LDS Alive in Christ

Hi Jared,

I’m still a little uncertain what kind of spiritual experiences you are looking for others to share. When I think of a spiritual experience I think of a dream or a vision or a distinct impression to take some action or a warning to avoid some course of action. These are the kinds of experiences that many church leaders have shared over the years as evidence of God’s interest in us and our welfare. A classic example is the Vision of the Redemption of the Dead as found in section 138 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

The spiritual experiences I am most familiar with are the exercise of the gifts of the spirit. For example, when I am asked to teach or to speak in church I of course make it a matter of prayer and sometimes fasting. I ask the Lord for inspiration in knowing what to prepare and what he would have me say. I then practice and ask the Lord specifically for the gift of teaching or the gift of speaking under the influence of the spirit. The Lord answers my prayer, sends his spirit and I feel that what I have prepared is acceptable and pleasing to Him. When I deliver the prepared remarks, I feel his spirit working through me giving me confidence and helping me to emphasize certain points and to appropriately pause in other places.

I have had similar experiences in speaking extemporaneously and in teaching from an outline with some prepared quotes. I feel the same inspiration in offering a prayer or when asked to share a spiritual thought in a meeting or when I give a priesthood blessing or when I lead my family in prayer. There is no doubt in my mind that the Spirit of the Lord is influencing me and helping me to perform righteous endeavors. I have never seen any visions or heard any voices from the spirit world, but I have heard the voice of the Lord in my mind and the whisperings of the spirit on occasion are very strong and recognizable.

I have also had experiences with feeling that I have been led in my genealogical searches. My mother was blessed with this gift as well. I have often felt the spirit of the Lord in the temple as I participated in the ordinances there for those living on the other side of the veil. I have been blessed with the spirit of discernment where the Lord has revealed to me when someone is lying or withholding something. I have felt the presence of the Lord when I sing in the ward choir. I have been blessed with the ability to discern the presence of evil spirits. The Lord has helped me through his spirit to control myself when faced with difficult, annoying and emotionally charged situations.

I could go on and on. I don’t think I am any different from most members of the church who have been blessed with the gift of the Holy Ghost. It truly is a gift that helps us in just about every endeavor of our life where we ask for help. I have also specifically been blessed with what I consider to be rich and powerful spiritual manifestations in prayer that are too sacred to share, mainly because I do not have the words to describe what happened. I suppose it could be best described as the presence of the comforter revealing the love of the Lord to my heart and mind in a manner that is sure an undeniable.

But, when I think of spiritual experiences that church leaders have shared, I think of visions and dreams that seemed to be much more common in the early days of the church, especially with Joseph and Brigham and others of the early leaders. I have no doubt that such manifestations are received in our day as well, but they certainly are not talked about openly as much as they were back then. An exception would be the 1978 revelation on the priesthood, the receipt and confirmation of which were described so well by several members of the quorum of the twelve, especially Bruce R. McConkie. I also specifically recall President Kimball’s vision of taking the gospel to all the world. It was a powerful motivating factor in my life.

Enough for now. I’ve probably gone way beyond what you had in mind when you left a comment on my blog about sharing spiritual experiences. Every day can be a spiritual experience, especially as it begins and end in prayer. I know we can have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in our lives. The promise is real and the Lord is willing to fulfill it according to our diligence and heed in listening to and following the promptings of the Holy Ghost. I know the Lord wants us to use the gift of th Holy Ghost to bless our lives and the lives of others and to prepare us for a glorious entry into the spirit world when our work in this world is completed. Cheers!

Jared,

I don’t feel at all uncomfortable echoing what Tim has said.

I think it is well to remember that the Holy Spirit is an entity that communicates with our hearts and minds. It is _not_ a thought or a feeling, but something that communicates with us and _touches_ us. I confirm that the Holy Ghost makes an indelible impression upon us, such that it cannot be denied. It is also not subjective or individual. It has a tendancy to coalesce around truth, and when it communicates truth prepared individuals often experience its influence simultaneously.

In my experience, the biggest single barrier to receiving communication and comfort from the Spirit is my own ego. When I’m relying on myself, or when I’m measurably concerned with how I appear to other people or have a strong desire to have my own way, I am frequently left to myself. When I genuinely ask the Lord to reveal His will to me, and, as it says, allow my will to be swallowed up in His, it all becomes much easier. Also, when I know consciously that I have been willingly breaking commandments, and I am not repentant - iow, I want to go breaking on that commandment and have an intention of doing so -the Spirit is limited, in large part due to my own psychology. It is clear to me that I am left to myself.

Last thing I want to say. At one time more than half my life ago, I began trying to get answers from the Lord. This was not easy at first, as I was unfamiliar with the process and unsure exactly what to expect. My experience is that other’s descriptions - such as describing a ‘burning in the bosom’ - are not always that helpful. As time has gone on, I have become much more fluent in the gifts. I am keenly aware of when I am under the influence and have the companionship of the Holy Ghost. There is nothing unsteady about, as with, say, shifting mood states. I do know that the Holy Ghost is as real as any other thing I can perceive in the physical universe. I also know that it communicates to us the true nature of God - the scriptural way of saying this is that it testifies of the Father and the Son. Therefore I know that they are real. That they love us, and because they love us, their desire is to life us to our fullest possible expression of life and joy. I know that the Holy Ghost purges and cleanses us, changing what is delightful to us from the evil to the good - and in that process we become filled with the love of God, and desire what is good, and awake and alive and lasting for all those around us.

Thanks, Jared.

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Tim-you write and communicate on a level I can only appreciate.

I would like to send you an email regarding the project to gather a collection of spiritual experiences as related by church leaders. This post wasn’t intended to address that project.

I am moved by your description of your experiences with the Holy Ghost. I am familiar with the experiences, but your clear communication in writing is exactly what I started out to say, but I ended up writing doctrinally and missed the bullseye which you made a direct hit on. I’d like to blend your comment into my post. Let me know if this is OK.

Thomas-you’ve touched on some very important aspects of what it means to be in the world but not of it. My own experiences with pleasing the Lord, and offending Him stem from my ego as well. At times in my life, after becoming active, I have willingly crossed the line a few steps from where the Spirit resides and done things that create spiritual tension. Dancing along the precipice of sin is never wise and any reward that I temporally gained from such activity later introduced me to what the scripture refer to as “kicking against the pricks”.

I came across the following years ago and on occasion have found it to be a Dorian Gray self-portrait.

Within my earthly temple there’s a crowd;
There’s one of us that’s humble, one that’s proud,
There’s one that’s broken-hearted for his sins,
There’s one that unrepentant sits and grins;
There’s one that loves his neighbor as himself,
And one that cares for naught but fame and pelf.
From much corroding care I should be free
If I could once determine which is me!

Jared

I have difficulty with your feelings that D&C 88 says that Heavenly Father’s spirit fills the universe. I would just want to qualify that to say that his intelligence fills the universe.

Along with that I would say that truth fills the universe, as it is eternal truth.

The Holy Ghost has communicated in several ways to me. Also the Father and the Son have come as spirits and spoken to me for long periods - had they turned up physically the conversation could only have been short. So instruction can come from several ways there also.

Hi DougT-you have given me a lot to consider and ponder. I like the idea that you wrote, “His intelligence fills the universe”.

Elder Bruce R McConkie talked about the light of Christ and referred to this “spirit” as an “it”. Interesting.