The Lord declared: 'These things remain with you to do according to judgment and the directions of the Spirit' (D&C 62:8).

Reason and revelation often work hand in hand. Third Principle: Revelation is not a substitute for reason and common sense it is a supplement to them. God does not operate through multiple channels for a single responsibility-why-because He is a God of order. If someone claims revelation for the bishop or stake president or prophet, you may know with certainty they are not of the Lord. And then in a later revelation the Lord explained why this was the case: 'And this I give unto you that you may not be deceived, that you may know they are not of me' (D&C 43:6).

As a result the Lord spoke on this matter: 'No one shall be appointed to receive commandments and revelations in this church excepting my servant Joseph Smith, Jun.' (D&C 28:2). They thought that in addition to Joseph Smith they could also receive revelation for the whole church. For example, if multiple people received conflicting revelations for one person's responsibility, which 'revelation' should be followed? In the early days of the Church some did not understand this principle. If one or more persons were to receive revelation for another person's sphere of responsibility then confusion would result. God is a God of order therefore revelation is given in an orderly way. But the fact is that every person should be a prophet for himself and his own affairs' ('How to Get Personal Revelation,' Tambuli, April 1981).Įach of us might ask: Am I receiving revelation for each of my God-given responsibilities in life, or as Brigham Young observed, am I one of those who lives far beneath my privileges? Second Principle: We are not entitled to revelation outside the sphere of our responsibility. We think in terms of prophets who tell the future destiny of the Church and the world. Every member of the Church is entitled to get revelation. McConkie confirmed this truth: 'Now I say that we are entitled to revelation. This is a church of revelation and inherent in every God-given responsibility we have in life is the right to receive God-given aid by way of revelation. I wondered, 'Did I leave some revelations on the table?' Then the thought crossed my mind, 'Inherent in every calling in this church is the right to receive revelation.' That is the genius of this Church. He said: 'There are many revelations waiting for you.' I was worried. He put his hands on the new stake president's head and then said something that struck me. The assigned general authority to our stake asked if I would like to participate as he set apart the new stake president. Many years ago I was released as a Stake President. It means that every parent has the right to receive revelation so he can give good and wise counsel to his children.Īnd it means that every member with a church calling has the right to receive revelation to help him magnify that calling. It means that every spouse has the right to receive revelation to help him or her be a better companion. It means that every person has the right to receive revelation to help him in his individual quest for exaltation. The Lord will never give us a calling or responsibility without the right to receive revelation to help us fulfill it. First Principle: Every person is entitled to revelation within the sphere of his responsibility. In other words we are all entitled to revelation, but in most cases we live far beneath our potential.Īccordingly, today I would like to speak about some principles underlying revelation-how we can increase the revelation we receive in our lives, and how we can recognize it when it comes. I am satisfied however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges' (Discourses of Brigham Young, p. He said, 'There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God's people, he may have the Spirit of God to signify to him His will, and to guide him and direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises. Įach of us might appropriately ask this telling question: When was the last time I received revelation in my life?īrigham Young made a significant statement about our capacity to receive revelation versus the actuality of it happening in our lives. We love the spirit of this campus, and we are particularly grateful that we have a number of our returned missionaries that we are looking forward to spending some quality time.

I think every husband is just a little bit nervous when his wife introduces him, and fortunately my wife looked to the good aspects.

Tad r callister talks