WEBVTT 00:00:07.670 --> 00:00:09.960 (MUSIC) NARRATOR: This Brigham Young University— 00:00:09.960 --> 00:00:12.450 Idaho devotional address by Sheri Dew, 00:00:12.450 --> 00:00:14.355 CEO of Deseret Book, 00:00:14.355 --> 00:00:18.430 was given May 17th, 2016. 00:00:20.780 --> 00:00:25.620 SHERI DEW: Brothers and sisters, it is such a privilege to be here today, 00:00:25.620 --> 00:00:28.590 and especially to be here with President and Sister Gilbert. 00:00:28.590 --> 00:00:34.215 They are dear and treasured friends and they're remarkable exemplars. 00:00:34.215 --> 00:00:37.985 Now, we're not here today to listen to me speak, 00:00:37.985 --> 00:00:41.195 we are here to receive revelation. 00:00:41.195 --> 00:00:45.080 So I invite you to invite the Holy Ghost to speak to 00:00:45.080 --> 00:00:49.805 you so that you will hear what you need to hear. 00:00:49.805 --> 00:00:52.010 A couple of years ago, a reporter from 00:00:52.010 --> 00:00:54.140 an international broadcasting network visited 00:00:54.140 --> 00:00:57.320 Salt Lake City researching a story on women in the church. 00:00:57.320 --> 00:01:00.050 She was intrigued that a female was leading 00:01:00.050 --> 00:01:03.485 a church owned media company and asked me for an interview. 00:01:03.485 --> 00:01:04.955 I liked this reporter. 00:01:04.955 --> 00:01:07.865 She had done her homework and she asked good questions, 00:01:07.865 --> 00:01:10.450 though one of them was very predictable. 00:01:10.450 --> 00:01:16.145 "How do you feel about not being eligible for priesthood ordination?" She asked. 00:01:16.145 --> 00:01:22.025 I outlined the extensive leadership opportunities that women have in the church, 00:01:22.025 --> 00:01:27.260 and then explained that as a woman endowed with power in the temple, 00:01:27.260 --> 00:01:32.815 I had complete access to God's power or priesthood power for my own life. 00:01:32.815 --> 00:01:35.830 And I explained that my focus had long 00:01:35.830 --> 00:01:39.875 been on learning how to gain full access to that power. 00:01:39.875 --> 00:01:43.500 She paused then and she asked, 00:01:43.500 --> 00:01:51.455 "Are you saying that you believe you have more access to God's power than I do?" 00:01:51.455 --> 00:01:54.190 Okay, that's a loaded question. 00:01:54.630 --> 00:02:02.485 (LAUGHTER) My brain began to spin in search of a truthful but politically correct answer. 00:02:02.485 --> 00:02:05.710 But that day, I could not bring myself to sell 00:02:05.710 --> 00:02:08.770 our doctrine or our privileges as women short, 00:02:08.770 --> 00:02:09.880 so finally I said, 00:02:09.880 --> 00:02:14.940 "Well, actually, yes." 00:02:14.940 --> 00:02:18.110 Now, do not misunderstand what I'm saying. 00:02:18.110 --> 00:02:21.650 I quickly added, "I am not saying the Lord loves me more than He loves you, 00:02:21.650 --> 00:02:24.530 and I'm not saying that I'm better than you. 00:02:24.530 --> 00:02:27.590 I'm not saying that He's more likely to bless me than you, 00:02:27.590 --> 00:02:28.895 but if you're asking, 00:02:28.895 --> 00:02:33.515 if I believe that I have greater access to God's power than you do, 00:02:33.515 --> 00:02:35.915 then the answer has to be yes. 00:02:35.915 --> 00:02:38.060 That's one of the blessings of joining this church. 00:02:38.060 --> 00:02:39.770 That's why we join the church. 00:02:39.770 --> 00:02:44.300 We believe that when we make promises to God to follow His son, 00:02:44.300 --> 00:02:46.490 He in turn makes promises to us. 00:02:46.490 --> 00:02:52.470 And one of those promises is that He will give us greater access to His power." 00:02:52.480 --> 00:02:57.175 As I spoke, the Spirit filled the room and it disarmed her. 00:02:57.175 --> 00:03:00.445 Her demeanor softened noticeably. 00:03:00.445 --> 00:03:05.090 And then she asked if I would tell her how the gospel has affected me personally. 00:03:05.090 --> 00:03:09.185 In other words, she basically opened the door for me to bear my testimony. 00:03:09.185 --> 00:03:13.750 I told her that Jesus Christ hasn't just made a difference in my life, 00:03:13.750 --> 00:03:16.350 He's made all the difference; 00:03:16.350 --> 00:03:20.960 that every good thing that has ever happened to me has come because of my membership in 00:03:20.960 --> 00:03:25.505 His church; and that I have experienced the Savior's healing, 00:03:25.505 --> 00:03:29.840 enabling, strengthening power again and again. 00:03:29.840 --> 00:03:35.900 At that point, the spirit flooded the room and we were both in tears. 