(Personal) Revelation

Personal revelation ties very closely with faith and prayer. Personal revelation is how we receive answers from Heavenly Father. It usually comes for me after I have fervently prayed for a specific purpose. Heavenly Father gives us personal revelation through the power of the Holy Ghost. For me, I feel a small burning in my chest and I know that the answer is coming form God. Usually it’s very subtle and I don’t realize it is Heavenly Father speaking to me until the 3^rd or 4^th prompting. Sometimes personal revelation comes to me because I need to help someone in need. I have found how important it is to act on those promptings. Heavenly Father knows best; he knows who needs the help and from whom. The more I distance myself from Heavenly Father, whether subconsciously or not; I feel less and less promptings. It makes me so happy to feel the Spirit because it usually means I am on a pathway of improvement. Personal revelation is so wonderful and it is so amazing that when we do our part, Heavenly Father does his. He will never leave us alone during difficult times. There may be times of waiting that test our patience, but he is always there for us.

"We can do the work of the Lord in His way when we seek, receive, and act on personal revelation. Without personal revelation, we cannot succeed. If we heed personal revelation, we cannot fail. The prophet Nephi instructs us that the Holy Ghost will show us 'all things what [we] should do' (2 Nephi 32:5). It was prophesied that in the latter days the Lord would pour out His Spirit upon His handmaids (see Joel 2:29). This will happen as we allow ourselves to be still enough and quiet enough to listen to the voice of the Spirit. Elder Neal A. Maxwell taught us that receiving revelation for our calling and in our personal lives 'requires serious mental effort on our part. . . . Revelation is not a matter of pushing buttons, but of pushing ourselves, often aided by fasting, scripture study, and personal pondering. Most of all, revelation requires us to have a sufficient degree of personal righteousness, so that on occasion revelation may come to the righteous, unsolicited' ('Revelation,' First Worldwide Leadership Training Meeting, Jan. 11, 2003, 5)."- Julie B. Beck, "Fulfilling the Purpose of Relief Society," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 111

 

"From your study of Church history, you will all know something of the experience the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brethren had while imprisoned in [Liberty Jail] during the winter of 1838–39. This was a terribly difficult time in our history for the Church generally and certainly for the Prophet Joseph himself, who bore the brunt of the persecution in that period. Indeed, I daresay that until his martyrdom five and a half years later, there was no more burdensome time in Joseph's life than this cruel, illegal, and unjustified incarceration in Liberty Jail. . . . "Most of us, most of the time, speak of the facility at Liberty as a 'jail' or a 'prison'—and certainly it was that. But Elder Brigham H. Roberts, in recording the history of the Church, spoke of the facility as a temple, or, more accurately, a 'prison-temple.' . . . "But tonight's message is that when you have to, you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced." - Jeffrey R. Holland, "Lessons from Liberty Jail" (Church Educational System fireside for young adults, Sept. 7, 2008), 1, 3–4

 

“To access information from heaven, one must first have a firm faith and a deep desire. One needs to ‘ask with a sincere heart [and] real intent, having faith in [Jesus] Christ’ (Moroni 10:4). ‘Real intent’ means that one really intends to follow the divine direction given.” "Revelation need not all come at once. It may be incremental. 'Saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more' (2 Nephi 28:30). Patience and perseverance are part of our eternal progression."- Russell M. Nelson, “Ask, Seek, Knock,” Ensign, Nov. 2009, 81 

"By careful practice, through the application of correct principles, and by being sensitive to the feelings that come, you will gain spiritual guidance."- Richard G. Scott. To Acquire Spiritual Guidance. October 2009. 

"I am convinced that there is no simple formula or technique that would immediately allow you to master the ability to be guided by the voice of the Spirit. Our Father expects you to learn how to obtain that divine help by exercising faith in Him and His Holy Son, Jesus Christ. Were you to receive inspired guidance just for the asking, you would become weak and ever more dependent on Them. They know that essential personal growth will come as you struggle to learn how to be led by the Spirit."- Richard G. Scott. To Acquire Spiritual Guidance. October 2009. 

"Impressions of the Spirit can come in response to urgent prayer or unsolicited when needed. Sometimes the Lord reveals truth to you when you are not actively seeking it, such as when you are in danger and do not know it. However, the Lord will not force you to learn. You must exercise your agency to authorize the Spirit to teach you. As you make this a practice in your life, you will be more perceptive to the feelings that come with spiritual guidance. Then, when that guidance comes, sometimes when you least expect it, you will recognize it more easily." - Richard G. Scott. To Acquire Spiritual Guidance. October 2009. 

"Personal revelation is the way we know for ourselves the most important truths of our existence." - Robert D. Hales. Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets. October 2007.

"Revelation comes on the Lord’s timetable, which often means we must move forward in faith, even though we haven’t received all the answers we desire."- Robert D. Hales. Personal Revelation: The Teachings and Examples of the Prophets. October 2007.

"Revelation comes as words we feel more than hear." - Boyd K. Packer. Personal Revelation. The Gift, the Test, and the Promise. October 1994. 

"You may receive revelation individually, as a parent for your family, or for those for whom you are responsible as a leader or teacher, having been properly called and set apart." - Boyd K. Packer. Personal Revelation. The Gift, the Test, and the Promise. October 1994.