I want to use the scriptures to show the practical ways in which you can access the Light of Christ, which is Jesus’ record of the Father that He gives to everyone. Many times in scripture the Lord says that He is “the light which shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not.” (John 1:5; D&C 6:21; 10:58; 34:2; 39:2; 45:7; 88:49). How do you make sure you comprehend that light and become enlightened by it? Take a look at D&C 88:
62 And again, verily I say unto you, my friends, I leave these sayings with you to ponder in your hearts, with this commandment which I give unto you, that ye shall call upon me while I am near—
63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
64 Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you;
65 And if ye ask anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation.
66 Behold, that which you hear is as the voice of one crying in the wilderness—in the wilderness, because you cannot see him—my voice, because my voice is Spirit; my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end; and if it be in you it shall abound.
67 And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.
That last verse describes exactly what you need, according to the Doctrine of Christ discussed in this blog. If you want to “be filled with light”, you need to do what the preceding verses say. You probably notice that those verses are describing prayer. How should you pray and how often? The following scriptures will give you an idea.
Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work. (D&C 10:5)
Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day. (Alma 37:36-37; Interestingly enough the last post discussed much of this same chapter)
Therefore may God grant unto you, my brethren, that ye may begin to exercise your faith unto repentance, that ye begin to call upon his holy name, that he would have mercy upon you; Yea, cry unto him for mercy; for he is mighty to save. Yea, humble yourselves, and continue in prayer unto him. Cry unto him when ye are in your fields, yea, over all your flocks. Cry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. Yea, cry unto him against the power of your enemies. Yea, cry unto him against the devil, who is an enemy to all righteousness. Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. But this is not all; ye must pour out your souls in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. (Alma 34:17-27)
There are a host of other scriptures that all describe the same thing. You must pray ALWAYS. That might not be something that you are used to and it might be an incredibly difficult challenge to start. Yet, the scriptures are clear. As for what prayer is, I like the first definition found in Webster’s 1828 dictionary: “In a general sense, the act of asking for a favor, and particularly with earnestness.” Ask the Lord for everything you need, all the time. If you feel it is not appropriate to ask for something that you need, ask anyway because you probably should (Alma 7:23). When you can’t think of anything more to ask for, just remember Him and the fact that you are asking Him for things and require His grace. You should feel like a beggar because you are one (Mosiah 4:19-20). But even though you are a beggar, you can and should feast like a King (2 Nephi 31:20; 32:3) because the Lord will always give you what you need (D&C 88:64).
Being filled with the Light or Spirit of Christ is of such importance that it is in the sacrament prayers. In both prayers you promise to “always remember him…that [you] may…have his Spirit to be with [you].” (Moroni 4:3; 5:2; D&C 20:77,79) Imagine what could happen if you always remembered Christ. I encourage you to find out. I imagine the effect would be something like the experience of King Lamoni after he sincerely asked for the Lord’s mercy for him and his people. And I don’t necessarily mean the falling down and appearing dead for a couple of days. I mean the internal experience Lamoni was having.
Now, this was what Ammon desired, for he knew that king Lamoni was under the power of God; he knew that the dark veil of unbelief was being cast away from his mind, and the light which did light up his mind, which was the light of the glory of God, which was a marvelous light of his goodness—yea, this light had infused such joy into his soul, the cloud of darkness having been dispelled, and that the light of everlasting life was lit up in his soul, yea, he knew that this had overcome his natural frame, and he was carried away in God (Alma 19:6)
Just like Lamoni, you probably have a dark veil of unbelief of some kind. Everyone does. If you don’t believe that, then you might not learn anything new and you might lose what you think you already understand (Alma 12:9-11). Receive the Light and the Spirit of Christ like Lamoni did. To understand better how Lamoni managed to do that, study what the Book of Mormon has to say about him and his repentance process.
One last thought: The New Testament makes multiple references to the “body of Christ”. If a body, to be alive, must be animated by a spirit, only the Spirit of Christ could possibly animate the body of Christ. If you want to be a member of the body of Christ, you should receive His Spirit. If you do all of the things required for that and truly comprehend the Lord’s light, I believe you will be ready to progress in the Doctrine of Christ.
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