Who is the Holy Ghost?

My friend Tracey shared some thoughts about the Holy Ghost, His role, and influence in our lives that I wanted to share.

 

Her thoughts were based on President Henry B. Eyring’s “His Spirit to Be with You” and Elder Larry Y. Wilson “Take the Holy Spirit as Your Guide.” Tracey said, “The best way to learn something is by repetition. Since we have been given lessons and talks on the Holy Ghost so often, it must be very important to know who the Holy Ghost is and let him into our lives.”

 

I feel the same way so wanted to share her words.  The following is from a Sacrament meeting talk Tracey recently gave in our ward.

 

Who is the Holy Ghost?

 

The scriptures refer to Him as the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, or the Spirit of truth. He is a member of the Godhead and one with the Father and the Son. In D&C 130:22 we learn that “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones but is a personage of Spirit.”

 

Jesus referred to the Holy Ghost as a male person when speaking to His disciples in John 16:7: “It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. When he, the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth.”

 

What does the Holy Ghost do?

 

The Holy Ghost confirms truth

 

The Holy Ghost not only bears witness to the divinity of the Father and the Son, He also bears witness to truth, particularly to gospel truths. Moroni 5:10 says “By the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things”.

 

President Brigham Young stated: “The Holy Ghost opens the vision of the mind, unlocks the treasures of wisdom, and they begin to understand the things of God. They comprehend themselves and the great object of their existence.”

 

President Eyring stated, “The companionship of the Holy Ghost makes what is good more attractive and temptation less compelling . . . Just as the Holy Ghost strengthens us against evil, He also gives us the power to discern truth from falsehood.”

 

The Holy Ghost testifies of God and Jesus Christ

 

Marion G. Romney stated, “Every person who knows or has ever known that Jesus is the Christ received that witness from the Holy Ghost.”

 

I was not raised in the church, but all of my friends growing up were. My friend’s ward had a Super Saturday and she invited me. We went roller skating, attended a class that taught us how to check the oil and tire pressure on a car, and there was a dance that night.

 

I spent that night at my friend’s house and went to church with her family the next day. I attended Sunday classes with my friends and remember feeling that what the teachers were saying was true, and I wanted to know more. My mother and I started taking the missionary discussions a couple years later and we were both baptized and confirmed members of the Church on the same day.

 

The Holy Ghost is a Comforter

 

I’ve been friends with Kara since high school. One summer, Kara was sending her two oldest sons to Boy Scout camp in the Olympic Mountains. This was the first year her second son was old enough to go. The boys were very excited to go together with their dad who had recently been called as Scoutmaster.

 

After breakfast, the boys got permission to go with their two-by-two partners to explore the steep mountainside near the lake.  Kara’s sons and their friends walked towards the other side of the lake, which was really steep and covered in rocks, boulders, and moss. They found a huge log and decided to push it down the steep hill into the water.

Because he couldn’t find his coat, Kara’s younger son wore a jacket that was too big for him.

As the 1,000-pound log began to roll, its branches caught the boy’s jacket and pulled him over then under the heavy branches. When the log stopped, he lay face down on the ground.

The boys yelled for the adults’ help and the men rushed to the scene. Their father didn’t know for sure if his son was dead or alive. While giving a Priesthood blessing, the father knew his son wouldn’t survive.

My husband Mike and I attended his funeral to support Kara and her family.  During the funeral, Kara walked to the pulpit, looking out at everyone who came to mourn her son and told us with assurance to not be sad. She said her son completed his mission here on Earth and is happy with Heavenly Father.

 

This assurance can only come through the Holy Ghost. He is the Comforter. As the soothing voice of a loving parent can quiet a crying child, the whisperings of the Spirit can calm our fears, hush the nagging worries of our life, and comfort us when we grieve. The Holy Ghost can fill us with hope and perfect love, and can teach us the peaceable things of the kingdom.

 

The Holy Spirit Teaches, Guides, and Warns

 

President Monson taught, “As we pursue the journey of life, let us learn the language of the Spirit. The Spirit speaks words that we feel. These feelings are gentle, a nudge to act, to do something, to say something, to respond in a certain way.”

 

I was trying to think of a story to share when the Holy Ghost guided me, and I immediately thought of when Mike and I met. We were set up on a blind date by his best friend. We saw a movie on that first date and couldn’t talk much to get to know each other. While driving home, I thought he wasn’t interested and that I would never hear from him again.

 

He called me a couple days later and we talked for hours and set up another date for that following week. He met me after my institute class for our second date with a single rose. It was the day before my birthday and he brought it as a birthday gift. I was surprised since I wasn’t aware he knew when my birthday was, because I didn’t tell him.

 

While driving myself home after our date, I was listening to the song “Will He Really Answer Me” by Michael McLean, which is about the Holy Ghost. I glanced at the passenger seat where the rose sat. I felt a strong confirmation from the Holy Ghost that Mike and I knew each other prior to this life and would be sealed for time and all eternity. After dating a month, we casually talked about marriage. We were officially engaged the next month and were married six months later.

 

How Do We Keep the Holy Ghost With Us?

 

Now that we know what He does, how do we keep the Holy Ghost with us? I searched on LDS.org and the same scripture kept coming up, D&C 20:77, explaining to have the Spirit sent to us, we must “always remember the Savior and keep his commandments.”

 

President Eyring said, “We have the priceless promise of the Holy Ghost as a companion, and we also have true directions on how to claim that gift. When confirmed a member of the church we are told to ‘Receive the Holy Ghost.’ At that moment you and I have the assurance He will be sent. But our obligation is to choose to open our hearts to receive the ministration of the Spirit over a lifetime.”

 

The Prophet Joseph Smith set an example for us of how to receive continual spiritual direction and comfort through the Holy Ghost. First, he chose to humble himself before God. His second step was to pray with faith in Jesus Christ. Third, obey. (This may mean to move quickly, to prepare, or wait until you receive further instructions.) And fourth, pray to know the needs and hearts of others and how to help them for the Lord.

 

So the Holy Ghost is a witness of the Father and the Son, a comforter, a teacher and the bearer of valuable gifts of the spirit such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, discernment and direction.

 

In D&C 11:12-13, The Lord promises, “And now, verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy.”

 

We have been promised that we may have the Holy Ghost as a companion throughout our lives if we remember the Savior and keep his commandments. When I have the Holy Ghost with me, I feel like I am home—and there is no place I would rather be.