Step 11: Personal Revelation

KEY PRINCIPLE: Seek through prayer and meditation to know the Lord’s will and to have the power to carry it out.

DRAW NEAR TO THE LORD

“Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (D&C 88:63).

• The Lord respects your will and your agency. He allows you to choose to approach Him without compulsion. He draws near to you when you invite Him to be near. Write about how you will draw near to Him today.

GRATITUDE

“Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. Quench not the Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 5:17–19).

• When you remember to be grateful for everything in your life, even the things you don’t understand, you will be able to maintain the continual contact with God that Paul called praying “without ceasing.” Try to thank God throughout the day. How does this practice affect your closeness to the Spirit?

FEAST ON THE WORDS OF CHRIST

“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 32:3).

• In this verse, Nephi taught that when you feast on the words of Christ, these words will guide you in all you need to know and do. Picture how it would be to have Jesus Christ walk and talk with you all day long. Write about the feelings you have when you meditate on this image.

PERSONAL REVELATION

“The Savior said ‘I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost’ (D&C 8:2, emphasis added). . . . An impression to the mind is very specific. Detailed words can be heard or felt and written as though the instructions were being dictated. A communication to the heart is a more general impression” (Richard G. Scott, “Helping Others to Be Spiritually Led,” Doctrine and Covenants and Church history symposium, August 11, 1998, 2).

• As your understanding of personal revelation increases, you will recognize it more often and in a greater variety of ways. Write about how you have experienced impressions and revelations from the Lord.

“I say unto you [these things whereof I have spoken] are made known unto me by the Holy Spirit of God. Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of revelation which is in me” (Alma 5:46).

• Alma testified that when he prayed and fasted, his ability to receive revelation increased. Abstinence from your addiction can be considered a form of fasting. Write about how abstaining has increased your ability to have the spirit of revelation.

“The idea that scripture reading can lead to inspiration and revelation opens the door to the truth that a scripture is not limited to what it meant when it was written but may also include what that scripture means to a reader today. Even more, scripture reading may also lead to current revelation on whatever else the Lord wishes to communicate to the reader at that time. We do not overstate the point when we say that the scriptures can be a Urim and Thummim to assist each of us to receive personal revelation” (Dallin H. Oaks, “Scripture Reading and Revelation,” Ensign, Jan. 1995, 8).

• Learning the language of the scriptures is a lot like learning a foreign language. The best way to learn is to immerse yourself in them, to read and study them every day. Write about a passage of scripture that has opened up to you and become a personal revelation to you.

RECEIVING COUNSEL FROM THE LORD

“Seek not to counsel the Lord, but to take counsel from his hand. For behold, ye yourselves know that he counseleth in wisdom, and in justice, and in great mercy, over all his works” (Jacob 4:10).

• Our prayers may have been ineffective in the past because we spent more time counseling the Lord—telling Him what we wanted—than seeking His will about our decisions and conduct. Think of a recent experience with prayer. Was it full of counsel to the Lord or from the Lord? Write about your willingness to listen for and receive His counsel to you.