I think almost every baptismal/confirmation talk I’ve ever heard has touched on this idea that we need to receive the Holy Ghost, since those are the words used in the ordinance. ⁣

But I actually really love this idea that we don’t just decide to receive the Spirit at age 8, and then we are good to go. ⁣

I think we can choose every day, every moment, whether or not we are going to receive the Spirit. ⁣

The Spirit is there, but isn’t going to impose on our agency. ⁣

This past week of my life, I’ve really tried to actively invite the Spirit into my life. ⁣

I’ve prayed to ask for the Spirit each day. ⁣

I’ve even visually pictured receiving the Holy Ghost each day. ⁣

When I’ve been feeling down, I’ve done better at actually inviting His comfort to help me, instead of wallowing in self-pity (which I’m super good at).⁣

When I’ve been confused, I’ve practiced inviting inspiration instead of expecting it. ⁣

It’s actually been really cool. ⁣

I feel like I have a better relationship with the Spirit. ⁣

I’ve thought about having the Spirit’s presence with me much more than I have for a long time. ⁣

And… I’ve been happier. I’ve been more productive. I’ve been a little kinder. I’ve had more patience. I’ve felt more confident in making some decisions. ⁣

And I feel like there’s so much more I’m still missing!⁣

What can I invite the Spirit to do in my life that will bring me even closer to my Savior?⁣

To help me live even more as He lives?⁣

“He shall receive of my Spirit, even the Comforter, which shall manifest unto him the truth of all things, and shall give him, in the very hour, what he shall say.” (D&C 124:97⁣)

I think it takes a whole lotta faith and a quite a bit of action!⁣

So how do you receive the Holy Ghost each day?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Receive the Holy Ghost  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Not that I’m counting or anything…

I’ve been feeling so overwhelmed recently with the sheer amount of things I need to coordinate, problems I need to solve, and people I need to communicate with.

And I mean I’ve got a lot of other things going on in my life too.

So recently I’ve just been getting super overwhelmed…

And then not doing anything because I already have other things on my plate I can focus on.

But something last week reminded me that Heavenly Father wants me to ask Him for help.

He desperately wants to help me know where to focus with the energy He knows I have.

“It is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.”⁣ (Mosiah 4:27)

And so for the past few days, I have specifically prayed each morning for the Lord to help me know one single thing I can do that day to move things forward.

And… I’ve been shocked at how clear and simple the direction has been each day!

I’ve known who to talk to or what to plan.

And it’s been super attainable.

God is so so so good.

He doesn’t want us, His devoted servants and saints, running around, constantly overwhelmed and unable to move forward.

He’ll show us the path, or at least the very next step.

Or sometimes the path is still dark, but He will give us the strength to match the task.

But we need to ask.

“[We] wear many hats, but it is impossible, and unnecessary, to wear them all at once.

“The Spirit helps us determine which work to focus on today.” (Joy D. Jones)

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Which hat to wear  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When we are listening to a spiritual message or reading our scriptures, any of these three things can come to us:

1) Something we should start

2) Something we should stop

3) Something we should continue

This blew my mind because I think the third one is often overlooked.

I feel like I learn plenty of new things that I should start.

Start serving more. Start adding more authentic intent. Start saying better prayers.

And I get prompted often of things I should stop.

Stop being on your phone so much. Stop being prideful. Stop ignoring the important stuff.

But that third one is awesome:

What should you continue?

Do you think God is pleased with anything you are doing in your life right now?

Sometimes we focus so much on becoming better people that we forget we are already doing great things! ⁣

When Jesus chose to be baptized, God the Father expressed how pleased He was with His son’s actions.

“This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17)

It was the ultimate, divine ‘pat on the back’.

God knew He didn’t need to correct anything that was going wrong.

He instead wanted to draw attention to what was already going right.

So what’s something good you are doing right now that you can continue to do?

If you come up a little blank, try taking this question to the Lord in prayer, and see what comes to mind.

When I’ve asked God what things I should CONTINUE doing, I’ve given Him a chance to show me personally what He approves of in my life.

And there’s always a lot more goodness than I expect.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Start, stop, and continue  first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

But have you noticed how many people, prophets, and scriptures describe the Spirit as a “still small voice”?