00:03:35.900 --> 00:03:39.035 She finally could speak and she said, 00:03:39.035 --> 00:03:43.730 "That's beautiful, I wish I could say that about my church." 00:03:43.730 --> 00:03:46.620 And I said, "Well, we could help you with that." 00:03:48.310 --> 00:03:50.960 (LAUGHTER) That day I experienced 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:56.045 the sublime beauty of standing as a witness and bearing witness of truth. 00:03:56.045 --> 00:03:59.615 Consider the miracle of it: through the power of the Holy Ghost, 00:03:59.615 --> 00:04:05.165 we can know what is true with enough confidence and enough surety to testify of truth. 00:04:05.165 --> 00:04:08.780 We can only bear witness of what we know. 00:04:08.780 --> 00:04:12.365 We can't testify of a wish or a hope or even a belief. 00:04:12.365 --> 00:04:14.825 We can express a hope, a wish, 00:04:14.825 --> 00:04:18.410 or a belief, but we cannot stand as witnesses of 00:04:18.410 --> 00:04:22.160 Jesus Christ unless we can bear witness of Him. 00:04:22.160 --> 00:04:25.970 We can defend the faith only if we have faith. 00:04:25.970 --> 00:04:32.480 Our society seems determined to set aside any semblance of faith or right and wrong. 00:04:32.480 --> 00:04:35.690 But the world's condition today is no surprise to the Lord 00:04:35.690 --> 00:04:39.380 who told the Prophet Joseph that we are living in the 11th hour, 00:04:39.380 --> 00:04:42.950 that this is the last time He will call laborers into His vineyard, 00:04:42.950 --> 00:04:45.935 and that His vineyard has become corrupted. 00:04:45.935 --> 00:04:52.565 But the Lord also declared that in the midst of all this moral and spiritual chaos, 00:04:52.565 --> 00:04:55.550 the fullness of His gospel would be proclaimed by the 00:04:55.550 --> 00:04:59.770 weak and the simple and to the ends of the world, 00:04:59.770 --> 00:05:02.720 and He promised that if we would open our mouths, 00:05:02.720 --> 00:05:04.505 they would be filled. 00:05:04.505 --> 00:05:06.770 You and I are the weak and the simple, 00:05:06.770 --> 00:05:11.780 but we're not here now by accident or without the Lord's endorsement. 00:05:11.780 --> 00:05:13.415 President George Q. Cannon, 00:05:13.415 --> 00:05:17.810 who served as a counselor to four Presidents of the Church, taught that 00:05:17.810 --> 00:05:21.320 "because of the magnitude of the work to be accomplished, 00:05:21.320 --> 00:05:26.585 it has required apparently the most valiant men and women to come forth now. 00:05:26.585 --> 00:05:29.420 God has reserved spirits for this dispensation 00:05:29.420 --> 00:05:33.290 who have the courage and determination to face the world 00:05:33.290 --> 00:05:37.880 and all the powers of the evil one and to build up the Zion of our God 00:05:37.880 --> 00:05:41.170 fearless of all consequences." 00:05:41.170 --> 00:05:43.855 Make no mistake about it. 00:05:43.855 --> 00:05:46.250 You're here now because in the beginning, 00:05:46.250 --> 00:05:54.190 our Father chose you to be here now, and He has hard work for you to do. 00:05:54.190 --> 00:05:59.665 How then do we strengthen our faith so that we can defend the faith? 00:05:59.665 --> 00:06:03.590 Four years ago, a marvelous young woman who had just graduated 00:06:03.590 --> 00:06:07.450 with honors from BYU called me, absolutely distraught. 00:06:07.450 --> 00:06:09.975 Through sobs, she blurted out, 00:06:09.975 --> 00:06:14.300 "I'm just not sure I believe the Church is true anymore, and I'm scared. 00:06:14.300 --> 00:06:18.325 What if my family really isn't going to be together forever?" 00:06:18.325 --> 00:06:21.285 I asked her, "Do you want to have a testimony?" 00:06:21.285 --> 00:06:23.220 "Yes." She said. 00:06:23.220 --> 00:06:25.020 "Are you willing to work for it?" 00:06:25.020 --> 00:06:28.395 Again, "yes." And she was. 00:06:28.395 --> 00:06:33.530 She went to work. She had a great bishop and an off-the-charts Relief Society president, 00:06:33.530 --> 00:06:34.955 both of whom worked with her. 00:06:34.955 --> 00:06:37.490 Friends and family came to her rescue, and 00:06:37.490 --> 00:06:40.310 she and I began to meet for gospel study sessions. 00:06:40.310 --> 00:06:44.525 I told her, bring your scriptures and every question you have. 00:06:44.525 --> 00:06:49.055 Questions are good. Let's see what the Lord will teach us together. 00:06:49.055 --> 00:06:54.485 She took me at my word and brought one thorny question after another. 