Why Pray Always?

In the scriptures, especially in the Doctrine & Covenants, the term "pray always" is used repeatedly. In this post I will explore the different ways that he exhortation to "pray always" is used in throughout these scriptures.

Why should we pray always?

To Overcome Temptation of the Adversary

• Ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him (3 Nephi 18:15).
• Ye must watch and pray always lest ye enter into temptation; for Satan desireth to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. Therefore ye must always pray unto the Father (3 Nephi 18:18-19).
• Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work (D&C 10:5).
• Let the church take heed and pray always, lest they fall into temptation (D&C 20:33).
• Pray always, lest you enter into temptation and lose your reward (D&C 31:12).
• Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death (D&C 61:39).
• Pray always lest that wicked one have power in you, and remove you out of your place (D&C 93:49).

It seems clear that praying always helps us to fight off temptation. And when we fall into temptation, we become subject to the devil who gains power over us.

To Obtain the Spirit, Knowledge, and Many Blessings

• Ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul (2 Nephi 32:9).
• Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing (D&C 19:38).
• They shall pray always that I may unfold the same [the gospel] to their understanding (D&C 32:4).

In addition to helping us withstand temptation, praying always has many other benefits including better performance in every aspect of our lives, better understanding of the gospel (and presumably other subjects), and the constant companionship of the Spirit which is a blessing that leads to many other blessings.

To Be Prepared for the Second Coming

• Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man (Luke 21:36).
• Pray always that you enter not into temptation, that you may abide the day of his coming, whether in life or in death (D&C 61:39).
• Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself (D&C 88:126).

Finally, praying always is necessary for us to be watchful and prepared for the Second Coming. We'll be able to overcome the challenges that would distract us, avoid temptation, and not lose heart during the tough, last days.

The Holy Ghost: An Unspeakable Gift from God

An Unspeakable Gift from God by Elder Christensen of they 70: http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/10/an-unspeakable-gift-from-god?lang=eng

Elder Christensen states:

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the Godhead, and, as such, likeGod the Father and Jesus Christ, He knows our thoughts and the intents of our hearts.³ The Holy Ghost loves us and wants us to be happy. Since He knows the challenges we will face, He can guide us and teach us all things we must do to return and live with our Heavenly Father once again.⁴

Through the gift of the Holy Ghost, we receive added capacity and spiritual gifts, increased revelation and protection, steady guidance and direction, and the promised blessings of sanctification and exaltation in the celestial kingdom. All of these blessings are given as a result of our personal desire to receive them and come as we align our lives with the will of God and seek His constant direction.

How incredible that we can have a member of the Godhead with us to give us divine guidance and teaching throughout our life?! There are not many gifts that compare with this one given to us from our loving Heavenly Father. With this guidance we will not fail. The key is to seek out the Holy Ghost and retain him with us at all times. 

The Holy Ghost's entire mission is to help us return and live with our Heavenly Father once again. Elder Christensen teaches:

The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling many important roles and distinct responsibilities. The primary purpose of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness of God the Father and of His Son, Jesus Christ,⁷ and to teach us the truth of all things.⁸ A sure witness from the Holy Ghost carries far more certainty than a witness from any other source.

Elder Christensen explains how the Holy Ghost speaks to us:

We all have experiences with the Holy Ghost, even though we may not always recognize them. As inspired thoughts come into our minds, we know them to be true by the spiritual feelings that enter into our hearts. President Boyd K. Packer has taught: “The Holy Ghost speaks with a voice that you feel more than you hear. … While we speak of ‘listening’ to the whisperings of the Spirit, most often one describes a spiritual prompting by saying, ‘I had a feeling … ’.”¹⁸ It is through these sacred feelings from the Holy Ghost that we come to know what God would have us do, for this, as stated in scripture, “is the spirit of revelation.”¹⁹

God Gives Us the Holy Ghost - Why?

In 3 Nephi 28:11, Jesus teaches: "And the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and the Father giveth the Holy Ghost unto the children of men, because of me. "

The Spirit testifies of the Father so that we might know Him, our relationship to Him, and his love for us. That is one of the primary purposes of the Holy Ghost.

God gives the Holy Ghost to us because of Christ. The simple way to look at this is that we would have no real need for the Holy Ghost if not for Christ. If fallen man had no hope of redemption then why send him help? But we do have hope of redemption through Jesus Christ; and for this reason, God has given us the Holy Ghost to help us recognize Christ's teachings, believe in Him as our Savior, and follow Him on the straight and narrow path that leads to eternal life.

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.

Salvation and the Fourth Article of Faith

The fourth Article of Faith states:

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Articles of Faith 1:4

This statement teaches us some basic things about salvation and how it is achieved. There are many people in the world that believe that God has preselected a group of people on this earth to receive salvation and that the rest of us are out of luck unless we are part of that group. What a false, sad doctrine that is! God loves us as our Father and wants ALL of us to return to him. However, he will not force us to be obedient to his commandments and live in such a way that will qualify us for the blessing of returning to him because he has given us agency to choose for ourselves.

God has given us his gospel with steps that we should follow to prove ourselves to him and qualify for his greatest gift, that of eternal life. The first principles and ordinances of the gospel are the first steps in following the path that God has prepared for us to return to him. Not only are they inspired of God, but they also make sense logically.

Faith
First we must have faith in him. We must believe and more importantly do. Faith is an action word that implies that we will not only believe but do as the Lord wants us to.

Repentance
As we begin to have faith in God and in his son, Jesus Christ, we will naturally change to be better. We will want to make changes to leave our old lives behind and start fresh. We will ask God for his forgiveness and as we do this, repenting, he will forgive us.

Baptism
We show our repentance and change of heart through the ordinance of baptism. When we are baptized, we promise to follow Jesus Christ and his teachings. We come out of the baptismal waters clean just as we were when we were born. Baptism opens the door to salvation but does not guarantee salvation.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost
There is a second part of baptism. After we are baptized with water, we must be baptized with fire, or the Holy Ghost. This ordinance is performed soon after baptism. The gift of the Holy Ghost is given by the laying on of hands by someone who has the priesthood authority. It is important to note that the Gift of the Holy Ghost does not just come upon baptized members of the Church automatically. It must be given by the laying on of hands as recorded in the New Testament in Acts 8:16-18.

Of course following these steps, the first principles and ordinances of the gospel will not guarantee salvation, but as I mentioned, these are the first steps that we must take. After we have completed these steps, we have begun on the path that will lead us to eternal life if we press on, enduring to the end. One of my favorite scriptures that talks about this responsibility is found in 2 Nephi 31:20, which reads:

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."