Farewell: Influence of the Holy Ghost

Influence of the Spirit Every Day

Kent Thalman

December 17, 2011

Goodmorning brothers and sisters. My name is Kent Thalman, and I am excited to address you all today. I currently attend BYU, and just finished a semester there Friday. In August, I received my mission call, but first let me explain how it happened. When I came to school, my dear friend Paul Skousen asked if he could stay with me for a couple days before he entered the MTC. He was preparing to leave on his mission to the Honuras, San Pedro Sula mission. Of course, I gave him a place to stay, and he came of Monday and left on Wednesday for the MTC in the afternoon. A few hours after he left, my room mate came upstairs, holding in his hands my mission call. After some time jumping around the apartment and shouting, we decided on a time to open it. That night I received my call to serve in the Honduras, San Pedro Sula mission; the exact same as Paul. I leave on January fourth for two years in the service of my God.

I was asked to address a very sacred topic today, and I pray for the companionship of the Holy Ghost as I speak on him and his role in our personal lives.

1. The spirit of God [or Holy Ghost]… will reveal to [people], even in the simplest of matters, what they shall do, by making suggestions to them. We should try to learn the nature of this spirit, that we may understand its suggestions, and then we will always be able to do right. This is the grand privilege of every Latter-day Saint. We know that it is our right to have the manifestations of the spirit every day of our lives.

The Holy Ghost is the third member of the God-head, and he is a spirit, having yet to take upon himself a body as we have. His first purpose is to bear witness unto us of truth, mainly those truths surrounding our loving Heavenly Father, and His Son, our elder Brother and Savior Jesus Christ.

Holy Ghost. The third member of the Godhead and, as the name implies, a personage of Spirit, not possessing a body of flesh and bones. The Holy Ghost has been manifest in every dispensation of the gospel since the beginning, being first made known to Adam. The Holy Ghost is manifested to men on the earth both as the power of the Holy Ghost and as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power can come upon one before baptism, and is the convincing witness that the gospel is true. It gives one a testimony of Jesus Christ and of his work and the work of his servants upon the earth. The gift can come only after proper and authorized baptism, and is conferred by the laying on of hands, as in Acts 8:12–25 and Moroni 2:1–3. The gift of the Holy Ghost is the right to have, whenever one is worthy, the companionship of the Holy Ghost. More powerful than that which is available before baptism, it acts as a cleansing agent to purify a person and sanctify him from all sin. Thus it is often spoken of as “fire”

Other names that sometimes refer to the Holy Ghost are Holy Spirit, Spirit of God, Spirit of the Lord, Comforter, and Spirit.

1. When we first receive the Holy Ghost, it cleanses us:

“Nephi explains clearly what happens after baptism and confirmation and the reception of the Holy Ghost: “Wherefore, do the things which I have told you I have seen that your Lord and your Redeemer should do; for, for this cause have they been shown unto me, that ye might know the gate by which ye should enter. For the gate by which ye should enter is repentance and baptism by water [which is a symbolic witness of repentance]; and then cometh [the promise of cleansing for] a remission of your sins by fire and by the Holy Ghost” ( 2 Nephi 31:17 ).

“We sometimes speak of baptism for the remission of sins. The remission, if you will read the scriptures carefully, comes through the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.” (Boyd K. Packer, "The Gift of the Holy Ghost: What Every Member Should Know", Liahona, Aug. 2006, 18–24)

When I take the sacrament every single week, I am renewing the covenants I made at baptism. The cleansing that occurred because of the Holy Ghost is re-experienced whenever I take the bread and water (as we just did). This is an incredible blessing, and I can bear witness of the cleansing power of the Atonement, as it is recognizable when I feel the Spirit enter my soul.

3. After we are baptized, we are admonished via a priesthood injunction to “receive the Holy Ghost.” How do we do this?

   I testify that the only sure way to receive the Holy Ghost is to obey the commandments of the Lord. Elder David A. Bednar:

“Faithfully obeying God’s commandments is essential to receiving the Holy Ghost. We are reminded of this truth each week as we listen to the sacrament prayers and worthily partake of the bread and water. As we pledge our willingness to take upon ourselves the name of Jesus Christ, to always remember Him, and to keep His commandments, we are promised that we may always have His Spirit to be with us (see D&C 20:77 ). Thus, everything the Savior’s gospel teaches us to do and become is intended to bless us with the companionship of the Holy Ghost.

