Eyring - An Enduring Testimony of the Mission of the Prophet Joseph - October 2003

President Eyring talks about the Prophet Joseph Smith and his example.  He shares moments from the Prophets life that demonstrate how we should be living our lives in order to have the companionship of the Holy Ghost.  He starts by talking about the three witnesses of the Book of Mormon.  These men were not shown the plates by Joseph Smith.  An angel appeared and showed them.  They heard the voice of God declaring it was true.  This was confirmed to them through the Holy Ghost.

• Those three witnesses had something more, something we all need. The Holy Ghost bore witness to their minds and hearts that what they saw and heard was true. The Spirit told them that the angel was from God and that the voice was that of the Lord Jesus Christ. That witness of the Spirit was given to them and many who were not there. It is a witness that can, if we qualify for the companionship of the Holy Ghost, be ours and stay with us forever.

President Eyring focuses on how we can help others gain this confirmation from the Holy Ghost.  When someone receives their own testimony of this great work, they are more likely to make and keep sacred covenants and endure to the end.  He gives us some specific things we can help teach that will make this easier for them to gain a testimony for themselves.

• Here are some things you can teach those you love with your example and testimony, with confidence that the Lord will send the Spirit to confirm truth to their minds and to their hearts.
• Teach them to pray to the Father in faith in the name of Jesus Christ.
  • The young Joseph Smith showed us how to pray that way. He believed in the promise he read in the book of James. He went to the grove with faith that his prayer would be answered. He wanted to know which church to join. He was submissive enough to be ready to do whatever he was told to do. So he prayed, as we must, already committed to obey.
• We can teach those we love to pray with the intent to obey.
  
  • We can promise them they will gain the companionship of the Holy Ghost. The Spirit will testify the truth to their hearts every time they read in the scriptures which came to us through the Prophet Joseph Smith. And the Spirit will confirm again that God spoke through His prophet.
    
• Teach them to ponder the scriptures every day, with faith that they will be taught by the Spirit.
  • You and those you love will receive the word of God by obeying it. That will allow them to feel His love. That is one of the great blessings of the gift of the Holy Ghost. When we feel that love we can know that our course in life is approved of God. That is the feast of the delicious fruit described in the Book of Mormon.
    
• Teach them to sacrifice to build up the kingdom of God.
  • Even the smallest act to build faith in another person or in a family qualifies us for the gift and power of the Holy Ghost.
    
• Teach them to love others by serving others. That brings the Spirit.
  • When we comfort others, out of our faith in the Lord, He sends the Comforter to us.
    

These things will allow those we teach to be given opportunities to feel the Spirit.  They will become familiar with how the Spirit speaks to them.  They will know that the love of God is personal.  That God loves them as an individual and that He has a plan for them in their life.  President Eyring summarizes his comments as he closes his talk.

• The Prophet Joseph is an example and a teacher of enduring well in faith. I do not worship him, but I thank and love him as the Lord’s prophet of the Restoration. He has helped me pray with the intent to obey. I am better able to feast in the word and the love of God. Because of him I feel the Holy Ghost more often in the moments when I try to build the faith of a person in the Lord’s kingdom. And because of what I know of the Prophet Joseph and the scriptures which were revealed through him, I more often feel the love of God for His children and of His for me when I reach down to lift someone up.

I love the Prophet Joseph Smith.  I love that I know that through spiritual experiences and not worldly ones.  I love that the Holy Ghost can and does confirm the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon to those that ask with a sincere heart and intent on acting upon that knowledge.  I love that we can have the Holy Ghost guide our daily actions as we are worthy to have the Spirit with us.  I echo the words of President Eyring, I don't worship Joseph Smith, but I thank and love him as the Lord's prophet of the Restoration.  I love President Monson and the life he has turned over to the Lord.  I know that as I follow their example, counsel, and guidance, I am a better person.  I can follow the example of the Savior by listening to their counsel and applying it in my life.