Personal Revelation - God Teaches You How To Think With Him

If you’ve ever second-guessed a prompting, you’re not alone. We get honest about what personal revelation actually feels like when it shows up in normal life: a thought that lands with quiet clarity, a feeling of peace that won’t let go, or that moment when your mind and heart agree and you know you need to act.

We talk about why God expects us to think, not outsource our agency to algorithms, anxiety, or anyone else. The pattern is simple but demanding: study things out, pray, ask, listen, then act. Along the way we connect scriptures and modern counsel, including Doctrine and Covenants 8 on revelation in the mind and heart, Joseph Smith’s James 1:5 question, and President Russell M. Nelson’s warning that we won’t be able to function in the latter days without the Holy Ghost. In a world of deepfakes, fake news, and constant noise, spiritual discernment is not optional, it’s survival.

We also unpack a powerful analogy from Elder Dale G. Renlund: revelation works within a framework, like aviation. Inside the laws, you can safely use incredible capability; outside the framework, you crash and burn. That framework includes scripture study, prayer, covenants, and stewardship. And we push on the practical challenge many of us face: getting quiet enough to hear God. Stillness, reflection, and even meditation can create space for the Spirit of truth to guide us.

If you want a clearer way to recognize promptings and trust what you receive, listen now, then share this with a friend, leave a five-star review, and follow Todd Talks Spirit by Design so you don’t miss the next episode.

Transcript

Right Place For Promptings

SPEAKER_00 0:37

All right, today going a little bit more off the cuff than uh I have been, mostly because sometimes I just like to talk, free-flow my thoughts, and talk about what I feel is so important. You know, recently we've had several missionary experiences, opportunities to talk with people about the gospel, opportunities to share with some inactive members, and set an example. And what I found and what I what I really wanted to think about and talk about is the fact that when we are open to receiving personal revelation, when we are open to receiving through the gifts of the Spirit what the Lord wants us to do, he'll put us in locations and places to be an example, to be meeting up with people that he wants us to meet up with, whether it's for them or for us or for a third party. We don't know. Not uses you in the way the world talks about using you, but literally he uses you to move his work along, to help other people. And that is the joy of the gospel, the fact that we can help others. We can do so by receiving personal revelation or by being in the right place at the right time for what that person needs. And that is the beauty and the joy of the gospel and of living a gospel-centered, Christ-centered

Mind And Heart Revelation Basics

SPEAKER_00 2:55

life. This is Todd Talks, where I help you design your best life, not the life that I designed for you, but the life you desire. That's my old intro, isn't it? This is Todd Talks Spirit by Design. Now that's even more important. Where you design your spirit to build you and prepare you for the second coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Now, when you're when we talk about personal revelation, then my whole focus this year is to teach you how to receive personal revelation. The Lord says in Doctrine Covenants 8, 2 through 3 that I will tell you in your mind and in your heart by the Holy Ghost. He says, This is the spirit of revelation in your mind and in your heart. At times it is, sometimes it's thoughts, sometimes it's just a feeling. But your mind and your heart agree. That's one way to know that it's personal revelation. Personal revelation isn't necessarily a voice from heaven. God can communicate directly through thoughts, impressions, feelings, understanding, and spiritual peace. The Lord asks us to study things out and then ask. I get the chills when I know that I'm receiving direct revelation from the Lord. And everybody's different, everybody has their own way of knowing and receiving, and that's the joy and beauty of it. But one of these principles is that the Lord wants us to grow and improve. He actually wants us to think. How many of us give up our thinking to computers, to AI, to other things where we stop thinking for ourselves? The Lord wants us to think. And then we study things out in our mind and move ahead. I talked about President Ukdorf's talk about good, better, best.

Study It Out Then Ask

SPEAKER_00 6:00

That sometimes the revelation that we receive isn't until we won't receive it, until after we've moved forward on an idea. The Lord's not going to tell us, He's even said it's not meat, that I tell you everything that you should do. He wants us to study, learn, decide, make decisions, move forward, and then ask him if I'm going in the right direction. And if you're not, he'll help you to know which direction he wants you to go in. Joseph Smith, founder, first prophet of the restored Church of Jesus Christ, the Latter-day Saint, read James 1 through 5, which said, If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally. Once we study it, once we know what we want to do, once we, or maybe we don't know what we want to do, we have an answer, a question that we can't get answered. Well, then if we lack wisdom, we go to God in prayer. How many times in the scriptures does it say, ask and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you? Seek and ye shall find. That works for everything. That's not just a gospel pattern for gospel items, that's for daily life. That's for abundance, that's for helping others. Knock and it shall be opened unto you. Seek and ye shall find. It could just be knowledge. Once we've received these things, ask God in faith if it is true. And by the power of the Holy Ghost, He will make the truth of it known unto us. The Holy Ghost will let us know what is true. All things. That's a key promise there. The truth of all things can be told to us through the Holy Ghost.