Elijah noted the Lord wasn’t in the wind, earthquake, or fire, but in “a still small voice”. (1 Kings 19:12)

I’ve found that be true in my life, too.

He often speaks to me in a still, small voice.

Giving guidance, correction, love, comfort, peace, strength.

But I’ve also noticed something about how I hear Him.

I’ve also got to be still and small.

I need to be humble. My ego needs to be small. My pride needs to be gone.

And I’ve got to be still, even if it’s for just a moment smack dab in the middle of a crazy day.

I need to be still and small to hear the still, small voice.

It’s that little invitation.

That little sign that I’m ready to listen.

That unfairly small effort that allows the Spirit to enter my heart and give me what I need.

I’ve got a million excuses for not taking still, small moments.

But whenever I get out of “busy victim” mentality and get to work to have a moment of quiet, I’m always surprised at how easy the direction comes.

Still, small moments for a still, small voice.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Still, small moments first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I remember the beautiful dress I got to wear, I remember the family who came into town, and I remember that I only had to be dunked under the water once. (Whew!)

What I’ve realized now is that we often refer to this day as our “baptism day”, right?

And yet I’ve grown to learn that receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the most important things that happened to me on that day.

Enoch had this figured out, though.

As Enoch taught the wicked people around him, he taught that God wanted them to turn to Him, believe, repent, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

But then He mentions the reason.

Why do we want to have faith and repent and be baptized?

“If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men…

“Ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.” (Moses 6:52)

What a cool perspective, right?

Obviously, making covenants at baptism is an important part of that ordinance, and I don’t want to minimize baptism at all.

And faith and repentance have individual benefits on their own.

But overall, the purpose of these gospel-essential steps are to prepare each of us to be worthy to actually receive the companionship of a member of the Godhead!

The companionship of a member of the Godhead.

The ability to be prompted, comforted, guided, taught, protected by One who has the same united purpose with our Father and our Savior.

I’m so grateful for the day 22 years ago when I was baptized and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Why are we baptized? first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

I think almost every baptismal/confirmation talk I’ve ever heard has touched on this idea that we need to receive the Holy Ghost, since those are the words used in the ordinance.

But I actually really love this idea that we don’t just decide to receive the Spirit at age 8, and then we are good to go.

I think we can choose every day, every moment, whether or not we are going to receive the Spirit.

The Spirit is there, but isn’t going to impose on our agency.

This past week of my life, I’ve really tried to actively invite the Spirit into my life.

I’ve prayed to ask for the Spirit each day.

I’ve even visually pictured receiving the Holy Ghost each day.

When I’ve been feeling down, I’ve done better at actually inviting His comfort to help me, instead of wallowing in self-pity (which I’m super good at).

When I’ve been confused, I’ve practiced inviting inspiration instead of expecting it.

It’s actually been really cool.

I feel like I have a better relationship with the Spirit.

I’ve thought about having the Spirit’s presence with me much more than I have for a long time.

And… I’ve been happier. I’ve been more productive. I’ve been a little kinder. I’ve had more patience. I’ve felt more confident in making some decisions.

And I feel like there’s so much more I’m still missing!

What can I invite the Spirit to do in my life that will bring me even closer to my Savior?

To help me live even more as He lives?

“He shall receive of my Spirit, even the Comforter, which shall manifest unto him the truth of all things, and shall give him, in the very hour, what he shall say.” D&C 124:97

I think it takes a whole lotta faith and a quite a bit of action!

So how do you receive the Holy Ghost each day?

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Receive the Holy Ghost… today first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

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 he told me to change the radio station and then expect him to help remove the natural consequences of my actions later on.

Joseph Smith shared a powerful example of his experience with this spirit 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

The post A piercing message first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

As a completely monolingual individual, the idea of being able to suddenly speak or understand a different language seemed… pretty cool, to be honest.

The idea of something suddenly happening that is super cool, super unique, or completely baffling is an appeal to many people.

But as I’ve matured a bit, I’ve realized that when it comes to spiritual gifts from God…

I need to be okay with the simple.

Many of the early Saints were promised spiritual gifts as they started to preach the gospel.

I’m going to guess gifts like knowing what to teach, bearing powerful testimony, receiving little promptings, discernment…

And yet they seemed to latch on to the weird. The unique. The flashy.

