Visiting Teaching Message:

Become an Instrument in the Hands of God by Listening to and Following the Promptings of the Spirit

Prayerfully select and read from this message the scriptures and teachings that meet the needs of the sisters you visit. Share your experiences and testimony. Invite those you teach to do the same.

How Can I Feel the Promptings of the Spirit?

D&C 8:2: “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.”

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “The Spirit of God … will be as soft as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. … Choose to put yourself in a position to have experiences with the Spirit of God through prayer, in scripture study, at Church meetings, in your home, and through wholesome interactions with others” (“To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency,” Liahona and Ensign, May 2006, 7).

President Boyd K. Packer, Acting President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Put difficult questions in the back of your minds and go about your lives. Ponder and pray quietly and persistently about them. The answer may not come as a lightning bolt. It may come as a little inspiration here and a little there, ‘line upon line, precept upon precept’ (D&C 98:12). Some answers will come from reading the scriptures, some from hearing speakers. And, occasionally, when it is important, some will come by very direct and powerful inspiration” (“Prayers and Answers,” Ensign, Nov. 1979, 21).

Elder Henry B. Eyring of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Write down impressions or thoughts that you feel came from God. … Think carefully about whether the truth you received requires action. It is by obedience to commandments that we qualify for further revelation of truth and light” (“A Life Founded in Light and Truth,” Ensign, July 2001, 13).

How Can the Spirit Magnify Me to Be an Instrument in the Lord’s Hands?

Eliza R. Snow (1804–87), former Relief Society general president: “When you are filled with the Spirit of God, … that [Spirit] satisfies and fills up every longing of the human heart, and fills up every vacuum. When I am filled with that spirit my soul is satisfied. … The Spirit of God will impart instruction to your minds, and you will impart it to each other. … Remember that you are Saints of God; and that you have important works to perform in Zion” (Woman’s Exponent, Sept. 15, 1873, 62).

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles: “Women … who can hear the voice of the Lord, and who respond to those promptings, become invaluable instruments in His hands. … Never doubt that your influence is absolutely vital to preserving the family and to assisting with the growth and spiritual vitality of the Church” (“Women of Righteousness,” Liahona, Dec. 2002, 42; Ensign, Apr. 2002, 72).

Bonnie D. Parkin, Relief Society general president: “If we are in tune with the Spirit, if we are seeking the Lord and His guidance, if our direction is to return to our Father in Heaven, the sweet moments will come. And we will treasure them, for we have become instruments in the hands of God” (“Sweet Moments,” Liahona and Ensign, Nov. 2005, 108).

Photographs by Craig Dimond, except as noted; photograph of family by Matthew Reier, posed by models; border © Artbeats