Learning to Listen: Principles for Personal Revelation

The gift of the Holy Ghost is available to all those who have been confirmed members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yet how often do we seek personal revelation to help guide us in our lives? And how confident are we in our ability to listen to and understand what the Holy Ghost is trying to tell us? While most Latter-day Saints understand the principles of personal revelation in the abstract, many struggle to apply them. In this book, Elder Dale G. Renlund of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles helps readers understand both the principles and practice of personal revelation and addresses the sincere desire of many Latter-day Saints to have the influence of the Holy Ghost more abundantly in their lives. Drawing on gospel truths and his personal experiences as a cardiologist—including an extended metaphor on the delicate art of listening through a stethoscope—Elder Renlund explains how personal revelation works. Like learning to use a stethoscope, learning to recognize the Spirit requires effort and practice. The spiritual skill must be developed over a lifetime, but the effort brings great blessings. When Latter-day Saints begin to regularly seek and rely on the Holy Ghost, they can experience a greater sense of assurance, peace, and hope in their mortal experiences. They may become more able to help those they love and more capable of relying on the Savior as their divine, kind Heavenly Friend and of receiving the comfort and direction He offers. “If we are trying to keep the Holy Ghost with us and desire to improve our skill over time,” writes Elder Renlund, “God will bless us to have His Spirit with us, especially if we desire it more abundantly. My hope is that the principles and applications in this book will help improve your abilities and enable your confidence to grow in receiving, understanding, and acting on personal revelation.” Read more