"Testimony and Revelation" - taught by Becca Johnson

The stake gave the assignment to prepare this lesson using three different talks from this most recent General Conference:

-Testimony by Elder Samuelson

-Waiting on the Road to Damascus by Pres. Uchtdorf

-The Spirit of Revelation by Elder Bednar

I. What is a testimony?

I initially thought this was a daunting task, to summarize and expound upon these three talks by such spiritual giants, until upon further study I realized that they were remarkably similar, and sound as if these three brethren sat around a table preparing a lecture series together. Each is worth reading and studying, but I will be drawing upon just a few different principles from each.

-President Samuelson defines a testimony as, “our sure witness of the truthfulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is obtained by revelation through the Holy Ghost.”

II. Why is a testimony important? Why has your testimony been important in your life?
         -When I moved to Philadelphia as a newlywed, I went through a very dark period of depression and loneliness. I had left everything familiar and comfortable to live in this big, cold city, and my new husband was gone all the time. I questioned a lot of things during my time there, including my own strength, but my testimony is what kept me grounded in reality and in what was worth fighting for. In the end, my experience in Philly worked for my good in refining me into a more compassionate, strong, and wise woman. Without my testimony, I would not have made it.


III. How do we gain a testimony?

-Elder Bednar said, “I invite you to consider two experiences most of us have had with light. The first experience occurred as we entered a dark room and turned on a light switch. Remember how in an instant a bright flood of illumination filled the room and caused the darkness to disappear. What previously had been unseen and uncertain became clear and recognizable. This experience was characterized by immediate and intense recognition of light.The second experience took place as we watched night turn into morning. Do you recall the slow and almost imperceptible increase in light on the horizon? In contrast to turning on a light in a dark room, the light from the rising sun did not immediately burst forth. Rather, gradually and steadily the intensity of the light increased, and the darkness of night was replaced by the radiance of morning. Eventually, the sun did dawn over the skyline. But the visual evidence of the sun’s impending arrival was apparent before the sun actually appeared over the horizon. This experience was characterized by subtle and gradual discernment of light.”

-President Uchtdorf explained that while some would wait for a dramatic revelatory experience, we would be wiser to not waste our time waiting, but rather become engaged in righteous living. He suggests 1) understanding that often revelation comes one step at a time, 2) hearkening and heeding the Holy Ghost, 3) serving others so as to increase our own testimonies, and 4) sharing the gospel with others. 

(One step at a time)

“Those who diligently seek to learn of Christ will eventually come to know Him. They will personally receive a divine portrait of the Master, although it most often comes in the form of a puzzle - one piece at a time. Each individual piece may not be easily recognizable by itself; it may not be clear how it relates to the whole. Each piece helps us see the big picture a little more clearly. Eventually, after enough pieces have been put together, we recognize the grand beauty of it all. Then, looking back on our experience, we see that the Savior had indeed come to be with us - not all at once, but quietly, gently, almost unnoticed. This can be our experience if we move forward with faith and do not wait too long on the road to Damascus.” 

(Serving others)

“It has been my experience that some of the most powerful promptings we receive are not only for our own benefit but also for the benefit of others. If we are thinking only of ourselves, we may miss some of the most powerful spiritual experiences and profound revelations of our lives. President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said, ‘God does notice us, and He watches over us. But it is usually through another person that He meets our needs. Therefore it is vital that we serve each other.’ Brothers and Sisters, we each have a covenant responsibility to be sensitive to the needs of others and serve as the Savior did - to reach out, bless, and uplift those around us. Often the answer to our prayer does not come while we’re on our knees but while we’re on our feet serving the Lord and serving those around us. Selfless acts of service and consecration refine our spirits, remove the scales from our spiritual eyes, and open the windows of heaven. By becoming the answer to someone’s prayer, we often find the answer to our own.”

