He is talkative! He
has a lot to say! When it began I
thought I was simply hearing my own voice in my head. As it turns out, it was the Voice of God.
PREFACE
I don’t expect anyone to believe what I am about to
write.
Seven years ago (2007) last June; I was given revelation
from God concerning a passage out of the book of Doctrine and Covenants (LDS scripture) that I had been pondering over.
Three years later (2010), He called me by the Power of His Spirit, back
into activity within the LDS Church.
There I was given opportunity to serve, contribute, overcome faults, and
to seek for and offer forgiveness. One year later (2011) I was baptized by the
Holy Ghost and Fire! Three years after
that (October, 2014) my wife and I were called by Him to leave the LDS Church.
There has been a steady progression of Spiritual mentoring
happening in my life. To be honest, I am no one special. I am nothing of any report. It is beyond me why these things have
happened to me, but, the fact is, in reality, they have. On the evening of October 28, 2014, about 11 pm, an event I have been praying for occurred. I had an open and vocal dialog with God my
Eternal Father.
OUR CONVERSATION
Many will say ‘it is too spiritual or sacred to talk about’! Why then do I discuss this with you? God has asked me to, by His own Voice. It was one of the last things He said to me,
just before He told me to go to bed and get some rest. I was to “continue to blog, as you have, as I
give you inspiration to do so”.
Therefore, to be obedient to Him who knows my name, I will continue to
blog as directed. I am not alone in this
effort.
At first I thought I was hearing my own voice in my
head. I dismissed it as such and
continued with my prayer, but it just wouldn't go away. So I asked, “Is this God? And if you are, how
will I know this? Your voice is so soft and I’m having trouble hearing
you”. His reply, “Sean, you ask that
same question every time we begin this process”. I understand that sentence. I don’t expect you to understand it. I do.
He does, in fact, speak directly to our understanding.
He explained the difficulty He goes through to reach me with
His Voice. I have heard it requires
great effort for Him to reach down from His High and Holy Place to converse
with us who are so far removed from Him, and now He has confirmed this to me,
by His own Voice. Then He began telling
me how He upholds the entire universe with His Power and that He is in and
through and of all of His creations. His
Power is in them, therefore they are His, and since I am created by this same
Power, He is able to communicate directly with me.
I was in a very depressive state of mind when I began
praying to Him and I felt very low.
Where else can I turn if not go God?
He said my low state of spirit was necessary to bring me closer to Him
so that I may recognize His voice. I
said, “Father, I can’t keep up this degree of emotionalism each time I want to
talk with you”. He said, “It’s not
necessary any more. It was necessary to
bring you to this point so you could recognize my Voice, but from here forward,
this will be our form of communication.”
What happened next is astounding. I am utterly perplexed at the blessings He
pronounced upon me and my family. Blessings
of protection from the coming plagues were given. He quoted in part, Doctrine and Covenants Section 112:24-26. It
indeed will be as a whirlwind; fast and without warning. He told me exactly what was to transpire in
the very near future with regard to my salvation and the eternal salvation of
my wife. I am astonished at the detail
he provided. Blessings were pronounced
upon us regarding His Son Jesus Christ, the coming of Zion and how we were to
prepare, or rather, how we would be prepared for Zion’s return. That preparation is tied directly to Jesus
Christ. I am in shock over the blessings
promised, by God, with His own Voice.
To be completely honest, I am in a state of disbelief about
what has happened! In my lack of faith
and disbelief, God Himself has promised me a sign. “This sign I give unto you; that when you
shall see this sign given, you will know it was given by your God, and it will
be a sign unto you that we have spoken together”. He told me exactly what to look for as a sign. I know when, what and where the sign will be given; the ‘How’ is up
to Him. It was at this point in our
conversation that I directed my focus to my heart. It was ablaze with the Fire of Heaven. I felt as though my shirt should catch fire.
Our conversation ended at 12:02 am. We had been conversing anywhere
from 50 to 60 minutes. I discussed
everything with my wife for the next hour.
Still awake at 3 am pondering these events in bed with eyes shut and
mind spinning; I asked if He was still there.
He was. I asked a question
regarding the sacrament and He answered, in His own Voice, at 3 am. This event has given me a level of
spirituality and closeness to God that is second only to my Baptism of Fire.
Does God speak to His children? Yes! In complete sentences and in a manner
that is understood by the recipient. If
The Great and Eternal God who sits Enthroned with Power and Fire in The Heavens
should take time to speak directly to a wretched and unworthy soul like me, He
will do the same for you.
THE PROCESS
We must have “an actual knowledge that the course of life
which [we are] pursuing is according to God’s will” (Lectures on Faith, Joseph
Smith, 3:5 p 56). Without this knowledge we will not have faith necessary unto
salvation. I know that the course of
life I am pursuing is approved of by God.
He has told me so, by His own Voice.
