Ya’át’ééh shí éí Cherisse yíníshyé. Hoogan łání nishłį. Naasht’ēzhi Tábaahá ‘éí bá shíshchíín. White Buffalo ‘éí dashicheii. Tł’zíniłání ‘éí dashinálí. Ákót’éego Diné Omaha asdzáán nishłį. Ahéhee’.

 

Hello! That was a traditional greeting in the Navajo or Diné language. I didn’t grow up speaking Navajo, but knowing and sharing my Diné clans is important, so I always try my best. In Navajo I said, “Greetings my relatives and people. I am of the Many Hogans clan. I am born for the Zuni Edgewater clan.  my maternal grandfather is of the White Buffalo Clan of the Omaha tribe, and my paternal grandfather is of the Manygoats clan. And that is how I am a Diné and Omaha woman.”

 

I’m also a daughter of God, military wife and mother, and podcaster at “Rejoice and Testify of Jesus Christ and The Book of Mormon.”

 

I’m so happy to be here today. I love participating in various Gathering of Tribes events. It’s so comforting to know that our hearts are knit together as we gather Israel. Our prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has said many times that “the Gathering of Israel is the most important thing happening on the earth today.” This quote makes me rejoice and testify because through prayer, personal revelation, and the Holy Ghost, I have come to know for myself that it is true!

 

Today I’m going to talk about the journey of personal revelation. Let’s first start at the basics to understand what personal revelation is.

 

Revelation means to make something known. Through revelation God communicates with us and He makes known His love and plan for us. In this plan he wants to communicate with us on an individual and personal level, so we can know and understand His will for us. He is able to do this through the power of the Holy Ghost.

 

John 14:26 says, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” So, personal revelation is when God reveals to us, through the power of the Holy Ghost, special and unique truths that are meant just for us.

 

I want to emphasize how crucial it is to recognize and listen to the Holy Ghost because it is through the Holy Ghost we can know God’s will for us. So, as I talk, I ask that you carefully listen to the Holy Ghost speak to you. Only the Holy Ghost can teach you all the things that you need to know and feel.

 

We have an amazing prophet who pleads with us at every General Conference to seek personal revelation! At the April 2018 General Conference President Nelson said, “Does God really want to speak to you? Yes!...I urge you to stretch beyond your current spiritual ability to receive personal revelation, for the Lord has promised that ‘if thou shalt [seek], thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things—that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal.”

 

There are many ways to receive personal revelation, and I want to focus my talk on using the scriptures to receive personal revelation – specifically the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon truly testifies of Jesus Christ, and if we read and study it the heavens will open and we will come closer to Christ and we will stay on the covenant path. The scriptures have been the most powerful way I have received personal revelation.

 

When my family and I were living in Okinawa, Japan, my husband was deployed, and I was facing chronic illness, and it wasn’t easy to take care of my three sweet and energetic boys. I was really struggling, and after many heartfelt prayers, I knew I needed to work on my spiritual health. I started by studying my scriptures. And as I truly searched, pondered, and prayed about what I was reading in the Book of Mormon, things started to change – especially my heart.

 

With guidance from different people – including a book by the prophet’s wife, Wendy Watson Nelson, called The Heavens are Open – I soon found the best way to study the scriptures and receive personal revelation in the process. I learned that questions are important to ask.  After thinking of a question, I needed to write it down, then pray to Heavenly Father and ask that question. Next I open the scriptures and read until I find my answer. Sometimes I find my answer right away; sometimes it takes a minute or two; and sometimes I have to read in between the lines and put things together. Once I have my answer, I write it down, along with my thoughts and feelings in my scripture journal, and end with a prayer of thanks.

 

Elder Robert D. Hales said, “When we want to speak to God, we pray. And when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures.”

 

Through this process I learned that when I have my scriptures, journal, and pen in hand, Heavenly Father says, “Oh, she’s serious today!” The combination of prayer, scriptures, and writing truly increases personal revelation.

 

Elder Richard G. Scott said, “Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation…. We often leave the most precious personal direction of the Spirit unheard because we do not record and respond to the first promptings that come to us when the Lord chooses to direct us.”

 

The Lord is ready and wants to reveal His mind and will to us. I feel that it is such a privilege and a gift to receive personal revelation.

 

One of my favorite Book of Mormon stories is in Alma 17:2-3. It says, “And they had waxed strong in the knowledge of the truth; for they were men of a sound understanding and they had searched the scriptures diligently, that they might know the word of God…. But this is not all; they had given themselves to much prayer, and fasting; therefore they had the spirit of prophecy, and the spirit of revelation, and when they taught, they taught with power and authority of God.”

 

This is so powerful because these men previously were trying to destroy the church, but after their conversion, it’s clearly shown that as they read and studied the scriptures they received personal revelation and did the most incredible and miraculous things among the Lamanite people.

 

Think about it for a minute: The sons of Mosiah used the scriptures that they had at the time, which included the Book of Mormon, to teach and convert the Lamanite people! By teaching the doctrine of Christ and bearing their testimony through words and actions, the power of the Holy Ghost softened the heart of King Lamoni and he was converted, which then led to the conversion of thousands of other Lamanite people.

 

This shows me that if we want to help gather Israel it is crucial to be in our scriptures everyday so we can access personal revelation and learn God’s teachings and will for us. I can clearly see during the times in my life when I am consistently studying the scriptures, recording my thoughts and answers, and pondering on all the Lord has taught me, my life is immensely blessed and I am strengthened to face all the things that are happening in my life.

 

In the April 2020 General Conference President Nelson said, “Do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation. Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary. What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.”

 

After years of diligently striving to increase my spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation, one day as I was studying my scriptures the Spirit told me to start a Book of Mormon podcast. My first thoughts were, “I can’t do that! I don’t know how to do that!” But the promptings kept coming. So one day as I was sitting in the temple, I prayed and asked if I really needed to do it. Then I grabbed the scriptures on the table next to me and got a powerful answer right away that said, yes, I needed to start a Book of Mormon podcast.

 

It wasn’t easy learning how to start a podcast, I really struggled and wanted to give up. But the Lord consistently put the right people in my life to help me every step of the way. And since starting my podcast earlier this year I have met and interviewed some of the most faithful and humble members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from all over the world. They have such remarkable and powerful testimonies of Jesus Christ, His gospel, and the Book of Mormon.

 

I feel so humbled and grateful that the Lord sent me this personal revelation, and I feel that following it has brought me great joy and strengthened my testimony of Jesus Christ. So if you want to increase your spiritual capacity to personal revelation, I encourage you to start a scripture journal. I call mine my “Rejoice & Testify Journal.” And start asking questions. You can find lots of great questions in the weekly “Come, Follow Me” lessons. That’s where I get all of mine. Then open the Book of Mormon and find your answers. I can’t even say how much this has helped me and blessed my life.

 

President Nelson said, “I promise that as you prayerfully study the Book of Mormon every day, you will make better decisions—every day. I promise that as you ponder what you study, the windows of heaven will open, and you will receive answers to your own questions and direction for your own life. I promise that as you daily immerse yourself in the Book of Mormon, you can be immunized against the evils of the day, even the gripping plague of pornography and other mind-numbing addictions.” 

 

I know that the scriptures are the word of God and that as we read and study them, God will prevail in our lives! Doing this in my own life makes me rejoice and testify of Jesus Christ every day. And I testify to you that Jesus is the Christ. He is our Savior and Redeemer. I know that we will grow closer to Him as we seek personal revelation and read and study the Book of Mormon every day! I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.