The Prophet Joseph Smith once said,

"You can learn more from looking into heaven for five minutes then you can by reading everything ever written on the subject."

 

 

 

John 14:26 The Comforter

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."  

 

 

     Far too often people, in an effort to do their part, seek to tackle the scriptures and gain understanding by the strength of their own arm. "That's not how I learn" or "I need to do it like this" or something similar to these phrases are thigs I've run into a lot over the years. I myself was guilty of this.

     The scriptures were written by revelation and must be understood by revelation. Consider Nephi seeking to know the things his father saw. "...as I sat pondering in mine heart, I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord..."

     Studying the scriptures is definitely an activity that invites the Spirit to draw near. It is certainly a way in which we draw near unto the Lord. Don't get me wrong, before I came across the "Five times (fast)" quote by Hartman Rector Jr. I had had many spiritual experiences and interactions with heaven that were awesome. my studies yielded a lot of fruit. For my age, I was definitely one of the most studied and knowledgeable teens around. It wasn't until I had this experience in the Mission Field that the Lord opened my eyes.

So where is the problem? where is the disconnect?

 

Enter Ezra Taft Benson;

     Specifically, his repeated warnings concerning our (the Church members as a whole) approach to the Book of Mormon and the lack thereof in the context of DnC:84.

     In the 1975 April General Conference then President Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Council of the Twelve gave a talk entitled The Book of Mormon Is The Word of God. In it he said;

     "I speak to you today on a most vital subject"..."Some of the early missionaries, on returning home, were reproved by the Lord in section 84 of the Doctrine and Covenants because they had treated lightly the Book of Mormon. As a result, their minds had been darkened. The Lord said that this kind of treatment of the Book of Mormon brought the whole Church under condemnation, even all of the children of Zion. And then the Lord said, 'And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon.' (See D&C 84:54–57.)"

 

     This "condemnation" spoken of in DnC 84 is an important to understand. Condemnation effects our interaction with heaven and our ability to have closer relation with our Father in heaven, Our Savior Jesus Christ and The Comforter sent to help us.

 

     If we liken Condemnation to clouds in the sky. Even though the sky might be cloudy, the sun still shines. The clouds reduce how well the sunshine gets to you, affects you. you can still get a sunburn on a cloudy day. Verses, a day where the sun shines uninhibited. So it is with Condemnation and the Holy Ghost.

     There are varying degrees of condemnation, just like some days can be really cloudy verses scatter clouds here and there. the difference is Condemnation is more constant and is the result of how well we live according to God's word. The more we come into compliance with the Lord has asked of us the less condemnation there is.

 

     Obedience then is the Key to moving out from under the clouds of condemnation. More specifically, using the Book of Mormon more appropriately is paramount to the specific condemnation spoken of in the 84th section of the Doctrine and Covenants. That is the key to unlocking the promised blessings and increasing your connection to the Holy Ghost and by default enhancing every other area of your life.

 

 

 

FEAST UPON THE WORDS OF CHRIST

 

     "If you want to understand the gospel, read the Book of Mormon. if you want to understand the Bible, read the Book of Mormon. If you want to understand the Doctrine and Covenants, read the Book of Mormon. If you want to understand the Pearl of Great Price, read the Book of Mormon. if you want to know and understand the deep doctrines of the Gospel, read the Book of Mormon. " (C.S. Surowiec)

 

 

 

Here is an approach to the scriptures I recommend.

 

     1: Read the Book of Mormon five times (fast).

     2: Continue reading the Book of Mormon (cover to cover quickly), Begin a separate Study of the Book of Mormon.

     3: Continue reading the Book of Mormon (cover to cover quickly), Continue studying the Book of Mormon, add reading other scriptures, General conference talks, Preach My Gospel, Other "good" books (in addition to your reading and studying of the Book of Mormon).

