The Gifts of the Spirit
“Chapter 22: The Gifts of the Spirit,” Gospel Principles, (2009),125–32
How do you receive gifts of the spirit?
- Following baptism, each of us had hands laid on our heads to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
- If we are faithful, we can have His influence continually with us.
- Through Him, each of us can be blessed with certain spiritual powers called gifts of the Spirit
Blessings:
- They help us know and teach the truths of the gospel.
- They will help us bless others.
- They will guide us back to our Heavenly Father
3 things to apply gifts of the spirit in our lives
- to know what they are
- how we can develop them
- how to recognize Satan’s imitations of them.
The scriptures mention many gifts of the Spirit. The gifts of the Spirit include some of the following:
The Gift of Tongues (D&C 46:24)
Sometimes it is necessary to communicate the gospel in a language that is unfamiliar to us. When this happens, the Lord can bless us with the ability to speak that language.
The Gift of Interpretation of Tongues (D&C 46:25)
This gift is sometimes given to us when we do not understand a language and we need to receive an important message from God.
The Gift of Translation (D&C 5:4)
If we have been called by the leaders of the Church to translate the word of the Lord, we can receive a gift to translate beyond our natural ability Joseph Smith had the gift of translation when he translated the Book of Mormon. This gift came to him only when he was in tune with the Spirit.
The Gift of Wisdom (D&C 46:17)
Some of us have been blessed with the ability to understand people and the principles of the gospel as they apply in our lives.
The Gift of Knowledge (D&C 46:18)
Everyone who becomes like Heavenly Father eventually knows all things. The knowledge of God and His laws is revealed by the Holy Ghost (see D&C 121:26). We cannot be saved if we are ignorant of these laws (see D&C 131:6).His Spirit speaks to our minds and our hearts (see D&C 6:15, 22–24; 8:2; 9:7–9).
The Gift of Teaching Wisdom and Knowledge (Moroni 10:9–10)
Some people are given a special ability to explain and testify of the truths of the gospel. This gift can be used when we teach a class. It can be used by parents to teach their children. This gift also helps us instruct others so they can understand the gospel.
The Gift of Knowing That Jesus Christ Is the Son of God (D&C 46:13)
This has been the gift of prophets and apostles who have been called as special witnesses of Jesus Christ. However, others are also given this gift. Every person can have a testimony through the whisperings of the Holy Spirit.
The Gift of Believing the Testimony of Others (D&C 46:14)
By the power of the Holy Ghost we may know the truth of all things. If we want to know whether someone else is speaking the truth, we must ask God in faith.
Gift of Prophecy (D&C 46:22)
Those who receive true revelations about the past, present, or future have the gift of prophecy
Gift of Healing (D&C 46:19–20)
Some have the faith to heal, and others have the faith to be healed. We can all exercise the faith to be healed when we are ill (see D&C 42:48). Many who hold the priesthood have the gift of healing the sick. Others may be given a knowledge of how to cure illness.
The Gift of Working Miracles (D&C 46:21)
The Lord has blessed His people many times in miraculous ways. When the Utah pioneers planted their first crops, a plague of locusts nearly destroyed them. The pioneers prayed that the Lord would save their crops, and He sent seagulls to devour the locusts. When we need help and ask in faith, if it is for our good the Lord will work miracles for us (see Matthew 17:20; D&C 24:13–14).
The Gift of Faith (Moroni 10:11)
The brother of Jared had great faith. Because of his faith, he received other gifts. His faith was so great that the Savior appeared to him (see Ether 3:9–15). Without faith, no other gift can be given.
***The Greatest Gift – Charity***
Importance
Having charity is so critical for spiritual growth that Mormon declares that if we do not have it, we are “nothing” (Moroni 7:44). Without charity, or the pure love of Christ, we “can in nowise be saved in the kingdom of God” (10:21).
Different than love
This love is completely different from the love spoken of in the world. President Benson observed The world today speaks a great deal about love, and it is sought for by many. But the pure love of Christ differs greatly from what the world thinks of love. Charity never seeks selfish gratification. The pure love of Christ seeks only the eternal growth and joy of others. (“Godly Characteristics” 47).
Scripture study
Elder Marion G. Romney affirms this when he promises: I feel certain that if, in our homes, parents will read from the Book of Mormon prayerfully and regularly, both by themselves and with their children, the spirit of that great book will come to permeate our homes and all who dwell therein. The spirit of reverence will increase, mutual respect and consideration for each other will grow. The spirit of contention will depart.