Revelation As Remembrance And Discernment

SPEAKER_00 8:47

Personal revelation isn't limited to testimony meetings or major spiritual experiences. The Holy Ghost can help us discern truth, make decisions, recognize danger, understand scripture, and know how to act. Revelation, a lot of times, isn't new information. The most spiritual event that I had recently, a month ago, where I had a 30-minute conversation with God, the revelation that I received was not new information. It was a reminder of things that I had already been given. Patriarchal blessing, temple covenants, discussions and blessings I'd had. So awesome. Because John 14, 26 teaches us the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance. He helps you remember the important things that you need to know and need to remember. In John 16, 13, it says, When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth. It is so important that you learn how to recognize the Spirit in your life. It is so important that you learn to discern truth from lie. President Nelson has taught that in the latter days we will not be able to function without the gift of the Holy Ghost and to know personal revelation what is true. We see the deep fakes, we see all the different news that is broadcast, but is just fake news out there. And people believe lies. Over and over and over again, they believe lies. But the Spirit of the Lord leadeth to do good. And we act on it, we can trust that by the fruits of our actions, we will know that it is good and it is of God. In DNC 84, 45 to 47, we learn for the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light. The Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world. Light, revelation, leads us to action.

Framework For Safe Spiritual Guidance

SPEAKER_00 12:16

Elder Dale Dale G. Renland taught that personal revelation operates within the framework and compared it to aviation. When pilots operate within the proper framework, they can safely use the extraordinary capabilities of an aircraft. Outside that framework, they can crash and burn. There are laws that guide aviation. And I'm not talking about the government FAA regulations. No, I'm talking about aviation science. If you break the laws of physics, your plane crashes. If you over G your airplane to a point that the wings snap off, the airplane crashes. If you don't follow the framework that keeps the airplane flying, it crashes and burns. As a pilot, we don't want to do that. We want to use all the extraordinary capabilities of the aircraft to get us where we want to go. And when I was flying in times of war, I had to push the airplane to its limits many a time. Because I knew the limits. I knew what it could do. And I was guided to do some of the things that I did. When we feast upon the words of Christ, it stimulates revelation for us. Elder Robert D. Hales taught, when we want to speak to God, we pray, and we want when we want Him to speak to us, we search the scriptures. Prayer is how we transmit. Scripture is how we tune the frequency. The Holy Ghost is how we receive. And so Elder Robert D. Hales also taught personal revelation is the way we know for ourselves the most important truths of our existence. A testimony comes to us through revelation. Before that, you have belief. But once you've received personal revelation about something, no longer do you have belief, you have truth. You know. And knowing is half the battle. Go Joe. You know, we can't all be masters of the universe yet. A testimony isn't supposed to be borrowed from somebody else. When you're a child, you can borrow that from your parents. But eventually you have to come to know for yourself. And

Testimony Grows Through Acting

SPEAKER_00 15:10

what's the process? You pray, you ask, you study. Well, first you study, then you pray, you ask, and you listen, and then you act. That right there is essentially the line that we need to draw for personal revelation. Study, pray, ask, listen, and act. God doesn't just give prophets revelation, he gives all of his children revelation if they're willing to hear it. Personal revelation is just that personal. It's not for everybody else. That's where some people get confused. I can't receive personal revelation for the rest of the world, for my friends in general. I can receive it for my family, but it's personal. We can only receive for that over which we have authority. So the prophet can receive for the world my personal revelation I receive for me and my family. Eller Boyd K. Packer taught the Holy Ghost communicates with the Spirit through the mind more than through the physical senses. He explained that revelation can come to us through thoughts, feelings, impressions, and promptings, and emphasized that the patterns of revelation are generally not dramatic. For me, they're literally feelings, thoughts, impressions, occasionally dreams. And Mostauffen through an impression followed by chills. But that's for me. Everybody has different ways to receive and understand. President Irene said that revelation can be quiet. It's in your mind and in your heart. It's available for those who seek it. Joseph Smith taught that the Holy Ghost was a revelator. He teaches us. Again, study, pray, and ask, listen, and then act on what you hear. And in the acting on what you hear, you'll know if it's your thoughts or personal revelation based on the fruits of the actions. And the more often that you act on personal revelation, the more attuned to it you will become, and the more you will be able to act and receive. The more you act, the more you receive. Then the more you receive, the more you act. And it becomes a great cycle to recognize, trust, act, learn.

Get Quiet Enough To Hear

SPEAKER_00 18:36

Revelation does require preparation. God is constantly willing to communicate with us. Sometimes the question we need to ask ourselves is: Have I become quiet enough to hear him? The noise is so loud these days, isn't it? We're constantly under barrage of television, music, podcasts, even. Do we ever sit quietly, let our thoughts calm, meditate? Meditation is a great way to listen. And just get quiet so that we can hear after we ask. Then he wants you to test the impression that you have and to act on it. Revelation becomes a principle of power when we actually follow the prompting. That's the key right there. Personal revelation isn't God doing your thinking for you, it's God teaching you how to think with Him. Personal revelation isn't God telling you this is what you must do. He's giving you the option and saying this will bless you if you do it. I'm gonna repeat that. Personal revelation isn't God doing your thinking for you, it's God teaching you how to think with him. Because his plan is always better than your plan. I'm gonna leave that

Seek Ask Act Closing Charge

SPEAKER_00 20:52

with you. This has been Todd Tox. Seek and find. Ask, it'll be opened. Act, and you will be blessed. Todd talks, Spirit by Design, share with your friends, give a five-star review, follow so that you never miss a new episode. Have a blessed day.