Resources

Spiritually Prepared

Take turns reading the following.

JULIE B. BECK

The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life. Qualifying for the Lord’s Spirit begins with a desire for that Spirit and implies a certain degree of worthiness.

Keeping the commandments, repenting, and renewing covenants made at baptism lead to the blessing of always having the Lord’s Spirit with us [see D&C 20:77]. Making and keeping temple covenants also adds spiritual strength and power. …

Many answers to difficult questions are found by reading the scriptures because the scriptures are an aid to revelation [see 2 Nephi 32:3]. Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.

Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us (see 3 Nephi 19:24–33). Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas.

Revelation can come hour by hour and moment by moment as we do the right things. … Personal revelation gives us the understanding of what to do every day to increase faith and personal righteousness, strengthen families and homes, and seek those who need our help. Because personal revelation is a constantly renewable source of strength, it is possible to feel bathed in help even during turbulent times.

We are told to put our trust in that Spirit which leads us “to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously” (D&C 11:12). We are also told that this Spirit will enlighten our minds, fill our souls with joy, and help us know all things we should do (see D&C 11:13–14).

Promised personal revelation comes when we ask for it, prepare for it, and go forward in faith, trusting that it will be poured out upon us. (“And upon the Handmaids in Those Days Will I Pour Out My Spirit,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2010, 11)

Back to page 101

Seek Learning by Faith

Read this message alone or with another group member. Read and mark it using the ideas on page 104. Review it later today, in a week, and in a month. If you do, you’ll remember nearly all of what you learn!

DAVID A. BEDNAR

What does it mean to seek learning by faith?

… As sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father, we have been blessed with the gift of agency. … As learners, you and I are to act and be doers of the word. … Are you and I agents who act and seek learning by faith, or are we waiting to be taught and acted upon? … We are all to be anxiously engaged in asking, seeking, and knocking [see 3 Nephi 14:7].

… Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception. … Learning by faith requires both “the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34). Learning by faith is the result of the Holy Ghost carrying the power of the word of God both unto and into the heart. Learning by faith cannot be transferred from an instructor to a student … rather, a student must exercise faith and act in order to obtain the knowledge for himself or herself.

The young boy Joseph Smith … understood what it meant to seek learning by faith. … He clearly had prepared himself to “ask in faith” [James 1:6] and to act. … Notice that Joseph’s questions focused not just on what he needed to know but also on what he needed to do. … His prayer was not simply which church is right. His question was which church should he join. Joseph went to the grove to learn by faith. He was determined to act. …

Truly, one of the great challenges of mortality is to seek learning by faith. … Joseph taught, “The best way to obtain truth and wisdom is not to ask it from books, but to go to God in prayer, and obtain divine teaching” [History of the Church, 4:425]. …

… Experience has enabled me to understand that an answer given by another person usually is not remembered for very long. … But an answer we discover or obtain through the exercise of faith, typically, is retained for a lifetime. …

The responsibility to seek learning by faith rests upon each of us individually. … Learning by faith is essential to our personal spiritual development and for the growth of the Church. … May each of us truly hunger and thirst after righteousness and be filled with the Holy Ghost [see 3 Nephi 12:6]—that we might seek learning by faith. (“Seek Learning by Faith,” Ensign, Sept. 2007, 63–68 or Liahona, Sept. 2007, 19–24)

Back to page 106

Home Activity: Am I Prepared to Succeed in School?

We need to prepare to succeed in our education or training. Complete this assessment on your own. You may ask others to offer their input.

Put a number in front of each statement, either 1, 2, or 3. 1 = needs work 2 = doing okay 3 = doing great

Write some ideas about how to improve in that area.

Self-Motivation. I can make myself do hard things. I work every day without others pushing me.
Ways to improve:
Career Decision. I have a clear goal, and I’m committed to finish school.
Ways to improve:
Desire to Learn. I have a passion to learn, and I will not let challenges get in the way.
Ways to improve:
Planning. I take charge of my life. I plan my days and weeks, and I allow the Spirit to direct me.
Ways to improve:
Support. I have people around me who will support me, guide me, and love me. If not, I will find people to provide support.
Ways to improve:
Money Management. I can make and save money. I pay my bills when they are due, including my PEF loan payment. I live within my means.
Ways to improve:

What did you learn from this experience? Briefly share your ideas with your family or friends.