Church News - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Elder Gerald N. Lund

Quorums of the Seventy
Published: Saturday, April 5, 2008

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"We must, of our own free will, open our hearts to the spirit, or he will not force himself upon us."

"So, how do we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit?"

"Purity of heart is certainly one of the most important qualifications of receiving inspiration from God."

"While none of our hearts are perfect, the more diligently we strive to eliminate impurity, or push out things which do not belong there, the more we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit."

Church members lose that purity by setting their hearts on the things of the world. Pride is a natural consequence of this.

"Pride quickly desensitizes our hearts to spiritual promptings."

Latter-day Saints need the help of the Holy Ghost to make it through perilous times.

Don't we all want to be visited by the Holy Ghost? "To have the Lord draw closer unto us? To find joy and consolation in our lives?

"If so, then carefully assessing the condition of our hearts is one of the most essential things we can do in this life.

"The heart is a tender place. It is sensitive to many influences, both positive and negative. It can be hurt by others. It can be deadened by sin. It can be softened by love."

"Let us make it a part of our everyday striving to open our hearts to the spirit."