In a talk titled ‘Spiritual Capacity,’ During the Saturday morning session of 2019 general conference, Sister Michelle Craig of the Young Women General Presidency said:
“As I was leaving a Young Women camp this summer, a sweet young woman handed me a note. In it, she asked, “How can I tell when God is trying to tell me something?” I love her question. Our souls long for a connection with our heavenly home. We want to feel needed and useful. But at times we struggle to distinguish between our own thoughts and the gentle impressions of the Spirit. Prophets, ancient and modern, have taught that if something “invites and entices to do good, it comes from Christ.”1(below)
President Russell M. Nelson has extended a simple, powerful invitation: “My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. … Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.”2
My desire this morning is to speak to you from my heart about four ways to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation.
1. Be Intentional about Creating Time and Space to Hear God’s Voice
As you use your agency to carve out time every day to draw close to God’s voice, especially in the Book of Mormon, over time His voice will become clearer and more familiar to you.
In contrast, the distractions and noise that fill the world and our homes and our lives can make it more difficult to hear His voice. These distractions can so occupy our minds and hearts that we leave no room for the gentle promptings of the Holy Ghost.
The Prophet Joseph Smith taught that most often God reveals Himself “to individuals in private, in their chamber; in the wilderness or fields, and that generally without noise or tumult.”3
Satan wants to separate us from God’s voice by keeping us out of those quiet places. If God speaks in a still, small voice, you and I need to draw close to hear Him. Just imagine what would happen if we were as intent on staying connected with heaven as we are on staying connected to Wi-Fi! Pick a time and place, and listen for God’s voice every day. And keep this sacred appointment with exactness, for so very much depends on it!
2. Act without Delay
When you receive promptings and then act with intention, the Lord can use you. The more you act, the more familiar the voice of the Spirit becomes. You will increasingly recognize God’s guidance and that He is “willing … to reveal His mind and will.”4 If you delay, you might forget the prompting or miss the chance to help someone for God.
3. Get Your Errand from the Lord
The prayer Heavenly Father seems eager to answer is our plea to be led to someone who needs our help. President Henry B. Eyring has taught us to seek revelation by asking God who we can help for Him. “If you ask questions like that, the Holy Ghost will come and you’ll feel nudges about things you can do for other people. When you go and do those things, you’re on the Lord’s errand, and when you’re on the Lord’s errand, you qualify for the gift of the Holy Ghost.”5(below)
You can pray and ask the Lord for an errand. As you do, He can use your ordinary skills to accomplish His extraordinary work. ~Michelle Craig, Young Women General Presidency. . .again for her complete talk, go to ‘Spiritual Capacity’
References:
1. David A. Bednar, in Face to Face with Elder and Sister Bednar (worldwide youth broadcast, May 12,2015, facetoface.ChurchofJesusChrist.org; See also Moroni 7:16
5. Henry B. Eyring, in “President Eyring 1990s,” Deseret News, Apr. 2, 2009, deseretnews.com.