00:06:54.485 --> 00:06:57.830 Honestly, she brought questions I'd never thought of in my life. 00:06:57.830 --> 00:07:02.585 We searched the scriptures and the teachings of prophets for answers. 00:07:02.585 --> 00:07:06.380 Little by little, she began to realize that just 00:07:06.380 --> 00:07:10.655 because she had questions didn't mean she didn't have a testimony— 00:07:10.655 --> 00:07:14.150 the scriptures are filled with accounts of prophets who had questions— 00:07:14.150 --> 00:07:18.245 and she began to recognize when the Spirit was bearing witness to her, 00:07:18.245 --> 00:07:21.860 including and especially, bearing witness that prophets, 00:07:21.860 --> 00:07:24.575 seers, and revelators are truly prophets. 00:07:24.575 --> 00:07:29.495 Her testimony began to grow, and over time the crisis passed. 00:07:29.495 --> 00:07:32.960 Then about a year ago, she called again. "Sister Dew, 00:07:32.960 --> 00:07:35.600 I wanted you to be one of the first to know that 00:07:35.600 --> 00:07:38.495 I'm holding in my hand a temple recommend. 00:07:38.495 --> 00:07:41.425 Will you come when I received my endowment?" 00:07:41.425 --> 00:07:44.265 Then she added, "Do you know what you said, 00:07:44.265 --> 00:07:45.930 that helped me the most?" 00:07:45.930 --> 00:07:48.150 Well, I had absolutely no clue. 00:07:48.150 --> 00:07:52.250 She said, "You told me that questions are good, and that 00:07:52.250 --> 00:07:57.520 allowed me to see myself as a seeker rather than a doubter." 00:07:57.520 --> 00:08:00.935 I was just overjoyed with that conversation. 00:08:00.935 --> 00:08:02.405 But then two days later, 00:08:02.405 --> 00:08:07.090 I received a much different call from another BYU graduate. 00:08:07.090 --> 00:08:09.150 "Sister Dew, " she said. 00:08:09.150 --> 00:08:11.480 "Before you hear it from someone else, 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:14.810 I want you to hear it from me and to know that I am pregnant." 00:08:14.810 --> 00:08:16.295 She was not married. 00:08:16.295 --> 00:08:18.410 She said that for several years she had doubted 00:08:18.410 --> 00:08:20.390 the truthfulness of the gospel and had finally 00:08:20.390 --> 00:08:24.650 decided there was no reason to keep living the law of chastity. 00:08:24.650 --> 00:08:27.860 I told her that I was not her judge, and that I loved her. 00:08:27.860 --> 00:08:32.185 Then I asked her if she would like to have a testimony. 00:08:32.185 --> 00:08:34.935 "No, I don't think so, " 00:08:34.935 --> 00:08:38.860 she said. The contrast was stunning. 00:08:38.860 --> 00:08:40.250 At about the same time, 00:08:40.250 --> 00:08:44.600 these two young women had questions that threatened their testimonies. 00:08:44.600 --> 00:08:46.655 One of them sent out a cry for help, and 00:08:46.655 --> 00:08:52.535 family, friends and leaders followed President Monson's counsel and went to her rescue. 00:08:52.535 --> 00:08:55.010 The other girl nursed her doubt and convinced 00:08:55.010 --> 00:08:58.115 herself that her immoral choices were acceptable. 00:08:58.115 --> 00:09:01.295 I love and deeply care about this girl, 00:09:01.295 --> 00:09:06.380 but for now, she has chosen a spiritually perilous path. 00:09:06.380 --> 00:09:09.875 One girl's questions propelled her to become a seeker of truth. 00:09:09.875 --> 00:09:14.255 The other girl used her questions to justify her immorality. 00:09:14.255 --> 00:09:18.665 My dear friends, my message today is simply, questions are good. 00:09:18.665 --> 00:09:22.025 Questions are good if they are inspired questions, 00:09:22.025 --> 00:09:26.000 asked in faith, and asked of credible sources where 00:09:26.000 --> 00:09:30.340 the Spirit will direct and confirm the answer. 00:09:30.340 --> 00:09:34.010 Nephi asked an inspired question in faith 00:09:34.010 --> 00:09:37.580 when he asked the Lord if he could see what his father saw. 00:09:37.580 --> 00:09:40.775 The Lord responded by showing Nephi the tree of life, 00:09:40.775 --> 00:09:43.160 the iron rod, the great and spacious building and 00:09:43.160 --> 00:09:46.005 mists of darkness, and the fruit of the tree, 00:09:46.005 --> 00:09:49.425 which is sweet above all that is sweet. 00:09:49.425 --> 00:09:52.035 And then the vision didn't stop there. 00:09:52.035 --> 00:09:55.760 Nephi saw the birth, ministry, and crucifixion of the Savior. 