"And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things"
--- Moroni (Book of Mormon prophet; approx. 420 A.C.)
Some people find religion later in life. For me, I've always felt close to God. Some people are raised in the Church, such as I was, but I stay because I've had too many personal experiences throughout my life to ever make me forget the good that comes when I heed spiritual promptings. When I was fourteen years old, I held a leadership position, what we call a "calling" in our Church (which is a temporary assignment by the simplest definition) which resulted in many fellowshipping opportunities with other guys in my age group. I grew up in a nice neighborhood on the East side of Salt Lake City, Utah. If you didn't know, a lot of people generally associate Utah with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, otherwise formerly nicknamed "the Mormon church" (which is incorrect and needs to be done away with). You wouldn't be surprised then if I told you that there were a good number of us that I grew up with in Church, and saw again at school. When you see the same people 6 or sometimes 7 days a week, you form a close bond. But just because there were a lot of us, there were also many of my peers who were not members of our church. That's just the truth of it. Nevertheless, I had a lot of opportunities to invite them to participate in a number of activities with us such as camp outs, for example, and miraculously, they came to a lot of them!
I believe I owe a lot of our success to divine inspiration. I would pray all the time to know how to go about things. And I would pay very close attention to thoughts and feelings that came to me in return. Many times, they were exactly what was needed at precisely the right time.
This was a time when landlines were still used. As if calling people over the phone didn't make me anxious enough, having to call somewhere not knowing who would pick up was unpleasant for whoever remembers those days. Being on the receiving end of a call not meant for you was a similar inconvenience. Well, being in a leadership position as I was at that age, keeping everyone in the loop of upcoming activities was one of my responsibilities. As uncomfortable as I was calling people up, there were many instances where I felt the promptings of the Holy Ghost compelling me to do so. I'll give you just one example.
There was a special activity called "Trek" coming up which was a camping-type multiple day activity that happened every few years based on the journey that the pioneers had to make to Utah in the 1840s (as such, it's an activity most common there and not to church members worldwide). One of the guys that we were trying to get to come was Kieran and he wasn't big into physical activities but we had somehow miraculously convinced him and his mom that this would be fun for him and that we would help with anything he needed. Well, the day was getting closer and preparations were being made. An intensely strong impression was laid upon my mind by the Holy Ghost that I needed to call him up and see if he needed anything. I wrestled with the spirit a little, not really wanting to place the phone call. But this was important enough and the nudge from the spirit was undeniable enough that I finally gave in and called him up. I said, "Hey Kieran, it's Logan, just wanted to see if you're still on for Trek and if you needed anything?". He seemed a little caught off guard for some reason but reassured me that he was good to go. It was a short conversation and we hung up. But then the incredible thing followed. About 10 seconds at most after I'd hung up the phone, I got another call from one of our adult group leaders telling me, "Hey Logan, would you call Kieran please and see if he needs anything? His mom asked me to ask you". You can imagine how stunned I was, he was almost in disbelief when I told him that I'd just finished talking to him. The length or content of the conversation wasn't important. What was important was that I had recognized the instructions the Holy Ghost gave me, and I followed through. It doesn't matter how old or young you are, anybody can learn to recognize the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost leading them in good paths. But like anything, it gets easier with practice.
Different religions have different takes on the Holy Ghost. For now, think of it as a "Still, Small Voice" in our minds and hearts that compels us to do good and brings peace.
**NOTE: If you'd like to get in contact with missionaries of the Church and learn more, either online or in person, you can do so for free at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/comeuntochrist/requests/missionary-visit
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2.1 --- THE GODHEAD
The Holy Ghost, who also goes by other names in the scriptures such as "Spirit", “The Spirit of God”, the "Holy Spirit", the "Spirit of the Lord", and "Comforter", testifies of truth and that includes his essential purpose of testifying of Jesus Christ. Further adding to His own assortment of names, Jesus referred to himself as "the way, the truth, and the light" (John 14:6), teaching the disciples, "when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). His role is to guide, strengthen, comfort, warn, correct us, and to persuade us to do good (Alma 5:40). Some might find similarities comparable to a shoulder angel. But we must delineate and set clear that the Holy Ghost is not some philosophical creation of morality personified. He is not an imaginary friend or metaphor. The Holy Ghost is a real personage of spirit, a literal being in his own right but without a tangible body of flesh. He's a member of what the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints calls "the Godhead" --- a team of three beings which other Christians call "The Trinity", but with a few differences.