Parents will counsel their children in greater love and wisdom. Children will be more responsive and submissive to that counsel. Righteousness will increase. Faith, hope, and charity—the pure love of Christ—will abound in our homes and lives, bringing in their wake peace, joy, and happiness. (436)
I think that people who study the scriptures get a dimension to their life that nobody else gets and that can’t be gained in any way except by studying the scriptures. There’s an increase in faith and a desire to do what’s right and a feeling of inspiration and understanding that comes to people who study the gospel—meaning particularly the standard works—who ponder the principles, that can’t come in any other way. (“Spare Times’s Rare” 4) Fourth Nephi through Moroni: From Zion to Destruction by Charles D. Tate, Monte S. Nyman
Example story:
I know a couple whose marriage completely changed when one partner ceased a long-standing pattern of wrongful judgment and allowed God more deeply and more intensely into her life. This woman longed for love in her marriage, yet she found herself judging her husband, and being judged by him, in ways that chilled their marriage. Rather than feeling appreciated, she felt both judged and emotionally neglected by the man she had married.
In her anger and frustration, she decided to “pour it all out” in a letter for her husband to read—all her intense longing for love, all of her emotional deprivation. She said, “The longer I wrote, the more I began to have a feeling come over me that what I was writing was false.
The feeling continued growing until I could no longer squelch it, and I knew intuitively that the feeling was coming from God, that He was telling me that what I was writing was false. ‘How could it be false?’ I asked angrily. . . . But the feeling became so powerful and overwhelming that I could no longer deny it or fight against it. So I tore up the pages I had written, threw myself down on my knees and began to pray, saying, ‘If it is false, show me how it could be false.’ And then a voice spoke to my mind and said, ‘If you had come unto Me, it all would have been different.’
“I was astounded. I went to church; I read the scriptures often; I prayed pretty regularly; I tried to obey the commandments. ‘What do you mean, “Come unto You?”‘ I wondered. And then into my mind flashed pictures of me wanting to do things my own way, of holding grudges, of not forgiving, of not loving as God had loved us. I had wanted my husband to ‘pay’ for my emotional suffering. I had not let go of the past and had not loved God with all my heart. I loved my own willful self more.
“I was aghast. I suddenly realized that I was responsible for my own suffering, for if I had really come unto Him, as I outwardly thought I had done, it all would have been different. . . . I . . . did not mention to my husband anything of what had transpired. But I gave up blaming. . . . And I tried to come unto God with full purpose of heart. I prayed more earnestly, and listened to His Spirit. I read my scriptures and tried to come to know Him better.
“Two months passed, and one morning my husband awoke and turned to me in bed and said,
‘You know, we find fault too much with each other. I’m never going to find fault with my wife again.’ I was flabbergasted, for he had never admitted he had done anything wrong in our relationship.
He did stop finding fault, and he began to compliment me and to show sweet kindness. It was as if an icy glass wall between us had melted away. Almost overnight our relationship became warm and sweet.
Three years have passed, and still it continues warmer and happier. We care deeply about one another and share ideas and thoughts and feelings, something we had not done for the first sixteen years of marriage.” Clothed with Charity: Talks from 1996 Women’s Conference by Various authors
If in the midst of our own often-difficult, sometimes wrenching, maturing process, we make the Savior the center of our lives, we can leave behind frailties and imperfections—such as wrongfully judging others—and we can also have the Savior’s love flow through us to others
We Can Develop Our Gifts
Prayer – Key
If I am an angry man, it is my duty to pray for charity, which suffereth long and is kind. Am I an envious man? It is my duty to seek for charity, which envieth not.
No man ought to say, “Oh, I cannot help this; it is my nature.” He is not justified in it, for the reason that God has promised to give strength to correct these things, and to give gifts that will eradicate them.
The Spirit of God sanctifies—it cleanses and purges the human heart. The Spirit does far more, however, than remove uncleanness. It also fills. It fills one with a holy element, with a sacred presence that motivates to a godly walk and goodly works
It is so easy to be distracted from what matters most, to focus on things—on goals, on excellence programs, on statistics—when in reality it is people that counts. I am convinced that people are more important than goals, more important than private or corporative endeavors. People are more important than the attainment of some form of success. God is in the business of people. And so must we be. (Power of the Word: Saving Doctrines from the Book of Mormon by Robert L. Millet)
The Prophet Joseph helped Emma in taking care of the children and the domestic chores-building fires, carrying out ashes, bringing in wood and water, and so on. He was criticized more than once for that, some men thinking that was beneath his dignity. With kindly reproof the Prophet set them straight and counseled that they go and do likewise.