00:09:55.760 --> 00:09:58.295 He saw the coming forth of Latter-day scripture, 00:09:58.295 --> 00:10:01.870 the Restoration, and the building of Latter-day Zion. 00:10:01.870 --> 00:10:04.685 Nephi saw all this and much more, 00:10:04.685 --> 00:10:08.060 only to return to his father's tent and find Laman and 00:10:08.060 --> 00:10:11.925 Lemuel arguing about the meaning of their father's vision. 00:10:11.925 --> 00:10:13.745 When Nephi ask them, 00:10:13.745 --> 00:10:15.890 "Have ye inquired of the Lord, " 00:10:15.890 --> 00:10:19.520 they gave the classic response of doubters: 00:10:19.520 --> 00:10:23.390 "We have not, for the Lord maketh no such thing known 00:10:23.390 --> 00:10:27.575 unto us" as though nothing was required of them. 00:10:27.575 --> 00:10:32.900 None of us are entitled to revelation without effort on our part. 00:10:32.900 --> 00:10:37.035 Answers from God don't just magically appear. 00:10:37.035 --> 00:10:39.095 If we want to grow spiritually, 00:10:39.095 --> 00:10:43.790 the Lord expects us to ask questions and seek answers. 00:10:43.790 --> 00:10:47.045 "If thou shalt ask," he promised, 00:10:47.045 --> 00:10:51.740 "thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge." 00:10:51.740 --> 00:10:54.350 How much clearer can it be? 00:10:54.350 --> 00:11:00.940 The Lord loves inspired questions asked in faith because they lead to knowledge, 00:11:00.940 --> 00:11:04.390 to revelation, and to greater faith. 00:11:04.630 --> 00:11:06.915 We all have questions. 00:11:06.915 --> 00:11:10.560 Some are doctrinal, historical, or procedural. 00:11:10.560 --> 00:11:13.625 Some are simply intensely personal. 00:11:13.625 --> 00:11:19.550 Here are just a few questions that men and women your age have asked me recently. 00:11:19.550 --> 00:11:23.795 Why am I the only one in my family who struggles to believe? 00:11:23.795 --> 00:11:27.245 Should I serve a mission if my parents don't want me to? 00:11:27.245 --> 00:11:31.415 Why did I spend all that time on a mission and not convert anyone? 00:11:31.415 --> 00:11:37.000 Why can't I find the one? Yeah, tell me about it. (LAUGHTER) 00:11:40.200 --> 00:11:42.610 We don't have time to go into that one. 00:11:42.610 --> 00:11:46.360 (LAUGHTER) If I go 00:11:46.360 --> 00:11:50.440 to graduate school, will the Lord think that means I don't want to get married? 00:11:50.440 --> 00:11:53.275 Will I be able to provide for a family today? 00:11:53.275 --> 00:11:56.800 Will the Lord ever forgive me for breaking my covenants? 00:11:56.800 --> 00:11:59.770 I came home early from my mission, what do I do now? 00:11:59.770 --> 00:12:01.660 How does the Lord feel about me? 00:12:01.660 --> 00:12:04.645 Is a prophet infallible? 00:12:04.645 --> 00:12:07.600 Did Joseph Smith really have more than one wife? 00:12:07.600 --> 00:12:10.900 How do I know if I'm receiving revelation? 00:12:10.900 --> 00:12:14.980 Do I dare get serious with a guy who has struggled with pornography? 00:12:14.980 --> 00:12:17.350 Why can't women be ordained to the priesthood? 00:12:17.350 --> 00:12:18.955 What's that about? 00:12:18.955 --> 00:12:22.930 What if the Church's position on gay marriage bothers me? 00:12:22.930 --> 00:12:28.160 How do I understand the temple when I can't even ask questions about it? 00:12:28.530 --> 00:12:31.210 May I answer these questions and 00:12:31.210 --> 00:12:36.325 frankly any questions you may have by posing a question? 00:12:36.325 --> 00:12:41.485 Are you willing to engage in the wrestle— 00:12:41.485 --> 00:12:45.835 in an ongoing spiritual wrestle? 00:12:45.835 --> 00:12:52.075 Enos described the wrestle that he had before God to obtain a remission of his sins, 00:12:52.075 --> 00:12:56.350 and Alma wrestled with God in mighty prayer. 00:12:56.350 --> 00:12:59.080 Now, champion wrestlers tell me that it isn't 00:12:59.080 --> 00:13:03.010 necessarily the strongest wrestler with the biggest muscles who wins. 00:13:03.010 --> 00:13:09.145 It's the wrestler who knows how to leverage his strength to overpower his opponent. 00:13:09.145 --> 00:13:16.600 Spiritual wrestling leverages the strength of true doctrine to overpower our weaknesses, 00:13:16.600 --> 00:13:19.330 our wavering faith and our lack of knowledge. 00:13:19.330 --> 00:13:21.985 Spiritual wrestlers are seekers. 00:13:21.985 --> 00:13:26.455 They are men and women of faith who want to understand more than they presently do, 00:13:26.455 --> 00:13:30.835 and who are serious about increasing the light and knowledge in their lives. 00:13:30.835 --> 00:13:35.740 I recently engaged in a wrestle. When the policy was announced that the children of 00:13:35.740 --> 00:13:40.885 gay parents might not be eligible for baptism at age eight, I was confused. 