“Consider the reasons we pray and study the scriptures. Yes, we yearn to communicate in prayer with Heavenly Father in the name of His Son. And yes, we desire to obtain the light and knowledge available in the standard works. But please remember that these holy habits primarily are ways whereby we always remember Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son and are prerequisites to the ongoing companionship of the Holy Ghost.” (Receive the Holy Ghost

David A. Bednar, October 2010 General Conference)

God wants us to obey His commandments, not because He wishes us to be subservient or unable to make our own decisions. Conversly, by allowing us to choose to obey His commandments, He is showing us the way to happiness. We would all jump at the offer, "eat this cake, and it will make you happy." This is a physical appetite. However, often our spiritual apetites are more difficult to satisfy. We all want to be happy, but it can be hard to go to church every Sunday. It may also be challenging for each of us to read our scriptures and pray, as Elder Bednar just explained. Doing what is necessesary for everlasting joy is hard, but I testify that it is worth it. As I have lived according to God's commandments in my life, as well as living by the promptings of the Holy Ghost, I have experienced great joy every single time.

4. The Spirit, or the Holy Ghost, gives further light and knowledge.

The Holy Ghost can guide us in every decision, can confirm in our minds sacred truths, and can witness to our hearts the divine Sonship of Jesus Christ.

First, Guidance: When going though life, the Spirit often acts like bumpers used in bowling. I find that as I try to go day-to-day, doing my very best, I still make plenty of mistakes. When I am approaching false paths, I often receive red-flags, or bumps from the bumpers. My life could well be illustrated by Kip's attempt to bowl in the film Napoleon Dynamite. Bump, bump, bump. I am very grateful for the Spirit's voice, which keeps me in line, and guides me on the correct path.

Often we wish the Spirit would be so vocal when we wish for confirmation. In making difficult decisions, sometimes the Holy Ghost can clearly guide us. Often times however, God allows us to exercise our own agency. What should we do when we aren't getting any answers? Brigham Young explains:

“If I ask Him to give me wisdom concerning any requirement in life, or in regard to my own course, or that of my friends, my family, my children, or those that I preside over, and get no answer from Him, and then do the very best that my judgment will teach me, He is bound to own and honor that transaction, and He will do so to all intents and purposes.”

In other words, if I don't feel a bump, bump, bump, then I am okay. God honors our best efforts.

4. Why it is so important to follow the promptings of the Spirit:

This semester, a sister named Amanda made a comment in Sunday school that got me thinking. The result of all of my thinking is what I like to call the Bridle Principle. She explained how when she would walk horses, she would use a bridle to direct the horse. These horses are much bigger than any of us, but these bridles can help us to control something otherwise beyond our control. In her humble words, she expressed great wisdom; “the horse is much bigger than me, but with little motion I can control it.”

We are bigger than ourselves. Let me explain. I am what I think, say, do, intend, etc. We all struggle to think, say, and do all of the right things everyday, but it is hard. It is hard because, like the horse, these things are very hard to control; they are bigger than me.

We know nothing but by symbols. What I say is just a symbol of how I really feel. When I say the words, “I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God,” my words represent truth. When our words are truth then they invite the Spirit to bear witness of it. “And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1). Just because I say that Jesus is the Son of God doesn't mean you agree or feel that it is true. It is the Spirit that tells you so. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know this is true and so can you by praying to know for yourself. [pause] How did you feel when I said that?

My actions are symbolic expressions of my conscious decisions. When I act in a manner of service, for example cleaning the apartment for my room mates or giving a friend a needed embrace, then my actions represent more than what they are. These examples represent my feelings of love for my fellow men. Many of our actions are symbolic. The sacrament is symbol laden, as are all ordinances (baptism, temple endowments, etc.).

