I have wanted to talk about the Holy Spirit for awhile. A woman named Shiela really reached me.  I didn’t like the pain and confusion I felt coming from her.

She said,

“…But I have felt the Spirit as strong or stronger while a Methodist and a Baptist than I have as a Latter-day Saint. I’ve been told that what I felt then was not the Spirit, but if it wasn’t, then I don’t know that I’ve ever really felt it…”

I think there may be two major misunderstandings with respect to one’s relationship with the Holy Spirit. Just for fun let’s look at our relationship with the Holy Spirit from a different perspective.

First: After a person is baptized LDS, they are then blessed to receive the Holy Spirit.  The exact phrasing of the words are: “Receive the Holy Ghost!”  Notice that the words are not: “Holy Ghost, come upon this person!” The command is directed towards the person joining the Church, not the Holy Spirit. (Good thing too, trying to command a member of the Godhead isn’t a good idea.)

Most LDS consider the deed accomplished the moment it is spoken. This is popular because it requires no effort on our part. But I am naturally suspicious of the idea of getting something for nothing. Perhaps if we consider the exact words: “I say unto you: Receive the Holy Ghost!” we see that we are the ones commanded, not the Holy Spirit. We are commanded to receive the Holy Ghost. He is not commanded to come upon us.

Looking at it from this perspective, the precise difference between LDS and all other religions is that we actually command each member to receive the Holy Spirit. (It’s the first commandment of the Mormon religion.) Other religions only speak of Him. The Holy Ghost is perfectly willing to come upon anyone who’s ready to receive Him regardless of religion. Mormons certainly don’t have exclusive rights to the Holy Spirit.

Let’s for the sake of argument go ahead and follow this reasoning a little further. So now has the Holy Spirit come the moment the words are spoken? Perhaps, on rare occasions. when(My father saw it happen once under his hands.) But the Holy Spirit is real and therefore receiving Him should be a real and an unmistakable event. He comes as we are ready for Him; not when we might dictate.

So how should we view the words: “Receive the Holy Ghost!”? If someone in authority placed their hands on me and said, “Play the piano!”, would I instantly have the ability to play the hymns?  I doubt it.  But if I practiced diligently and humbly sought the Lord’s help; the day might soon come when I indeed could play the piano.

It’s the same with the Holy Ghost. It takes practice, lots of practice. How do we practice receiving the Holy Spirit? Attempt the gifts of the Spirit; that’s what they are there for. Don’t worry about being perfect or particularly worthy. The gifts are there to help us grow. There are many more gifts than mentioned by the scriptures. So don’t worry if you’re blessed with an unknown gift.

If I were to try to exercise the gift of healing I might wait until someone was sick or hurt and then I would hold them close and pray over them. (I would be happy for a priesthood blessing too.) Give it time and patiently seek the Holy Spirit’s help in healing.

The gift of knowledge might come by finding a scripture with metaphors I don’t understand. For example “How beautiful upon the mountain top are the feet of those who publish peace. Who say unto Zion: ‘Thy God reineth.’ What do the metaphors: ‘Feet’ and ‘Mountain top’ stand for?  Or Moroni’s ‘Put on thy beautiful garments Oh daughter of Zion! Strengthen thy stakes and enlarge thy borders forever that thou mayest no more be confounded.’ Who is the daughter of Zion? What are the ‘beautiful garment, stakes, and borders’? Seek answers straight from God. This will help the gift of wisdom and knowledge grow. (Ask these questions of someone who claims they have received the Spirit. If their answer brings intelligence, joy, and peace then you know they have some relationship with the Holy Spirit.)

Try different gifts even when they make you feel foolish. To try to speak with the gift of tongues, I would pray first and then let some gibberish flow from my mouth. Immediately I would seek the interpretation.  The first few times I felt nothing but I kept trying and one time the interpretation was strong and clearly from above.

The crucial point is to seek the Spirit and His Gifts. (If it is “wo unto those who shall do away with these things” Moroni speaking of the gifts, then how blessed shall be those who bring them back, don’t you think?)

I am by no means very advanced or great. It wasn’t until after I had been taught much and experienced the gifts that a new spirit came to visit who was strangely familiar. I recognized Him: He was the Holy Spirit. It was delightful to meet Him. Do I have Him now with me? No, but I still hope to reach the point where He is continuously with me. That would be nice!

Second misunderstanding: Joseph Smith said that the difference between Mormons and all other religions was that Mormons had the Holy Spirit and they didn’t. That was then. No one came to join the LDS church except they felt the guidance of the Holy Spirit to do so. But is that the case now? Time changes many things and I don’t know that his statement still holds true for those born and raised in the LDS Church. In fact if it were still the case, then why did he come back to visit Brigham in a dream asking him todeliver a message to the members. “Tell the saints to get the Spirit. They can know the Holy Spirit above all others because it will teach them the peaceable things of the Kingdom of God.” ( I hope I got that exactly right.)

I think what helps the most after obeying all the commandments and showing real love, righteousness and faith, is not your membership but seeking Him. He’s a delightlful person.

One last thing: He has had Regina Dawn Akers write many articles and given her much understanding. Please check her out.