00:13:40.885 --> 00:13:44.380 I did not question the brethren or doubt their inspiration, 00:13:44.380 --> 00:13:48.340 but neither did I understand the doctrinal basis for the policy. 00:13:48.340 --> 00:13:50.530 So I asked the Lord to teach me. 00:13:50.530 --> 00:13:53.080 I prayed, searched the scriptures, 00:13:53.080 --> 00:13:55.270 studied the teachings of prophets, 00:13:55.270 --> 00:13:57.670 and pondered my question in the temple. 00:13:57.670 --> 00:13:59.710 This went on for several months. 00:13:59.710 --> 00:14:04.855 Then one day, a colleague made a statement that sparked a new thought for me. 00:14:04.855 --> 00:14:10.945 And in that moment, the Spirit illuminated the doctrine in my heart and mind. 00:14:10.945 --> 00:14:14.230 Now, I consider that answer that day, 00:14:14.230 --> 00:14:18.565 personal revelation and not something I shouldn't necessarily teach. 00:14:18.565 --> 00:14:24.715 I'll admit that I have wept with friends to whom this policy directly applies. 00:14:24.715 --> 00:14:29.260 But understanding the doctrine gave me peace. 00:14:29.260 --> 00:14:32.635 When we have unresolved questions, 00:14:32.635 --> 00:14:35.860 our challenge doesn't lie in what we think we know. 00:14:35.860 --> 00:14:39.205 It lies in what we don't yet know. 00:14:39.205 --> 00:14:44.710 The Lord has promised to open the eyes of our understandings and to reveal all mysteries, 00:14:44.710 --> 00:14:50.110 but he isn't likely to do any of these things unless we seek to know. 00:14:50.110 --> 00:14:54.055 Dr. Truman Madsen taught that he could find 00:14:54.055 --> 00:14:59.020 "nothing in the scriptures to excuse anyone from brain sweat, 00:14:59.020 --> 00:15:02.590 and from the arduous lifetime burden of seeking 00:15:02.590 --> 00:15:06.490 'revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge'." 00:15:06.490 --> 00:15:12.355 He was describing an ongoing spiritual wrestle. 00:15:12.355 --> 00:15:17.710 The Lord wants us to ask every probing question we can muster, 00:15:17.710 --> 00:15:22.930 because not asking questions can be far more dangerous than asking them. 00:15:22.930 --> 00:15:26.800 In other words, sin makes you stupid, 00:15:26.800 --> 00:15:30.910 and so does refusing to seek after truth. 00:15:30.910 --> 00:15:34.225 Remember my friend who thought she'd lost her testimony? 00:15:34.225 --> 00:15:35.965 Her doubt was triggered by 00:15:35.965 --> 00:15:40.390 a television drama featuring a scientist who didn't believe in God. 00:15:40.390 --> 00:15:42.355 I said, "Wait, 00:15:42.355 --> 00:15:46.750 are you telling me that a fictional character fabricated by 00:15:46.750 --> 00:15:52.790 a Hollywood writer has obliterated 24 years of gospel teaching?" 00:15:52.980 --> 00:15:57.415 "But that woman is so smart," my friend said. 00:15:57.415 --> 00:16:01.510 There have always been and will always be charismatic men and 00:16:01.510 --> 00:16:05.695 women who can launch what sound like on the surface 00:16:05.695 --> 00:16:08.830 reasoned arguments against the Father and the Son, 00:16:08.830 --> 00:16:11.455 the Restoration, the Prophet Joseph, 00:16:11.455 --> 00:16:13.615 the Book of Mormon, and living prophets. 00:16:13.615 --> 00:16:16.060 But doubters and pundits never tell 00:16:16.060 --> 00:16:19.930 the whole story because they don't know the whole story, and they don't want to know. 00:16:19.930 --> 00:16:22.165 They opt for clever soundbites, 00:16:22.165 --> 00:16:24.520 hoping no one digs deeper than they have. 00:16:24.520 --> 00:16:28.315 Soundbites will never lead to a testimony. 00:16:28.315 --> 00:16:31.240 As seekers of truth, our safety lies in asking 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:35.055 the right questions in faith and of the right sources, 00:16:35.055 --> 00:16:38.295 meaning asking those who only speak truth, 00:16:38.295 --> 00:16:40.470 such as the scriptures, 00:16:40.470 --> 00:16:44.030 prophets, and the Lord through the Holy Ghost. 00:16:44.030 --> 00:16:47.945 President Spencer W. Kimball declared this: 00:16:47.945 --> 00:16:50.890 "Why. oh, why do people think they can fathom 00:16:50.890 --> 00:16:53.800 the most complex spiritual depths without 00:16:53.800 --> 00:16:58.435 the necessary work accompanied by compliance with the laws that govern it? 00:16:58.435 --> 00:17:03.400 Absurd it is, but you will find popular personalities, who seem never to 00:17:03.400 --> 00:17:08.380 have lived a single law of God, discoursing about religion. 