Holy Ghost Baptism Talk
Joseph Smith said something kind of funny when he taught, "You might as well baptize a bag of sand as a man, if not done in view of the remission of sins and getting of the Holy Ghost. Baptism by water is but half a baptism, and is good for nothing without the other half- that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost. The Savior says, 'Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.' Why do we need the Holy Ghost? Why did an all knowing and all loving God decide that we needed the Holy Ghost to help us get back to him? President Benson says that "the most important thing in our lives is the Spirit." The Church teaches that "the Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel." The holy ghost is our comforter when we are sad, gives us peace when we are upset, teaches us when we ask, He bears "record of the Father" and the Son, he warns and guides and prompts, he testifies, and purifies, and guides us back to our Heavenly Father. Revelation comes to us as feelings in our hearts and thoughts in our minds, we can have general feelings and specific thoughts.
But like the Savior, he won't force us to listen to him. He is the still small voice, he entices, and persuades. In order to hear him and understand we have to be worthy of his companionship. The Holy Ghost can not stay when we are mean or dishonest or when we break the commandments. He also can't stay when we surround ourselves with other people who are doing those things. Our friends might laugh at us, we might have to walk away when we don't want to, we might not get to do something that looks fun, but when we shape our lives to fit the Holy Ghost, we will be safe and happy with blazing testimonies. We will have peace, and joy, and comfort, and guidance, we will become closer to the Savior and more firm in our testimonies and we will have confidence in ourselves and in our relationship with God.
But like the Savior, he won't force us to listen to him. He is the still small voice, he entices, and persuades. In order to hear him and understand we have to be worthy of his companionship. The Holy Ghost can not stay when we are mean or dishonest or when we break the commandments. He also can't stay when we surround ourselves with other people who are doing those things. Our friends might laugh at us, we might have to walk away when we don't want to, we might not get to do something that looks fun, but when we shape our lives to fit the Holy Ghost, we will be safe and happy with blazing testimonies. We will have peace, and joy, and comfort, and guidance, we will become closer to the Savior and more firm in our testimonies and we will have confidence in ourselves and in our relationship with God.
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