Submit our will to God

A question from the Sunday School study guide: Why should we submit our will to God’s will when we seek personal revelation?

"And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good - yeah, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit." (D&C 11:12)

"Behold, this is your work, to keep my commandments, yea, with all your might, mind an strength." (D&C 11:20)

Sometimes it is difficult to "put your trust in that Spirit," but why? Partly because the Spirit "leadeth... to walk humbly." Being humble is terribly difficult. Even when you are already pretty humble, you still have more to go, and that is terribly difficult. For example, say you are humble enough to ask Heavenly Father whether you should go to grad school. You actually want to get a job and get out of school, but you want to cover your ground and ask anyway. So you ask. But the problem comes when God's answer is "yes, you should go to grad school." Now you get job offers. Great job offers - promising, attractive, and convenient. Now the test is on. What do you do? You have your answer, and it is not the one you want. It will be plenty more difficult to follow through with this direction from the Lord. Either route probably will lead to good things, but the Lord wants you to take the hard route. What do you do?

Do you see? It is difficult. I believe that this is one reason why people do not consult with the Lord in their doings (aside from not knowing how to pray or inexperience in receiving answers or doubtful thoughts.) This has actually happened to me. Usually it is easy and reassuring to do what the Lord asks (go on a mission, pursue the career path I am on, get married, have a child). However it is happened that I asked the Lord about something that I didn't want to do, hoping that he wouldn't give the answer that I knew he would give. And he told me to o exactly what I didn't want to do. It was very very hard. The Spirit was leading me to be humble. And that was so difficult.

Another thing that scares people is asking whether The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the one and only true church. If they receive the answer that "yes, this is the Church," then they will have to change their lives! They will have to defy their earthly roots, reject their old ways, and start living a completely new life. Not easy. In fact, it would be a very humbleing experience. Yet I know the Church is true and encourage everyone to ask God to also gain this testimony. Although I was born in the Church, there have been times when I had to change my life and live differently than I used to in order to align my life better with the teachings of the gospel.

It is humbleing, but more than worth it to submit your will to God's.