00:17:08.380 --> 00:17:13.900 How ridiculous for such persons to attempt to outline for the world a way of life. 00:17:13.900 --> 00:17:17.290 One cannot know God nor understand his works or 00:17:17.290 --> 00:17:21.800 plans unless he follows the laws which govern." 00:17:22.260 --> 00:17:25.045 Questions are not just good, 00:17:25.045 --> 00:17:31.180 they are vital because the ensuing spiritual wrestle leads to answers, 00:17:31.180 --> 00:17:33.985 to knowledge, and to revelation, 00:17:33.985 --> 00:17:37.315 and it also leads to greater faith. 00:17:37.315 --> 00:17:44.230 That's important because men and women of faith are expected to have faith. 00:17:44.230 --> 00:17:46.870 While the Lord will reveal many things to us, 00:17:46.870 --> 00:17:51.685 He's never told His covenant people everything about everything. 00:17:51.685 --> 00:17:56.800 We're admonished to doubt not, but be believing. 00:17:56.800 --> 00:18:00.940 But doubting not does not mean understanding everything. 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.595 Doubting is not synonymous with having questions, 00:18:03.595 --> 00:18:06.715 to doubt is to reject truth and faith. 00:18:06.715 --> 00:18:08.635 As covenant sons and daughters, 00:18:08.635 --> 00:18:10.735 we are required to have faith, 00:18:10.735 --> 00:18:13.270 to live by faith, to ask in faith, 00:18:13.270 --> 00:18:16.720 nothing wavering, and to overcome by faith. 00:18:16.720 --> 00:18:20.740 Learning by faith is as crucial as learning by study, 00:18:20.740 --> 00:18:25.180 because there are some things we simply cannot learn from a book. 00:18:25.180 --> 00:18:30.160 Elder Dallin H. Oaks underscored this truth in the recent general conference: 00:18:30.160 --> 00:18:32.605 "After all we can publish, 00:18:32.605 --> 00:18:38.515 our members are sometimes left with basic questions that cannot be resolved by study. 00:18:38.515 --> 00:18:41.260 Some things can be learned only by faith. 00:18:41.260 --> 00:18:44.350 Our ultimate reliance must be on faith in 00:18:44.350 --> 00:18:48.590 the witness we have received from the Holy Ghost." 00:18:48.780 --> 00:18:53.215 Thus, once the Spirit has borne witness to you 00:18:53.215 --> 00:18:56.530 that God is our Father and Jesus is the Christ, 00:18:56.530 --> 00:18:59.530 that Joseph Smith was a prophet called to restore 00:18:59.530 --> 00:19:02.785 the gospel, and that we are led by a prophet today, 00:19:02.785 --> 00:19:05.350 then you know the gospel is true because 00:19:05.350 --> 00:19:10.045 the Spirit has borne witness of the foundational truths that comprise a testimony. 00:19:10.045 --> 00:19:11.875 You have a testimony. 00:19:11.875 --> 00:19:15.010 At that point, when questions arise or when 00:19:15.010 --> 00:19:18.670 blessings you've been pleading for remain unfulfilled, 00:19:18.670 --> 00:19:23.995 they are not an indication that you don't have a testimony or that the gospel isn't true. 00:19:23.995 --> 00:19:27.325 They are an invitation for you to grow spiritually. 00:19:27.325 --> 00:19:29.965 I repeat, once you have received 00:19:29.965 --> 00:19:33.775 a spiritual witness of the truths that form a testimony, 00:19:33.775 --> 00:19:39.280 even your thorniest questions about our doctrine, history, 00:19:39.280 --> 00:19:41.335 positions on sensitive issues, 00:19:41.335 --> 00:19:46.480 or the aching desires of your hearts are about personal growth. 00:19:46.480 --> 00:19:52.420 They are opportunities for you to receive personal revelation and to increase your faith. 00:19:52.420 --> 00:19:58.450 We don't have to have answers to every question in order to receive a witness, 00:19:58.450 --> 00:20:02.695 bear witness, and stand as a witness. 00:20:02.695 --> 00:20:05.620 But questions, especially the tough ones, 00:20:05.620 --> 00:20:07.240 will propel us to engage in 00:20:07.240 --> 00:20:12.115 a spiritual wrestle so that the Lord can continue to lead us along. 00:20:12.115 --> 00:20:14.695 Without plain old spiritual work, 00:20:14.695 --> 00:20:17.215 even God can't make us grow, 00:20:17.215 --> 00:20:20.305 or at least He won't. 00:20:20.305 --> 00:20:23.470 My life has been filled with spiritual wrestling. 00:20:23.470 --> 00:20:26.680 Not because of any great valor on my part, 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:29.080 but because I have yearned to understand why 00:20:29.080 --> 00:20:32.875 certain things were happening to me and why others were not. 00:20:32.875 --> 00:20:35.950 For decades, I have fasted, 00:20:35.950 --> 00:20:38.185 prayed, and pleaded for a husband. 