Receive the Holy Ghost

When we are confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by the laying on of hands, we are instructed to “receive the Holy Ghost” in that ordinance. That then should become one of our primary pursuits in life: to have the Holy Ghost with us to guide, teach, comfort, warn, and direct us. The Sacrament prayers teach us what we need to do in order to “always have his Spirit to be with [us].” We hear these three promises each week as we participate in the ordinance: “They are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them” (Moroni 4:3). To have His Spirit with us we must strive to keep His commandments, to think about the Savior and remember Him throughout each day, and try to act as He would knowing that His name is upon us. The Savior promised His disciples what this would mean for them to have the Holy Ghost as their guide as He was nearing the end of His time with them: “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (John 14:26-27). Our goal should be to live our lives always so that this promise can be fulfilled each day, that like it was said about Alma it might be said about us as well: “The Spirit of the Lord did not fail him” (Alma 4:15).

                To keep the Spirit with us is, in my mind, the quest of a lifetime. There are other scriptures which also help us see what we can do to invite the Spirit to guide us. The Lord declared in the “law” that He gave to the Saints: “And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach” (Doctrine and Covenants 42:14). The Holy Ghost comes to us as we pray in faith. In the revelation given in Liberty Jail we have these instructions and promise: “Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:45-46). So the Holy Ghost will be with us constantly if we have charity towards others and fill our minds with virtue. Nephi suggested that it is through the words of Christ that the Holy Ghost tell us the things that we should do: “Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do” (2 Nephi 31:3). He also taught, “And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith” (2 Nephi 26:13). Thus to have the power of the Holy Ghost with us we must have faith. Jarom similarly told us this about those who were righteous in his day: “And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith” (Jarom 1:4). And so, as we cultivate faith and humility, as we feast upon the words of Christ and pray with faith, as we develop charity and fill our minds with virtue, the Holy Ghost can indeed always be with us.