     4: Continue reading the Book of Mormon (cover to cover quickly), Continue studying the Book of Mormon, continue reading other scriptures, General conference talks, Preach My Gospel, Other "good" books (in addition to your reading and studying of the Book of Mormon). Now you should be ready to take on carefully sifting through the "philosophies of men".

 

     Eventually your familiarity and understanding will be at such a high level that other information will add incites to your understanding, things like "Don't miss this" can be excellent sources of enriching your understanding and appreciation of the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures. It is vital that we first put ourselves into a position to live and study out from under "Condemnation" before venturing into places that are otherwise distractions.

 

 

 

     There are some important tips to accomplishing all of these things in a reasonably small amount of time.

     First: When you are reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover quickly, don't read the chapter headings. Chapter headings are great for the study of the scriptures, but they are not part of the text of the Book of Mormon and for the purposes of reading it cover to cover they are a distraction.

     Second: Avoid setting a "Chapter" goal. Make a "Pages" goals instead. Often the chapter breaks don't come at natural breaks, and it won't matter to the feel and flow if you just read. By the time you have gone through it a few times you start to get so familiar with the content that the chapter headings just become a distraction. The chapter headings have their place and use.

     Third: Just read! Avoid allowing your "reading' session to become a study session. Don't mark stuff, don't cross reference stuff, just read. You'll be back there in your studies soon enough and the Holy Ghost won't let you forget the good stuff. Avoid "re-reading" stuff, if your mind wonders while you're reading, just keep going, don't go back. If you don't understand or comprehend what you're reading don't worry about it, that is what the Holy Ghost will help you with and your studies will take care of it soon enough, just read.

     Fourth: Don't worry too much about where you're reading. unlike your study sessions, reading can be done riding in the car, waiting in line, while you're in the Dr's waiting room. You can even read while using the rest room. get a few missionary copies and place all around your home and vehicle so you can read every spare moment. Don't worry about remembering what you read last time, just pick up where you left off and keep going. 

     Fifth: Avoid reading out loud or out loud in your mind. Don't mouth the words silently or otherwise, push through as fast as you can while actually reading the words. Don't be concerned about what you're absorbing, retention and comprehension will come, especially as you learn to tune into, hear and, rely on the Holy Ghost.

     Sixth: Pray when you begin your reading sessions and when you end your reading sessions. Keep your prayers for this focused and to the point. use the "KISS" principle, "Keep It Short and Simple". You want to invite the Spirit and ask for help with getting things from your reading sessions. Just be sure to spend as much time reading as you can, especially when reading "the five times fast" portion. Once you've accomplished the "Five time fast" part, your readings won't need to be as intense. you will be limiting your reading sessions to just a few minutes a day (10-30 minutes usually).

 

     Seventh: Using electronic versions are O.K. and can do in a pinch but where possible physical version should be used. It helps with several things in the process, mostly it helps create a reverence for the sanctity of the work Jesus Christ did through his prophets especially Mormon. there is something about holding the Book and reading from its pages that helps in creating a connection. Not that the physical book becomes divine but an affinity and a reverence grows in the hearts of men for tools of the Lord's work. Reverencing God's word in this way can help us treat the messages of the prophets with greater fervor. This can, in turn, lead to the Holy Ghost being felt more intensely. As we turn our hearts towards God in small ways it can lead to big events.

 

     Eighth: Listening to audible versions should only be used when other options are unavailable due to disabilities etc. For those who can read from physical copies, this should be the mode of our reading sessions. Making the time and exercising the discipline and sacrificing in this way can be a way in which we "tune into" the Spirit and show the Lord our willingness to draw near to God, I have found this is something Heavenly Father likes. This does not include reading together with our companions, which should be secondary to our individual reading sessions.

     For those with Disabilities that make it necessary to use alternative means to partake of the words of the prophets which are in the Book of Mormon, rest assured that God sees the thoughts and intents of the heart and will, by his Grace, reward you accordingly. Thanks to the Atonement of the Lord Jesus Christ, God make up for the lost blessings that are caused through no fault of our own.