SPIRITUAL AS CHRIST
What is an undefiled source of truth that can be constant in
your life? Did the Savior have this source with Him? Is it important to know
and recognize truth? Do I really desire the Holy Ghost to be my constant
companion? How do I act on that desire? How can the Holy Ghost help me to
become more like my Savior, Jesus Christ?
Matthew 3:16
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John 5:32
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3 Nephi 11:36
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Moroni 10:5
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Romans 8:6
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Galatians 5:22-23
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Alma 5:14
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3 Nephi 12:6
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3 Nephi 12:48
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2 Nephi 33:1
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SPIRITUAL AS CHRIST QUOTES
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURES
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
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The Holy Ghost dwells with the faithful
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Acts 19:1-7
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The gift of the Holy Ghost bestowed
anciently
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Mosiah 5:2
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The Holy Ghost changes hearts
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Alma 5:54
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The Holy Ghost sanctifies
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THE EXAMPLE OF THE SAVIOR
"When the Lord says
“walk with me”[1],
He is asking us to become more spiritual by being obedient to His word.
Developing spirituality is critical to our eternal progress."[2]
"Development of the
spirit is of eternal consequence. The attributes by which we shall be judged
one day are those of the spirit. These include the virtues of integrity, compassion,
love, and more. Your spirit, by being housed in your body, is able to develop
and express these attributes in ways that are vital to your eternal
progression. Spirit and body, when
joined together, become a living soul of supernal worth. Indeed, we are
children of God—physically and spiritually."[3]
“Through the Atonement
of the Savior, giving Himself as the ransom for our sins, He authorizes the
Holy Ghost to cleanse us in a baptism of fire. As the Holy Ghost dwells in us,
His purifying presence burns out the filthiness of sin. As soon as the
commitment is made, the cleansing process begins.”[4]
THE HOLY GHOST
“As [Adam and Eve] came
to earth, the memory of their heavenly home was taken from them. But our Father
did not shut them away from His influence. He sent the Holy Ghost to comfort and help and guide all of His
spirit children… The Lord sent the Holy Ghost to testify of the Father and of
the Son and to teach Adam and Eve the gospel.[5]”[6]
“When a man has the
manifestation from the Holy Ghost, it leaves an indelible impression on his
soul, one that is not easily erased. It is Spirit speaking to spirit, and it
comes with convincing force. A manifestation of an angel, or even of the Son of
God himself, would impress the eye and mind, and eventually become dimmed, but
the impressions of the Holy Ghost sink deeper into the soul and are more
difficult to erase.”[7]
"I fear that some
members of the Lord’s Church ‘live far beneath our privileges’ with regard to
the gift of the Holy Ghost.[8]
Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out the influence of
the Holy Ghost, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is
a noisy and busy world that we live in. Remember that being busy is not
necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world
can crowd out the things of the Spirit. Some are spiritually deadened and past
feeling because of their choices to commit sin. Others simply hover in
spiritual complacency with no desire to rise above themselves and commune with
the Infinite. If they would open their hearts to the refining influence of this
unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious new spiritual dimension would
come to light. Their eyes would gaze upon a vista scarcely imaginable. They
could know for themselves things of the Spirit that are choice, precious, and
capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and filling the heart with
inexpressible joy."[9]
“Through the Holy Ghost
the truth is woven into the very fibre and sinews of the body so that it cannot
be forgotten.”[10]
“The Holy Ghost is our comforter, our
direction finder, our communicator, our interpreter, our witness, and our
purifier—our infallible guide and sanctifier for our mortal journey toward
eternal life.”[11]
BORN SPIRITUALLY
“All of us
need to be born spiritually…Our first birth takes place when we are born into
mortality. Our second birth begins when we are baptized by water by one holding
the priesthood of God and is completed when we are confirmed”[12]
“It was Jesus
who stated that entry into the kingdom of God requires that one be born again—born
of water and of the Spirit[13].
