Sacrement Talk - Recognizing the Spirit - Nov 22, 2015

Update: I actually did not give all of this talk. I timed it out and it took a little less than 15 minutes. But when it was my turn to speak I only have 10 minutes. The great thing about writing your talk out and practicing it a few times is that you know what the important stuff is and you can cut the parts you don't need. Anyway, I wrote this as more of an article anyway so it works here. There are still some rough transitions but I still like it.

I love to look at the sky. Growing up my father taught me about different types of clouds and weather patterns. To this day I love watching lightning storms and listening to the rain. At night he would point out constellations, satellites, and the phases of the moon. I've stood with him and watched the northern lights and have lain with him in our sleeping bags underneath a sky so full of stars we couldn't speak. I know there is a God and the Heavens is where He dwells.

When Christ was born there were signs in the heavens. In the Americas the sun set but it was still light. All over the world a new star was seen. That star guided those wise men who studied the heavens to the Christ child where they fell and worshiped him. At His death, there were storms and tempest and the sun was blotted out for three days. Certainly in ancient times the sky was God's Facebook.

The sky does not have as much meaning today. We have maps, compasses, and GPS units to navigate by. We have satellites and radar to track storms and hurricanes. We even have telescopes and space probes that bring those far distant stars, planets, and even galaxies, into our labs and onto our personal devices. It's funny that if you want to see the sky now you usually look on a screen. But the sky and heavens are still there and they can guide us, warn us, and inspire us.

One of the songs that the choir is preparing for Christmas asks, "If a star were shining bright, would we notice in the night?" That line hit me hard. Would I notice a new star if it appeared? If my Heavenly Father was trying to tell me something and was using a star to do it, would I get the message? Would I be one of the wise men that, upon seeing the star would follow it. That got me thinking, am I noticing all the messages that my Heavenly Father is trying to send me? Has he reached out to me with his spirit and have I failed to notice? Has he hung a new star before me and have I noticed it?

Allow me to liken the Spirit to the sky, particularly the stars above. First, like the stars the Spirit requires us to look up in order to see them. Remember Pres. Monson's advice to Elder Carl B. Cook in of October of 2011, "It is better to look up" towards Christ and Heavenly Father. Second, the stars can only be seen if we are in a place where their light can shine. We will not be able to feel the Spirit if we "dwell in unholy temples" (Helaman 4:24). Third, If we are to attempt to make meaning of what we see in the sky, we must learn how to understand what we see. An understanding of how the Spirit speaks will not come just because we ask for it, but we "must study it out in your mind" (D&C 9:7-8). And fourth, even though we cannot always see them, the stars are always there, vigilant, constant, and unchanging. Can we not describe the Spirit in the same terms that Pres. Hinckley described the North Star as related in the April Conference of 2004, "...A constant in the midst of change. ...Something that could always be counted on, something that was dependable, an anchor in what otherwise appeared to be a moving and unstable firmament."

While I'm sure you could write an entire talk based on this analogy, this talk is not that. I tried to, but the topic I was given was recognizing the Spirit and it trying to make the entire simile fit that singular point was unnecessarily convoluted. So, without further reference to a rather nice analogy, if I say so myself, let us look at what is necessary to recognize the Spirit.

All of us must learn how to recognize the Spirit. A great example of this is the prophet Samuel. The history is recorded in 1st Samuel 3:1-10. As he's lying down to sleep Samuel, the young assistant to the priest Eli is called by the Lord. As the scripture says in verse 7, "Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him." Thinking his master had called him, Samuel ran to Eli who had just crawled into bed. Eli tells Samuel that he didn't call him and to go back to bed. This happens again, Samuel is called, goes to Eli, and is sent back to bed. The third time it happens Eli realizes what is going on and instructs Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth." Samuel went on to become a great prophet of God but we must remember that he, like all of us, had to learn.

