Acquiring Spiritual Guidance

Elder Scott says, "To acquire spiritual guidance and to obey it with wisdom, one must:

-Seek divine light, in humility
-Exercise faith, especially in Jesus Christ
-Repent
-Strive diligently to keep His commandments
-Pray continually
-Hearken to spiritual guidance
-Express gratitude

Humility and Personal Revelation

Humility is such an important part of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is especially important when one desires to gain more knowledge and receive spiritual gifts.

Going back to Elder Scott's book, Finding, Peace, Happiness and Joy, he states:

"Why is humility essential to the acquiring of spiritual knowledge? To be humble is to be teachable. Humility permits you to be tutored by the Holy Spirit and to be taught from sources inspired by the Lord, such as the scriptures, the voice of His servants, or inspired parents. The seeds of personal understanding and growth germinate and flourish in the fertile soil of humility. When cultivated through the exercise of faith, pruned by repentance, and fortified by obedience and good works, such seed produce the cherished fruit of spirituality. Divine guidance and power then result -- guidance to know the will of the Lord, and power to provide the capability to accomplish that inspired will. Such power comes from God after we have done "all we can do."

A proud individual cannot know the things of the spirit. Paul taught this truth, saying:

"For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God... But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness not him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

Therefore, spiritual guidance must be cultivated in the environment of humility. Pride, overconfidence, selfishness, seeking for position or the honors of men, stifle spiritual direction."

(Elder Richard G. Scott, Finding Peace, Happiness, and Joy, pg 65-66)

**We can all be humble on our own to a certain degree, but ultimately we must ask Heavenly Father to teach us to be humble and show us where we aren't humble. Unless we ask we will not really understand what true humility is.

Humility is a Strength

Yesterday I was going to write more from Elder Maxwell's talk. As I was reading through it I realized I would have to copy and paste most of it so I just decided not to add more. It is a great talk to read though.

Often times in our world today, we think of humility and meekness as being a wimpy door mat. Quite the contrary, we become "steadfast and immovable," not easily riled up or tossed by the hardships, disappointments, let downs and frustrations of life. I would say this is one of the first ways we acquire true JOY. As we are humble so many other things open up to us.

I really like what author John Pontius says about humility being a strength in response to Heleman 3:35.

"Does it strike you as a contradiction in terms to say "stronger and stronger in humility?" How can humility be strength? This is true because yielding to the promptings of the Holy Spirit is an act of humility which brings spiritual strength. "

-John Pontius, "Following the Light of Christ into His Presence"

Meekness

Neal A. Maxwell and Moroni state why I chose to focus on humility and meekness for the next little bit.

"The Greek rendition of the word meek in the New Testament, by the way, is “gentle and humble.

Actually, meekness is not an attribute which is essential only in itself, said Moroni. It is also vital because one cannot develop those other crucial virtues—faith, hope, and charity—without meekness.

In the ecology of the eternal attributes, these cardinal characteristics are inextricably bound up together. Among them, meekness is often the initiator, facilitator, and consolidator.

In fact, if one needs any further persuasion as to how vital this virtue is, Moroni warned, “none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart.” (Moro. 7:43–44.) If we could but believe, really believe, in the reality of that bold but accurate declaration, you and I would find ourselves focusing on the crucial rather than the marginal tasks in life! We would then cease pursuing lifestyles which, inevitably and irrevocably, are going out of style!

Even so, why the stress on meekness? Merely because it is nice to be nice? The reasons are far more deeply embedded in the “plan of happiness” than that!

Perhaps, brothers and sisters, what we brought with us as intelligence into our creation as spirit children constitutes a “given” within which even God must work. Add to that possibility the clear reality of God’s deep commitment to our free agency—and we begin to see how essential meekness is! We need to learn so much, and yet we are free to choose! (See 2 Ne. 2:27.) How crucial it is to be teachable! There “is no other way” in which God could do what He has declared it is His intent to do. No wonder He and His prophets emphasize meekness time and time again!"

-Neal A. Maxwell, "Meekness—A Dimension of True Discipleship"

These are just a few quotes from the wonderful talk. I highly recommend reading the whole thing. I will be posting more from it tomorrow.

Link to Elder Maxwells Talk

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=3e34744047e7c010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1

Humility

I really need to work on this one! Humility is one of the main characteristics we must have in order to enter the Kingdom of God. The next few days I will spend time learning more and posting more about humility.

"King Benjamin seems to teach that becoming like a child is a gradual process of spiritual development in which we are aided by the Holy Ghost and our reliance on Christ’s Atonement. Through this process, we will eventually acquire the childlike attributes of meekness, humility, patience, love, and spiritual submissiveness. True humility will inevitably lead us to say to God, “Thy will be done.” And because what we are does affect what we do, our submissiveness will be reflected in our reverence, gratitude, and willingness to accept callings, counsel, and correction. "

-Elder Marlin K. Jensen of the Presidency of the Seventy, "To Walk Humbly with Thy God”

"Many of us live or work in an environment where humility is often misunderstood and considered a weakness. Not many corporations or institutions include humility as a value statement or a desired characteristic of their management. Yet as we learn about the workings of God, the power of a humble and submissive spirit becomes apparent. In the kingdom of God, greatness begins with humility and submissiveness. These companion virtues are the first critical steps to opening the doors to the blessings of God and the power of the priesthood. It matters not who we are or how lofty our credentials appear. Humility and submissiveness to the Lord, coupled with a grateful heart, are our strength and our hope."

"Humbly submitting our will to the Father brings us the empowerment of God—the power of humility. It is the power to meet life’s adversities, the power of peace, the power of hope, the power of a heart throbbing with a love for and testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ, even the power of redemption. To this end, the Savior is our supreme example of the power of humility and submissiveness. After all, His submitting His will to the Father brought about the greatest, and even the most powerful, event in all of history. Perhaps some of the most sacred words in all the scriptures are simply, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). "

-Bishop Richard C. Edgley,"The Empowerment of Humility"

Strengths Can Become Our Downfall

Humility is a huge part of being able to receive the gift of charity. Here is just one small thing that can stand in our way.

This is a section of a wonderful talk by Elder Dallin H. Oaks. This talk is about staying humble and how easy it can be to let our strengths become our weaknesses. I highly recommend reading this entire talk.

A Desire to Be Led in All Things
"Closely related to this example is the person who has a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but who unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in which they pray for guidance and don’t receive it. For example, this is likely to occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either choice is acceptable.
We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment. Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation. Revelation from God is a sacred reality, but like other sacred things, it must be cherished and used properly so that a great strength does not become a disabling weakness."

Link to Elder Oaks talk...
http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=9d1b3ff73058b010VgnVCM1000004d82620a____&hideNav=1