Preparing for Divine Connection
. . . behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right . . .
D&C 9:8
To prepare for Divine connection with our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ, we need to purify our hearts, our minds, and our intentions. We can do this by:
- Seeking and filling our lives with things with uplift, inspire, and invite the Spirit (which also means avoiding things that don’t)
- Keep the commandments
- Fulfill the covenants we have made with God already and be faithful to the promises we have made to Him
- Make time for the Lord every day including prayer, scripture study, and pondering or thinking about the things we are learning
- Be willing to align our will with Heavenly Father’s so that when He speaks to us, we are ready to act upon what we receive from Him
- Stand in holy places such as attending church regularly, spending time in the temple, and drawing ourselves apart from the world such as nature or a quiet place — in other words, be still
- Learn to ask/receive, seek/find, and knock/have it be opened unto you
When we do these things, we can come confidently before the Lord and be ready to connect with Him, receive His counsel, and follow it. Elder Richard G. Scott gave a marvelous General Conference talk in 2012 titled “How to Obtain Revelation and Inspiration for Your Personal Life.” In it he talked at length about the things we need to actively be dong to prepare for personal revelation. I highly recommend this talk for reflection and pondering.
In addition, below are some resources to help you prepare to connect in meaningful ways. I hope they will be of help to you.
Purifying Your Heart and Mind
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- Seek that which uplifts, inspires, and invites the Spirit
- Use social media to uplift
- Seek wholesome experiences and real, lasting relationships
- “Stand diligently in the light of Christ that ye may know good from evil; and if ye will lay hold upon every good thing and condemn it not, you certainly will be a child of Christ.” (Moroni 7:19)
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Being Willing to Align with the Divine
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- Make time for the Lord every day (prayer, scriptures, pondering)
- Strive to always remember Him
- Keep the commandments (big and small)
- Keep your covenants
- Develop Christ-like Attributes
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Being Receptive to and Inviting the Spirit
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- Pray for the Spirit to attend you
- Actually receive the Holy Ghost as an influence in your life
- Realize and remember that having the Spirit as your guide and as your constant companion is one of God’s greatest gifts to you
- Read and ponder the scriptures
- Be still and listen with your heart, mind, as well as your ears
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Developing and Strengthening Your Faith
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- Reflect on true stories of the faith of others (Hebrews 11)
- Consider when you have exhibited faith in the past and what you did then
- Let your good desires work in you to strengthen your faith
- Remember that God can do anything — and you can partner with Him
- Pray in faith — nothing wavering (James 1:5-6)
- Add fasting to your prayers of faith
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Learning to Ask, Seek, and Knock
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- Study it out in your mind, THEN ask if it is right (D&C 9:7-9)
- Study it out by seeking insight through reading, asking for counsel and advice, considering the experiences of others, and watching for special messages that come unexpectedly in different ways
- Remember you can ask the Lord for help in knowing how to study it out
- As you are first developing these abilities, ask questions through prayer that can be answered with a yes/no so that when the answers come they are clear to you
- If the answer is “no” consider other possible options and follow the same pattern in preparing to ask about them–and then asking
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Learning to Hear the Spirit
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- If something is right or true that we have prayed about we will receive either a burning in the bosom, a feeling of peace, or inspiration on how to move forward with what we have prayed about
- If something is NOT right or true, we will either have feelings of confusion, feelings of dread, or a stupor of thought where our minds wander to the point we don’t even remember what we were praying about
- Also remember Elijah’s experience: The Lord was not in a powerful wind, a devastating earthquake, or a raging fire. After these, there was a still small voice (see 1 Kings 19:11-13) and through that still voice, Elijah heard the Lord
- The still small voice which speaks to our mind and heart is so still and so small (or quiet) that if we are not listening carefully we will miss it.
- Sometimes we will hear the still small voice AND our hearts will burn within us (See 3 Nephi 11:3-7)
- Once we have received an answer, there may be more that the Lord would like to share with us, so be sure to always follow up by asking in prayer, “Is there more?” and then listen. . .
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