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“The Holy Ghost is a revelator, no man can receive the Holy Ghost without receiving revelations” Joseph Smith.

Revelation is primarily defined as communication from God through the Spirit to our spirit. It is often received as feelings in our hearts and minds. More broadly, it means receiving the mind and will of the Lord. 

Elder Bruce R. McConkie provided this insight: “God stands revealed or He remains forever unknown, and the things of God are and can be known only by and through the Spirit of God. . .  Joseph Smith said that a man could learn more about the things of God by looking into heaven for five minutes than by reading all the books ever written upon the subject of religion. Religion is something which must be experienced” (“The Lord’s People Receive Revelation,” Ensign June 1971).

Etymology of Reveal 

The most common Hebrew word for “reveal” is גלה (galah). It may be rendered as “uncover”. Additionally, the Greek term ἀποκαλύπτω (apokalypto), meaning “reveal,” can be understood as “uncover”. Our Bible dictionary notes, “The English word revelation is translated from a Greek word apocalypse, meaning to make known or uncover” (page 762).

Literally, our English word for reveal comes from Latin revelare. One writer commented, “The word reveal comes from the Latin revelare, which is composed of the root word velum, which translates to veil, and the prefix re-, which in this case means to go backward or reverse. Essentially, the word reveal literally means to pull back the veil. We all passed through a veil of forgetfulness when we were born into mortality. When we receive revelation, the Lord is helping us to pull back a part of the veil” (Christian Daily Thoughts). 

My dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. . . Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly.

President Russell M. Nelson

Principles of Revelation 

Several key principles govern how revelation is given, received, and recognized:

• Revelation is Completely in God’s Control and Cannot Be Forced:
  • God, in His infinite wisdom, decides the “who, how, when, where, and what of revelation”.
  • It cannot be compelled or coerced; individuals must await its growth and not be impatient for great spiritual knowledge, as forcing it can lead to being misled.
• Revelation is Not a Passive Experience; It Requires Active Engagement and Effort:
  • Offering prayer without real regard or effort will rarely be rewarded with revelation.
  • Personal revelation comes as a byproduct of discipleship and active engagement.
  • It requires asking with intensity; Joseph Smith, as a master receiver of revelation, was also a master asker, demonstrating that revelation is predicated on taking initiative and persistently asking.
  • Individuals should “study it out in their mind” first, then ask God for confirmation. This means using one’s reasoning and common sense as stepping stones to revelation, not substituting them.
  • The Lord expects spiritual self-reliance and does not want individuals to continuously ask for direction on every trivial matter.
• Revelation is Given within the Sphere of Responsibility:
  • Every person is entitled to revelation for their own guidance and daily affairs, including spouses for their companions, parents for their children, and members in their Church callings.
  • However, revelation is not received for others outside one’s priesthood stewardship or sphere of responsibility. For instance, a boyfriend cannot receive revelation for his girlfriend about marriage.
  • Church-wide revelation is given only to the Prophet and President of the Church, and usually announced to the Church after unanimous confirmation from the First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve.
  • If a revelation does not align with declared Church doctrines or attempts to correct leaders, it is not from God.
• The Lord Often Gives Direction without Explanation, Requiring Faith:
  • Often, the “why” behind a revelation is not explained until after obedience.
  • Individuals are expected to “walk by faith,” like Nephi, “not knowing beforehand” what they should do.
  • When an answer is withheld, it is to help individuals grow through faith, obedience, and willingness to act on truth. If one has done their best and not received a clear answer, they should act on their best judgment, and revelation will often come in the course of that action.
• There is “Counterfeit” Revelation from Satan:
  • Satan seeks to sabotage individuals with false or counterfeit revelations.
  • A “litmus test” for true revelation is that it must edify; that which does not edify is not of God and is darkness.
  • God’s revelation will never conflict with declared Church doctrines or lead to darkness.
  • Counterfeit promptings can be mistaken for spiritual ones, especially if they are emotionally driven.
  • Satan often uses logic that makes worldly sense but contradicts faith, or uses negative self-talk (e.g., “I’m stupid”). He may speak as a “second voice” after an initial prompting from the Holy Ghost, or speak in the first person to make individuals think negative thoughts are their own.
  • True revelation will “whisper peace and joy to their souls” and lead one to do good, walk humbly, and judge righteously.
• There is a “Price Tag” for Revelation, Requiring Worthiness and Spiritual Integrity:
  • Certain activities and attributes invite revelation, while others repel it.
  • Revelation is predicated upon worthiness, meaning spiritual “receptors” (like keeping the Word of Wisdom, paying tithing, attending church, reading scriptures, temple worship, and maintaining morality) must be functioning correctly to receive divine signals.
  • Spiritual integrity involves absolute honesty with oneself and God, including a willingness to accept and do God’s will whatever it may be, even if it’s difficult.
  • Activities like pornography and destructive music repel the Spirit and revelation. Conversely, pure thoughts and wholesome music invite inspiration and prepare the mind to be instructed by the Spirit.
• Recognizing the Voice of the Spirit:
  • The Lord speaks “in your mind and in your heart”. The Holy Ghost communicates as a “still, small voice” that is felt more than heard.
  • It can come as “pure intelligence flowing into the mind,” giving “sudden strokes of ideas”. 
  • An impression to the mind can be specific, while typically a communication to the heart is more general.
  • It will make you “feel that it is right,” which signifies a feeling of comfort and serenity, or a “warm light shining within your being” rather than a physical burning.
  • It will “speak peace to your mind”, which is a frequent and significant confirmation.
  • Revelation will enlighten your mind and fill your soul with joy, expanding understanding and making you “smarter as to things of eternal consequence”.
  • It will lead you to do what is right, just, and true.
  • Individuals should act on promptings immediately, as waiting can lead to forgetting the impression. Acting on promptings is like “tuning in on our Celestial Receiver,” making subsequent promptings clearer. 
  • Even if the outcome is not as expected, or it “doesn’t make sense” to human logic, one should still act on true promptings, trusting God’s will.
• Sacred Things Should Be Kept Sacred:
  • Individuals should not “trifle with sacred things” by asking for what they ought not or by treating revelation lightly.
  • This includes not continually talking about unusual spiritual experiences but guarding them with care and sharing them only when prompted by the Spirit for the blessing of others.
  • Once a revelation is received, it should not be asked for again, as God’s economy does not require repeated confirmations for the same matter.
  • If one receives a revelation, they should pursue it until the Lord stops them, enduring discouragement or opposition, as these do not negate the validity of the revelation.
  • To receive more revelation, one must follow all that has been previously revealed, emphasizing the importance of studying scriptures and listening to inspired leaders.

