Sunday Lesson, Apr 23rd

The Whisperings of the Spirit

Our lesson in Relief Society this Sunday was on recognizing and using the gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives. The Spirit is known by many names in the scriptures and has many roles, but one of the primary roles of the Holy Ghost is to teach us all things because He knows all things. Prophets speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; this is where the gift of prophesy comes from. The Holy Ghost bears record of the Father and Son, which allows people to come to gain a testimony and move towards greater truth. We discussed that the power of the Holy Ghost can touch anyone when they are seeking and have found truth.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of life’s greatest gifts to us and it comes only after baptism and confirmation into the Church. President Hinckley taught, “There is no greater blessing that can come into our lives than the gift of the Holy Ghost—the companionship of the Holy Spirit to guide us, protect us, and bless us, to go, as it were, as a pillar before us and a flame to lead us in paths of righteousness and truth. That guiding power of the third member of the Godhead can be ours if we live worthy of it.”

President Hinckley taught that we can learn to recognize the promptings of the Spirit by paying attention to the fruits of what we feel. Those things that lead us to grow or do good and to be better than we were are prompted by the Spirit. The Spirit testifies of truth no matter where it is found, and so it is the perfect gift to help us discern and make choices.

The teacher then taught us from Elder Rasband’s talk from April Conference. He taught that it is our sacred responsibility to recognize and respond to the Spirit. He suggested four ways for us to become better at recognizing promptings we receive. 1. Strive to live worthy of the Spirit. 2. Be willing to receive the Spirit; to listen and obey. 3. Recognize that the Spirit usually speaks through feelings, small but powerful 4. Respond quickly when we do recognize a prompting.

The teacher challenged us to look up the many different names and roles of the Holy Ghost in the Topical Guide and study them throughout the year. There are hundreds of scriptures that will teach us more about the third member of the Godhead. As we study and ponder we will gain greater understanding of this amazing gift and know how to recognize and respond to the Spirit’s promptings.