Open Your Mouth, and it Shall Be Filled

Doctrine and Covenants 33:
8. Open your mouths and they shall be filled...
9. Open your mouths and spare not...
10. Yea, open your mouths and they shall be filled...

   I am reaching the tail end of my mission.  It's an amazing and frightening thing.  I have loved this chance more than words can express.  I have come to realize that the most important thing I have been carrying around, and that I'll maintain with me as I move on, is my testimony.  I have learned that to tap into that testimony, all I have to do is open my mouth, and trust that the words will come. That's a hard concept.  I want to talk about how to prepare for testimony bearing opportunities, how to deliver the words that you have prepared with spiritual power, and how to know the spirit directed the words to say what was necessary.

     As I left my mission, I received a challenge from my Stake President to bear my testimony in every possible place and situation I could.  He especially encouraged me to bear testimony in every fast and testimony meeting.  I am happy to report that I have achieved 24 out of 24 fast and testimony meetings.  I knew from the start I would be doing this, so I decided to have an experiment with the spirit in this particular time.  I've always been told scriptures that say basically this, "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say, ... and it shall be given you..." (D & C 84:85)

     Well I decided that fast and testimony meeting would be a good time to put this to the test.  Every meeting, I would purposefully NOT think of what I was going to say in my testimony.  This was a hard temptation.  Knowing I'd be going up there, I'd want to think of a good joke, or a list of good stories or lessons to sound profound.  I had to clear my mind, and just wait til my turn to speak.  I figured, this testimony can be whatever comes out.  If a 5 year old can get up and do it, how bad could I mess it up.  I knew that no matter what I said, it'd be fine. 

     I learned several things from this experiment:

1.  If you're not thinking about what you are going to say, you can pay attention to the people speaking.
2.  When you sit back down, you won't think about all the stuff you were going to say and didn't remember to in the heat of the moment.
3.  I truly had to lean upon the spirit to direct me, and trust that the words would come. 

    I found myself saying things I never thought I would.  I'd pull up scriptures out of the blue, or stories that I hadn't even thought of for months sometimes.  I just could feel that the spirit was taking control, because I had given the reigns over.  I not only was uplifted through the experience, but I knew that God could use me to help anyone that may need what I had to offer.  It became easier and easier to yield my words to the spirit.

    I also feel that this is closer to the way God wants us to bear our testimony.  2 Nephi 33:1  "...when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."  Right from the first time I bore my testimony this way, I felt total satisfaction in what I said.  I knew that what I needed to say, I did.  I also found that my testimonies were shorter in length and felt more clear.  Sometimes I could hardly even remember what I'd said, but I knew I'd said what I needed to.  The spirit is the central key to making words reach someone's heart. 

    I've been trying to apply this concept throughout all my dealings.  As a missionary, we spend a lot of time preparing what we're going to teach people.  Preparation is a very crucial part of all we do.  I also learned this principle in these types of situations.  As we prepare for something, we are giving the spirit things to pull from, ideas to use, and making the direction that it can lead us have more options.  As is taught in Preach My Gospel pg 30, we should be prepared and even have some things memorized, but we should then yield to the spirit's direction.  We may not use much, if any, of what we have prepared, but we give the spirit direction, and gain insights that we can use for ourselves and others as needed. 

    I have a firm testimony that the spirit Will direct us.  "And it shall be given thee in the very moment what thou shalt speak and write, and they shall hear it, [and] I will send unto them a ... blessing." (D&C 24:6)  I know that I have felt the spirit direct my words both spoken and written, and I'm so grateful for the guidance and direction available when the reigns are handed over the spirit, who knows infinitely more than I do about who needs to hear what, including myself.  I have taught myself by my own words, and I know that God sends us His will through the channels that He has established.