Just Giving A Talk today....

April 19^th, 2015 Sacrament Meeting Talk: Continuous Revelation

Good morning!

My name is Danet Peterson. My husband, Danny, my son Joshua and I moved into this ward about two months ago—it really doesn’t feel like it’s even been that long! We are so grateful to be a part of this ward and look forward to getting to know more of you. Since I’m speaking first, I’ll give you a little background on the two of us: we met in an ASU single’s ward in the fall of 2010. We knew each other, and associated on social media and through church activities, but didn’t begin dating until November that year. We actually began our love story as we waited for tithing settlement appointments.

 I was prompted to sit by him and talk to him, and being the out-going and social butterfly I was, I quickly and without too much question heeded that prompting. I’m so glad I did!  After essentially inviting myself to his apartment, where I cooked dinner for us (out of craving to cook something after being in the dorms without a kitchen for so long—those of you who know me well now know that I LOVE food)—but after that, he asked me on a date. I was busy, and couldn’t go on a date with him until the following week after finals, choir concerts, etc. had concluded.

The next Sunday, a week after we had officially “met” at tithing settlement, I needed a ride out to my family’s home in Gilbert. Danny volunteered to drive me, since it was on the way to his family get together that Sunday evening in Queen Creek. As he waited in the car to pick me up, he has since told me that he felt impressed to ask if I would like to join them for family dinner that evening. I felt like it would be a little unorthodox to meet his parents before we’d even been on a real date, but decided to go with it. It felt like the right thing to do.

How grateful we BOTH are that we heeded the promptings we could have easily dismissed as trivial and silly thoughts that didn’t merit being acted upon. That Sunday night’s CRAZY family dinner was the first evening I began to fall in love with the man sitting behind me, and I haven’t stopped falling for him ever since.

We will have been married 4 years this coming May, and have an adorable little boy, Joshua Timothy, who is currently in the “adjustment phase” of nursery time. For those who have or have had nursery age children, this is the period of time when your child cries, A LOT, but is perfectly fine as soon as you are in room with them. Joshua has been a light in our lives every day and we each look forward to the new things he is learning to do on a daily basis.

My husband and I have been asked to speak on the topic of continuing revelation, as it was addressed in a talk given last October by President Henry B Eyring in General Conference.  I tend to be the more talkative one in our relationship, so I’ll do my best to leave him some time. If you hear a toddler randomly crying “momma!” in the halls or chapel, then that would be Joshua. Separation anxiety is a real thing in our house.

I would like to focus specifically on how revelation can and should be continuous for each of us on an individual basis, in relation to our personal choices in life and our roles in our families.  

In his talk last October, Elder Eyring said the following early on in his address,

“Human judgment and logical thinking will NOT be enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. We need revelation from God.”

I will be the first to admit that I usually look for a logical and concrete solution to the problems I’ve had in life. But the times I have been more fully blessed and inspired have been the times when, though perhaps grudgingly, I heeded the promptings which were given to me. I would like to talk on two points: first, being continuously prepared to receive personal revelation and second, acting regularly on the revelation we receive.

In order to receive continuous revelation in our lives, we must constantly be ready and willing to receive it. Doctrine and Covenants Section 8, vs 2-6 reads,

“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.

 4 Therefore this is thy gift; apply unto it, and blessed art thou, for it shall deliver you out of the hands of your enemies, when, if it were not so, they would slay you and bring your soul to destruction.

 5 Oh, remember these words, and keep my commandments. Remember, this is your gift.”

In these 5 verses, the word, “gift” is used twice. In the whole section, it is actually used 7 times. I feel like this is an important point because a gift implies both something that is equally available to all of us from our heavenly father, but that must be both given and received in correct circumstances.

Each baptized member of the church has been given the gift of the Holy Ghost. It is a gift we may ALWAYS have to be with us, if we fulfill our part in the baptismal covenant—to keep his commandments, to take his name upon us, and to endure to the end. The Holy Ghost knows the truth of all things and will communicate with us constantly if we are worthy.

In regards to personal revelation, I feel it’s important to point out that in physically and spiritually dangerous circumstances, the Spirit will ALWAYS make an attempt to prompt us. Whether we listen in the moment is up to us. However, I believe that the volume of his whispers will be more apparent in our lives, no matter the situation or decision we face, if we are striving to be in tune with gospel teachings, following the commandments, and seeking to individually invite the spirit into our lives.

We can ensure the presence of the Spirit in our lives by doing the things we know and hear as the primary answers. Having been a primary teacher for a few years recently, I can testify to you that those answers—pray, read our scriptures, church and temple attendance—are all we need to be more receptive to the promptings of the spirit.

