I’m going to take just a moment to introduce myself, I’ll let Clint take care of his own introductions. My name is Cynthia but you can call me Cindy. I generally answer to almost anything if it's nice. :) I’m from a small town near Champaign, Illinois although I’ve lived overseas and in Florida. I was introduced to the church when I was ten and moved in with my father, step-mother and their family. I have four brothers and five sisters and nine nieces and nephews. Clint and I met through a friend when we were both working at UVSC, she felt like we needed to meet so set up a very successful blind date and eight months later we were married in the Salt Lake City Temple eight months later. We've been married now for 9.5 years. We’ve lived in Provo and Saratoga Springs and both have Bachelor degrees through UVU. Clint is currently working on his Master’s degree in Organizational Communication and I’m enjoying being at home with our 3.5 year old Gwenyth. We were blessed with Gweny in 2007 about an hour after her birth in Louisiana after being chosen by her birth mother. We’ve always talked about moving to Blanding to raise Gweny and any other children that come along so when the opportunity arose we jumped at the chance.
President Faust quotes Elder Parley P. Pratt during his March 2000 First Presidency Message regarding the function of the Holy Ghost: “It quickens all the intellectual functions; increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. …it inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and feature. …It develops and invigorates all the facilities of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, invigorates, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.” Persons enjoying these gifts have “light of their countenances,” and their presence is “a warm glow of pure gladness and sympathy.” (The Need for Balance In Our Lives, President James E. Faust). The Holy Ghost is described as a comforter, revelator, teacher and sanctifier. These are His four functions although we tend to concentrate only on His ability to comfort us in our time of need, as He did for me this week when my daughter became very sick with a high fever. He is also well-known for his ability to provide inspiration and revelation to those who seek it. If we listen He can also teach us truths that we may not have noticed before or were unwilling to learn. Many people may not realize or understand His function as a “Sanctifier”. I hope that by the end of this talk the impression to share this aspect of the Holy Ghost will result in a better understand of one of the sacred functions of our constant companion.
According to Dictionary.com when used as a verb to sanctify means (1) to make holy; set apart as sacred; consecrate (2) to purify or free from sin (3) to impart religious sanction to; render legitimate or binding (4) to entitle to reverence or respect and (5) to make productive of or conducive to spiritual blessing. The Holy Ghost fulfills all of these definitions if we allow Him to.
There are several steps that must be undertaken in order to receive this gift and therefore be sanctified by the Holy Ghost. In Doctrine & Covenants 39:6 it states: “And this is my gospel—repentance and baptism by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and the Holy Ghost, even the Comforter, which showeth all things, and teacheth the peaceable things of the kingdom.” First you must repent of anything that may prevent you from leading a Christ-like life, part of repentance is forsaking that sin and promising Heavenly Father never to do it again, or strive to avoid that sin.
Baptism by immersion is then performed so that we may have a remission (or erasing) of our sins, so that once we emerge from the water we are clean and spotless thus completing the repentance process we under-took when we decided to join the church. In the 4th Article of Faith the third item listed is “Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins.” Once this step is completed we are then able to obtain the fourth item in the list, another baptism – “The Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost”.
This is sometimes referred to in the scriptures as a baptism by fire which is specifically addressing the laying on of hands and the gift of the Holy Ghost. Fire is generally a symbol for cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying. After baptism has cleansed you of your sins you are then given the gift of the Holy Ghost to be a constant companion as well as to sanctify you. As I mentioned earlier, sanctification means to “make holy”, by receiving this gift you not only have that constant companion you have also been made holy. Each of us is a son or daughter of God and are given this beautiful tabernacle we call a body. Many choose to do things which defile it, this can be something as obvious as taking in substances which can create a dependence or as subtle as reading books or watching movies that plant immodest thoughts in our brain. By doing these things we are in a sense polluting that which has been made holy through the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Each of us is sacred to our Father in Heaven and to Jesus Christ. If we understood how precious we are to Them I believe that we would think twice about how we treat ourselves and those around us. Children are blessed to be unaccountable for their sins until the age of eight when they are given the choice to be baptized; once baptized you are taking the name of Jesus Christ upon you, promising that you will do your best to live a life worthy of Him. Upon receiving the Holy Ghost you are given tools to use so that you may return to Him. They are both so proud of each of us for choosing to come to Earth that they wanted to give us these tools, They wanted to remind us of how precious and of great worth we are to Them that they sent the Holy Ghost to us if we would accept him. This is only part of the function of sanctification that the Holy Ghost fulfills. As hands are placed upon us and we receive this gift we are made holy and sacred not only in His sight but in ours as well.
