Good morning. My name is Raenie Pratt. I am excited to share with you today some of my thoughts and feelings regarding the teachings from our prophets and apostles...and I also included a few things from our inspired female leadership in the church as well.As I was pondering this very broad topic my mind instantly went to our latest General Conference. Usually one can find one or two overall topics or trends that are repeated throughout the various talks. Depending on where the spirit guides I think the topics might be different for each of us.For me, I really loved President Nelson’s talk on receiving revelation which was carried over in President Eyring’s talk on the Holy Ghost followed by another tie in from President Oaks with his talk on Small and Simple Things. And lastly, Sister Aburto from the RS General presidency more recently spoke at Women’s Conference on the importance of not trying to do it all.I’ll be quoting from these four talks. I pray the Spirit will be with us as we take a closer look atthe words from our prophets, apostles, and church leaders.First, President Nelson taught us how important it is to receive personal revelation. He says, “One of the things the Spirit has repeatedly impressed upon my mind since my new calling as President of the Church is how willing the Lord is to reveal His mind and will. The privilege of receiving revelation is one of the greatest gifts of God to His children.”What does that mean to you...to me...to our families? It means that we can and should have faith in this promised blessing. Our prophet has made a declaration that the Lord is willing and eager and ready to answer our prayers! Are we diligently going to our knees with questions and eagerly awaiting a response from the Lord?President Nelson goes further and takes a moment to teach us step by step how we go about this.He says to first, find a quiet place. In my house, that’s sometimes hard. However, as my kids have gotten older they know to be quiet and give mom some time if they see me kneeling by my bed. I’ve also hidden in my closet or once I even went outside to the playhouse!Second, have a humble attitude before God. It’s important to have an open mind and heart to God’s will in our lives.Third, turn to Heavenly Father for answers and for comfort. Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, and the longings of your heart. He cares about all aspects of our lives. Let him in and let him guide you through it.Then…President Nelson teaches that we need to LISTEN! Be still and let our minds open up to any thoughts or impressions or feelings or ideas that might come. When those thoughts come WRITE THEM DOWN. Do you have a notebook or journal and a pen next to your bed? I can’t count the number of times when I have regrettably skipped this important step. I convince myself “oh I’ll remember!” and so I don’t take the time to write it down and then it’s gone and forgotten. Learn from my mistakes and take the time to write it down!We’re not done yet, President Nelson then admonishes us to be ready to follow through with actions we are prompted to take. It is by following through that the Lord gains our trust and He will continue to trust us and give us more ideas, more inspiration, and more guidance.Quoting from President Nelson, he says, “You don’t have to wonder about what is true. You do not have to wonder whom you can safely trust. Through personal revelation, you can receive your own witness that the Book of Mormon is the word of God, that Joseph Smith is a prophet, and that this is the Lord’s Church. Regardless of what others may say or do, no one can ever take away a witness borne to your heart and mind about what is true.To be sure, there may be times when you feel as though the heavens are closed. But I promise that as you continue to be obedient, expressing gratitude for every blessing the Lord gives you, and as you patiently honor the Lord’s timetable, you will be given the knowledge and understanding you seek. Every blessing the Lord has for you—even miracles—will follow. That is what personal revelation will do for you.”Our Heavenly Father uses the channel of the Holy Ghost to communicate with us and makes possible the whole process of revelation to happen. This is just what President Eyring spoke about when he said, “My hope today is to increase your desire and your ability to receive the Holy Ghost. Remember, He is the third member of the Godhead. The Father and the Son are resurrected beings. The Holy Ghost is a person of spirit. (See D&C 130:22.) It is your choice whether to receive Him and welcome Him into your heart and mind. …“More precious than memory of events is the memory of the Holy Ghost touching our hearts and His continuing affirmation of truth. More precious than seeing with our eyes or remembering words spoken and read is recalling the feelings that accompanied the quiet voice of the Spirit. Rarely I have felt it exactly as the travelers on the road to Emmaus did-as a soft burning in the heart. More often it is a feeling of light and quiet assurance…”President Eyring recalls a time when he was young and they sang “Abide with Me; Tis Eventide” in sacrament meeting. Even though it wasn’t the first time he heard the words to that song, he felt something special that night. He felt closer to the Savior. A memory of the Holy Ghost touching our hearts is the most precious thing we can have.I know that it is true because I have felt that in my own life. As a youth, I diligently attended EFY, Youth Conferences, YW Camp, seminary, and various devotionals. I can only recall just a few things we actually did or talked about but the feelings of the spirit and the overwhelming sense of belonging and love I felt carried me forward and kept me going on the right path. I must have been 16 or 17 at a Stake Youth Conference. We had a wonderful weekend to service, talks, dances, and spending time together. On Saturday evening as we were wrapping up the weekend with our final devotional before we all parted ways and went home, we sang “God Be With You till We Meet Again”. That song has forever taken on a whole new meaning for me. I’ll never forget the overwhelming spirit I felt as I looked around that chapel and saw all these close friends I had made and the wonderful experiences we had just shared together. It was almost as if the heavens opened for just a moment and I felt what it felt like to truly be with my friends and family once again after this life. What a treasured moment the spirit gave me that I’ll never forget.Think for a moment on a time in your life when the spirit spoke to your heart. Those can be the most powerful testimony building experiences we can have.President Eyring admonishes us that “… Our obligation is to choose to open our hearts to receive the ministration of the Spirit over a lifetime. …”If my only moment of feeling the Holy Ghost was in one youth conference 20 years ago, that would not be enough to sustain my testimony. Just as Pres. Eyring teaches it’s a continual process that happens over a lifetime.This is where President Oaks ties in so nicely when he used the example of a growing root cracking the sidewalk to illustrate that little choices can make a big difference over time. “We are taught many small and simple things in the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need to be reminded that in total and over a significant period of time, these seemingly small things bring to pass great things. …“Consider … scripture study. … Or consider … personal prayers and … kneeling family prayers. … Consider attendance at Seminary. … Though each of these practices may seem to be small and simple, over time they result in powerful spiritual uplift and growth. …” Do you find this to be true in your own life? Can you think back 5 years, or 10 years and see the small decisions you’ve been making have shaped you into the person you are today. Are there things you want to change about yourself? Are there habits you’d like to start or quit?