Unlike the popular Christian concept of "the Trinity", the Godhead affirms that there are three distinct divine individuals working together. The three of them are one in purpose, in that they are united and share the same goals, but they're not a single figure wearing three different hats. The three individuals that comprise the Godhead in simplest terms are, of course: God the Father, His son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost. The three of them testify of one another. At Jesus' baptism, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the presence of all three members of the Godhead, "he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 1:10-11; Luke 3:22). When Peter, James, and John accompanied Jesus into a mountain to pray, Elias and Moses appears to them and again a voice declares to the Apostles, "This is my beloved Son: hear him" (Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35). Jesus always prayed to God the Father and taught His disciples to do likewise (See "Prayers"). In the book of John, we read Jesus addressing God saying, "'Father, glorify thy name'. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, 'I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again'. The people therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others said, An angel spake to him. Jesus answered and said, 'This voice came not because of me, but for your sakes' (John 12:28-30). And from the account of Stephen's martyrdom in the book of Acts, we find another account of the Godhead, an example of both Jesus and the Father's physical forms witnessed by Stephen, "being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God." (Acts 7:55-56)
So perfect is Jesus' obedience that to see the Son, was in essence to see the Father, to see one who did as the Father would, a perfect representative, "'If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him'. Philip saith unto him, 'Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us'. Jesus saith unto him, 'Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake." (John 14:7-12)
One of the last things Jesus did in mortality was plead to God the Father on our behalf that we might be one, like He and the Father are, not in the literal or physical sense but in the spiritual sense (See "One" and "Knowest Thou the Condescension of God?"). This plea is known as the Intercessory Prayer as found in John 17. This was the night Jesus Christ was about to perform an ultimate self-sacrifice on our behalf, an occasion that we call the "Atonement" --- an English word that literally dissected means "At One Ment". And this was and continues to be the united objective of the Godhead: to make us one with God and each other. Everything they do is for this cause. In Jesus' words, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one." (vs. 21-22)
An essential part of the Atonement, the crowning jewel even, was the resurrection from the tomb on the third day. The victory over death itself. The eternal reuniting of the spirit with the physical body in perfect immortality. The resurrected Christ visited many on numerous occasions, showed them the prints of the nails in his hands and feet, and told them, "handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have" (Luke 24:39), further proving his physical form by eating fish and honeycomb with them (vs. 41-43; John 21). His resurrection as the "firstfruits of them that slept", as Paul describes it, opened the door for all that we will also one day be resurrected and raised to immortality, "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:20-22). And so it is that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints places such an emphasis on the resurrection and the Living Christ rather than only His suffering on the cross, even though both were important. We affirm that Christ lives and is a perfected immortal being with a physical body still to this day that will return at some future day.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints also affirms that God the Father, whom we lovingly call our "Heavenly Father", also has a perfected immortal physical body. This is doctrine clarified by scripture unique to our religion (D&C 130:22), nevertheless the Bible makes it clear that we are made in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:27-28). God the Father is not an amorphous force, feeling, or abstract construct. He is a divine man. A literal approach to John 4:24 which is translated as “God is a Spirit”, in the King James Bible can lead to confusion because God isn't literally a spirit. This is the challenge with translations sometimes (See "The Holy Bible: A Testament of Jesus Christ"). The original Greek text omits any article before “spirit” which would make it say “God is Spirit”, meaning God is spiritual. This is true. God abides by higher spiritual laws than just earthly laws. Just as that same Apostle John also wrote: “God is light” (1 John 1:5) or “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), these are symbolic attributes that God has, that He is full of light and love. God has a form not unlike ours, and there are ample examples of this throughout scripture.
The Holy Ghost, however, differs from Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ because he doesn't have a physical body like they do. As stated, he is a personage of spirit --- a being that operates differently than what a physical body would allow. Now, I won't pretend to know exactly how he does it, but I know that the Holy Ghost can dwell in the hearts of as many as strive to do good at any given time or place simultaneously. His reach and influence is unconfined. Learning how to recognize his influence in ours hearts and minds will help us navigate this life better and to ultimately return to Heavenly Father's presence.
2.2 --- THE THINGS OF GOD
The spirit works in diverse ways but the most common is through inspired thoughts and wholesome feelings. We learn in Galatians that the fruits of the Spirit are always edifying virtues: “…love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance…” (Gal. 5:22-23). The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ plainly describes how to know what’s from God:
“Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually. But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, everything which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God.” (Moroni 7:12-13)
“For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to judge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night. For behold, the Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil…” (vs. 15-16)
Everyone is capable of recognizing whether something is of God or whether something best be avoided whether that is a work decision, an educational pursuit, a relationship, or the Book of Mormon for that matter (See "What is Truth? Faith and Science"). The way is simple; God wants to bless us and all good things come from Him. Yet the recurring question of concern I hear is, “How can we know if something comes from the Holy Ghost or from my own mind?” Simple acts of kindness or the desire to be better, all things virtuous, are born from a light that God gives us that then works through us. Conscience is a manifestation of the Light of Christ, enabling us to judge good from evil [1]. So, you could make an argument that inspiration comes from both within and from above. If it is good, it is good. Things that are not of God will never persuade us to be kind, to be better, to serve others, to repent, to pray, or just be good individuals. Life is saturated with opposition. This is purposeful in order to help us learn faith and obedience willfully. The trick is conditioning ourselves to recognize and follow the good more often than not.
