Receive the Holy Ghost

My subject is about the process of each of us receiving the Holy Ghost in our individual lives.

Baptism by immersion is the introductory ordinance of the gospel and must be followed by baptism by the Spirit.

1. sincerely desire to receive the Holy Ghost
• do we pray earnestly and consistently for the Holy Ghost in our lives?
2. appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives
• making and keeping covenants
• prayer
• scripture study
• get this whole list
3. faithfully obeying God’s commandments.

These are not isolated, independent items, they are interconnected portions in our quest to receive the Holy Ghost.

Tell the brethren if they will follow the Spirit of the Lord they will go right.

I promise that all these blessings are attainable by everyone who hears or reads this.

The Holy Ghost is manifested to men and women on the earth both as the power and as the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power can come upon a person before baptism; it is the convincing witness that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. Through the power of the Holy Ghost, sincere investigators can acquire a conviction of the truthfulness of the Savior’s gospel, of the Book of Mormon, of the reality of the Restoration, and of the prophetic calling of Joseph Smith.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is bestowed only after proper and authorized baptism and by the laying on of hands by those holding the Melchizedek Priesthood.

Baptism by immersion is the introductory ordinance of the gospel, and must be followed by baptism of the Spirit in order to be complete. The Prophet Joseph Smith explained that “baptism is a holy ordinance preparatory to the reception of the Holy Ghost; it is the channel and key by which the Holy Ghost will be administered. The Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands, cannot be received through the medium of any other principle than the principle of righteousness.”

These four words – “Receive the Holy Ghost” – are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction – an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon. The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed receive the Holy Ghost and its attendant spiritual gifts.

What should we do to make this authorized admonition to seek for the companionship of the third member of the Godhead an ongoing reality? We need to:

1. Sincerely desire to receive the Holy Ghost
• We first should desire, yearn for, and seek the companionship of the Holy Ghost.
• Do we likewise remember to pray earnestly and consistently for that which we should most desire, even the Holy Ghost? Or do we become distracted by the cares of the world and the routine of daily living and take for granted or even neglect this most valuable of all gifts?
• Receiving the Holy Ghost starts with our sincere and constant desire for His companionship in our lives.
2. Appropriately invite the Holy Ghost into our lives
• We more readily receive and recognize the Spirit of the Lord as we appropriately invite Him into our lives. We cannot compel, coerce, or command the Holy Ghost. Rather, we should invite Him into our lives with the same gentleness and tenderness by which He entreats us.
• Our invitations for the companionship of the Holy Ghost occur in many ways: through the making and keeping of covenants; by praying sincerely as individuals and families; by searching the scriptures diligently; through strengthening appropriate relationships with family members and friends; by seeking after virtuous thoughts, actions, and language; and by worshipping in our homes, in the holy temple, and at church.
3. Faithfully obey God’s commandments
• 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.
• Reflect on the reasons we worship in the house of the Lord and in our Sabbath meetings . . . we primarily gather together in unity to seek the blessings of and instruction from the Holy Ghost.
• Praying, studying, gathering, worshipping, serving, and obeying are not isolated and independent items on a lengthy gospel checklist of things to do. Rather, each of these righteous practices is an important element in an overarching spiritual quest to fulfill the mandate to receive the Holy Ghost.

Joseph Smith said in a vision to brigham Young after his death: “Tell the brethren to keep their hearts open to conviction so that when the Holy Ghost comes to them, their hearts will be ready to receive it. They can tell the Spirit of the Lord from all other spirits. It will whisper peace and joy to their souls, and it will take malice, hatred, envying, strife, and all evil from their hearts; and their whole desire will be to do good, bring forth righteousness, and build up the kingdom of God.”