Continuing: “After a
person has faith in Christ, repents of his sins, and is baptized for the
remission of his sins and receives the Holy Ghost, which is the first
Comforter, then let him continue to humble himself before God, hungering and
thirsting after righteousness, and living by every word of God, and the Lord
will soon say unto him, Son, thou shalt be exalted”. This is where I am. I have received the Voice of the Lord with
these promised blessings.
Next: “When the Lord has thoroughly proved him, and finds
that the man is determined to serve Him at all hazards, then the man will find
his calling and his election made sure, then it will be his privilege to
receive the other Comforter… Now what is
this other Comforter? It is no more nor less than the Lord Jesus Christ
Himself; and this is the sum and substance of the whole matter; that when any
man obtains this last Comforter, he will have the personage of Jesus Christ to
attend him, or appear unto him from time to time, and even He will manifest the
Father unto him, and they will take up their abode with him, and the visions of
the heavens will be opened unto him, and the Lord will teach him face to face,
and he may have a perfect knowledge of the mysteries of the Kingdom of God”. (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Page
150-151.)
In all humility, I declare with soberness that these
blessings, and many others, have been promised to me, my wife and our family, by
the Voice of God Himself. That Great and
Eternal Being who sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to be lifted up upon the Cross that He might draw all men unto Himself, has with His own Voice promised these
things unto us. He is a God of Power and
ability; Mighty to save.
Seek after these things yourself! I will assist you at every
opportunity, should you ask me to. Don’t
be afraid of the low points in life.
This is where God does most of His work; of that I can testify. May the God of Eternity bless each one of us
in this effort!
A final thought: I
wish to add, as a side note, as part of my commitment to God, beginning to
return to Him four years ago, I made the commitment to pray to Him, formally,
kneeling three times per day, behind locked doors. With a few exceptions, I
have kept that promise, every day, for the past four years. These tended to be long, drawn-out,
outpourings of my soul to God. Those prayers
continue to this day. This conversation
between us just didn't happen, I have been preparing for it for years.
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteSean, this is so beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI am grateful to God that he asked you to share this. Thanks for being obedient so quickly. I feel like I am one of those people for whom this was intended. The promises you received are breathtaking. I am asking for the same ones you received.
I was baptized at 18 in 1989. I sacrificed everything for it. That evening I received the baptism of fire just as I was laying down to go to sleep. The voice of the Lord was unmistakable. I felt His "personality". It was the most serene and peaceful moment that I could imagine. I felt squeaky clean. He told me I was clean. I literally floated for a month. It wasn't until about three to four months ago that I received revelation that what I had received was indeed the baptism of fire. It was through the scripture in 2 Nephi 31. I served a mission in Los Angeles from 1990 - 1992. I accepted everything the church said.
I had a mini awakening from 2001 to 2004 by reading Hugh Nibley's works. I weeped for Zion. I went back to sleep.
From July to September 2012 I read the Second Comforter. This book was suggested to me by a new friend that I just met. The meeting was a response from the Lord to a prayer I gave 10-11 days earlier. In October 2012, I read Passing the Heavenly Gift. It shook my foundation to the ground. Unbelief was swept away. It has been full steam ahead ever since.
Did Father ask you to leave on your own, or do you have to go through excommunication? The reason I ask, is that there appears to be a pattern forming, with the Lord removing Priesthood Stake by Stake as He did with Denver's excommunication. It appears that the tares are being bundled. Once Priesthood is gone the burning can take place.
Gary Gibson
Gary,
DeleteThank you for sharing your very personal experiences. I take great comfort in your words and feel the Peace that comes only for Him as I read them. I feel form the Spirit of God that you are a good man on the right path.
I knew about two weeks in advance that Father wanted me to leave of my own accord. I had discussed this with Him in prayer. I wanted to avoid an unnecessary expenditure of time and effort upon my bishop and stake president. They are good men. I discussed this with my wife and she fully supported me in this decision; she elected to remain active. Then, for reasons that I can only describe as miraculous, she had a sudden and profound change of heart. We would resign from the Church together.
I had the same experience while reading both the Second Comforter and Passing the Heavenly Gift. Both books removed error from my mind and heart, took me down to "parade rest" as we used to say in the Navy. From there I became teachable and absorbed the Doctrine of Christ.
He will continue this process with as many as will hear His Voice and come to His Beloved Son, our Savior and King, Jesus Christ.
Your Friend,
Sean
Sean and Gary, i appreciate you sharing your experiences. I too read those books and it shook mine and my husband's world. This began last yr. Aug. We feel lost at this time. Feeling very low. We read the scriptures but don't even know if we can trust them.
DeleteHow did you go through this time of darkness? We pray but hear nothing. Please help.
I understand your feelings because I have been there. These are the feelings of humility. Not knowing who or what to trust is part of the "waking up" process. The very foundation that you thought would never fail, has. Use this time to draw closer to Father in prayer. He is the only one you can trust. Take these feelings to Him and discuss what you are feeling. This is where you begin to learn about yourself and your mission in this life. It is necessary to pass through the darkness to obtain Light! (1 Nephi 8:7-8) You won't be traveling this path alone.
