Friday, February 11, 2011

I Nephi 10:19 – DILIGENTLY SEEK

I want to let you in on a little secret about life.  Think about your life for a moment.   Whether you’re 12, or 16, or 19, or 25, or 55 (like I am), you’re always going to face situations where you need the guidance of the Lord.  Think about the ages of about 18-26 for example.  Most young people of that age will decide if they’re going to serve a mission, who they’ll date, who they’ll marry, where they’ll continue their education, what they’ll do for a profession, where they’ll live and how they’ll live their lives.  WOW!  Now that’s a lot of important decisions.  And those are not decisions you want to get wrong.  So here’s my little secret for you … actually, it’s the Lord’s, and, truth be told, it isn’t even a secret.

“For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”

Now you may ask, “What are the mysteries?”  Well, I believe in many cases it’s the answers to those questions and decisions I’ve mentioned.  I believe the answer to finding the deepest and most meaningful happiness is to seek the Lord with all your heart.  I can tell you from personal experience that when I’m searching for direction or guidance I can feel confident that he will help me know the answer by the power of the Holy Ghost.

I’ve had a lot of young people ask me, “How do you know if it’s the Lord answering your prayers, or if it’s just your own thoughts.  I have a one word answer, …  practice!  That’s right, I believe it takes practice to know if it’s the Lord giving you answers through the Holy Ghost.  That’s why it’s so important to learn to pray and listen when you are young.  That’s why I believe it’s so important to read the Book of Mormon and ask the Lord if you can know through the Holy Ghost if it’s true and why it’s important to ask Heavenly Father if His son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the world and our redeemer. That’s why I believe it’s important to pray to know if the Church is true and praying to know if Joseph Smith and Thomas S. Monson are true prophets.   As you receive your answers to these basic truths in your younger years you will begin to feel how the spirit works in your life.  You’ll begin to know and understand the promptings the Spirit is giving you.  As you come to understand and recognize these feelings you will have the assurance that they are from the Lord.  I believe the more you feel the Spirit’s guidance the more you recognize it.   This will be a key ingredient to a successful and happy life.  I know the Lord loves us enough to send the Holy Ghost to give us guidance.  It’s one of the greatest blessings of being a member of the Church … to have the gift of the Holy Ghost in your life.  I want you to know that every time I read the Book of Mormon with a sincere and humble heart I feel the promptings of the Spirit reminding me of the great truth it contains.  I have the witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world and my personal redeemer.  Please, please, ponder and pray as you read the Book of Mormon.  As you do, I promise you’ll have spiritual feelings you’ll soon recognize as the promptings and guidance of the Holy Ghost in your life.  When you know, through practice and experience, those promptings are from the Holy Ghost you can be assured that you are being guided by the Lord, Himself … and that’s very cool.  So, now you know the secret.

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