I’ve been reading in the book of Nephi for the last month or so, and one of the chapters that comes to mind in light of this talk is the time Nephi recounts his experience with striving to know the meaning of his father, Lehi’s dream about the tree of life. In the multiple chapters, the angel asks Nephi, “Behold, what desirest thou?”

Nephi’s account then describes how he asked the angel of the Lord to show him the meaning of all the things which were a part of the dream of the tree of life. Before this vision occurred, however, Nephi states that he “sat pondering.”

This is a difficult state for me and for many of us in today’s busy world. To ponder means to be engaged in quiet reflection, purposefully seeking and listening for the whisperings of the Spirit.

Pondering is how we can, as President Packer has stated, “See, hear, and feel to [receive]…revelation.” He also explains that “our spirits learn in a different way than” our minds. The easiest way to bridge the gap between how our minds learn and how our spirits learn is by utilizing prayer in our everyday lives.

President Packer also said in his talk on personal revelation, “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.” This brings to my mind the image of the Savior knocking on the door, only there is no door knob on the outside. It’s up to us to invite the Spirit and by extension, the Savior into our lives and homes.

One place that it is particularly important that we spend time is right here in our church meetings, where we can regularly participate in the ordinance of the sacrament and renew our covenants with the Father. But equally important is attendance in the temple. The temple is where prophets of old and prophets today go to receive the guidance of the Lord. Inside the holy walls of the temple, or as in olden days, on top of a high mountain, is where the Spirit of the Lord is most free to instruct us and guide us.

Throughout our dating experience, Danny and I strove to attend the temple together and do baptisms for the dead on a regular basis. That habit was something that enabled both of us to receive personal confirmation by the witness of the Spirit that we were making a righteous decision in choosing to get married. During our sealing ceremony, we were counseled, as many of us are, to return often to the temple, both on a regular basis and as need permitted.

I have struggled immensely with depression in the last year or so, but have come to learn it’s something I’ve struggled with most of my adult life so far. The biggest shield I have against the dark whisperings of the adversary is personal revelation received in the temple during some of my darkest moments. The interesting thing about personal revelation is that it’s always changing based on our circumstances. A verse of scripture that stuck with me one day during a particular moment may not be the same verse I need to see on a different difficult day. And some days are not difficult-on the easier days; I have to remind myself to continue to work on my faith, so that it is stronger than it was before.

As we pray and study the gospel on a daily basis, we will build up a wall molded and shaped by faith and our testimony of the basic truths in the scriptures. President Packer said this of revelation as it pertains to faith, “The flow of revelation depends on your faith…Be believing and your faith will be constantly replenished, your knowledge of the truth increased, and your testimony of the Redeemer, of the Resurrection, of the Restoration will be as “a well of living water, springing up unto everlasting life.”  You may then receive guidance on practical decisions in everyday life.”  

When I attended EFY as a youth, one of the songs on the EFY Music CD that we were sent home with was titled, “Live Like You Believe.” Not Live and Believe, or Simply, Believe, but to Life LIKE you believe, even if it doesn’t feel like you can.

I tend to doubt the promptings that are given to me—I always wonder if logically they are really promptings, or just simply the desires of my heart being made into thoughts by my brain. We are not THAT intelligent brothers and sisters, nor should we doubt the Spirit of the Lord who speaks only TRUTH.  One of my goals in life is to learn to simply accept the guidance of the Spirit, especially when I have sought and struggled to find an answer before said guidance comes.

One final thought: In the scriptures we hear it said many times that “faith without works is dead.” I would alter this statement: “Personal revelation without works is dead.” The Spirit can only speak to us if we are worthy. If we are worthy and hear the prompting of the spirit, but choose to ignore it, as agency allows us to do, the consequence is that the Spirit will withdraw. In order to always have the Spirit with us, we must both heed and act upon the promptings we receive. The more regularly that we act on the promptings we are given and act quickly, the more often we will come to recognize instances of personal revelation in our lives and the more blessed we will become.

I testify to you that the simple act of striving to believe, to do the simple primary answers-- pray, read the scriptures, attend church meetings and the temple regularly—will then lead you to being worthy of having the spirit with you always.

As President Packer said in his talk years ago, “We must face life “led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which [we] should do,” 38 just as Nephi did.”

I know that my Redeemer lives. I know he loves each and every one of us. I know that the gospel was restored by the prophet Joseph Smith and that the ordinances of the gospel enable us to live with our families forever. I have a testimony of the power of prayer and the power of priesthood blessings. I know that I have room for improvement in accepting and acting fully on the personal revelation I receive in my life, but I am trying to improve and that is the best any of us can do. I love my husband and my son and I am so grateful for his steadfast testimony and faith in the power of prayer and revelation. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.