Wise Counsel 

“I’ve always found it strange that we talk about the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost and we seem to have little recognition that that’s real. We say it—but do we believe it? … You know, we’re mortals, we make mistakes. So I’m not talking about every nanosecond of every moment of every minute of every day. Obviously, the Spirit is stronger on some occasions than it is on other occasions.

“But as long as we are doing our best and pressing forward on the covenant path, and repenting as we go, then indeed, we are influenced by the Holy Ghost all the time. And I think we fundamentally divert ourselves by wondering, ‘Well, is that me? Or is that the Holy Ghost?’ The more time we spend worrying about that, the more we get in our own way in recognizing the consequences of having the companionship of the Holy Ghost” (Elder David A. Bednar, Podcast – Elder Bednar’s Advice on Discerning Between the Spirit and Your Own Thoughts,” March 18, 2022).

An Illustration

Quoting from Elder Lynn G. Robbins:

Some years ago, the following story was shared with me by a senior missionary. It happened to him when he was a young man in the 1960s and also illustrates that it is only through study and prayer that the Holy Ghost gives us a witness of the truth. He said:

“I was living alone in Provo, Utah, in a small apartment close to the center of town. I was working as a salesman in a small furniture store in Provo, and it was during the long weekend surrounding the New Year’s holiday that this incident occurred.

“We had a long weekend holiday. It was Thursday, December 31, New Year’s Eve. We had been given from Thursday through Sunday off from work, and I was in my apartment without any plans of celebration. I was preparing my dinner, waiting for it to bake, and wanted something to read. Not having anything in the apartment, I went next door to ask some young men who were living there (students at BYU) if they had something—hoping for a copy of Field & Stream, or something of that order. They said they did not have any magazines, but they did have a book I might like to read. They handed me a copy of the Book of Mormon.

