The Book of Mormon: Chapter Fourteen: 2 Nephi 31-33

Mormon Confirmation of Holy Ghost1 And now I, Nephi, make an end of my prophesying unto you, my beloved brethren. And I cannot write but a few things, which I know must surely come to pass; neither can I write but a few of the words of my brother Jacob.

2 Wherefore, the things which I have written sufficeth me, save it be a few words which  must speak concerning the doctrine of Christ; wherefore, I shall speak unto you plainly, according to the plainness of my prophesying.

3 For my soul delighteth in plainnes; for after this manner doth the Lord God work among the children of men. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding.

As members of Christ’s living and true Church on the earth, we know we can hear His voice. This is lost among many of the Milennials, and if you are one, we want to re-assure you. God speaks, and He does so in a manner that is according to our own language, our own spiritual language. He can communicate a message with you in an intimate, indelible, unmistakable perfect way. Though the world tells you it’s all emotion or that there’s no basis for truth, or that there’s no point to hearing it, trying to receive it, don’t believe it. Don’t buy it. God is real and a conception of who He is is critical. The Holy Ghost will speak to us in plainness, as indicated in The Book of Mormon passage above.

Remember, as modern Mormon prophets, seers, and revelators have said: “An intelligent being, in the image of God, possesses every organ, attribute, sense, sympathy, affection that is possessed by God himself.”  That gives us hope, and assurance that we have a built-in mechanism for understanding God’s messages tailored for us.

Even though these attributes are in embryo, they can certainly be gradually developed.  Learning to hear the Holy Ghost–God’s voice to us–is like learning a new language, and when we are still, we sense impressions, act on them, and find we do hear that inner whispering after all.

The power of that gift, when developed over time, is amazing. I love this quote about its pervasive influence:

The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands, and purifies all the natural passions and affections, and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates, and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings, and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness, and charity. It develops beauty of person, form, and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation, and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being (Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology, p. 61).

That great gift comes to us only through humility and faith and obedience. Sometimes, cunning, crafty individuals will come along teaching that which is not true, and without guidance which is promised to us through our faithfulness, and individuals don’t pay the price to ask God and listen for truth, and are thereby led astray. But if we are honestly striving, however imperfectly on the path, we can enjoy the enlightening instruction, that comes from the Holy Ghost. The gift of the Holy Ghost is only conferrable by one with real authority from God. Mormons claim humbly but boldly that that very authority has been restored to the earth in our day and is held within The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and only therein.