The Holy Ghost has the power to bring light and understanding to our lives,
but we must pay the price to seek and win His companionship.
I would like to have an imaginary conversation about personal testimony with the
priesthood holders. I believe that this colloquial way will help me to convey
my message. For the purpose of our discussion, I will use the names of my grandsons;
please imagine that these names are yours and that I am speaking directly to each
one of you young men.
My dear James, when you were a young boy you bore your testimony and said,
"I know the gospel is true. I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know
that Joseph Smith was a true prophet." You knew those things because others
told you. Because of your trust in your parents, your bishop, and others, you
never questioned that knowledge. But now, as you grow more independent in understanding,
comprehension, and perception of all the different variables that this intense
and beautiful life presents to you, frequently you realize that not all men
have the same testimony or the "peace of God, which passeth all understanding"
(Philip. 4:7).
Maybe, Jonathan, you have already realized that some adults are cynical and
will not talk to you about the beautiful concepts of the Atonement, the Resurrection,
and eternal life. Instead, they will tell you to "eat, drink, and be merry,
for tomorrow we die" (2 Ne. 28:7). Others you will see groping and grasping,
looking for answers which they do not find. And yet they will still try to demonstrate
to you a knowledge of that which they do not have. Even others will say, "Well,
maybe these things are true, but maybe they aren't. The best thing we can do
is live our own lives the way we see fit, and then if there is a life after
this one, we will see what happens."
Now, Andrew, I can understand the thoughts and feelings you may have in your
mind and heart. I can understand that when you listen to these different messages,
you may ask yourself what is right and what is not.
I'm sure that many questions have come to your mind. The truth is that you
will not be condemned for wondering or questioning if you make a sincere effort
to find the answer. Our mental powers have been given to us to use. Faith based
on personal prayer, study, and obedience is more lasting than blind faith; it
is more rewarding, and for sure it is better grounded.
And you, Paul, do you remember when the Savior said, "Verily I say unto you,
Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into
the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little
child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven"? (Matt. 18:34).
We are benefited by retaining the humility and teachableness of a child, but
we must be sure to continue growing and not be content with the limited knowledge
or comprehension of the gospel which a child has. Remember, Paul, what the Apostle
of your same name said to the Corinthians: "Brethren, be not children in understanding:
howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men" (1 Cor. 14:20).
Well now, my dear Russell, you will ask yourself, "In that case, do I have
to go and look for the answer myself? Can anybody have this kind of testimony?
Is it a gift only for a few? Do those who say they know really only think
they know, or have they convinced themselves through a psychological trick?"
In answer to your questions, and to give more light to these things, let me
tell you that Elder John A. Widtsoe said that those who truly have a testimony
of the gospel have "the highest type of knowledge. It comes as a revelation
when truth is known and obeyed. . . . It is really man's chief
possession" ("What Does It Mean to Have a Testimony?" Improvement Era,
May 1945, 273; emphasis added). Do you realize that a testimony is defined as
"the highest type of knowledge" and "man's chief possession" and that in the
Doctrine and Covenants the Savior mentions it as a knowledge "which shall dwell
in your heart"? (D&C 8:2).
Maybe it will be difficult to understand this at your age, but our testimony
is something that we will take with us to the next life. We will leave all our
earthly possessions behind, but that knowledge, that inner conviction, will
remain with us. Think of Joseph Smith: those who took his life could not take
his chief possession--his testimony. The Prophet Joseph took that priceless
possession with him through death's veil into eternity, where the Lord had promised
him "a throne for you in the kingdom of my Father" (D&C 132:49). But at the
same time, that testimony, together with "a fame and name that cannot be slain"
(D&C 135:3), remains here with us. We hear the resounding witness of God's Prophet
testifying "that [Christ] lives! For we saw him, even on the right hand
of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of
the Father" (D&C 76:2223).
My dear Matthew, now that you have been able to see the eternal dimension of
a testimony, we can continue with our conversation, showing that you can have
your own testimony if you do what is necessary to obtain one.