“While I had heard of the Mormon Church (who in Utah hasn’t?), I was not familiar with the book. I thanked them and took it to my apartment. During dinner I thumbed through it and started to read. I admit that I scanned through several parts, trying to find out the plot. There were names and places I had never heard before, and I just couldn’t get into it. So, after dinner, I took the book back and returned it with a “no, thank you.”

“‘Did you pray about it?’ one young man asked. ‘Pray about it?’ I responded. ‘I just wanted something to read, not something I had to pray about.’ This started a very interesting conversation about the content of the Book of Mormon. They told me that it was a book of scriptures, a book that if I would first pray about and then read with a real desire to know if it was true or not, that God would reveal the truth of it to me by the power of the Holy Ghost” 

“I had been brought up a Catholic, and though I was not active at the time, I held on to my membership in the Catholic Church with a strangle hold because it was all that I had ever known. The only praying I had ever done was the Lord’s Prayer, the Hail Mary, and reading in my missal—something I had not done in a long, long time. And now some young men were asking me to pray to a God I did not really know and to ask Him to tell me if the book was true or not. Well, what the heck, I did not have anything else to do, and it was going to be a long, long weekend. I took the book home, opened up a bottle of beer, lit up a cigarette, and got down on my knees and asked God to tell me if this book was true. Then I started to read: ‘I, Nephi, having been born of goodly parents.’

“The names and places were the same as those I had read just a couple of hours before. The only difference this time was a ‘suspension of disbelief’ that had magically come over me. I was literally in the book! I could see Nephi; I could see his brothers, and it angered me when they mistreated him. I liked Nephi! I cheered the good guys on, and I felt sorry for the bad guys. I read for hours, and I couldn’t put the book down. When I finally looked at my watch, it was almost five o’clock in the morning. I wished myself Happy New Year and went to sleep.

“I woke up about eight thirty and instinctively reached for this book. And that is the way the rest of the weekend went. Like Brother Parley P. Pratt, the thought of food was a nuisance, I did not want anything to disturb me. I took my phone off the hook and read all day, with only occasional interruptions for quick snacks. Like the first night, I would finally realize it was early in the morning, sleep a few hours, pick up the book, and continue with my self-imposed marathon. Finally, about five o’clock on Monday morning, I finished the book and I fell asleep—exhausted.

“Just before Christmas that year, I had sold a large carpet job in the American Fork area. It was a specialized type of carpet, and my boss wanted me to supervise the carpet layers. My boss was a former bishop in the Provo area and had talked to me about the Church on several occasions, but I would have none of it. He was a good boss, but you did not want to provoke him because he had a temper. It was on this Monday morning, at eight o’clock, that I was supposed to supervise the carpet installation. The appointed time came, and I did not appear; nine o’clock, then ten.

“Finally, around ten thirty, my boss, mad as a wet hen, came to my apartment, walked in the door ready to tear my head off, saw me lying on the couch with the Book of Mormon laying on my chest, and changed his mind. He quietly closed the door and went back to the shop, confident that he could get the carpet layers started. Just after eleven thirty I awoke (not knowing of my boss’s visit), looked at the clock, and for the second time in a relatively short time said another prayer. I quickly dressed (believing that when I got there I probably would not have a job left), got into my car, and sped to the job site.

“I saw my boss there and went up to him to apologize. He turned around; a grin came on his face, and he asked, ‘How did you like the book?’ Realizing what must have happened, my mind went back to the previous weekend, and through tear-filled eyes I said the only thing I could have said: ‘The book is true. The Book of Mormon is the word of God.’ I then started to cry, and he came and put his arms about me and held me. I was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the 22nd of January, 1965.”

I met this good brother some decades after his conversion while he and his wife were serving a mission at the San Diego Mormon Battalion visitors’ center. The reason I like this story so much is the contrast in his two attempts to read the Book of Mormon. The first time he began to read, it was without real intent and without prayer. In the second attempt, with desire and prayer, it was an entirely different experience. (“Tasting the Light,” An Evening with Elder Lynn G. Robbins Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults, May 3, 2015).