The Holy Ghost

Scripture	What the Holy Ghost does	What you must do to receive it
John 14:15-17	Dwels in you to teach you	Be obedient to the commandments.
John 14:26-27	Comforts, teaches, reminds, brings peace	Trust the Holy Ghost
John 15:26-27	Testifies of Christ	Share your testimony
John 16:7-8	Cleanses from sin (Christ had to "go away" in order for the Holy Ghost to be able to come and cleanse them. For what He meant by "go away" was that He had to accomplish the Atonement.	Repent and have faith in the Atonement.
John 16:13-14	Guidance, shows the future as necessary.	Follow the guidance of the Holy Ghost to be able to see Christ again.
Student Manual 24-10	Adds to your natural capacities and purifies them for their perfect purpose	Obedience to the commandments creates holiness of body that allows the Holy Ghost to reside within you and bring out your divine attributes.
Student Manual 24-11	Instructs and enlightens the mind. Gives a greater understanding of God's Plan through personal revelation as you participate in making and keeping covenants (how often has my mind been enlightened while at the Temple?).	Obey the commandments of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Make covenants to obey (Temple Ordinances)
BD Holy Ghost	Witness of truth. Convincing power.	Seek an answer or be willing to receive an answer. Be worthy of the companionship of the Third member of the Godhead. Receive the HG by the laying on of hands. You must speak by the Spirit in order for it to be convincing.
How the Holy Ghost helped the apostles fulfill their missions after the Savior's death and resurection: The biggest way that the Holy Ghost helped them fulfill their mission was to teach them what to say and then testify of the truth to the people who were listening. It also gave them a deeper understanding of the principles that Christ taught. Often He taught them in parables that they didn't understand and right before His Crucifixion He even told them that they couldn't understand everything and wouldn't until after He was gone.
The Holy Ghost has helped me to understand the promises and blessings of the Temple. I am grateful every time I get to go into the Lord's house for I am instructed on the Plan He has for me and for my family. I have a greater understanding of how Christ is my Savior and about how living the Gospel will help me. Even though it is often repetitious each time I go in I hear or see something new. This newness is because the Holy Ghost is teaching me something new because I am keeping my coventants.

Thoughts On Preparing for Christ to Come Again

What believers should watch for (Mark 13):

Verse	Take Heed	Watch
5	No man deceive you (false Christ)
9	For yourselves, deliver you to councils, kings, rulers, etc.
23	For I have told you all these things
33		Watch and pray for you know not when the time is.
35		Because you don’t know when Christ is coming.
37		This is for everyone

Three things that believers should watch for are:

1. To see the signs of Christ coming again. It is important to look for Him to come in glory in the sky and not in secret places.

2. When they are called before high authorities to testify of what they know. They need to remember that persecution is for a testimony of Christ not for punishment for following Him.

3. Look for verses in the scriptures that explain what to look for in Christ’s coming. It is so important for the believers to know what to look for. I need to make sure that I am diligent in reading about these prophesies because I am “elect” and do not wish to be deceived.

Other scriptures that explain how to prepare:

D&C 87:8  Stand in holy places, but what are holy places? A holy place can be a church, school, temple, or even your own home. I think that your own home is the most important holy place to stand in. It must be a place free from Satan and his influences.

JS Matt 1:37  If I read the scriptures regularly then I won’t be one of the elect that are deceived. It is so important to make sure that I am always reading the scriptures for that is where the truth lies. Christ was very specific when He described His second coming and it is repeated everywhere so I know that this is the most important thing!

JS Matt 1: 46-50  If I thought there may be someone coming to harm me I would stay up all night to protect myself. The same must be true of my vigilance in keeping away spiritual dangers. For these are perilous times that I live in!

D&C 33:17  If I am obedient and pray often then I will always have the light of the Spirit there to help me discern between truth and error and between wrong and right. This is what it means to always have your lamp ready for who is our light but Christ and how is it manifest but through the Spirit?

D&C 45:56-57  This just confirms what I said about 33:17 it truly is so important to make sure that we are always close to the Spirit. This means that we MUST be ready and always willing to follow it! Also we must avoid everything that would drive away the Spirit. It is so important for me to not only keep the Spirit close, but also to invite it in more each day.

The Widow's Mite

As I considered the story of the Widow's Mite I received new insight into what this story is all about.

She gave the small amount that she had in the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent, as opposed to the rich young man who had much but was unwilling to give it all up to follow Jesus. She is showing her extreme trust in how the Lord will take care of those who follow Him with all they have. This story reminds me of the parable Jesus spoke when He counseled His Disciples to “consider the lilies” they grow for the glory of God and therefore God takes care of their needs. This widow gave with all of her heart knowing that God would provide more for her than those two small coins could do. Another part of this experience that stands out to me is that Jesus sat watching the people. He was there on that day physically but the Angels of God are always watching our actions and recording wither we do righteously or selfishly. He is showing that he knows our hearts and is always watching. Not for opportunities to condemn, but for opportunities to give blessings.

Christ is watching and waiting to poor out blessings upon me but the only way for me to receive them is for me to do all I can to serve Him. There is no other way. As I think about this story it reminds me of times when I have selfishly “taken care of myself” when in reality if I had forgotten myself and gotten to work then God would have taken care of me. Sometimes I have wondered why God hasn’t fulfilled the promises He has given me. Gently the Spirit (and sometimes not so gently) reminds me that I don’t need to worry about God keeping His promises, I need to worry about keeping my own. He is always willing to give me what I need, but He cannot do so unless I obey the laws of the gospel with “the spirit of sacrifice and devout intent”.