A key to revelation

I found this while researching my talk on “The Father’s Gift of Christ”.  It was linked from a reference to John 3:19-21:

 

“It was asked   me by a gentleman how I guided the people by revelation. I teach them to live so that the Spirit of revelation may make plain to them their duty day by day that they are able to guide themselves. To get this revelation it is necessary that the people live so that their spirits are as pure and clean as a piece of blank paper that lies on the desk before the indicter, ready to receive any mark the writer may make upon it. When you see the Latter-day Saints greedy, and covetous of the things of this world, do you think their minds are in a fit condition to be written upon by the pen of revelation? When people will live so that the Spirit of revelation will be with them day by day, they are then in the path of their duty; if they do not live according to this rule, they live beneath their duty and privileges.”  (JD, BY, 8:131a)

 

It struck me that it is the love of worldly things that holds back revelation.   To have the spirit in our hearts continually, we make room for it by sacrificing worldly pursuits.   I found this has definitely been true for me.    Some time ago, I noticed that R-rated movies had a strongly negative impact on my ability to feel the spirit.  My wife and I thought about it and we consciously decided to put those on the alter.   We began to feel the spirit more strongly in our lives.  This set the ball rolling for us to later cut out PG-13 movies, and later pretty much all television.   We filled in the gaps with more noble pursuits and carefully selected programming.   This ended up having a huge effect on me spiritually.  When I finally removed all of those barriers I had unwittingly kept up, it was like a flood gate opened in my mind.   The best I can describe it is that I became a different man.