Come, Follow Me
What are the roles of the Holy Ghost?

What are the roles of the Holy Ghost?

Prepare Yourself Spiritually

The Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead, bears witness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. He is the source of personal testimony and revelation. He can guide us in our decisions and protect us from physical and spiritual danger. He is known as the Comforter, and He can calm our fears and fill us with hope. Through His power, we are sanctified as we repent, receive saving ordinances, and keep our covenants. It is through the influence of the Holy Ghost that we receive knowledge of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and feel Their power, goodness, and love.

Resources to Help You Prepare

These resources are to help you prepare for the “Learn together” section of the meeting.

Questions to Ponder before You Teach

What experiences have taught you about the roles of the Holy Ghost?

How can the Holy Ghost help the young women in all aspects of their lives? How can you help them recognize His influence?

What can the young women do to prepare to learn? For example, they could read a talk, watch a video, or study a scripture related to this doctrine.

Teaching in the Savior’s Way

The Savior loved those He taught. He prayed for them and continually served them. How can you increase your love for the young women you teach?

Meeting Outline

1. Counsel Together and Share Experiences

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

Lead a discussion about items such as the following:

  • Our class: Who is missing today? What visits do we need to make? Who should we invite to an upcoming activity? Who needs our help and prayers?

  • Our responsibilities: What assignments do we need to make? What assignments have we fulfilled? How have we invited others to come unto Christ, and how can we invite others now?

  • Our lives: Remind the class of the discussion from the last meeting. What experiences have we had with applying what we learned? What experiences have we had in the past few weeks that strengthened our testimonies of the gospel?

If possible, discuss these items beforehand in a class presidency meeting.

2. Learn Together

Led by a leader or teacher or a member of the class; approximately 25–35 minutes

After studying the above resources and following the inspiration of the Spirit, you may select one or more of the activities below to help class members understand the doctrine.

  • Write the following questions on the board: Why do we need the Holy Ghost? How can the Holy Ghost help us? Invite the young women to search Elder Gary E. Stevenson’s talk “How Does the Holy Ghost Help You?” or watch the video “Voice of the Spirit,” looking for answers to the questions on the board. As appropriate, share experiences you have had with receiving inspiration from the Holy Ghost, and invite the young women to share any experiences they have had. They could also share things they will do to better listen for and follow the promptings of the Holy Ghost.

  • Divide the young women into small groups. Ask each group to read a few scriptures about the Holy Ghost (such as those suggested in this outline). Invite one young woman from each group to share with the rest of the class what her group’s scriptures teach about the roles of the Holy Ghost. Invite the young women to share personal experiences they have had in which the Holy Ghost has helped them in any of these ways.

  • Invite the young women to read “Roles of the Holy Ghost” in True to the Faith (page 82). Ask each young woman to select one of the Holy Ghost’s roles and look for scriptures or scriptural stories that teach about that role. Invite the young women to share with each other what they find. Encourage them to share experiences in which the Holy Ghost helped them in these ways. What are some future situations in which they will need the help of the Holy Ghost?

  • Find some stories from recent general conference talks that illustrate the various roles of the Holy Ghost. Consider including President Henry B. Eyring’s experience with his son or with the Austrian Saints in “My Peace I Leave with You” or Elder Juan A. Uceda’s experience as a missionary in Peru in his talk “The Lord Jesus Christ Teaches Us to Pray.” Invite each young woman to read one of the stories, retell it to the class in her own words, and identify the role of the Holy Ghost in that story. Encourage the young women to share their own experiences when the Holy Ghost has helped them.

3. Plan to Act

Led by a member of the class presidency; approximately 5–10 minutes

  • Ask the young women to discuss any feelings or impressions they had during the meeting. What was meaningful to them? Is there something they can do personally or as a class to apply what they have learned?

  • Give the young women a few minutes to record what they will do in the coming weeks to act on their impressions. Invite them to share their ideas.

  • Remind the young women that they will have the opportunity to share their experiences at the beginning of the next meeting.

Related Youth Activities

Plan a Mutual activity that will help the young women apply what they learned in this lesson.