In one of those difficult times that the faithful and dedicated young Nephi
had with his rebellious brothers, he reminded them of the following guide to
obtaining a testimony. The Lord declared, "If ye will not harden your hearts,
and ask me in faith, believing that ye shall receive, with diligence in keeping
my commandments, surely these things shall be made known unto you" (1 Ne. 15:11).
Now, we can review the steps Nephi described.
First, don't harden your heart. Seek to know. In other words, have an
intense, consuming desire to know. Give place for a seed to be planted in your
heart. And if you do this, do you know what the promise is? Alma tells us, "He
that will not harden his heart, to him is given . . . to know the
mysteries of God" (Alma 12:10).
Second, ask in faith. In your study of the scriptures, have you noted
how many times the phrase "believing that ye shall receive" accompanies the
commandment of praying and asking? In the process of asking for knowledge, we
have to exercise faith--believing before receiving. To illustrate this part
of our conversation, Alma gives us a good example when he explained how he obtained
his testimony:
"Behold, I have fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things
of myself. And now I do know of myself that they are true; for the Lord God
hath made them manifest unto me by his Holy Spirit; and this is the spirit of
revelation which is in me" (Alma 5:46).
Third, keep the commandments. I think that the words of the Book of
Mormon point out the blessings that we can obtain if we abound in good works.
King Benjamin declared to his people, "If you believe all these things see that
ye do them" (Mosiah 4:10). And the great missionary Ammon said, "Yea, he that
repenteth and exerciseth faith, and bringeth forth good works, and prayeth continually
without ceasing--unto such it is given to know the mysteries of God" (Alma 26:22).
Now, Cole, we have analyzed the different steps we should follow in our search
for a testimony. But there is yet the most important help available that can
give us confirmation and absolute assurance, and it is your right when you live
worthy to receive the companionship of the Holy Ghost. Remember the promise
in Moroni: "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all
things" (Moro. 10:5). Pay attention that I said to receive the companionship
of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost has the power to bring light and understanding
to our lives, but we must pay the price to seek and win His companionship.
Elder Marion G. Romney once wrote: "It is the mission of the Holy Ghost to
reveal the truth of heaven to those who qualify to receive it. Every one of
us, if we will, may so qualify. We must ever keep in mind, however, that he
will not dwell in an unholy environment. He is used to the society of God, for
he is an associate of the Father and the Son. When we receive the gift of the
Holy Ghost, we are commanded to receive him; he is not commanded to come to
us. But if, with all our hearts, we truly seek him, he will come to us and guide
us in the making of decisions at every crisis of our lives" ("Revelation in
Our Personal Affairs," Relief Society Magazine, Oct. 1955, 647). The
Holy Ghost is given to us to witness of the Father and the Son; that Jesus Christ
is our Redeemer; that there is a prophet upon the earth who presides over the
true Church that carries the Savior's name, even The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints; and that all the works and promises of God will be fulfilled
in His time and in His own way.
And now, my youngest grandson, Tate, we can end this conversation, mentioning
what a testimony is. Maybe the best way to define it would be by looking at
what a testimony represents in our lives. It is to say, "I will go and do the
things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know" (1 Ne. 3:7), and then to act
in consequence. It is to have the peace that comes with knowing that all possible
has been done, that all talents have been exercised to the maximum. It is to
follow the commandment of the Lord to Joshua: "Be strong and of a good courage;
be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever
thou goest" (Josh. 1:9). And it is to "be patient in afflictions" (D&C 31:9).
It is to never give up, but to stand up as an example to others. It is to "be
ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the
hope that is in you with meekness and fear" (1 Pet. 3:15). It is to declare
His generation: "Jesus Christ [is] the Son of God, the Father of heaven
and earth, the Creator of all things from the beginning" (Mosiah 3:8). Yes,
these and many other characteristics and actions model a testimony. And this
is my testimony to you in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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