00:20:38.185 --> 00:20:39.805 I've asked who he is, 00:20:39.805 --> 00:20:42.205 where he is, and when he's coming. 00:20:42.205 --> 00:20:43.915 As of this very moment, 00:20:43.915 --> 00:20:47.140 I still don't know the answer to any of those questions. 00:20:47.140 --> 00:20:51.250 But, the ongoing spiritual wrestle has 00:20:51.250 --> 00:20:56.020 blessed me with the knowledge that Jesus Christ is my Savior, 00:20:56.020 --> 00:20:58.735 that His gospel is filled with power, 00:20:58.735 --> 00:21:02.335 and that God will talk to me and direct me. 00:21:02.335 --> 00:21:05.170 Growing spiritually and receiving answers to 00:21:05.170 --> 00:21:09.040 our questions depends upon our ability to feel, 00:21:09.040 --> 00:21:12.490 hear, and understand the whisperings of the Spirit. 00:21:12.490 --> 00:21:14.890 It is worth engaging in 00:21:14.890 --> 00:21:19.705 an ongoing spiritual wrestle to learn to receive personal revelation. 00:21:19.705 --> 00:21:24.160 Because we can only know what is true when the Spirit bears witness 00:21:24.160 --> 00:21:28.930 to our hearts and our minds as only the Holy Ghost can. 00:21:28.930 --> 00:21:31.210 Revelation must include both 00:21:31.210 --> 00:21:34.540 because intellect alone cannot produce a testimony. 00:21:34.540 --> 00:21:37.600 You cannot think your way to conversion 00:21:37.600 --> 00:21:42.130 because you cannot convince your mind of something your heart does not feel. 00:21:42.130 --> 00:21:49.960 The Prophet Joseph declared that "The Holy Ghost comprehends more than all the world." 00:21:49.960 --> 00:21:56.380 And then he said that we must all grow into the principle of revelation. 00:21:56.380 --> 00:21:59.830 And President Henry B. Eyring added this: 00:21:59.830 --> 00:22:04.090 "We all know that human judgment and logical thinking will not be 00:22:04.090 --> 00:22:08.260 enough to get answers to the questions that matter most in life. 00:22:08.260 --> 00:22:10.525 We need revelation from God. 00:22:10.525 --> 00:22:13.360 We need not just one flash of light and comfort, 00:22:13.360 --> 00:22:18.880 but we need the continuing blessing of communication with God." 00:22:18.880 --> 00:22:23.710 Every truth-seeking member of the Church can and 00:22:23.710 --> 00:22:28.450 should be receiving revelation for his or her life. 00:22:28.450 --> 00:22:30.280 In my early 20s, I faced 00:22:30.280 --> 00:22:34.300 a difficult decision and asked a friend for a priesthood blessing. 00:22:34.300 --> 00:22:37.255 He asked what the Lord had already told me, 00:22:37.255 --> 00:22:40.420 and I admitted that I could feel the presence of the Spirit, 00:22:40.420 --> 00:22:43.420 but I couldn't discern specific revelation. 00:22:43.420 --> 00:22:46.900 He then asked if I had ever asked the Lord to teach me 00:22:46.900 --> 00:22:50.380 what it felt like when He was speaking to me. 00:22:50.380 --> 00:22:52.015 Well, I hadn't. 00:22:52.015 --> 00:22:58.495 But that night, I began to ask the Lord to teach me the language of revelation. 00:22:58.495 --> 00:23:00.565 That was 40 years ago. 00:23:00.565 --> 00:23:06.310 And over time, I have come to know that what President Boyd K. Packer taught is true. 00:23:06.310 --> 00:23:09.340 That ''if all you know is what you can see with 00:23:09.340 --> 00:23:12.790 your natural eyes and hear with your natural ears, 00:23:12.790 --> 00:23:16.670 then you will not know very much." 00:23:17.370 --> 00:23:23.905 Seekers have certain habits that are key to learning to communicate with God. 00:23:23.905 --> 00:23:26.905 For starters, they engage in the wrestle, 00:23:26.905 --> 00:23:28.645 meaning they work at it. 00:23:28.645 --> 00:23:31.330 They immerse themselves regularly in the scriptures 00:23:31.330 --> 00:23:34.915 because the scriptures are the textbook for the Lord's language. 00:23:34.915 --> 00:23:38.725 They also work to be increasingly pure— 00:23:38.725 --> 00:23:40.765 pure in their heart and thoughts; 00:23:40.765 --> 00:23:42.190 pure in what they say, 00:23:42.190 --> 00:23:44.695 watch, read, and listen to. 00:23:44.695 --> 00:23:47.680 Purity invites the Spirit. 00:23:47.680 --> 00:23:51.805 And then, pure seekers listen. 00:23:51.805 --> 00:23:57.265 One of my former institute students periodically turns off everything electronic. 