The Spirit’s reprimand 

I was driving home from work and turned on the radio to an awesome song. ⁣

As I listened to the lyrics though, I pretty quickly realized it was not-so-awesome. ⁣

Kyle and I were going to the temple that evening with some friends as soon as I got home from work. ⁣

I had the thought to turn the radio off. ⁣

But… I didn’t. ⁣

Later, in the temple, guess what song kept popping into my head?⁣

I sat there and sang a bunch of primary songs and hymns in my head, trying to get rid of these terrible lyrics that kept coming to my mind. ⁣

Nothing was working. ⁣

I eventually just prayed my heart out. ⁣

“Heavenly Father, please remove this song from my mind. It’s distracting me from the spirit in the temple.”⁣

And immediately. ⁣

Immediately. ⁣

A piercing thought came into my mind. ⁣⁣

It was still and small, but powerful. ⁣

It was very clearly Divine. ⁣

And that voice said:⁣

“Cali, you can’t pray away the consequences of your decisions.”⁣

I was being reprimanded by the spirit in a very direct way. ⁣

I realized in a dramatic fashion that I couldn’t choose to ignore the spirit when it told me to change the radio station and then expect it to help remove the natural consequences of my actions later on. ⁣

Joseph Smith shared a powerful example of his experience with this in D&C 85:6:⁣

“The still small voice, which whispereth through and pierceth all things, and often times it maketh my bones to quake while it maketh manifest”⁣.

In the car, the spirit spoke to me in a very still and small voice. ⁣

And in the temple, it pierced my mind and made me very aware of the power behind it. ⁣

I needed to learn that lesson that day, and it has dramatically shaped my music choices ever since. ⁣

I needed that piercing voice for a major course correction. ⁣

And I am so grateful for a companion like the spirit who can give those messages in a way that I can’t write off. ⁣

I heard it, and I knew God knew that I heard it.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black