IV. What about when the testimony I seek seems not to come?

-The common theme here seems to be what I am calling “proactive efforts.” I have given you a handout with every “active” verb I could find from these three talks. There are many of them. These are just some examples of things we can be doing, proactively, to seek for a testimony or for revelation in our own lives. Gaining a testimony is not something that happens to us, but rather something we work for.

-Any favorites, among these “proactive efforts?” They are obviously more powerful within the context of the talks. One that sticks out to me the most is probably from Pres. Uchtdorf’s talk, to “turn down the volume of worldly noise.” 

-Sometimes I am guilty of trying to put my “prayer/fasting quarter” into the testimony gumball machine, expecting to get my gumball and walk away fulfilled. Or worse, sometimes I use the “good intentions quarter” or the “fleeting desire quarter.” These will not yield a true or lasting testimony. 

V. What do I do with doubts?

-Always be moving forward. Elder Samuelson said, “Is gaining a testimony an isolated event or an ongoing process? A testimony is similar to a living organism that grows and develops when treated properly. It needs constant nourishment, care, and protection to thrive and prosper. Likewise, neglect or deviance from the pattern of living that a testimony clarifies can lead to its loss or diminishment. The scriptures warn that transgression or breaking the commandments of God can result in the loss of the Spirit and even to one denying the testimony he or she once possessed.” 

-I had a seminary teacher who compared maintaining one’s testimony to being on a canoe in a river. If you keep paddling upstream, you will obviously keep moving in the right direction. But if you stop paddling, instead of just holding still, you will slowly and surely float downstream, away from your goal. The key is to always be actively paddling in the direction of your goal.

-My father-in-law has a wonderful perspective about doubts. He is a fabulous Church historian and is therefore not ignorant to a lot of the more difficult-to-understand aspects of Church history that can sometimes give people pause. Yet he has chosen not to let these things, or other questions about gospel principles, affect his testimony. He says that he places these things “on a shelf.” Sometimes, he’s able to take the things down from the shelf, fully evaluate them, solve whatever was troubling him, and dismiss them. Other times, his questions need to remain on the shelf for years at a time. But he has recognized the importance of patience in solving all questions or doubts about the gospel, and he realizes that it is more important to keep the big picture perspective when choosing to keep his testimony strong. 

-Elder Samuelson talked about “[trusting] the things that we believe in or know to sustain us in times of uncertainty or with issues where we struggle.” 

-Elder Bednar uses the example of a cloudy day to explain what how we should view doubts. “Sometimes the sun rises on a morning that is cloudy or foggy. Because of the overcast conditions, perceiving the light is more difficult, and identifying the precise moment when the sun rises over the horizon is not possible. But on such a morning we nonetheless have sufficient light to recognize a new day and to conduct our affairs.”

(handout)

Proactive Efforts

Pres. Uchtdorf

Become fully engaged

Live worthily

Diligently seek

Move forward with faith

Turn down volume of worldly noise

Listen to the Spirit

Study it out

Pray for guidance

Seek answers to questions/concerns

Serve each other

Reach out, bless, uplift

Consecration

Open your mouth

Declare His gospel

Use your hands (technology)

Live according to beliefs

Be joyful and at peace with the world

Seek him

Pres. Samuelson

Pay the price

Keep the commandments

Listen, read, study, ponder

Pray thoughtfully, reverently

Ask with sincere heart

Trust in His love

Grow from challenges

Trust what we believe

Teach someone else

Share your testimony

Do little, but necessary, things daily

Allow Atonement to operate fully

Elder Bednar

Act in faith

Sincere desire

Worthiness

“Apply unto it”

Ponder prayerfully

Reject devil’s enticements

Preparation

Keep pressing forward obediently

Humility

Faithful obedience

Do our best

Act, not be acted upon

Trust in Him

Honor covenants

Strive to do good/become better

Walk with confidence

Speak with assurance

Seek and apply for Spirit of revelation

Walk in the light of the Lord