeling rest on me, soaking in the Spirit that I had felt. It was a pivotal moment in my life, an experience I will never forget.

Now, in the following posts, I will explain what I learned about personal revelation from this experience. But I want to bear my testimony that Heavenly Father does answer prayers. He talks to His children. I know because I have talked to Him; not face to face, but spirit to Spirit. And the witness from the Holy Ghost that I received is stronger than I could have receive by sight. He lives. He loves us. And He listens to us.

Personal Revelation

So...sorry everybody for not following up on my plans to write about happiness. Our area has been super busy this transfer and we have hardly even had time to get online, much less do a blog. Sorry for the whole delay. And....I'm going to change the subject. Don't worry, I will address the subject of happiness mas adelante, pero I want to talk about something that has recently come up in my life that has truly affected my perseption about personal revelation. Normally, I don't like to use stories of my life as examples of principles of the Gospel, but I feel that the experience I have had needs to be shared with others, and I feel the Spirit prompting me to do so. I share this story with permission (hehe).

I hope that in this blog and in some of the following, I will be able to explain a little bit of my thoughts and observations on the subject of revelation using a story that is a bit complicated and lengthy. As such, I will be doing many short posts, because blogs take time and, quite frankly, I don't have that much to spare. Please be patient as I continue to unfold the case of Hatch v. USNA.

For those who don't know, I attended the United States Naval Academy for two years prior to my service as a missionary. The plan was to go there for two years, take two year interim as a missionary for my Lord Jesus Christ, and then return to USNA and finish my schooling and training, and then entering the United States Navy or Marine Corps. That plan has now changed, but before I explain that part, I feel that I should first explain why I went to USNA in the first place. However....I am now out of time. Please stay tuned for the next part of Hatch v. USNA.

The Joy of Christ: Part 1

We kind of have a running joke in my family that has to do with one of the questions that Mom would always ask us. As teenagers, this question usually caused us to cringe and feel a little awkward, because we were never really sure how to answer it. We would usually try to brush it off with a terse, general answer and try to move on to another subject. The question that caused such pain to us was this:

"Are you happy?"

For some reason I never wanted to answer that question. I didn't want to analyze myself, and I never really knew what to say. But this question has been on my mind frequently lately, and it has led me into other questions such as these:

What is happiness? How do we cultivate it? Where does it come from? How do we know when we are happy and when we aren't? How do we help others become happy? How do we maintain happiness?

All these questions and many more have made me want to study this topic in depth, so I have decided to have a continuous blog that deals with the subject of happiness. Hopefully as I do this, I will understand a little bit more about it and finally be able to answer my mother's question: Are you happy?

Two Santa Rosa Missionaries!

A Sweet Message From Elders Volavola and Harrison of the Santa Rosa Mission!

Today's Verb: Reform

2 Kings 22-23

From the very beginning of his reign in Judah, King Josiah was an exceptional man. Having inherited a kingdom that was saturated with wickedness and idolatry, he he was able to detach himself from the false traditions of his fathers and discover his own pearl of great price: the commandments of Jehovah, the God of Israel.

He was made king at a very young age, having known nothing else than the disgusting idol worship that had seized the hearts of many in Judah; but recognizing the depraved immorality of these practices, Josiah strove to free himself and his people from this slavery of idol worship, to come away from these atrocities that had made many of his people debtors of the devil.

But how was he to initiate this planned reformation? So abysmal was the debauchery in Judah that the word of the Lord (the Holy Scriptures) had been lost, not only physically, but materially as well. The law had been lost, from their hands as well as their minds. It seemed that no matter how desirous Josiah was to realign his kingdom to the worship of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, it would be ultimately impossible. All hope seemed to be lost.

But from the following miracle we may derive this one important fact: God provides for those that desire to follow Him. While repairing the temple, the high priest Hilkiah was blessed to find a copy of the laws of Moses. The scriptures had been recovered. Josiah immediately commanded his servant to read to him all of the book. Though anciently given, the words were new to the ears of Josiah. So great was his anguish at learning of exactly how far away his people had moved from the Lord, Josiah rent his clothes, culturally demonstrating his sorrow and saying, "for great is the wrath of the Lord that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not hearkened unto the words of this book, to do according unto all that which is written concerning us" (2 Kings 22:13). Filled with new-found conviction (and divine direction), Josiah commanded the law to be read to all of his people and caused that they all be put under covenant to serve the only true and living God.

"And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, to walk after the Lord, and to keep his commandments and his testimonies and his statutes with all their heart and all their soul, to perform the words of this covenant that were written in this book. And all the people stood to the covenant."

"And the king commanded Hilkiah the high priest, and the priests of the second order, and the keepers of the door, to bring forth out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, and for the grove, and for all the host of heaven: and he burned them without Jerusalem in the fields of Kidron, and carried the ashes of them unto Beth-el." (2 Kings 23:3-4)

We are all children of God. Our inheritance and potential is as great as His. He has given us His law, His commandments, and His guidance. But He has also given to us our agency. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil..." (2 Nephi 2:27). The message of Josiah is one of the moral courage to reform. Wickedness surrounds us. The devil attacks us constantly. Although his "mighty winds" and "fiery darts" may appear overwhelming, they at no point can ever overpower us. All we have to do is grab onto the rod of iron with all our might (read and follow the scriptures), and continue forward.We must come out of Babylon. We must forsake the idols that we have built up unto ourselves and that have taken the place of the emblems of the Lord in His temple (ourselves). We must de-junk our spiritual lives. We must worship the one true God of Israel.