Following the Promptings of the Holy Ghost

Read the following with the sisters you visit, and discuss the questions, scriptures, and teachings from our Church leaders. Share your experiences and testimony, and invite those you teach to do the same.

Why is it important for us to have the gift of the Holy Ghost?

John 14:26: “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.”

2 Nephi 32:5: “If ye will enter in by the way, and receive the Holy Ghost, it will show unto you all things what ye should do.”

President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “Latter-day Saints, having received the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, are entitled to personal inspiration in the small events of life as well as when they are confronted with the giant Goliaths of life” (“Communion with the Holy Spirit,” Ensign, Mar. 2002, 4).

How does the Holy Ghost speak to us?

1 Nephi 17:45: “[The Lord] hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words.”

D&C 8:2–3: “I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.

“Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.”

President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “We can be too busy to pay attention to the promptings of the Spirit. … It is a spiritual voice that comes into the mind as a thought put into your heart” (“The Cloven Tongues of Fire,” Ensign, May 2000, 8).

How can we improve our ability to feel the promptings of the Spirit?

Moroni 8:26: “The remission of sins bringeth meekness, and lowliness of heart; and because of meekness and lowliness of heart cometh the visitation of the Holy Ghost, which Comforter filleth with hope and perfect love, which love endureth by diligence unto prayer, until the end shall come, when all the saints shall dwell with God.”

President Marion G. Romney (1897–1988), Second Counselor in the First Presidency: “If you want to obtain and keep the guidance of the Spirit, you can do so by following this simple four-point program. One, pray. Pray diligently. … Second, study and learn the gospel. Third, live righteously; repent of your sins. … Fourth, give service in the Church” (“Guidance of the Holy Spirit,” Ensign, Jan. 1980, 5).

President Gordon B. Hinckley: “There is no greater blessing that can come into our lives than the gift of the Holy Ghost—the companionship of the Holy Spirit to guide us, protect us, and bless us, to go, as it were, as a pillar before us and a flame to lead us in paths of righteousness and truth. That guiding power of the third member of the Godhead can be ours if we live worthy of it” (Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley [1997], 259).

What changes can I make to receive this remarkable gift and enjoy it more fully in my life?

Illustrated by Sheri Lynn Boyer Doty