Are there small and simple adjustments you can make to your daily routine that will, in the long run, make a big impact on your life?I urge you to not get overwhelmed by it all. That’s Satan’s great tool. He’s really good at convincing us that we can’t do this, it’s too hard, it’s inconvenient, it’s all just too much. Those are his lies to try to coerce us into sticking our feet in the sand and stop our forward progression toward Christ.I found this to be especially true as I served as RS President. Satan was really good about reminding me of all the things I wasn’t doing and all the little things I missed. He frequently reminded me that someone else that didn’t have young kids could serve more diligently and more effectively. But I’m here to testify that the Lord blessed me with an added measure of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost was powerful in my life reminding me that whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies. He gave me the assurance that what I was doing and the amount I was giving was sufficient. I needed that added measure of the spirit to ward off the frequent lies that Satan tried to tell me. Earlier this month Sister Aburto of the RS General presidency spoke at Women’s Conference. In her words, “It’s so easy to be overwhelmed with all that we are asked to do. My sisters, you are doing great…. I want to reassure you that the Lord accepts all your efforts….” She goes on to say, “I learned this principle some years ago. When I was working full-time out of the home, I used to make long lists of things that needed to be done on Saturday. I could never finish everything on my list. A major milestone happened when I realized I didn’t need a long list for Saturday. I started to save my Saturdays for more important family time by going shopping or doing laundry on weeknights, so I would be free. My advice from my own experience is to just pick two or three things that are realistic and let the other stuff go. Spend time having fun! Enjoy your family! Do fun things with them!”Sister Aburto continues, “One day, I realized I will never be done. My lists will never be finished. It isn’t possible. I want to tell every woman what I have learned. You don’t have to do it all, and you are never done, and you can be okay with that, and you can accept that. Do what you can each day, ask the Lord to fill in the gaps, and then a new day starts and you begin again. That is part of the beauty of being disciples of Jesus Christ—that we are never done, that there is always something else to do, and that there is always room for improvement.”I love how beautiful the gospel is. I love that we have a prophet and apostles and wise leaders to guide us and teach us the important things we need to focus on and how to live the
best lives we can. Through small and simple decisions we can keep the Holy Ghost in our lives to reveal to us the path God would have us take through our journey here on earth, bearing in mind that we can’t do it all but we can do the important things moving forward in Christ.
Are there small and simple adjustments you can make to your daily routine that will, in the long run, make a big impact on your life?I urge you to not get overwhelmed by it all. That’s Satan’s great tool. He’s really good at convincing us that we can’t do this, it’s too hard, it’s inconvenient, it’s all just too much. Those are his lies to try to coerce us into sticking our feet in the sand and stop our forward progression toward Christ.I found this to be especially true as I served as RS President. Satan was really good about reminding me of all the things I wasn’t doing and all the little things I missed. He frequently reminded me that someone else that didn’t have young kids could serve more diligently and more effectively. But I’m here to testify that the Lord blessed me with an added measure of the Spirit. The Holy Ghost was powerful in my life reminding me that whom the Lord calls the Lord qualifies. He gave me the assurance that what I was doing and the amount I was giving was sufficient. I needed that added measure of the spirit to ward off the frequent lies that Satan tried to tell me. Earlier this month Sister Aburto of the RS General presidency spoke at Women’s Conference. In her words, “It’s so easy to be overwhelmed with all that we are asked to do. My sisters, you are doing great…. I want to reassure you that the Lord accepts all your efforts….” She goes on to say, “I learned this principle some years ago. When I was working full-time out of the home, I used to make long lists of things that needed to be done on Saturday. I could never finish everything on my list. A major milestone happened when I realized I didn’t need a long list for Saturday. I started to save my Saturdays for more important family time by going shopping or doing laundry on weeknights, so I would be free. My advice from my own experience is to just pick two or three things that are realistic and let the other stuff go. Spend time having fun! Enjoy your family! Do fun things with them!”Sister Aburto continues, “One day, I realized I will never be done. My lists will never be finished. It isn’t possible. I want to tell every woman what I have learned. You don’t have to do it all, and you are never done, and you can be okay with that, and you can accept that. Do what you can each day, ask the Lord to fill in the gaps, and then a new day starts and you begin again. That is part of the beauty of being disciples of Jesus Christ—that we are never done, that there is always something else to do, and that there is always room for improvement.”I love how beautiful the gospel is. I love that we have a prophet and apostles and wise leaders to guide us and teach us the important things we need to focus on and how to live the
best lives we can. Through small and simple decisions we can keep the Holy Ghost in our lives to reveal to us the path God would have us take through our journey here on earth, bearing in mind that we can’t do it all but we can do the important things moving forward in Christ.
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