These actions are also significant because of what we represent. When I speak ill toward my brother, then it more than just words from a person; it is offense from a friend and a brother. When a missionary gives a Book of Mormon to a complete stranger, it is a man giving another person paper bound with words on it. But it is so much more. It is the Savior Jesus Christ pleading to His brother, “Come follow me.” Not because He want dominion or glory over you, but because He so desperately loves you and wants you to have peace and happiness. Some of us still reject Him because we are not as interested in happiness as we are in pleasure. WHAT THEN DO WE REPRESENT?

Going back to the horse and his bridle, we can often be bigger than we think we are. We think that we are only men and women, but our emotions and actions can be horses that are capable of great damage or incredible accomplishments. When we act according to the Holy Ghost, we are yeilding to the Spirit, and putting off the natural man.

19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father. (Mosiah 3)

Letting the Spirit into our lives and obeying his promptings is leaning sensitivities to the bridle. Through this, we can overcome challenges that may seem too great to overcome. Also, we will be able to learn to control ourselves.

6. Conclusion:

I want you all to know that every true missionary leaves everything for two years because the Spirit has witnessed to him/her that God loves them and Jesus Christ really is there Savior, and they want to share those truths because of love.

Some examples. Listen for the Holy Ghost as I read these things My friend Paul Skousen said in a recent letter, "I have never before in my life wanted to be so close to God. I want every single one of my actions to be a reflection of what he would want me to do. I absolutely adore the scriptures and never want to stop reading them. I wish I had a better memory so I could remember and quote them better, but I guess everything comes with time. Never have I wanted more than for God to be proud of me. I am trying to allow myself to be sculpted into one of his instruments in this work. I love Him and everything he does for us."

Spencer Vance: “Yesterday I had an experience that changed my mission. There was a group of teenagers sitting on a bench talking loud and being obnoxious. We walked up to them and started talking. I was kind of shocked because they didn't make fun of us or cuss at us. They asked questions about why we became missionaries and asked about some of the rules we live by as missionaries. We actually knew one of them. Her name is Josefina(16) and her older brother Danny, who is 18 years old, was there as well. Danny instantly became intrigued and started talking to us. He told us his beliefs and asked us many questions. We talked about numerous topics, but the one thing that stuck out to me the most was, "Is there forgiveness?" I was able to bear my testimony of Our Savior, Jesus Christ, and how that ONLY through HIM we can be completely forgiven, and that our purpose was to help people come closer to Him. It was an amazing experience and we ended up talking to them outside in the cold for almost two hours. They all had questions and concerns about why they were here and where they were going. They were LOST and some thought they could never be found, and that there was no hope for them. They told us some of the bad things they did and how they felt terrible about those things; and about how hard it was to change. We told them that through this gospel they all can change and can all be saved; that through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end they can ALL be FOUND.”

There are many other dear friends of mine serving including Gil Marchant, David Bryant, Robert Prince, Adam Schneider, and more, who have similar experiences that I don't have time to share. But I do love them very much, and want them to know that they have beaten my path for me. I also want my friends that I am greatly a product of my association with them, and that they will be held accountable for that.

Let me share a personal story. (T.C. Story of Thanksgiving night about religion. I had the impression to bear simple, pure testimony of Jesus Christ. “That's the best reason I've ever heard for church and religion.”) He didn't convert then and there, but it was a powerful experience. It taught me that the Spirit can guide us day by day, moment by moment, word by word.

I am so excited to represent my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for two years in Honduras. I hope that I may always be able to look to Christ and say, “here is my bridle, take the reins.” I hope that I can, like the horse, become sensitive to the subtle movements of the bridle by the Holy Ghost.

I would like to ask a question to all of my friends. I submit this question to anyone who is not a member or not yet converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. “Have you felt it?” In this meeting, have you felt the truth of the words spoken? Do you want to feel what I have been describing for the last several minutes? Read the Book of Mormon. Pray with all of your heart to know if it is true. I promise you that if you do, you will feel that Spirit bear witness to you that it is the word of God. It is true, and I know because I have read it. I have prayed to know, and I have felt it. When they Holy Ghost will tell you this thing, then there will no longer be any symbols. He doesn't speak through words, but through feeling, spirit to spirit. Because of this, it is hard to describe with words, but you will know that it is the truth.

Of these things I testify in the name of the Savior Jesus Christ, amen.