00:23:57.265 --> 00:23:59.575 TV off, music off, 00:23:59.575 --> 00:24:03.070 phone off, computer off, iPad off. 00:24:03.070 --> 00:24:07.540 She says, "I like to let the Lord know, I'm listening." 00:24:07.540 --> 00:24:10.780 As you cultivate these spiritual habits, 00:24:10.780 --> 00:24:13.810 there are two questions—actually more than that— 00:24:13.810 --> 00:24:17.035 but there are at least two questions that will help open the heavens. 00:24:17.035 --> 00:24:22.390 First, ask the Lord to teach you what it feels and sounds like for 00:24:22.390 --> 00:24:29.395 you when He is speaking to you via the Holy Ghost, and then watch how He tutors you. 00:24:29.395 --> 00:24:34.315 And second, if you've never asked the Lord how He feels about you, 00:24:34.315 --> 00:24:37.840 that is a great question to ask. 00:24:37.840 --> 00:24:39.730 In time and over time, 00:24:39.730 --> 00:24:41.140 He will tell you. 00:24:41.140 --> 00:24:46.750 And as He does, you'll learn more and more about speaking His language. 00:24:46.750 --> 00:24:50.170 When the Lord sees that you want to communicate with Him, 00:24:50.170 --> 00:24:52.870 He will teach you how. 00:24:52.870 --> 00:24:57.640 Recently, a friend working on her PhD received an impression 00:24:57.640 --> 00:25:02.185 during a Relief Society Conference to shift the focus of her dissertation. 00:25:02.185 --> 00:25:05.380 She also felt prompted during that conference to go 00:25:05.380 --> 00:25:09.205 directly to the temple to ask the Lord further questions. 00:25:09.205 --> 00:25:10.945 She said, "While there, 00:25:10.945 --> 00:25:14.770 I was told how to make this new focus work and how I 00:25:14.770 --> 00:25:19.145 could be both academically unbiased and spiritually honest. 00:25:19.145 --> 00:25:22.545 I occasionally receive clear words from the Spirit," she said, 00:25:22.545 --> 00:25:26.135 "but never have I been given such clear instructions. 00:25:26.135 --> 00:25:29.260 The task ahead feels incredibly difficult, 00:25:29.260 --> 00:25:33.730 but I know what direction to go and that the Lord expects it of me, 00:25:33.730 --> 00:25:37.250 and that makes all the difference." 00:25:37.470 --> 00:25:43.885 Receiving revelation is the key to receiving answers to our questions. 00:25:43.885 --> 00:25:49.360 Joseph Smith promised that "even the least Saint may 00:25:49.360 --> 00:25:55.360 know all things as fast as he is able to bear them." 00:25:55.360 --> 00:25:59.200 My dear friends, make no mistake about it. 00:25:59.200 --> 00:26:02.470 We are here now because we're supposed to be here now, 00:26:02.470 --> 00:26:05.950 and we each have a mission to fulfill. 00:26:05.950 --> 00:26:07.765 Part of that mission 00:26:07.765 --> 00:26:15.850 —a really important part of that mission—is to stand as witnesses of truth. 00:26:15.850 --> 00:26:19.480 And that means we must receive a witness that Jesus is 00:26:19.480 --> 00:26:23.785 the Christ and that His gospel has been restored. 00:26:23.785 --> 00:26:26.605 I invite you to decide 00:26:26.605 --> 00:26:31.990 today that you will pay the price to wrestle with difficult questions, 00:26:31.990 --> 00:26:35.395 to become lifetime seekers of truth, 00:26:35.395 --> 00:26:38.755 to learn to speak the Lord's language, 00:26:38.755 --> 00:26:44.815 and to receive a witness of Jesus Christ and the restoration of His gospel. 00:26:44.815 --> 00:26:46.360 If you will, 00:26:46.360 --> 00:26:51.355 you will have the privilege of helping prepare the Earth for His return. 00:26:51.355 --> 00:26:57.760 You'll be able to defend the faith because of your ever increasing faith. 00:26:57.760 --> 00:27:00.985 The Savior is going to come again. 00:27:00.985 --> 00:27:05.305 May we stand for Him and with Him. 00:27:05.305 --> 00:27:08.260 I testify that God is our Father, 00:27:08.260 --> 00:27:10.765 that Jesus is the Christ. 00:27:10.765 --> 00:27:12.280 This is His church, 00:27:12.280 --> 00:27:17.080 it has been restored, and it is filled with His power, 00:27:17.080 --> 00:27:21.685 and if we want to communicate with heaven and receive answers to our questions, 00:27:21.685 --> 00:27:25.915 I testify the heavens will open, and we can learn 00:27:25.915 --> 00:27:30.595 and stand as witnesses in the name of Jesus Christ, 00:27:30.595 --> 00:27:40.420 amen. (MUSIC) 00:27:40.420 --> 00:27:42.250 NARRATOR: For more information about this program, 00:27:42.250 --> 00:27:47.420 please visit the BYU-Idaho website at www.byui.edu/devotionalsandspeeches. 00:27:48.440 --> 00:28:00.294 (MUSIC)