Another part of the sanctification that the Holy Ghost imparts is to purify and free us from sin. This is not a one-time blessing, for which I am truly grateful. Through the ordinances we have participated in we can renew the promises we made at baptism by partaking of the sacrament. Through this and through the repentance process the Holy Ghost is able to purify us so that we can remain a “spotless white” as the scriptures have advised. We are here upon the earth to learn and sometimes through that process we make mistakes that then bind us to habits or substances that are in direct opposition to the commandments of God. Once we recognize our addictions and begin to take steps to release their incredible hold the Holy Ghost can assist us through this act of sanctification and help free us from sin. The process is not easy or pleasant in many cases but the end result, eternal life with our family, is definitely worth it. The Holy Ghost, through his companionship and guidance, will alert you to when you are about to make a mistake and in many cases will inspire you as to how you should begin your repentance process.
The Holy Ghost’s third function under sanctification is to impart religious sanction or assist in binding our promises and covenants that we’ve made with Heavenly Father. When baptized we promise to take upon the name of Jesus Christ, and always remember Him. What this means is that by word and deed we are representatives of Jesus Christ. It is not surprising that many people choose to work with Latter-Day Saints because we are known as an honest and law abiding people. By not using profanity, dressing immodestly, or using addictive substances we are fulfilling this promise made at baptism. At baptism we are then promised that if we take upon the name of Jesus Christ and always remember Him He promises to always have His Spirit to be with us. This Spirit is the Holy Ghost in one of His many capacities. Once we enter the temple and participate in the sacred ordinances there other covenants are made and the Holy Ghost binds these promises between us and Heavenly Father. Part of sanctification is this binding process. If we fulfill our part of the covenant then because of the sanctifying power of the Holy Ghost Heavenly Father will then fulfill all of His promises.
The fourth function of sanctification of the Holy Ghost is to entitle that which is sanctified to reverence and respect. These traits are often thought of as only pertaining to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, the Apostles, or others with leadership roles within the church but this also refers to you. Each of us is entitled to reverence and respect. What exactly does this mean? Within our relationships we should treat each other with respect. Husbands and wives should show each other proper respect and reverence for each of their individual roles. Thus far there have been at least seventy-five (75) talks given in various General Conferences on the marriage relationship. Some of the titles of the talks given are “Priesthood Authority in the Family and the Church”, “Celestial Marriage”, “Nurturing Marriage”, and “Slow to Anger”. It is sad to realize that many married couples do not show each other the proper respect or reverence that they deserve or are entitled to. There have also been at least 175 talks given in General Conference on “family relationships”. Titles include “Fathers and Sons: A Remarkable Relationship”, “Mothers and Daughters”, “The Importance of Family” and “Friendship: A Gospel Principle”. Each of us performs various roles within our families. Some of these roles include sisters, brothers, mothers, fathers, daughters, sons , aunts, uncles, wives and husbands – just to name a few. Each of these roles performs vital functions and as such should be given proper reverence and respect.
The fifth function the Holy Ghost provides through sanctification is to make us productive or conducive to spiritual blessings. The Holy Ghost opens the way for each of us to be more receptive to those spiritual blessings that Heavenly Father has promised us. Some of these blessings may include a deeper understanding or appreciation for the scriptures, a testimony of the truthfulness of the First Vision, the gift of learning topics (specifically languages) quickly, or the ability to love those around you regardless of what wrongs they may have done to you. Some of these blessings may come to you naturally and may be an inherent part of your personality while others you may have to work on. Heavenly Father provides us with spiritual and temporal blessings as He sees fit but having the Gift of the Holy Ghost, by his sanctification, opens the pathway for us to receive and recognize these blessings if we are open to His teachings.
The Holy Ghost is an amazing companion and we are lucky to have him. Not only does he provide comfort, revelation, and knowledge but He also reminds each and every one of us that we are Daughters and Sons of God blessed with holy tabernacles deserving of respect and reverence for the various roles and functions we perform. He assures us that if we do all that we should be doing that Heavenly Father is bound to keep His promises to us. We can each free ourselves from sin and the chains of addiction. The Holy Ghost is vital to our success upon the Earth as we constantly strive to return to our Father in Heaven. The sanctification provided by the Holy Ghost will assist us in this most righteous and worthwhile endeavor. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
