Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, teaching from the introduction of his book ‘The Spirit of Revelation’:
For some time I have felt a desire to write a book about the spirit of revelation. Changes in how we minister to one another in the Church, how we learn, teach, and worship in our homes and families and how we increase our own level of gospel understanding have all underscored our need to be guided by the Spirit every day. Truly, we need to “Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith—History 1:17)
Revelation is communication from God to His children on the earth and one of the great blessings associated with the gift of constant companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Prophet Joseph taught, “The Holy Ghost is a revelator,” and “no man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations” (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith [2007], 132).
The spirit of revelation is available to every person who receives by proper authority the saving ordinances of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins and he laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost—and is acting in faith to fulfill the priesthood injunction to “receive the Holy Ghost.”
This blessing is not restricted to the presiding authorities of the Church; rather, it belongs to and should be operative in the life of every man, woman and child who reaches the age of accountability and enters into sacred covenants. Sincere desire and worthiness invite the spirit of revelation into our lives.
We gain some insight into the importance of understanding the spirit of revelation from and incident recorded by Brigham Young. Several years after the Prophet Joseph was martyred, he appeared to President Young and shared this timeless counsel:
“Tell the people to be humble and faithful, and be sure to keep the Spirit of the Lord and it will lead them right. Be careful and not turn away the still small voice; it will teach [them] what to do and where to go; it will yield the fruits of the kingdom. Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction, so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits; it will whisper peace and joy to their souls; it will take malice, hatred, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness and build up the kingdom of God. Tell the brethren that if they follow the Spirit of the Lord, they will go right” (Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 2 vols., ed. Eldon J. Watson, 2:529-30 [23 Feb 1847]).
Of all the truths the Prophet Joseph Smith might have taught Brigham on that sacred occasion, he emphasized the importance of obtaining and keeping the Spirit of the Lord. Consider the extraordinary promises he mentioned regarding the Spirit:
- “It will teach [them] what to do and where to go.”
- “It will yield the fruits of the kingdom.”
- “It will whisper peace and joy to their souls.”
- “It will take malice, hatred, and strife, and all evil from their hearts.”
- “They will go right.
These blessings we would all wish to claim. But the task of writing a book on the subject has proven more difficult than I had imagined”—primarily because a book is linear by its nature, but revelation is not. The principles that follow revelation do not fall neatly into a pattern of “do this and that will happen.” I cannot give readers a check list of “the ten basic steps to receiving ‘personal revelation’ or any other kind of formula to follow. ~Elder David A. Bednar, The Spirit of Revelation (Salt Lake City, Deseret Book, 2021), Continued, see The Spirit of Revelation II
