At times, we may feel confused about our lives or uncertain about the future. Our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ are the source of all truth. They can answer our questions and help illuminate our path forward.
What Is Truth?
Truth is knowledge of things as they really are, were, and are to come. Eternal truth helps God’s children feel His love and changes lives. All things are known by God, and He uses the Holy Spirit to help His children recognize truth.
Jesus Christ Is the Way, the Truth, and the Life
Heavenly Father sent His Son Jesus Christ to earth to teach God’s children how to find happiness, meaning, and joy during this life and into eternity.
Jesus is our perfect example. His true teachings act as a guiding light in our lives that can direct us toward peace. Anyone who seeks to follow Jesus Christ can have this light; He has promised in scripture that all who seek Him will find Him.
The Holy Spirit Helps Us Find Truth
The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is the messenger and revealer of the Father and the Son. He helps us learn and recognize truth, and it is through the Holy Spirit that God and Jesus Christ communicate love and comfort to us.
There are several ways that the Holy Ghost can bring you closer to God. The Holy Ghost:
- Comforts (see John 14:16–17, 26; Moroni 8:26; Doctrine and Covenants 36:2).
- Reveals and testifies of truth (see 2 Nephi 32:4–5; Alma 5:46–47; Doctrine and Covenants 8:2–3)
- Bears witness of the Father and the Son (see John 15:26; 3 Nephi 11:32, 36).
- Sanctifies and cleanses (see Alma 13:10–12; 3 Nephi 27:19–20; Moroni 6:4).
How Can I Know What Is True?
Pray to Your Loving Heavenly Father
God loves us and wants to hear from us. He promises that when we turn to Him in prayer, He will give us answers and guidance. Jesus taught us how to pray in the Bible (Matthew 6:9–13) and the Book of Mormon (3 Nephi 18:19). We must pray sincerely and with real intent to act on the promptings we receive from the Holy Ghost.
Exercise Faith
The Bible teaches that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Exercising faith means choosing to believe what we may not know. It takes hope, courage, and sometimes resilience, but faith always helps us feel the influence of the Holy Spirit more deeply.
Come to Recognize the Holy Spirit
God communicates with us through the Holy Spirit in a variety of ways. In the Bible, it’s often described as a “still small voice” (see 1 Kings 19:11–12), but everyone will feel the Holy Spirit in their own way. For you, the Holy Spirit might feel like:
- Feelings of love, joy, peace, goodness (Galatians 5:22-23)
- Clarity and guidance for your life (Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3)
- Ideas in your mind and feelings in your heart (1 Corinthians 2: 9-11)
- Darkness replaced with light (Alma 19:6)
Truth can be found in many places, but its ultimate source is the Holy Ghost— our divine messenger from God the Father and His Son. When we pray with faith, read God’s word in the scriptures, attend church, and serve others, we invite the influence of the Holy Spirit into our daily lives and can more readily recognize truth.