Scripture Study Skills: Lesson 169
Actions That Invite the Holy Ghost into Scripture Study
Creating an Environment for the Spirit to Teach
Visit “Studying the Scriptures” to help prepare yourself spiritually to learn.
In sports, the environment you compete in can make a huge difference. Research shows that teams are, on average, 20 percent more likely to win when playing at their local venue. The phenomenon is known as home-field advantage. As in sports, where you study the gospel affects how the Holy Ghost helps you understand and use the scriptures.
Lesson Purpose: To practice skills that invite the Holy Ghost into scripture study.
Learn How
Actions that invite the Holy Ghost into scripture study
Ada’s family usually reads the scriptures together, but she wants to read the scriptures more regularly on her own. After going to school, working, and helping her mom with dinner and her siblings, she is overwhelmed. Ada feels lucky if she makes time to read a few verses on Sunday.
Zuri has a hectic schedule with school and soccer. She has been striving to improve her scripture study after her seminary teacher invited her to read the scriptures daily. Zuri has been waking up early in the morning to study the scriptures before she goes to school.
What are some things Ada and Zuri have in common? What are some actions that could be positively or negatively affecting their scripture study?
We have all had occasions when we approached scripture study in a more casual way and times we approached it in a more careful way. As you make deliberate efforts to approach your scripture study carefully, Heavenly Father will meet you where you are. He will send the Holy Ghost to help you recognize the truth in the scriptures and apply the scriptures to your life (see 2 Nephi 32:3, 5 and John 14:26).
What blessings can come from inviting the Holy Ghost into your scripture study? What has helped you invite the Holy Ghost into your scripture study? What have you tried that hasn’t seemed to work?
You may want to record your thoughts in your notebook.
There are many ways to invite the Holy Ghost into your scripture study. This lesson will explain three ways you can try. As you study today, pay attention to ideas or impressions that could help you better invite the Holy Ghost into your personal scripture study.
Dig Deeper: President Henry B. Eyring of the First Presidency shares counsel at the devotional “How to Invite the Holy Ghost.”
Removing distractions
Distractions like your phone and surroundings can sometimes be hard to avoid. But there are effective ways to manage them. Even the Savior Jesus Christ encountered distractions. Yet He stayed focused.
Read Matthew 14:22–23. Mark what you learn from Him about removing distractions.
Next to verse 23, make a note responding to one or more of the following questions:
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Why do you think removing distractions could help invite the Holy Ghost into your scripture study?
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What are specific things you could do to remove distractions?
Prayer
Praying to Heavenly Father is an effective way to invite the Holy Ghost into your scripture study.
President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency shared how he uses prayer to invite the Holy Ghost into his scripture study.
Before I begin to read the scriptures each day, I bow my head, and ask the Lord to bless me that I will have His Spirit to enlighten me on the meaning of what I am reading and to be with me throughout the day to help me make decisions, and to resist temptation. I urge you to make that your practice. (“2.3.1. I Love My Daily Scripture Study,” Welcome to Seminary [2012])
prayer, revelation, study
Respond to the following questions in your notebook:
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How does beginning scripture study with prayer show Heavenly Father that you want to connect with Him?
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What might you say in a prayer to Heavenly Father before studying the scriptures?
Pondering the scriptures
The Guide to the Scriptures teaches that to ponder is “to meditate and think deeply, often upon the scriptures or other things of God. When combined with prayer, pondering the things of God may bring revelation and understanding” (Guide to the Scriptures, “Ponder,” Gospel Library).
Elder D. Todd Christofferson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles described what pondering the scriptures might look like.
It is a good thing sometimes to read a book of scripture within a set period of time to get an overall sense of its message, but for conversion, you should care more about the amount of time you spend in the scriptures than about the amount you read in that time. I see you sometimes reading a few verses, stopping to ponder them, carefully reading the verses again, and as you think about what they mean, praying for understanding, asking questions in your mind, waiting for spiritual impressions, and writing down the impressions and insights that come so you can remember and learn more. Studying in this way, you may not read a lot of chapters or verses in a half hour, but you will be giving place in your heart for the word of God, and He will be speaking to you. (“When Thou Art Converted,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2004, 11)
You can practice these scripture study skills for a few minutes by following the steps below. Take your time as you study. You do not need to finish all the verses.
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Check or change your surroundings. Remove any distractions.
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Before you begin, start with a prayer. See the statement above by President Dallin H. Oaks of the First Presidency for specific things you might pray for.
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Spend five minutes reading and pondering Isaiah 55:1–3, 8–11, or a scripture passage of your choosing.
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Read a few verses and stop to ponder what you read.
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Carefully read the verses again.
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Pray for understanding and ask questions that come to mind.
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Wait for thoughts, ideas, or impressions; then write them down to remember them and learn more.
Share Your Thoughts
Lesson Purpose: To practice skills that invite the Holy Ghost into scripture study.
Share the following with your teacher or class:
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What you learned or felt today that you would want to share with Ada or Zuri.