2.3 --- THE LIGHT OF CHRIST VS. THE GIFT OF THE HOLY GHOST
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ calls this innate capacity to know what is good the “Spirit of Christ” or “the Light of Christ”. The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ should not be confused with the Holy Ghost. It is not a personage, as the Holy Ghost is. Its influence leads people to find the true gospel, be baptized, and then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (John 12:46; Alma 26:14-15).
Let me say it again, there is a difference between the Light of Christ and the full Gift of the Holy Ghost! The Gift of the Holy Ghost is to have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion throughout your life, a blessing that comes after we've first made a promise --- a "covenant" --- with God called baptism by immersion.
I think of it this way: The Light of Christ can be felt to varying degrees like the rising and setting of the sun, but to enjoy the Gift of the Holy Ghost is to keep the light on always, to bring him closer and to feel his warmth and hand on our shoulder more abundantly. It's a blessing that Heavenly Father wants everyone to have, but we have to take the first step towards Him through baptism.
It might be worth mentioning also that the Gift of the Holy Ghost is different from the "Gifts of the Spirit" or "spiritual gifts". There are many gifts of the spirit, several of which are named in the scriptures but the list isn't comprehensive (1 Cor. 12; D&C 46:8-33). Such spiritual gifts are found both within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and without, "For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God" (D&C 46:11). Such gifts are given to bless and benefit those who love the Lord and seek to keep His commandments. While such gifts can be a blessing, we should beware of sign seeking and imitations of the gifts of the spirit. (See "Falsehoods and Sign Seeking")
Understand that everyone may feel, identify, and follow the Holy Ghost’s influence, even if they are not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. There are good people doing good things in all walks of life. The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts we have in mortality—it is our compass— but the workings of the light of Christ shouldn’t be considered any less precious. But imagine a world where everyone has received the Gift of the Holy Ghost and how much greater things they'd be able to accomplish!
2.4 --- RECOGNIZING THE STILL SMALL VOICE
Is it easy to recognize the Holy Ghost? I suppose that depends. It's one thing to recognize it, and another to heed it. There are factors that can curb our sensitivity to the Holy Ghost, things that distance us from a peaceable or honorable mindset and heart. These hurdles include most notably sin but could include anger and indifference for example. Even noise or any number of distractions can hijack our attention and priorities. A mind and heart open and actively seeking the guidance of the Holy Ghost is more likely to receive further divine assistance if heeded. On the other hand, a person neglectful of instruction will seldom be entrusted with more. In other words, our ability to understand the workings of the spirit is enhanced by our efforts to listen, while those who make little effort may miss out. The spirit is only as helpful as we allow it to be.
The scriptures describe the spirit as “a still small voice” (1 Kings 19:11-12; 1 Nephi 17:45) or as “a pleasant voice, as if it were a whisper…” (Hel. 5:46). I think I’ve only ever found a single scriptural account where the Spirit “cried with a loud voice” (1 Nephi 11:6). Still, the spirit doesn't speak in an audible voice often. It communicates almost exclusively through soft and subtle thoughts and feelings like we've mentioned before but are worth repeating: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; the spirit will not yell at us or shake us for its attention. It is more intimate and comforting than it is a grandiose or boisterous spectacle. It's soft spoken. It's like a blanket of reassurance. It's a friend. It's a still, small voice.
God is a God of truth and the spirit is essential to our pursuit of such. I would however warn that most truth is not relative, and certainly not determined by feelings alone. Pleasurable experiences can exist apart from truth, for example, eating a favorite food or participating in a favorite activity. Our feelings can indicate if something is good but truth is truth with or without our realization of it. Our physical senses enable us to feel pleasure or pain, but it is the spirit that purifies the heart and enlightens us. That is why it’s often described as light.
The manipulation of emotion has blindsided many innocent audiences throughout time. A moving presentation isn’t conclusive that a message is valid. Appearances can be deceiving. Scripturally, there were many cunning men who used words to bolster their lies, especially in the Book of Mormon. Korihor was an anti-Christ (Alma 30:6), a man who was so convincing in his preaching that he convinced himself that his lies were true (Alma 30:53). Before his Paul-like conversion, Alma also “was a man of many words, and did speak much flattery to the people; therefore, he led many of the people to do after the manner of his iniquities” (Mos. 27:8). Even non-scripturally, you can probably name similar “men of many words”. Adolf Hitler gained disastrous power through emotional speeches and other propaganda. Convincing as he was, no matter the number of followers he attained, his message was unquestionably evil. Beautiful or masterful words do not determine truth. I repeat, that the Spirit will testify of gospel truth regardless of and independent of our mastery over language. Even little children may have words given unto them which confound the wise and learned (Alma 32:23). The spirit is often found through simple words and gentle voices. The Holy Ghost communicates with a still and small voice.
Recognizing the workings of the Holy Ghost is the most useful and important thing any of us can do and I implore you to make him an integral companion as you read this book to help you find personal applications for your own life. Practice makes perfect!
Ponder Question: Based on the descriptions of the Holy Ghost above, how might you invite and recognize the Spirit in your day-to-day choices and activities?
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