Talk on the Holy Ghost for Puring's Baptism

 

Talk on Holy Ghost for Puring’s Baptism

Saturday, November 30, 2013 

Good morning.  Puring has asked me to speak about the Holy Ghost.  I’m going to direct my comments mostly to her. 

Puring, tomorrow during Sacrament meeting Chad is going to place his hands on your head to confirm you a member of the church and to give you the gift of Holy Ghost.  This is a sacred priesthood ordinance.   During the blessing he is going to tell you to “receive the Holy Ghost.”  So what is the Holy Ghost?   

The Holy Ghost is one of God’s greatest gifts. “The Holy Ghost is [the third] member of the Godhead.  He is ‘a personage of Spirit.’  He does not have a body of flesh and bones.  His influence can be everywhere at once” (Gospel Principles, page 121). 

The gift of the Holy Ghost is different from the influence of the Holy Ghost. Before baptism, a person can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost from time to time and through that influence can receive a testimony of the truth. After receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, a person has the right to the constant companionship of that member of the Godhead if he or she keeps the commandments.  

The Holy Ghost can bless us in many different ways.  I will talk about five of his roles.   

1.      “He “witnesses of the Father and the Son” (2 Nephi 31:18) and reveals and teaches “the truth of all things” (Moroni 10:5). We can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive through our natural senses.”  So when we feel the Holy Ghost it is more powerful that if we had seen something with our eyes or heard something with our ears.

 

2.      “As we strive to stay on the path that leads to eternal life, the Holy Ghost can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger.”  There have been times in my life where the Holy Ghost has protected me from danger.  One of those instances happed before the birth of my daughter Tilly.  I was prompted not to get an epidural during the delivery.  I had epidurals with the birth of all my other children.  When I went to the hospital to deliver Tilly, the doctors told me that my platelet levels were low and that if I had an epidural I was at risk of bleeding out.  So my prompting was confirmed and I went ahead with the birth without an epidural.  It was hard, but I feel confident that it was the right decision.  It won’t always be easy to follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost, but it will be worth it.

3.      “Through the Holy Ghost, we can receive gifts of the Spirit for our benefit and for the benefit of those we love and serve (see D&C 46:9-11).”  So the Holy Ghost not only blesses our lives, it can help us bless our families and friends.

4.      “The Holy Ghost is the Comforter (John 14:26). As the soothing voice of a loving parent can quiet a crying child, the whisperings of the Spirit can calm our fears, hush the nagging worries of our life, and comfort us when we grieve. The Holy Ghost can fill us “with hope and perfect love” and “teach [us] the peaceable things of the kingdom” (Moroni 8:26; D&C 36:2).”  Puring, tomorrow when you receive the Holy Ghost you will now have a constant friend and source of comfort when you are sad and miss your family.

5.      “Through His power, we are sanctified as we repent, receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, and remain true to our covenants (see Mosiah 5:1-6; 3 Nephi 27:20; Moses 6:64-68).”  To be sanctified means “to free from sin” (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/sanctified).  So it is by the power of the Holy Ghost that we are made holy and free from the bondage of sin. (http://www.lds.org/topics/holy-ghost?lang=eng)   

Besides the things we need to do to receive the Holy Ghost, it also takes practice to learn how to recognize when the Holy Ghost is speaking to us.  The Holy Ghost does not shout it is a still, small voice.  Elder Boyd K. Packer said, “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. It is described as a “still small voice” (see D&C 85:6). And while we speak of “listening” to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, “I had a feeling … The voice of the Spirit speaks gently, prompting you what to do or what to say, or it may caution or warn you. Ignore or disobey these promptings, and the Spirit will leave you. It is your choice—your agency” (Boyd K. Packer, “The Gift of the Holy Ghost,” Friend, Jul 1995, inside front cover).  When I feel the Holy Ghost it almost feels like light inside my body.  When I do something wrong or am on the wrong path it feels dark and yucky.  People feels the Holy Ghost differently.  You’ll have to learn to recognize how the Holy Ghost speaks to you.   

At this time of year, we give gifts.  When we give someone a gift we hope they will receive it and use it.  Heavenly Father probably feels the same way.  He wants us to use the gift of the Holy Ghost regularly.  We can use the gift of the Holy Ghost every hour of every day.  Elder Faust said, “I wish to alert young people of this special gift of the Holy Ghost. The comforting Spirit of the Holy Ghost can abide with us 24 hours a day: when we work, when we play, when we rest. Its strengthening influence can be with us year in and year out, in joy and sorrow, when we rejoice as well as when we grieve.  This Comforter can be with us as we seek to improve. It can function as a source of revelation to warn us of impending danger and also help keep us from making mistakes. It can enhance our natural senses so that we can see more clearly, hear more keenly, and remember what we should remember. It is a way of maximizing our happiness.” (James E. Faust, “Come Listen to a Prophet’s Voice: The Comforter,” Friend, Apr 2005, 2) 

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that when we listen to the Holy Ghost our lives will be happy.  We are protected from danger and comforted through our trials.  Puring, you have been a miracle in our family.  For a few weeks we had been praying every night and morning as a family and in our individual prayers to be able to find someone to share the gospel with that the missionaries could teach.  Then you knocked on our door and after we visited for a while we invited you to church and now you’ve been baptized.  Elder Nelson said, “Stellar spirits are often housed in imperfect bodies” (Oct. 2013 General Conference).  Puring is a stellar spirit.     

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.