His teaching about a physical and a spiritual baptism helps us understand that
both our own action and the intervention of divine power are needed for this
transformative rebirth—for the change from natural man to saint[14].”[15]
DIVINE GUIDANCE
“The Spirit of the Lord can be our guide and will bless us with
direction, instruction, and spiritual protection during our mortal journey.”[16]
“The Holy Ghost speaks with a
voice that you feel more than you hear… While we speak of ‘listening’ to the
whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by
saying, ‘I had a feeling…’ This voice of the Spirit speaks gently, prompting
you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you.”[17]
"When all the challenges pour down on you, you will have a quiet
inner feeling of support. You will be prompted to know what to do. You can live
in a world of turmoil and great challenge and be at peace. You will be inspired
to know what to do and to have the power or capacity to do it. Remember this
promise of the Lord as clarified by President Harold B. Lee: ‘Ye are to be
taught from on high. Sanctify yourselves [that is, keep my commandments] and ye
shall be endowed with power.’[18]”[19]
“I have learned something of
what the spirit has taught, and I know now that the place of safety in this
world is not in any given place; it doesn’t make much difference where we live;
but the all important thing is how we live and I have found that security can
come… only when [we] keep the commandments, when [we] live so that [we] can
enjoy the companionship, the direction, the comfort, and the guidance of the
Holy Spirit of the Lord.”[20]
“How very important it is to have the light of the Holy Ghost to give
us direction. The Holy Ghost functioning through the priesthood can greatly
enrich our lives.”[21]
“Supplicating the Lord for the guidance of His Spirit places around us
a safeguard, and if we earnestly and honestly seek the guidance of the Spirit
of the Lord, I can assure you that we will receive it” (Gospel Standards
[1976], 26)."[22]
“We need the help of the Holy Ghost if we are to make our way safely
through what the Apostle Paul called the “perilous times”[23]
in which we now live.”[24]
"When we keep the Lord’s commandments, faith, hope, and charity
abide with us. These virtues ‘distil upon [our] soul as the dews from heaven,’[25]
and we prepare ourselves to stand with confidence before our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, ‘without blemish and without spot.’[26]...
These are the virtuous, lovely, praiseworthy characteristics we seek. We all
are familiar with Paul’s teaching that ‘charity never faileth.’[27]
Certainly we need unfailing spiritual strength in our lives. Moroni recorded
the revelation “that faith, hope and charity bringeth [us] unto [the Lord]—the
fountain of all righteousness.”[28]
FILLED WITH THE SPIRIT
"Let us qualify ourselves for our Savior’s promise that by
partaking of the sacrament we will “be filled”[29],
which means that we will be “filled with the Spirit”[30].
That Spirit—the Holy Ghost—is our comforter, our direction finder, our
communicator, our interpreter, our witness, and our purifier—our infallible
guide and sanctifier for our mortal journey toward eternal life."[31]
"We each have moments of spiritual power, moments of inspiration
and revelation. We must sink them deep into the chambers of our souls. As we
do, we prepare our spiritual home storage for moments of personal
difficulty."[32]
"When we are filled with the Spirit of God we are filled with joy,
with peace, and with happiness, no matter what our circumstances may be; for it
is a spirit of cheerfulness and of happiness. The Lord has given unto us the
gift of the Holy Ghost. It is our privilege to have that Holy Ghost reign within
us, so that from morning till night and from night till morning we shall have
the joy, the light and the revelation thereof. We can watch for that blessing
of happiness and joy to come when we need it during the difficult times."[33]
“The more we are filled with the Spirit of God, the more we extend
ourselves to others. We become peacemakers in our homes and families, we help
our fellowmen everywhere, and we reach out in merciful acts of kindness,
forgiveness, grace, and long-suffering patience.”[34]
“May we eat and drink so that we no longer hunger and thirst
spiritually. And may we be filled with the Spirit of the Lord each Sabbath day
as we partake in remembrance of Him, that we might be whole and one with Him.”[35]
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
“The gift of the Holy Spirit adapts itself to all these organs or
attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges,
expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them,
by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates,
and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and
affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness,
gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It
tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the
faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone
to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the
heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being” (Key
to the Science of Theology [1979], 61). [37]
"One of the great processes
you go through in life is to discover yourself, to find those gifts and
capacities God has given you. He has given you great talents, the smallest part
of which you have just begun to utilize. Trust the Lord to assist you in
unlocking the door to those gifts. Some of us have created imaginary limits in
our minds. There is literally a genius locked up inside each of us. Don’t ever
let anyone convince you otherwise”[38]
"We are to live to be worthy of the gifts and they will come
according to the will of the Lord... We are to seek to be worthy to receive
these gifts according to the way that the Lord has directed."[39]
SEEKING SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE
"Hungering and thirsting translate to sheer spiritual labor.
