The Holy Ghost should be our best friend. He’s a good friend to have. He is the third member of the Godhead. He is a God. He is “the Revelator and Sanctifier of the Truth,” and His primary mission is to bear true testimony of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Pure light and knowledge from the Father and the Son are revealed and confirmed to us by the Holy Ghost. He reveals, inspires, ratifies and confirms all light and truth. When a worthy person receives a valid sacred ordinance, it will be confirmed, ratified and sealed by the Holy Ghost (the Holy Spirit of Promise). Without the sealing power of the Holy Ghost, an ordinance is invalid and ineffectual (D&C 132:7). It is by the Holy Ghost that sacred ordinances are confirmed and the true disciples of Jesus Christ are sanctified. Is the Holy Ghost a good friend? Yes, He is a very good Friend, and it would be wise to make Him our Best Friend!
To find true joy in this life, we must develop a close relationship with the Holy Ghost. Through Him, you shall receive “knowledge upon knowledge” and “know the mysteries and peaceable things–that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.” (D&C 42:61) You will be filled with “righteousness and truth.” (D&C 121:46) For that to happen, we must begin by learning of him. Who is He; what is His mission; how does He carry out his mission; and, how can I communicate with Him? By necessity, we must learn the following: what must we do to qualify for His companionship and inspiration; how do we recognize inspiration from Him; how and when does He inspire us; what can we expect; and, what should be our response?
Learning to recognize the influence of the Holy Ghost is an important skill! If you’re eligible, then pay attention to “the still small voice” and/or “the spiritual promptings.” Watch for them! And, each time you receive inspiration, make notes of the circumstances leading up to and surrounding the event. Keep the notes in your journal. What were you doing before and during the event? Also, record the circumstance of the event, what were you doing, and how and what did you feel when it happened. Try to be specific. Do this each time you sense the Holy Ghost was guiding you. Over time, and after several events, compare your records and try to see similarities. How are these events similar? Eventually, as you carefully consider these events, you will begin to see commonalities in each experience. Remember these commonalities and watch for them in the future. Your understanding of the workings of the Spirit will begin to increase. Soon, you will begin to more clearly recognize the promptings, when they happen, as inspired revelation from the Holy Ghost. And, you will grow in Light and Truth.
The Holy Ghost is our primary and best source for “light and truth.” Plus, He has a vast spiritual wireless network that is all around us and has unlimited range and bandwidth. His network is always UP and has an excellent signal. However, to access the network, we must have the right login credentials. Those credentials include: worthiness, spiritual preparation, humility, and a desire to know the will of God. And, of course, our personal receiver must be turned ON! It would be wise for us to “Friend Him” and always stay in contact.
Can or should we realistically expect to receive influence from the Holy Ghost? Yes, if we are worthy of his influence, and/or in serious need for his help and guidance. He may inspire and strengthen us in need, but if we are unworthy, his influence will be limited and will not remain with us. When we are carnal, devilish, generally unworthy, or just not living in accordance with our personal understanding of God’s will, we restrict or block our connection with the Holy Ghost, and His influence by necessity must withdraw.
However, regardless of who we are or what we have done in the past, our Heavenly Father still loves us because we are His children, spiritually begotten of Him. He has a Divine Plan of Happiness that can yet allow us to be with Him again. His beloved Son Jesus Christ has paid the ultimate price to redeem us (His Atonement for our sins, and His Resurrection from the dead). All He asks of us is that we come unto Him, repent and forsake our sins, keep His commandments, and make and honor our covenants with Him. And, the great gift He gives us is the promised influence of the Holy Ghost to guide us to and along the covenant path back to Him. As we stay on and progress along the path, enduring faithfully in righteousness to the end, the Holy Ghost will ultimately introduce us into the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. We will stand in their presence with joy and confidence and hear them say, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (Matthew 25:21).
So, is the Holy Ghost an important influence in our efforts to become more “Christlike?” Yes, He is!
In conclusion, please read carefully the following enlightened perspective from Elder David A. Bednar concerning the powerful influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives. Read it a few times and note that “the Holy Ghost is a revealer of Truth.” The Truth is what we are after, in all humility. The truth will lead us to God and Eternal Life!
“You, nor I, cannot hide from what we really are like if we ask the Holy Ghost to help us see ourselves as we really are. The natural man and the natural woman, in my opinion, are extraordinarily adept at rationalizing and hiding from what we are really like. So, if truth is knowledge of things as they were, as they will be, and as they really are, and if the Holy Ghost is a revealer of truth, and he is, then you cannot hide behind the typical rationalizations and constructions that we have of our self when the Holy Ghost shows you things as they really are. Humility is an openness to information, some of which we may not want to receive, that helps us take steps to rely upon the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and thereby become increasingly like Him and His character.”
Elder David A. Bednar
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