Epiphany: Personal Revelation

September 27, 2016

Meryt’s Testimony of Reading the Scriptures Daily

After seminary Meryt (code name for one of the students in my class) hung around to talk to me.
“Sister Shaeffer?”
Yes, Meryt.
“I think I may have had an epiphany in class.”
Oh, really? What do you mean?
“Well, I was thinking about what we were discussing (Mark 5:7) – How the unclean spirit in the tormented man testified that Jesus was “The Son of the Most High God.” You said that Satan’s angels knew exactly who Jesus was, even better than the disciples because they hadn’t passed through the veil like mortals.”
Yes…
“They wanted to destroy the man’s body because they are mad they don’t get one, so they don’t want anyone to have one. They are terribly jealous.”
Correct.
“Well, since we have passed through the veil and have forgotten our pre-earth life, we must live by faith. Satan’s angels don’t get to live by faith. They have a perfect knowledge, so faith must be stronger than a perfect knowledge. Heck’s angels want to destroy our faith too, because our faith makes us stronger than them.”
Wow Meryt! You are exactly right. I never thought of it that way before. You DID have an epiphany!
“Really?! Cool.”
You must have been prepared for seminary today.
“I don’t know.”
Have you been reading your scriptures daily?
“I have been up and down about that, but the last week and a half I have read every day.”
What has worked for you?
“Well, I don’t have a pattern figured out or anything, the Spirit just testifies to me that I need to read my scriptures.
“You see, I saw something I didn’t like on the internet and I wanted to push myself as far away from that SO, I prayed that night and made a promise with Heavenly Father. I said, ‘If I read my scriptures everyday could I have help staying away from that stuff on the internet?’
“Now I get this feeling of dissatisfaction if I haven’t read my scriptures that day. It’s like, ‘Oh, crap! I need to read my scriptures.’
“It’s not super out there. It is quiet. I haven’t thought much about it…. I guess I can feel the prompting of the Spirit in my chest. and in the back of my mind, a little in my back sometimes.

“I can choose to ignore it if I want to.”

“I HAVE ignored it before and regretted it. Believe me. But now, when I am about to ignore it, I decide to go ahead and do it. Because of my morals I know what is right and wrong and it is wrong for me to ignore this feeling that I need to read my scriptures before I go to sleep.”

Meryt, why do you think that Heavenly cares if you read your scriptures? (pause. blank face.) He wants you to be happy. He loves you! And because you have drawn near to Him, you have His spirit in your life. Today in seminary, you received personal revelation.
“I received personal revelation?!” (She started to get teary eyed.) (According to the Cambridge dictionary, an epiphany is a moment when you suddenly feel that you understand, or suddenly become conscious of, something that is very important to you.)
(Hugs)

When we call out to the Savior, he immediately takes our hand and saves us. (Read Matthew 14:25-31)