Worshiping in the temple, repenting to become increasingly pure, forgiving and
seeking forgiveness, and earnest fasting and prayer all increase our receptivity
to the Spirit. Spiritual work works and is the key to learning to hear the
voice of the Lord."[40]
“Father in Heaven knew that you would face challenges and be required
to make some decisions that would be beyond your own ability to decide correctly.
In His plan of happiness, He included a provision for you to receive help with
such challenges and decisions during your mortal life. That assistance will
come to you through the Holy Ghost as spiritual guidance. It is a power, beyond
your own capability, that a loving Heavenly Father wants you to use
consistently for your peace and happiness…. Have patience as you are perfecting
your ability to be led by the Spirit. By careful practice, through the
application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that
come, you will gain spiritual guidance.”[41]
“Spiritual guidance cannot come from the spiritually weak.”[42]
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SPIRITUAL AS CHRIST - ADDITIONAL NOTES
[1]
Moses 6:34
[2]
Elaine L Jack, Walk With Me, Ensign,
May 1994
[3]
Russell M Nelson, You Are A Child of
God, New Era, July 2008
[4]
Lynn A Mickelson, The Atonement,
Repentance, and Dirty Linen, Ensign, Nov 2003
[5]
See Moses 5:4-9
[6]
Gospel Principles, Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost, 31
[7]
Joseph Fielding Smith as quoted in
Gospel Principles, Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost, 33
[8]
See Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young, sel. John A. Widtsoe (1954),
32.
[9]
Joseph B Wirthlin, The Unspeakable
Gift, Ensign, May 2003
[10]
Joseph Fielding Smith as quoted in
Gospel Principles, Chapter 7: The Holy Ghost, 33
[11]
Dallin H Oaks, Always Have His
Spirit, Ensign, Nov 1996
[12]
James E Faust, Born Again, Ensign,
May 2001
[13]
see John 3:3–5
[14]
see Mosiah 3:19
[15]
Todd D Christofferson, Born Again,
Ensign, May 2008
[16]
David A Bednar, That We May Always
Have His Spirit to Be with Us, Ensign, May 2006
[17]
Gospel Principles, Chapter 21: The Gift of the Holy Ghost, 123
[18]
D&C 43:16
[19]
Richard G Scott, Making the Right
Decisions, Ensign, May 1991
[20]
Harold B Lee, Conference Report,
April 1943
[21]
James A Cullimore, Grieve Not the
Holy Spirit, Lest We Lose It, Conference Report, April 1978
[22]
Heber J Grant, Book of Mormon
Institute Manual, 320
[23]
2 Timothy 3:1
[24]
Gerald N Lund, Opening Our Hearts,
Ensign, May 2008
[25]
D&C 121:45.
[26]
1 Pet. 1:19.
[27]
1 Cor. 13:8.
[28]
Joseph B Wirthlin, Cultivating
Divine Attributes, Ensign, Nov 1998
[29]
3 Ne. 20:8; see also 3 Ne. 18:9
[30]
3 Ne. 20:9
[31]
Dallin H Oaks, Always Have His
Spirit, Ensign, Nov 1996
[32]
Neil L Andersen, You Know Enough,
Ensign, Nov 2008
[33]
Henry B Eyring, Serve with the
Spirit, Ensign, Nov 2010
[34]
Dieter F Uchtdorf, The Way of the
Disciple, Ensign, May 2009
[35]
Paul K. Sybrowsky, This Do in Remembrance of Me, Ensign, Feb 2010
[36]
Henry B Eyring, “Always,” Ensign,
Oct. 1999
[37]
Parley P Pratt as quoted in the Book
of Mormon Institute Manual, 403
[38]
Gene R Cook, Book of Mormon
Institute Manual, 403; (“Trust in the Lord,” in Hope [1988], 90–91)
[39]
Boyd K Packer, Book of Mormon
Institute Manual, 403
[40]
Sheri L Dew, We Are Not Along,
Ensign, Nov 1998
[41]
Richard G Scott, To Acquire
Spiritual Guidance, Ensign, Nov 2009
[42]
Marion G. Romney, The Celestial
Nature of Self-Reliance, Ensign, Nov. 1982
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