The Prophet was neat, too. His axe was always carefully sharpened and properly placed after he had used it. His store of wood was always neatly stacked, his yard was well kept, until his death he was a farmer who earned much of what he was able to eat by plowing, planting, weeding, and harvesting. (Joseph Smith the Prophet, Truman G. Madsen)
Sometimes patriarchal blessings will help us know which gifts we have been given.
We must be obedient and faithful to be given our gifts. We then should use these gifts to do the work of the Lord. They are not given to satisfy our curiosity or to prove anything to us because we lack faith. Of spiritual gifts, the Lord said, “They are given for the benefit of those who love me and keep all my commandments, and him that seeketh so to do” (D&C 46:9).
- Think about some spiritual gifts that would strengthen you personally or help you serve the Lord and others. What will you do to seek these gifts?
Satan Imitates the Gifts of the Spirit
Satan can appear as an angel of light; produce visions; grant the gift of tongues; provide prophecies; provide revelations through a seer stone; prompt jubilations, singing, and trances; cause tinglings of the spine, palpitations of the heart, and prolonged excitement; put thoughts into our hearts and minds; cause us to feel many different emotions; and much more. Most all of the miracles and forms of revelation that we might consider acts of God can be counterfeited by Satan
Spirit That Serves Satan
Is there servant-messenger spirit that obeys Satan?
The Lord has revealed little that answers that question specifically. The Book of Mormon does provide some references that might be helpful.
For behold, if ye have procrastinated the day of your repentance even until death, behold, ye have become subjected to the spirit of the devil, and he doth seal you his; therefore, the Spirit of the Lord hath withdrawn from you, and hath no place in you. (Alma 34:35; see also Alma 40:13.)
In that verse it appears that the term “pirit of the devil” could be referring to servant-messenger spirit that obeys Satan. Consider two other Book of Mormon scriptures:
And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, hat he may reign over you in his own kingdom. (2 Ne. 2:29; see also 2 Ne. 32:8; 33:5.)
I say unto you, that the man that doeth this, the same cometh out in open rebellion against God; therefore he listeth to obey the evil spirit. (Mosiah 2:37; see also Mosiah 2:32.)
Doctrine and Covenants Section 93 makes a tangential reference to this issue.
And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come;
And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (D&C 93:24-25)
Truth is “independent in that sphere in which God has placed it” (D&C 93:30) it is servant-messenger spirit that chooses-exclusively-to obey God (thus Holy); and, it provides us knowledge of things as they were, are, and will be.
However, is there spirit that is not truthful, other spirit that elects-by choice-to serve Lucifer, called the spirit of Satan, spirit that obeys “that wicked one”?
Satan has amazing powers. As Moses performed miracles in Egypt, Satan also did some miraculous things. The Pharaoh’s magicians turned their staffs into snakes, turned water into blood, and brought frogs upon the land. Thereafter, however, Satan could do no more-the lice, flies, death of cattle, boils, hail and fire, locust, thick darkness, and death of the firstborn. Lucifer had power, but not comparable to God.
Spirit Of That Wicked One
Satan may well have spirit in the universe that obeys him, called: the Spirit of the Devil, Satan’s Spirit, the Evil Spirit, or Lucifer’s Spirit. All spirit is independent in that sphere where God has placed it, to act for itself; and there may be spirit that chooses, of its own free will, to serve Satan. If that is true, Satan has great power, power that can be exhibited in myriads of theatrical and diabolical distortions in order to deceive and tempt-even to perform great miracles.
Counterfeit Look-Alikes
Satan can appear as an angel of light; produce visions; grant the gift of tongues; provide prophecies; provide revelations through a seer stone; prompt jubilations, singing, and trances; cause tinglings of the spine, palpitations of the heart, and prolonged excitement; put thoughts into our hearts and minds; cause us to feel many different emotions; and much more. Most all of the miracles and forms of revelation that we might consider acts of God can be counterfeited by Satan.
Many churches employ spiritual-appearing substitutes. The congregation is provided with experiences that are accepted as evidence that the Spirit of God is present. The following are some of the approaches used: exciting and energetic oratory, intense public prayers filled with cliches, theatrical music, stage performance settings, communal love symbols, chantings, and displays of ecstasy. Some churches advertise themselves in the newspapers as “spirit filled.”
Pageantry is another method employed. The congregation’s time is occupied by observing rituals. Often the attire and implements used are expensive and artistic. Lacking the gift of the Holy Ghost, and consequently not having the abundant outpourings of the Spirit available, pageantry is intended to give the appearance of spirituality. (See Chapter 21 for more about the gift of the Holy Ghost.)
