Recently, I was asked to facilitate a lesson about the third member of the Godhead, the Holy Ghost. One of the wonderful things that came out of this lesson was a discussion concerning the seven major responsibilities of the Holy Ghost. I’m confident that the Holy Ghost does much, much more. No doubt, He does a lot behind the scenes, in secret, giving all the glory to the Father. That said, in no particular order, I would like to share some of the things we've learned about one of my Heroes, the Holy Ghost.
1. The Holy Ghost helps us find
things. We are told in scripture that the Holy Ghost knows the truth of ALL
things (Moroni 10:5). It would make sense that He would also know the location
of all things too. From a very early age the Lord has answered my prayers when
I have lost something of importance to me. At the age of five to fifty plus,
prayers have been answered to find my favorite rock, a pocket knife, my wedding
ring, my keys, my wallet, lost homework, cell phones, shoes, kids, the perfect
wife and more. I believe that the Lord answered those prayers and the Holy
Ghost helped me find what once was lost (my wife wasn't lost; I just hadn't met
her yet).
2. The Holy Ghost helps teach
us things (John 14:26). One of the more obvious evidences of this is the
overall acceleration and multiplication of individual and combined knowledge in
every facet of our world (communication, travel, music, arts, literature,
medicine, education, energy, science, food production, the universe, languages,
architecture, construction, etc.). We have access to information on our phones
that Rulers and Kings and other royalty didn’t have access to anywhere less than
200 years ago. In fact, since the restoration of the Gospel in 1820, the
influence of the Holy Ghost has been expanding through the worldwide growth of
Church membership, and knowledge and technology has also grown exponentially in
ever-increasing rates. I believe that it’s definitely not a coincidence (also
see D/C 121:26-27).
3. The Holy Ghost helps testify
of truths, especially of spiritual things, and most especially of things
pertaining to the Savior Jesus Christ and God, our Heavenly Father. The
scriptures tell us that ‘life eternal is knowing the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom He sent’ (John 17:3). The Holy Ghost plays a major role in helping
us learn about God and His Son, their goodness, their love for us and their
desire for our eternal happiness.
4. The Holy Ghost helps
protects us. He will warn us of poor decisions and of danger ahead. Just as loving
parents watch over their children, steering them away from dangerous traffic, a
hot stove, a poor decision or a bad relationship, likewise our Heavenly Father
uses the Holy Ghost in similar ways to protect His children from both physical
and spiritual dangers (Mosiah 2:6).
5. The Holy Ghost helps comfort
us. In times of difficulty, stress, concerns or other worries. He can help us
cope, help us endure, help us find the silver lining and help us understand God’s
higher purposes. This comfort will most likely not cause challenges to go away,
or go away any sooner, but it will remind us that God is in control, that we’re
not alone, and that we will learn something of value and will be better for the
journey. God has promised us ALL things work together for good to them that
love God (Romans 8:28).
6. The Holy Ghost helps guide
and direct us. I guess that this is somewhat related to number 1 above, but the
emphasis here is more than finding lost things, its directing us spiritually,
directing us toward Christ and the eventual return to our heavenly home. The
Holy Ghost prompts us to stay in correct spiritual paths. He sets delineators
and road signs along the trail, pointing to where God wants us to go and to
where we can best serve Him. It’s comforting to realize that the Holy Ghost
will never, ever lead us astray (D/C 42:13, 46:2).
7. The Holy Ghost helps clean
and purify and sanctify us from all sin (1 Corinthians 6:1). The scriptures
frequently refer to the feelings we experience from the Holy Ghost as a burning
in the bosom or as a baptism of fire. It is that process of cleansing and
purifying and sanctifying that the Holy Ghost helps us grow spiritually and prepares
us to be presented by the Savior, as our Mediator, to the Father at the judgment
bar. Through the Savior’s Atoning sacrifice, His blood that He freely spilt, we
have hope of reuniting with God. The Holy Ghost plays an important role in
helping us become pure enough to appreciate and understand better what the
Savior did for us in Gethsemane and on Golgotha.
I read a book some 2o years ago about how to qualify
for the Celestial Kingdom. It was, at most, 150 pages. But to my amazement, the
secret process it spoke of was strikingly simplistic! The author repeated
himself over and over, using different words and examples, but essentially
saying the same thing on every page! The great secret he revealed was only 13
words long! In order to qualify for the Celestial Kingdom, he said all that we
needed to do was to “be committed to consistently seek and follow the
promptings of the Holy Ghost!”
May we all have greater appreciation the third member of the
Godhead, and diligently strive each day to seek and follow the subtle
promptings and quiet whisperings of the Holy Ghost.
Wm. Calvin
Hughes
Lake Elsinore,
California
July 2014
