Gift of the Holy Ghost

“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.” Those who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and remain worthy can enjoy His companionship throughout their lives. The Holy Ghost provides direction and comfort and testifies of truth.

We all experience times of loneliness, fear, and sorrow—times when we need comfort. Jesus Christ promised, “I will not leave you comfortless” (John 14:18). He taught that God would send the Comforter, “which is the Holy Ghost” ( John 14:26). The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead, along with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Though one in purpose with the Father and the Son, the Holy Ghost is a separate being. Through Joseph Smith, the Lord revealed: “The Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of Spirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not dwell in us” ( Doctrine and Covenants 130:22).

All good people can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost, but only those who are baptized and who receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by priesthood authority have the right to His constant companionship throughout life. While baptism washes you of your sins, the Holy Ghost cleanses, sanctifies, or purifies, you. If you remain faithful to your baptismal covenants, you can have the Holy Ghost with you always to help you recognize and understand truth, provide spiritual strength and inspiration, comfort you in difficult times, and guide you in making decisions. Your ability to enjoy this divine gift depends on your obedience to God’s commandments, as the Holy Ghost cannot remain with those who do not live according to God’s teachings.

The special mission of the Holy Ghost is to testify of the Father and the Son, to reveal the truth, to comfort you, and to sanctify you. He is a divine guide and teacher—a testifier—bearing witness of all truth. Jesus Christ said that the Holy Ghost “will guide you into all truth” ( John 16:13). By the power of the Holy Ghost, we “may know the truth of all things” ( Moroni 10:5).

The Holy Ghost is also called the Comforter, as He brings feelings of warmth, reassurance, and peace and can fill your soul with joy. The Holy Ghost often speaks with a voice you feel. It is described as a still, small voice. He can enlighten your mind, telling you in your heart what is right.

Jesus taught that baptism by water must be followed by baptism of the Spirit or it is incomplete. Only when you receive baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost can you receive a remission of your sins and become completely spiritually reborn. You then begin a new spiritual life as a disciple of Christ. The gift of the Holy Ghost is given by someone who has priesthood authority from God. It is conferred after baptism in an ordinance called confirmation—where one or more authorized priesthood holders lay their hands on your head, confirm you a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and bless you to receive the Holy Ghost.

The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of Heavenly Father’s most precious gifts. The Holy Ghost can have a sanctifying, cleansing effect upon you and will provide peace of conscience and assurance that your sins have been forgiven when you truly repent. Through the power of the Holy Ghost you can feel God’s love and direction for you.

God has a plan for your life

Such questions as “What is the purpose of life?” or “Why am I here?” can be answered by understanding God’s plan for the happiness of His children.

In the scriptures God's plan is called the plan of salvation, the plan of redemption, the plan of happiness. The plan is centered on the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Throughout time, people have often pondered questions such as “Where did I come from?” “What is my purpose in life?” and “Where will I go after this life?” God has a plan for the happiness of His children: the plan of salvation, which is centered on the Atonement of Jesus Christ. As you follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, you will find answers to these questions, gain lasting inner peace in this life, and earn eternal joy after death.

Before you began your life on Earth, you lived with your Heavenly Father as one of His spirit children. Although it was a joyful existence, God knew that you could not continue to progress unless you left Him for a time.

He allowed you to come to Earth, where you would gain a physical body and would have experiences that would help you to learn and grow, fulfilling the purpose of the plan of salvation: to help you become more like your Heavenly Father.

According to the plan, you could not continue to progress continually without the opportunity to enter mortality and receive a physical body. Here on earth you would have experiences that would help you learn and grow, and you would be proven to see if [you would] do all things whatsoever the Lord would command (Abraham 3:25). The purpose of the plan is to help you become more like your Heavenly Father. The fact that you are living on Earth means that you accepted Heavenly Father’s plan and came here wanting to do all you could to receive all He has to offer.

Knowing that we would commit sin in mortality, your loving Heavenly Father provided a Savior, Jesus Christ, who by His sacrifice would make it possible for all people who would comply with His gospel teachings to be forgiven through repentance and return to live with Him. Having a divine nature as a child of God, you can with the assistance and power of Christ, progress to become one day even as He is.

Understanding this eternal perspective can help you find happiness in your life, even amid trials and challenges. As a child of a loving Heavenly Father, you can view your struggles as stepping-stones bringing you closer to Him. As you ask for help and strength in earnest prayer, you can have the assurance that you are not alone. God loves you and will help you as you turn to Him.
God has blessed us with gifts to help us navigate our lives. One of the most precious gifts He has given everyone is the ability and power to make choices. Your Heavenly Father respects your freedom to choose and will never force you to choose what is right, nor will He stop you from being able to make poor choices. He will however, invite and endeavor to entice you ‘to do good continually’ (Moroni 7:13).

He knows that whatever your choice, you are also choosing a consequence. Consequences may appear immediately or may come much later. But choosing good eventually leads to happiness, and wrong choices eventually lead to unhappiness. Heavenly Father allows you to make choices and experience their consequences so you may learn the difference between good and evil. In learning to choose good, you are creating a pattern that will help you become more like your Heavenly Father.

Jesus Christ: Our Saviour

Our loving Heavenly Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to show us how to live meaningful and happy lives and experience eternal joy after this life.

Heavenly Father loves you and wants you to live in His presence after this life. His plan, called the gospel of Jesus Christ, will lead you back to Him if you choose to follow it.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is simple. It begins with faith in Jesus Christ. Faith in Jesus Christ is believing in Him, trusting Him, and depending on Him. Faith in Jesus Christ leads you to want to change your life for the better. Through repentance, you change those thoughts, desires, habits, and actions that are not in harmony with God’s teachings. Heavenly Father promises that when you repent, He will forgive your sins.

Faith in Jesus Christ and repentance prepare you for baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Jesus Christ taught that everyone must be baptized of water and of the Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. Through baptism by one who holds God’s priesthood authority and through receiving the Holy Ghost, you will be spiritually reborn. After baptism, God promises to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost, who will guide, comfort, and help you know and recognize truth.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has been restored through revelation from God to the Prophet Joseph Smith and other prophets. You can know for yourself that these things are true by asking Heavenly Father in prayer.

How can I know if this is true?

Well here are some ways to find this out for yourself, because everyone has a different way of finding out. It is a personal experience, the Lord does not let everyone know in the same way.


“I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.”
Book of Mormon, Moroni 10:4

Your Heavenly Father is the source of all truth. He loves you and wants to answer your questions. Therefore, He will help you recognize the truth as you sincerely seek it and ask Him for guidance. You can know if the things you are learning are true if you ask your Heavenly Father in prayer. He desires for you to know the truth, and you can receive an answer from Him through the Holy Ghost. As taught in the Bible, “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, [and] temperance” (Galatians 5:22–23). These feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that the restored gospel of Jesus Christ is true. You will then need to choose whether you will live in harmony with the knowledge you have received.

As the Savior taught in the Bible, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (Matthew 7:7). Feelings from the Holy Ghost are personal revelation to you that confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon and the gospel of Jesus Christ as restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

The last prophet of the Book of Mormon, a man named Moroni, gave this remarkable promise to anyone who wants to know whether the Book of Mormon is true: “And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost” (Moroni 10:4).

You can discover for yourself that what you’ve been learning is true by:
Sincerely praying to your Heavenly Father and asking Him if what you are learning is true.
Continuing to study and give thoughtful consideration to what you are learning.
Listening with your heart for the Holy Ghost to whisper the truth to you.
Following God’s commandments so you can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost.