Friday, March 16, 2012

Let the Holy Spirit Guide part 2

Trust in that Spirit
And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit. (D&C 11:12)

The Holy Ghost can prompt us to do good things. Once I made several pies for something special. Without meaning to, I made an extra. As I looked at that extra pie, some words came into my mind. “This pie is not for you.”

It’s not for me? I wondered. Who is it for? I remember opening my front door and looking around. I tried to guess who I was supposed to give the pie to? Was it them? Or them? Or maybe them? No, came the answer.

Later in the day, a name popped into my head, and I was surprised to find out who the pie was for. It was for someone I didn’t like very much. I wasn’t very anxious to take over the pie, but I did. I didn’t know if I would be welcome, but I was. I was invited in. We had a good visit, and I made a new friend.

A Still Small Voice
The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead. “We believe in God the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit. Because he doesn’t have a body he can speak to us in a very personal way, spirit to spirit. He speaks to us through thoughts and feelings. “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.”

We speak of the whispering of the Holy Ghost or the still small voice. Much like the Liahona, he works according to our faith and diligence. We may not hear him if we are not listening. We may not hear him if we are disobedient. We may not hear him if we are distracted by the noises of the world.

It’s important to be worthy. Being worthy does not mean being perfect. Being worthy means being clean. We do our best and we repent often. The Holy Ghost can help us to know when we need to repent. He can help us stay worthy.

To Guide Me, To Save Me
Through a still small voice
The Spirit speaks to me,
To guide me to save me
From the evil I may see.


The Holy Ghost can warn us of danger. When my 15 year old grandson was a toddler, I had him with me in the car. We were turning left on a green arrow. The road was mostly clear. In the distance there was an approaching car. I had time to make the turn, but something held me back.

I didn’t feel a prompting. No words came into my mind, but I was not moving. That distant car sped up and ran a red light. We would have been hit, and probably in the very spot where my grandson was sitting in his car seat. The Holy Ghost saved his life.

You May Know The Truth of all Things
Moroni promises us “by the power of the Holy Ghost, you may know the truth of all things.” I learned some precious truths one summer afternoon while I was hiking at girls’ camp more than 40 years ago, when my friends and I made an unwise decision.

I was seventeen, and so were my friends. The five of us were soon to be seniors. We were so close to our independence we could almost taste it. We had taken the traditional hike with the others.

It was a long hike that led to a beautiful lake, where we ate our lunch and played in the water. Later, as we headed back to camp, we wanted to be on our own, and we found excuses to hang back from the group, letting the distance grow between us and the others. At last we were alone.

It was a happy time. We talked. We sang. We laughed. We relished the day, right up until the very moment that the trail disappeared into a bog.

We were surprised. We had forgotten about this part of the hike, the part where the trail ended. We had always been following someone else. We had never had to do this alone. Our leaders knew the way.

It was such a short distance to camp, how hard could it be? Were there other markers that our leaders had relied on? We searched, but found nothing.

We knew we were close, so we pressed on, and soon found ourselves wandering in completely unfamiliar territory. We were getting farther away. Were we wandering in circles? How long had we been lost?

Lost? It was hard to admit. Just a short time ago, we had been invincible.

We didn’t know what to do. Tempers flared. We began to argue. Everyone had an idea, but no one had a solution. Finally, someone became humble enough to suggest a prayer. I wish it had been me.

Five frightened girls knelt in an unfamiliar forest and prayed for help. Peace descended as softly as April snow. When we stood again, we knew which way to go, and we stumbled into camp some time later, tired, hungry, wiser, and yes, from the opposite side of camp.

That was the day the Holy Ghost became real to me. That was the day that I understood how much my Heavenly Father loved me. That was the day that I knew for sure that I really was his daughter and that I would never be alone. That was the day that my faith grew muscle and my testimony found its voice.

That was the day that the Holy Ghost became my best friend. I hope that He is your friend too.

Linda Garner

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