DeletePlease don't give up! It took me a long time to understand how to hear His voice. The more you pray the easier it will be to hear Him. Blessings to you and your husband!
Gary I too had a baptism of fire in 1989. It was after I had my faith shaken to the dust. I had been given a priesthood blessing. A very unusual one where the veil was rent.
ReplyDeleteThe test was great heart wrenching and much persecution came from my leaders and friends.
At that time I knew his voice was leading me throughout the day, my callings, every relationship I made and had.
Then I fell.
I read last yr. the Second Comforter. I recognized His voice leading me again. He had me read the other book PTHG. The very scriptures He had led me to several times were once again shown to me. I felt and received information.
Out of pure faith I got rebaptized to show my obedience to Him.
Since that time we have moved to a new state. I have been to the small ward once. They are friendly but I have not felt or had any word or desire to jump in.Where in the past I volunteer and serve wherever I see a need.
I so needed your post at this time. I am holding onto faith that I didn't screw up the opportunity to receive the second comforter.
Gary , you said you went to sleep. I would say I got off the train and been back on trying to find a seat.
Sean, I do want help. This is the first time that I have mad a comment on a blog. I hope it was okay???
Sister Teresa - Your comment was great! Wouldn't have know that this was your first blog post!
DeleteThank you for sharing your experiences and for your faith in getting re-baptized. Things can be quite lonely in a new ward with new surroundings. You said that "we" moved to a new state... does that mean you are married? If so does your companion share your beliefs?
If I have learned nothing else in this life, it is that all of us are fallen and in desperate need of redemption. Perhaps some are more fallen than others... if that is possible. Although, a single sin is enough from keeping us out Heaven. In that respect we are all in trouble.
I have been thinking of the lady who touched the hem of Jesus's clothing and was instantly healed. Perhaps for us Teresa, when the time comes, we can touch the hem of His clothing too and be healed (Mark 5:25-34).
Be of good cheer, Teresa! Christ is the Great Comforter! May He bless and keep you!
Thank you Sean for sharing all this. As I woke up to a dream yesterday morning I was having a conversation with the Lord. I was pondering the whole good will be called evil and evil will be called good. How many are deceived by the traditions of their Fathers, also others think they are doing God's will and listening to him when in fact the opposite is true.
ReplyDelete^Gary Gibson^, as I read your comment about the wheat and tares the following thought popped into my mind.
Many in the church believe they are the wheat (because they follow the prophet, go to the temple)they live the letter of the Law. They see those who either leave the church (jump off the Old Ship Zion) or are Exed from the Church as the Tares. But from what the Lord is teaching me, those are the wheat and the ones who stay "safely onboard" and "All is Well" are the tares. Talk about role reversal.
I appreciated reading this. Thanks for writing it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this. It's great to hear someone talk about the actual conversations one has with God. I have the same thing, and have since childhood, so it's nothing new for me, though I have doubted them at times and still do. I like how you, instead of how I treat it, appreciate it for what it is. I just have revelations a lot and don't stop and think how peculiar it is. I guess this is not entirely a bad thing, because it's normal to converse with God.
ReplyDeleteI know you may not like General Conference, but in this last one, Elder Lawrence (a Seventy) spoke about people who have received revelation from God as words. I was so glad to hear this! Finally, someone who talks about revelations as more than just impressions or promptings. I feel that if people just talk about promptings and only think we can get promptings, then that's all they will receive. I always thought it was strange that nobody was talking about actual sentences God has told them. I was convert to the church and I had a conversation with the Lord about whether I should get baptized and join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I received both a burning in the bosom and actual words. He called me a "faithful son." It was amazing, but I thought this church (which I hadn't attended yet at this point) believed in personal revelations like this and so this was normal for these people. When I first attended church, I felt the Spirit strongly there and I suppose I was a little like King Laman, just stunned by being in the midst of people who were capable of such spirtual feats with God. Speaking with God and hearing His voice? Ah, that's what everyone here can do. But everyone acted so normal. Everyone was nice and, as it was testimony meeting, they bore testimony that this was the restored gospel (or church), so I thought "wow, I'm with people who have had the same experience as me."
Then I thought it was a bit funny, how (in another ward, as I got baptized when I moved away for college) people, again were really spiritual and good people, but they kept talking about getting a prompting. At first I thought, "ok, I know what you mean, I don't always get revelations in words, they are probably just as often in "prompts"". But it became clear to me that the members were either not willing to share their experiences with revelations in words, or they were not getting them. I wondered why. I shared with a friend, who got baptized a month or so after I did (or re-baptized, because he didn't stick around the first time to get his confirmation; and coincidentally it was while he lived in my home area) that I get actual words and sentences from Heavenly Father. He asked me what He sounds like (so clearly he hadn't got these, although he told me he received dreams) and I told him He has a soft, gentle voice.
So, yeah, thanks so much for sharing this. You're not alone, brother!