Today I spent some time studying a talk given by Elder Richard G. Scott called, “To Acquire Spiritual Guidance.” (Read it here.) Elder Scott is one of the 12 Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. As part of my study, I wanted to summarize some thoughts.

Elder Scott began with a few questions.

1“What can you do to enhance your capacity to be led to correct decisions in your life?”

2“What are the principles upon which spiritual communication depends?”

3“What are the potential barriers to such communication that you need to avoid?”

Throughout his talk, he discussed the answers to these questions through quotations and experiences of others and also some of his own personal experiences. Here I am adding my thoughts to his.

“Never … arise in the morning without bowing before the Lord and dedicating myself to Him during that day.”
I rarely miss my morning prayers, but many of them are far from effective, I’m sure. My mind is still in the ‘roll out of bed, figure out where I am’ stage when I begin my prayer, which doesn’t help at all. I’ve found myself a few times repeating the same line multiple times. I’m sure God is thinking, “Okay Nolan, I get point; what else?” I think it’s important to specifically dedicate myself to God and His service. Also for me to pray for spiritual guidance, for opportunities to serve, for opportunities to receive personal revelation, and even with an increased spiritual awareness to be in tune with the Holy Spirit. It’s been my personal experience that when I pray with sincerity, especially for the opportunities to serve and increase my testimony, that I find those opportunities throughout the day. And as an added bonus, I typically am happier and less abrasive during the day when I take a sincere moment out of my morning to speak with God.