Wilson - Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide - April 2018

Elder Wilson teaches us about listening to the Holy Ghost in times of peace as well as in times of trouble.  He begins by telling us how great it is to have the Gift of the Holy Ghost in our lives.

• What an incomparable gift comes to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ. That gift is the Holy Spirit giving us what the New Testament calls “life in Christ.”
• It is an extraordinary privilege to “have … the Holy Spirit for [our] guide,”

He tells us that it is our responsibility to live our lives so the Spirit can be with us.

• When it comes to revelation, we must properly tune our receiver to heaven’s frequency.
• We must each be making the effort to align our lives with God’s commandments in order to be directed by Him.

Sin and distractions can cloud our communication with the Spirit.  At these times, we need to actively seek to find the Savior in our complicated lives.

• Sometimes we can’t hear heaven’s signal because we are not worthy. Repentance and obedience are the way to achieve clear communication again.
• When you feel far from God, you need only make the decision to turn from sin and face the Savior, where you will find Him waiting for you, His arms outstretched. He is eager to guide you, and you are just one prayer away from receiving that guidance again.

Elder Wilson councils us that troubles will arise in our lives and we need to actively be part of trying to determine a solution to our problems.  When we are active in seeking to resolve our problems, the Spirit can guide us in the direction we should go.  Most often, the Spirit will guide us as we move forward instead of just telling us what we should do.

• We might ask, “Lord, what do I need to do to be part of the solution?” Instead of just listing our problems in prayer and asking the Lord to solve them, we ought to be seeking more proactive ways of receiving the Lord’s help and committing to act according to the Spirit’s guidance.

He speaks about things that are necessary so when the trials of life come, they don't destroy us.  He tells us that one of the key things we need to do is to learn how to listen to the Spirit when times are easy so we know how to hear His voice when times are tough.

• The arrival of a typhoon is no time to dust off the gift of the Holy Ghost and figure out how to use it.
• We need the Holy Spirit as our guide in calm waters so His voice will be unmistakable to us in the fiercest storm.

He shares what he believes it means to be spiritually self reliant.  He says that we need to seek guidance for ourselves and the Spirit will help lead us own the right path.

• Being spiritually self-reliant is hearing the Lord’s voice through His Spirit for one’s own life.

Being familiar with how the Spirit communicates with us individually is key to weathering the storms of life.

• The storms of deception and the mists of falsehood arise without warning. In these situations, being familiar with the voice of the Holy Ghost is a matter of spiritual life and death.
  

The Holy Ghost will lead us and guide us as we live righteously and seek His guidance for our lives.

• We must each have our own hand on the iron rod. Then we may go to the Lord with humble confidence, knowing that He “shall lead [us] by the hand, and give [us] answer to [our] prayers.”

What really stuck out to me in this talk is the need to understand how the Spirit communicates with us in times of peace so we know how to listen in times of trouble.  The quote "The arrival of a typhoon is no time to dust off the gift of the Holy Ghost and figure out how to use it." is important in my life.  I recognized long ago that understanding how the Spirit communicates to us individually is vital for our spiritual well being.  It is difficult to know what the Spirit sounds like when the winds of life are beating upon you if you haven't heard it on a sunny day.  I would encourage everyone to learn personally how to listen when times are good so you can recognize His guidance when times are tough.