The Lord kindly reprimanded many of them by asking:

“Wherefore, I the Lord ask you this question—unto what were ye ordained? To preach my gospel by the Spirit, even the Comforter which was sent forth to teach the truth.” D&C 50:13-14

And then the reprimand:

“And then received ye spirits which ye could not understand, and received them to be of God; and in this are ye justified?” D&C 50:15

They were seeking after the strange and the unclear.

I think that our spiritual gifts are meant to make sense. To be the most simple solution in any given situation.

Elder Gong told a story of a Spanish language interpreter who told him that he knew what Elder Gong was going to say by the spirit so that he could communicate effectively with the people he was translating for.

THAT was a time where the gift of tongues was actually appropriate and simple. A simple but miraculous boost of his efforts.

But when we look for gifts or talents or explanations that are unnecessary, over-the-top, or selfish, we are looking beyond the mark.

The Spirit may speak to us in quiet, simple, and straightforward ways.

And that’s totally okay.

Being dramatic is not a requisite for a righteous, spiritual experience.

And so I’m going to be okay with the simple.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Flashy and dramatic first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

When they said their name I thought, “Oh that’s a memorable name! I will definitely remember that one!”

And then as soon as my husband asked what her name was after the conversation, I completely forgot.

Anyone else have this problem?!

Even though I THINK I will remember important things, my memory is not always awesome.

President Henry B. Eyring said in his 1989 address, “Remembrance and Gratitude”, that:

“The Holy Ghost brings back memories of what God has taught us.”

It’s one of my favorite roles that the Holy Ghost has, but it’s one I don’t think we talk about quite as much.

He can help us REMEMBER important things that have happened to us!

David Whitmer was a new acquaintance to Joseph Smith.

The Smiths were now living at the Whitmer home in Fayette, New York.

In this revelation to David, the Lord tells him in verse 8 that:

“You shall receive the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance, that you may stand as a witness of the things of which you shall both hear and see”.

I truly believe that we see the Hand of God everywhere, every day.

We are surrounded by miracles and tender mercies.

Flooded and overwhelmed with blessings.

And yet, even if I think, “Oh, what a beautiful tender mercy that I needed!” during the day, I find myself getting to bedtime and thinking that nothing special happened that day.

But the Holy Ghost can help me remember.

I can remember the things that I have seen and that I have heard.

And when I remember, I am filled with gratitude.

And then I can stand as an accurate and grateful witness of the miracles that I have seen and heard each and every day.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Remembering and witnessing first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.

Was this a time that I needed to hold her accountable? To teach her about rules and consequences? To help her learn and grow a little bit more?

Or was this a time that my little girl needed my grace and immediate forgiveness? A break? Compassion, fun, ignorance, and distraction?

My brain quickly scanned through everything I know about child development, from what I’d learned in college courses, my teaching experience, and even parenting social media accounts.

I honestly couldn’t figure out which way was the best way to go in the moment.

And then I remembered, for the millionth time, that I could ask for the Spirit to guide me.

The Spirit could tell me what was best in that moment, for this exact daughter of God.

I didn’t have to tough it out with my knowledge alone.

I could certainly use my knowledge, but also call upon the Spirit to give me the nudge in the right direction.

These thoughts were all flying through my head in the split second following my daughter’s poor decision.

And so I closed my eyes, said a quick prayer, and felt one option come to mind, with a few specific changes.

Having the Spirit with us constantly is THE biggest blessing I could ever hope for.

The constant, personalized, and godly guidance, comfort, and impressions are my lifeline to heaven.

That is the point of partaking of the sacrament each week.

To repent and change our hearts in the ways that we need so that we can qualify to ALWAYS have the Spirit with us again.

That is what makes the sacrament so essential, and what makes our Savior’s great atoning sacrifice so profoundly important.

We need to have completely pure intent in order to feel Divine guidance in our lives.

And we need to have that reset every single week in order to turn us back to the Savior.

Having the Spirit with us is the best gift that we have been given – and so we have to do our part to re-qualify each week, and then call on that heavenly guidance.

Happy Studying!

-Cali Black

The post Keeping his spirit with us first appeared on Come Follow Me Study with Cali Black.