General Conference, ‘Ask, Seek, and Knock’, October 2020 “Recently a loved one said to me, “I believe personal revelation to be true. I believe the Holy Ghost will show me all things I should do. It is easy to believe when I feel my bosom burn with undoubting conviction. But how can I have the Holy Ghost always speak to me at this level?”
To my loved one and to all of you, I would say that I too would like to constantly feel those strong impressions from the Spirit and always see clearly the path to follow. But I don’t.
However, what we might feel more often is the still, small voice of the Lord whispering to our mind and heart: “I am here. I love you. Go on; do your best. I will support you.” We don’t always need to know everything or see everything.
The still, small voice is reaffirming, encouraging, and comforting—and many times that’s just what we need for the day. The Holy Ghost is real, and His impressions are real—the big ones and the small ones.
The Lord went on to promise, “He that seeketh, findeth.” Seeking implies mental and spiritual effort—pondering, testing, trying, and studying. We seek because we trust the Lord’s promises.
“For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6). When we seek, we are humbly acknowledging that we still have much to learn, and the Lord will expand our understanding, preparing us to receive more. …
Why is revelation so essential to our spiritual survival? Because the world can be confusing and noisy, full of deception and distractions. Communication with our Father in Heaven enables us to sort through what is true and what is false, what is relevant to the Lord’s plan for us and what is not.
The world can also be harsh and heartbreaking. But as we open our hearts in prayer, we will feel the comfort that comes from our Father in Heaven and the assurance that He loves and values us.” — Milton Camargo [emp. added]
Hebrews 11:6 “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
We’ve chosen to look at this talk today because of what it means for every member of the LDS Church. One of the things I always ask Mormons is the age-old question, ‘If you died today, would you go to heaven?’
More times than not, the answer I receive is ‘I sure hope so’. I don’t know why, but each time I hear that, my heart is sickened once again. After all the years I’ve done this, one would think it wouldn’t be so shocking. To read Mr. Camargo’s talk in full, see link above.
We have a few concerns about what this man said –
1.Why is revelation necessary for spiritual survival? God has already revealed who He is through Jesus.
2.The phrase ‘still, small voice’ is found only ONE TIME in all of the Bible. You can find it in the OT passage when God spoke to Elijah after his victory over the false prophets of Ba’al. See 1 Kings 18:20-40; 19:12. This is another warning sign – cults will take one verse from the Bible, and make a doctrine of it.
3.If they trust God’s promises, why don’t they exhibit such a belief? Mr. Camargo misled this ‘loved one’ by not pointing out we have assurance of salvation. Why did he say he wished he could hear from God all the time when the Bible is at his fingertips?
4.Yes, the world can be confusing, and this is why God, in His infinite mercy, supplied us with all we need. We have His word, and His Holy Spirit who’s with us 24/7, if we choose to believe in Him.
We’ve listed over 2 dozen verses in God’s word showing we can have full assurance of salvation. Share them with the Mormons you know!
John 3:16 — John 3:36 — John 5:24 —
John 6:37 — John 6:47 — John 6:68 —
John 10:28 — John 17:3 — Romans 5:1 —
Romans 8:16 — Romans 10:9 — Ephesians 3:12 —
Philippians 4:6-7 — Colossians 2:2 — 2 Timothy 1:12 —
2 Timothy 4:18 — 1 Peter 5:7 — 1 John 1:2 —
1 John 2:25 — 1 John 3:19-24 — 1 John 4:18 —
1 John 5:11 — 1 John 5:13 — 1 John 5:18-20 —
Hebrews 10:22 — Hebrews 11:6
With Love in Christ;
Michelle
Mr Camargo states in paragraph #2, that he would like to “always fee”l the presence of God’s Holy Spirit, but sometimes he just doesn’t. Again, the Mormons are putting entirely too much emphasis on feelings. I don’t know how many times I have heard speakers talk about how much they can “feel God’s spirit” in the congregation today.
In Jeremiah 17:9, the Lord tells us not to rely on the feelings of our heart, because the heart of man is deceitful above all things. In Proverbs 28: 6, the Lord tell us not to trust in our own minds and whosoever does trust in his own mind, to include their feelings, is a fool.
In Hebrews 13:6, the Lord tell us that He will never leave us nor forsake us. Mr Camargo, rather than to rely on God’s Word, promising that His spirit will never leave us nor forsake us, instead relies on his own feelings.to act as a Holy Ghost Spirit Detector. Just because you don’t feel God, doesn’t mean that He is not there.