Satan is an expert counterfeiter. However, there are at least three things Satan cannot do: He cannot raise people from the dead. He cannot duplicate the flow of pure intelligence Hallmark One). He cannot duplicate Hallmark Two-A feelings.
Power Versus Love
Maybe it was because there was spirit that chose to obey Satan that he, as well as a third of the hosts of heaven, decided that they did not need mortality and physical bodies in order to possess and wield power. Power, to many, is a greater pleasure than love. Maybe the core struggle between right and wrong is the choice between the pleasures of power versus the pleasures of love.
Power is pleasurable because it can demand services. Owning slaves is possibly the ultimate form of power in mortality. Military power is the equivalent of owning slaves. Any wish or demand can be dictated by those holding military power. One who possesses wealth can approximate owning slaves. Those who wield power rarely take into account the inconvenience or suffering they cause. Selfishness and pride are served first.
Meekness is the opposite of power. Life, its development and comfort, is the focus of those who are meek. Power asks, “How can I get what I want?”-without regard for moral principles. Meekness asks, “What is fair and right?” Those who are meek are full of love; they would rather, themselves, stand losses than to be the cause of insult of injury. One who is meek has a desire to do good to all people everywhere. Meekness displays the presence of the Spirit of the Lord. Those who are full of the Spirit abandon power and yield to long-suffering, gentleness, meekness, and love unfeigned. (See D&C 121:41.) The Savior has instructed us: “Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me.” (D&C 19:23)
Power seeks more power. Misfortunes and weaknesses of others are the feeding grounds of power. In contrast, the meek, “they shall take no advantage of your weaknesses.” (Ether :26) The Savior said of himself, “I am meek and lowly in heart.” (Matt. 11:29)
Our Father in Heaven will give this earth as an inheritance to those who love meekness in preference to power. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” (Matt. 5:5)
Meekness versus power may be the most fundamental choice that divides good and evil.
Double Minded
Most of us have difficulty deciding which pleasures we enjoy best. Sometimes we value exclusively the fruit of the Tree of Life; other times the “large and spacious building” is more attractive. James, the writer of, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” continued as follows:
But let him ask in faith, nothing waivering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways. (James 1:6-8)
Indecision is a sin-possibly an unexpected sin. Promptings of the Spirit are conservatively given-if at all-to those of us who vacillate.
I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
So then because thou are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Rev. 3:15-16)
If we fail to choose which pleasure we love, then the Lord-because of our indecision-will decide for us. He will “spue” us out.
No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. (Luke 16:13
If we want blessings from heaven, we must do as James in the New Testament directed: “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” (James 4:8)
• How can we discern between the true gifts of the Spirit and Satan’s imitations?
Satan can imitate the gifts of tongues, prophecy, visions, healings, and other miracles. Moses had to compete with Satan’s imitations in Pharaoh’s court (see Exodus 7:8–22). Satan wants us to believe in his false prophets, false healers, and false miracle workers. They may appear to be so real to us that the only way to know is to ask God for the gift of discernment. The devil himself can appear as an angel of light (see 2 Nephi 9:9).
There have also been ministering angels in the Church, which were of Satan appearing as an angel of light. A sister in the State of New York, had a vision, who said it was told her that if she would go to a certain place in the woods, an angel would appear to her. She went at the appointed time, and saw a glorious personage descending, arrayed in white, with sandy colored hair…. How, it may be asked, was this known to be a bad angel? By the color of his hair; that is one of the signs that he can be known by, and by his contradicting a former revelation.
Satan wants to blind us to the truth and keep us from seeking the true gifts of the Spirit. Mediums, astrologers, fortune tellers, and sorcerers are inspired by Satan even if they claim to follow God. Their works are abominable to the Lord (see Isaiah 47:12–14; Deuteronomy 18:9–10). We should avoid all associations with the powers of Satan.
We Must Be Careful with Our Gifts of the Spirit
- • How can we respect the sacredness of spiritual gifts?
The Lord said, “A commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation” (D&C 84:73). We must remember that spiritual gifts are sacred (see D&C 6:10).
In return for giving us these gifts, the Lord asks that we “give thanks unto God in the Spirit for whatsoever blessing [we] are blessed with” (D&C 46:32).
Additional Scriptures
- • 3 Nephi 29:6–7 (fate of those who deny gifts)
- • Moroni 10:7–19 (gifts depend on faith)
- • 3 Nephi 26:17; 27:20; D&C 84:64 (a gift given at baptism)
- • 1 Corinthians 12 (gifts of the Spirit in the ancient Church of Jesus Christ)
- • D&C 46:9–26 (gifts of the Spirit in the Church today)
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