Rest Unto Your Souls by Per G Malm

The full text of the talk can be found here.

"To find rest unto our souls includes peace of mind and heart, which is the result of learning and following the doctrine of Christ, and becoming Christ’s extended hands in serving and helping others. Faith in Jesus Christ and following His teachings give us a firm hope, and this hope becomes a solid anchor to our souls. We can become steadfast and immovable. We can have lasting inner peace; we can enter into the rest of the Lord."

Don't we all want peace of mind and heart? I agree with Elder Malm that we must follow the doctrine of Christ and be instruments in His hands to serve those around us.

"Along our way we are aided in our choices through the sustaining influence of the Spirit. Now, if we choose to act contrary to the light and understanding that we have, we will experience a bad conscience, which of course does not feel good. But a bad conscience is a blessing in that we immediately are reminded that it is time to repent. When we are humble and desire to do what is right, we will be anxious to act promptly to change our ways, while those who are proud and who may seek “to become a law unto [themselves]” (D&C 88:35) will allow Satan to lead “them by the neck with a flaxen cord, until he bindeth them with his strong cords forever” (2 Nephi 26:22) unless the spirit of repentance enters their hearts. To follow evil influences can never result in a feeling of peace simply because peace is a gift from God and it only comes through the Spirit of God. “Wickedness never was happiness” (Alma 41:10)."

My previous post was about having the Gift of the Holy Ghost. This influence can guide us to make right choices; however, none of us our perfect and at times we slip up. As much as we hate a guilty conscience, it really is a blessing to us if it leads us to sincere repentance. But if we are proud, then Satan will lead us in a downward spiral that can be difficult to escape. Just as the prophet Alma taught in the Book of Mormon, truly "Wickedness never was happiness."

"When we learn to handle the small and simple daily things in a wise and inspired way, the result is a positive influence that will solidify harmony in our souls and build up and strengthen those around us. This is so because everything which invites us to do good “is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore [we] may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God” (Moroni 7:16)."

Choose the right and you'll always have the peace you seek. Wear yourself out in the service of others and your soul will find the rest it seeks. It may sound counter-intuitive, but it's true! I learned that it's true on my mission.

Receive the Holy Ghost by Elder David A Bednar of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles

For the full text of this discourse, click here.

Elder Bednar wrote:

The gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed only after proper and authorized baptism and by the laying on of hands by those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood. The Lord declared:

“Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. …

“And whoso having faith you shall confirm in my church, by the laying on of the hands, and I will bestow the gift of the Holy Ghost upon them” (D&C 33:11, 15).

The Apostle Paul made this practice clear to the Ephesians when he asked:

“Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

“And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John’s baptism.

“Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.

“When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

“And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them” (Acts 19:2–6).

I really like the truths taught by the experience shared by the Apostle Paul. Clearly John the Baptist had authority from God to baptize. We know he possessed the Aaronic priesthood. But even John himself taught that someone great was to come, someone who could bestow the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or baptism of fire. He was referring to Jesus Christ, the Savior of the World. In this scripture, Paul is speaking to some good people who were baptized by paul but had not yet received the Holy Ghost nor been baptized into Christ's church. So, even though they had been previously baptized unto repentance by John, they required a second baptism by Paul, who possessed the Melchezedic Priesthood, in order to join the Church of Jesus Christ and to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

I could never do Elder Bednar's talk justice with this blog post, so please read it. Here is the thesis for the remainder of his talk and he then proceeds to explain each step in detail: 

"What should we do to make this authorized admonition to seek for the companionship of the third member of the Godhead an ongoing reality? Let me suggest that we need to (1) sincerely desire to receive the Holy Ghost, (2) appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives, and (3) faithfully obey God’s commandments."

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

The Holy Ghost testifies of truth, so anyone can feel the power of the Holy Ghost when hearing or learning truth. The Gift of the Holy Ghost is much more than this; it is the "right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost"(Bible Dictionary, "Holy Ghost"). This means that the Holy Ghost can be with you all the time to guide, protect, and help you in your life.

In order to qualify for the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you must be baptized by the proper priesthood authority (click here to learn about the priesthood authority). Following baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is given by the laying on of hands, the same way that Jesus Christ taught as recorded by the New Testament. I direct you to Acts 8:14-17:

14 Now when the apostles which were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent unto them Peter and John:
15 Who, when they were come down, prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost:
16 (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.)
17 Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

 For more information and scripture references about the laying on of hands, please refer to the Bible Dictionary: Laying on of Hands.

The Holy Ghost has guided me in my life, and I testify that it is worth any price to gain this gift, one of the greatest of all the gifts of God bestowed upon mankind in this life.

Personal Revelation

From studying "Chapter 4: Recognize the Spirit" in Preach My Gospel.


Joseph Smith taught: "This is the principle on which the government of heaven is conducted--by revelation adapted to the circumstances in which the children of the kingdom are placed" (History of the Church 5:135). I had to reread that a couple of times to fully understand what he was saying- let me explain by paraphrasing this quote: "This is how things are done in heaven--specific revelation is given to us based on our unique situations in life." This teaches that God is both aware of our unique circumstances and also loves us and cares about us enough to provide us with guidance to overcome our trials and our problems. This is the essence of personal revelation.

NOTE: After you are baptized and receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, you are entitled to the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost in your life as you keep God's commandments. The Holy Ghost, which you may have with you at all times according to your righteousness, is the very medium through which God bestows upon us personal revelation. In that sense, personal revelation is very conditional on personal righteousness.

Have questions? Want to know more? Feel free to ask! http://mormon.org/chat/