3 Truths from section 6
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:5 “Therefore, if you will ask of me you shall receive; if you will knock it shall be opened unto you.” The Lord is letting us know that it is up to us to ask him for clarification or confirmation or personal revelation. The part that says “if you knock it shall be opened unto you” is a form of action, a verb. We can’t sit and just wait for something that we haven’t asked for, or ask for something without making any effort to deserve it.
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:7 “Seek not for riches but for wisdom, and behold, the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto you, and then shall you be made rich. Behold, he that hath eternal life is rich.” The Lord is letting us know what we are supposed to be looking for on Earth. We need some material things to be able to live comfortable in this life, but the main goal is to seek for wisdom. The Lord has said that if we seek for the right thing, which is wisdom, he will unfold the mysteries. It is better to have wisdom because that will lead us in better paths than earthly riches that will stay here once we die.
- Doctrine and Covenants 6:16 “Yea, I tell thee, that thou mayest know that there is none else save God that knowest thy thoughts and the intents of thy heart.” I think this verse is very important when it comes to personal revelation because God knows if we are asking to know something for the intent of making progression or if we have other intentions with what we are asking. I think God knows the right time to give us the answer to whatever we are seeking. When we combine strong faith and the right time to ask, he will let us know. I know that Joseph Smiths asked at the right time whether or not he was in the right church.
Truths from section 8-9, 17
- Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 “Remember that without faith you can do nothing; therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which you ought not.” The great principle and verb faith is giving to us in this verse. By exercising faith it means to move, to get on our knees when we pray, to get our scriptures out and highlight them and write notes, to go to the temple to be in a great spiritual state when we are seeking for personal revelation. He also warns us not to ask things that we shouldn’t.
- Doctrine and Covenants 9:6 “Do not murmur, my son, for it is wisdom in me that I have dealt with you after this manner.” There may be times in our lives when we don’t get the answer we desire. If this happens, we must stay faithful and stronger than ever. Something like this can be used by the adversary to make us murmur against God. When dealing with revelation we need to understand that God will not always give us the answer we want.
- Doctrine and Covenants 9:8 “But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right.” The Lord has told us what we will feel when something is right. It is good to know what to look for when asking something to Heavenly Father.
- Doctrine and Covenants 17:3 “And after that you have obtained faith, and have seen them with your eyes, you shall testify of them, by the power of God.” Something important about revelation is the testimony we gain from it. I think is important to use our testimony to stand as witnesses of personal revelation. People have to know that they can see with their own spiritual eyes the truth about the gospel.
Personal reflection
A thought that I have about revelation is when asking God
about things that have obvious answers or are common sense to the members of
the church. For example, I have read in
different talks and have studied in my family foundations class that children
come as part of being married, it is a commandment. So why do some members feel the need to ask
if it’s the right time? If they are married
in the covenant and they love each other, and have financial means of
supporting a baby, then the answer will be yes.
I think asking God more about the decisions I make will bless my life
more. A lot of times I make decisions
without even consulting Heavenly Father.
I need to follow more of D&C 9:8.
I think the most meaningful verse from my study is found in
Doctrine and Covenants 8:10 “Remember that without faith you can do nothing;
therefore ask in faith. Trifle not with these things; do not ask for that which
you ought not.” It is important to
understand what faith is to actually be able to ask God something. We shouldn’t just think of something to ask
without putting any thought into it.
Also, we need to exercise our faith with actions. The last part says to not ask things that we
should’t. What are some things that we
just shouldn’t ask? Does it depend on
who you are?
