Second Counselor in the Primary General Presidency
http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1117-3,00.html
...there are those who desire to feel the Spirit guiding them daily in their lives. While each person can learn to recognize the whisperings of the Spirit, that learning process can be facilitated as others help us understand about the Holy Ghost, share their personal testimonies, and provide an environment where the Spirit can be felt.
I need to do this with our children
Understanding the Doctrine
The importance of helping others understand is described in the Doctrine and Covenants. Parents “in Zion, or in any of her stakes which are organized” are told to help their children “understand the doctrine.”
We are told that “the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples” and that as we “let virtue garnish [our] thoughts unceasingly; then . . . the Holy Ghost shall be [our] constant companion.”
The scriptures and the prophets teach what this constant companionship feels like. The Lord tells us, “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” Enos stated, ““While I was . . . struggling in the spirit, behold, the voice of the Lord came into my mind.”” Joseph Smith said, “When you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas.” President Henry B. Eyring described the influence of the Holy Ghost as “peace, hope, and joy.” He added, “Almost always I have also felt a sensation of light.”
Share Personal Testimony
We can help others become more familiar with the promptings of the Spirit when we share our testimony of the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. However, by sharing testimony of the Spirit in our lives, those who are unfamiliar with these promptings are more likely to recognize when they have similar feelings.
I felt a flood of warmth sweep over me. I felt a peace descend on me, and I had the distinct feeling that Heavenly Father was pleased with me.
I need to ask kids more often about experiences and lessons and see if they felt any different and help them recognize those feelings as those from the spirit. I also need to share my own experiences and how I felt when the Spirit moved upon me.
Provide an Environment Where the Spirit Can Be Felt
There are places where it is easier to feel the Spirit. Testimony meetings and general conference are some of those places. The challenge for each of us is in providing an environment where the Spirit can be felt daily in our homes and weekly at church.
One reason we are encouraged to pray and read the scriptures every single day is that both of these activities invite the Spirit into our homes and into the lives of our family members.
I think I need to encourage the kids to keep a personal scripture journal like I’m doing now so they can remember any spiritual thoughts or feelings.
Because the Spirit is often described as a still, small voice, it is also important to have a time of quiet in our lives as well. The Lord has counseled us to “be still, and know that I am God.” If we provide a still and quiet time each day when we are not bombarded by television, computer, video games, or personal electronic devices, we allow that still, small voice an opportunity to provide personal revelation and to whisper sweet guidance, reassurance, and comfort to us.
When we come to understand the whisperings of the Spirit, we will be able to hear Him teach us “the peaceable things of the kingdom” and “all things what [we] should do.” We will recognize answers to our prayers and know how to live the gospel more fully each day. We will be guided and protected. And we can cultivate this gift in our lives as we follow those spiritual promptings. Most importantly, we will feel Him witness to us of the Father and of the Son.
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