In a revelation characterized by the Prophet Joseph Smith as "embracing the law of the Church," the Savior Jesus Christ said in February 1831:

"If ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach" (Doctrine and Covenants 42:14).

Some commentators have observed that these words can be read in two ways: The passage can be taken as an imperative sentence, understood to mean that one who has not received the Spirit must not teach.

Or, it can be read as a declarative sentence, meaning that one who has not received the Spirit will not be able to teach, not in the true sense that the Lord would have knowledge and light imparted to His children.

Undoubtedly, either sense is correct.

It is a sobering prospect, placing weighty responsibility upon teachers of the gospel.

That said, we need not be discouraged by this understanding, for it carries the implication that if we do receive the Spirit, we will have power to accomplish what the Lord expects of us. There is a clear commandment in the scriptures to "seek earnestly the best gifts" (see 1 Corinthians 12:31; see also Doctrine and Covenants 11:10). One such gift is to "teach the word of knowledge" (Moroni 10:10). Though a wise Father in Heaven bestows spiritual gifts if and when He sees fit, we can be confident that we will receive the means to carry out the tasks He sets before us (see 1 Nephi 3:7).

That is a liberating and empowering thought.

By means of latter-day revelation, we have a greatly expanded knowledge of the prophet Enoch. We learn in the Book of Moses, revealed through the Prophet Joseph Smith, that Enoch was commanded by the Lord to prophesy and call the people of his day to repentance.

Keenly conscious of his own inadequacy, Enoch responded by bowing in humility and asking, "Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?" (Moses 6:30).

Prophets, both ancient and latter-day, have had similar misgivings when called by the Lord to undertake a task. Many of us, perhaps due to youth, inexperience, lack of native ability, in effect wonder when we receive a calling, "Why am I thy servant?"

Of course, to the extent we are worthy, the Lord offers us the same assurance that He gave Enoch: "Behold, my Spirit is upon you, wherefore all thy words will I justify" (Moses 6:34). Then, as though to underscore the fact that He will magnify with divine power the efforts of His servants, the Lord declared: "The mountains shall flee before you, and the rivers shall turn from their course; and thou shalt abide in me, and I in you; therefore walk with me" (verse 34).

Earlier in the conversation, the Lord assured Enoch, "Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good" (verse 32).

We may find that once we have obtained the Spirit of the Lord in our ministry, all it takes to overcome our inadequacy is simply to commence the task. The Lord then makes us equal to it with His inspiration and guidance.

At the priesthood session of the recent general conference, President Thomas S. Monson gave an assurance he has uttered on previous occasions: "The Lord shapes the back to bear the burden placed upon it." With similar conciseness, he has said it another way: "Whom the Lord calls, the Lord qualifies."

If, as the Lord has directed, we are to teach by the Spirit, and are not to teach without it, the relevant question, then, is how to obtain the Spirit. The answer is contained in the single-sentence directive from the Lord cited earlier: "And the Spirit shall be given you by the prayer of faith; and if ye receive not the Spirit ye shall not teach."

One wise teacher, with many years of experience in the Church Educational System and in the organizations of the Church, said that just before he enters a classroom to teach, he mentally says one more quick prayer, asking Heavenly Father to pour out His Spirit upon him as teacher and upon the learners in the class.

As we prayerfully, humbly and diligently seek that Spirit, the promise is ours, consistent with what the Lord said in the 1831 revelation:

"And as ye shall lift up your voices by the Comforter, ye shall speak and prophesy as seemeth me good;

"For, behold, the Comforter knoweth all things, and beareth record of the Father and of the Son" (Doctrine and Covenants 42:16-17).