An important step in recognizing the Spirit is to invite the Spirit. Elder David A Bednar said in Oct conference of 2010, "We more readily receive and recognize the Spirit of the Lord as we appropriately invite Him into our lives. We cannot compel, coerce, or command the Holy Ghost. Rather, we should invite Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us." We will never recognize the spirit if we do not make a place for Him in our hearts through prayer, fasting, and fulfilling our covenants. It is as we strive to live the gospel and be worthy of His presence that we may receive and then recognize the spirit. We must be careful though. At my fingertips I have all of the church magazines and general conference talks back to the 1970s. I have access to the church website anywhere my phone can get a signal. I can read, watch, or listen to almost anything I want just by pulling my phone out of my pocket. The Lord has helped this come to pass because it will enable His gospel to be spread faster and to more people than ever before. However, it is not hard for Satan to use this wonderful opportunity to hinder us with the other things we can do with technology.. With it he can distract us from better things. He can inundate us with media or other, more mundane thoughts until we become distracted from the spirit. It is possible to become addicted to entertainment and like any addiction, it can deaden our senses to more important things. While as a missionary I read an Ensign article by Pres. Hinckely entitled "Life's Obligations." In it he quoted Pres. McKay, speaking to the Twelve, "Brethren, we do not spend enough time meditating." Pres. Hinckley went on to say, "I believe [men's] lives would be enriched if, instead of sitting on the sofa (or anywhere else) and watching (or playing) a game that will be forgotten tomorrow, they would read and think and ponder. They would be blessed if they were to go out into the dark of the night, look at the stars, and ponder their place in the eternal plan of the Almighty." (emphasis added).  We have but to set our technology aside for a time and focus our thoughts on the things of God. We should not be afraid of quiet or silence, or of not being connected to the busy world around us. The world will continue even if we are not keeping an eye on it. Meditation, reflection, pondering, introspection, and even simple wondering are things we can do almost anywhere. I've found my morning bus ride to be an excellent place for meditation and reflecting. I can watch the sun rise on God's green earth and read His scriptures or the words of His prophets. I do not have a powerful spiritual experience every morning, but I am in a state of mind where I can.

I read an article on LDS.org recently that mentioned that many people, especially children think that we can only feel the Spirit at monumental events or special occasions such as a baptism, temple open house, or when asking in the Book of Mormon is true. I tried this with my own children, and while young, they both remembered feeling the Spirit at the Brigham and Ogden temple open houses. In these moments it is hard not to feel the Spirit and it is easy to recognize his influence in those moments, but he is not limited to only manifesting at those times. The article pointed point that we can, and should, learn to recognize the Spirit throughout our day. In this way we can be guided and have peace and comfort regardless of when our baptism or last temple trip was. Bishop Perkins commonly asks in Priesthood opening excises for people to share any spiritual experiences they had during the week. Such sharing enables all of us to come to know how the Spirit works in others lives and helps us learn how to see it in our lives. While we should be mindful not to share anything too personal or too sacred we should share how the Spirit touches us, especially with children, so that others may also come to see it in their lives. This is because the Spirit may manifest in many different ways. Pres. Howard W. Hunter explained, " I get concerned when it appears that strong emotion or free-flowing tears are equated with the presence of the Spirit. Certainly the Spirit of the Lord can bring strong emotional feelings, including tears, but that outward manifestation ought not to be confused with the presence of the Spirit itself. I have watched a great many of my brethren over the years and we have shared some rare and unspeakable spiritual experiences together. Those experiences have all been different, each special in its own way, and such sacred moments may or may not be accompanied by tears. Very often they are, but sometimes they are accompanied by total silence. Other times they are accompanied by joy. Always they are accompanied by a great manifestation of the truth, of revelation to the heart. … Listen for the truth, hearken to the doctrine, and let the manifestation of the spirit come as it may in all of its many and varied forms." (from Teaching: No Greater Call [Link])

Often the Spirit may come to us as a persistent or powerful thought. While preparing this talk I experienced this. As I arrived at work I was suddenly hit with that thought that I needed to see my sister. At first I thought that I had this feeling because I hadn't seen here for a while, but I soon realized that it was more than that. All I could think about was how I could see her. It was not hard to arrange it and within a relatively short time I was able to bring her some hot chocolate and sit and chat with her for five minutes. It turned out that she had been needing some comfort and I was able to give it. Elder Lawrence in this last conference mentioned spiritual promptings to "stop complaining," "clean your room," "increasing your temple attendance," and "keep the Sabbath day holy." Hardly the typical "Thou shalts" we read in the scriptures, but none the less they are promptings from the Spirit. These kinds of manifestations of the Spirit can feel like our own thoughts and we sometimes question if it really is the Spirit talking to us. However, there is a simple way we can resolve that questions. Moroni 7:13 says, "But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to do good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God." Regardless of what you may feel prompted to do and regardless of if that prompting comes as direction from the Spirit or from your own thoughts, if it directs you to do good it is from God. As we learn to recognize and act on these feelings as being from God, then He in turn can send us more promptings knowing that we will fulfill them. And thus we will grow as the Lord has said, "I will give unto the children of men line upon line, preceptupon 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; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have." (2nd Nephi 28:30).

Brothers and Sister, may we never have enough of the Spirit in our lives. May we always look up to Him who knows all things and recognize his Spirit when it comes. It can sometimes be frightening to think about what the Lord may prompt us to do, but I know that He will not ask us to do anything that we are incapable of. Such is His way. I bear my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ and that as we strive to do His work that He will guide us through the Spirit. As seek to invite and recognize the Spirit we will see him and as we act on those promptings we will be blessed with success. We may not always see that success, but we will continue to have more experiences with the Spirit that will bless us. This is know and say in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Daniel M. Allred

Nov 22 / 2015