June 27 — We’re continuing to work through the new For the Strength of Youth booklet the Church has created for its youth to use in correlation with its new curriculum this fall.
The next section I’m going to cover is titled Walk in God’s Light. This section begins with the importance of light to help us see things clearly and refers to the Holy Spirit as a “heavenly light.”
The first part of this lesson is Eternal Truths (page 17). It refers to the covenants they made at baptism and the future ones they will make in the temple.
Here we read:
“Each week during the sacrament, you renew your covenants. You express your willingness to keep the commandments, and the Lord blesses you with the opportunity to have the Holy Spirit as your constant companion. It is one of His greatest gifts to you.”
There are a couple of things I want to point out in this quote. First, I want to start with the word “gift.” When you think of giving someone a gift or receiving one, do you think whether the gift is kept is based on the behavior of the recipient? This is what Mormonism teaches about the “gift” of the Holy Ghost. They believe they will have him as their constant companion as long as they remain obedient to Mormonism, but when they sin, he leaves them.
In Lesson 30 of the Duties and Blessings of the Priesthood we read:
“The Holy Ghost cannot dwell in unclean temples; it is important, therefore, that we keep our bodies clean and pure in thought, speech, dress, and action, avoiding even the appearance of evil. Elder Melvin J. Ballard said, “The Holy Ghost is the most sensitive spirit I know anything about” (quoted in 1967–68 Priesthood Study Course: Deacons Quorum, 70). Because He is so sensitive, the Holy Ghost can be offended by what we may consider unimportant things.” (Lesson 30, The Gift of the Holy Ghost)
“The Holy Ghost is the most sensitive spirit” he knows? How many spirits is he in contact with? I’m not going to go down that rabbit trail right now, but I’m just asking.
This teaching that the Holy Ghost is so “sensitive” to things he needs to flee and run away from someone when they sin isn’t found in the Bible. In 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, we read:
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
And later in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20, we read:
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Because, as believers, we’re the temple of God and we have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, he’s sealed to us and will never leave us, as we learn in the following verses.
John 14:16-17 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”
Ephesians 1:13-14 “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
The last word in this section I want to point out is “opportunity.” This word implies that they have a chance at something. Again, it also implies that it’s up to them to do the work to have the Holy Spirit with them.
The rest of the lesson carries the same message: what they must do to “feel” the Holy Spirit and keep him with them always.
In the questions and answers portion of the lesson it reads:
“How can I know if I’m feeling the Holy Ghost?
Learning to be aware of the Spirit takes time, practice, and patience. He speaks to different people in different ways. Don’t overlook simple things—the peaceful feeling you get hearing someone’s testimony or the unsettled feeling you get after making a wrong choice. Search the scriptures for different ways the Spirit communicates, pray about it, and keep looking for opportunities to feel the Spirit.”
In response to a Christian being discouraged that they didn’t “feel” God’s presence, I once heard a pastor say, “God is not your emotions.” Mormonism teaches people to look for those warm and fuzzy feelings, or the “burning in the bosom,” to confirm God is with them or something is true. This is far from the truth. Yes, God can confirm something he wants you to know through his Word or a fellow believer, but we can’t rely solely on our feelings.
He’s with us and resides in us; it doesn’t matter if we feel him or we don’t.
God, the Holy Spirit, is with us:
Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. “
God dwells in us:
1 John 4:12 “No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.”
I pray Mormons come to know the one true God and how his Holy Spirit works in us.
In Christ,
Melissa Grimes
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