The daily pursuit of seeking the Spirit helps us focus on spiritual things where we are able to subdue the natural man, live worthy lives, and enter into the House of the Lord where we are spiritually and eternally healed.

If Pres. Benson said the following phrase four times alone in this lesson, he must have said it a hundred times:

“The most important thing in our lives is the Spirit.”

We live in a world full of violence. I remember with my first child (a girl) I was so careful with what I let her watch on TV, the toys she played with; even the older kids that could have a bad influence on her. By the time my last child (a boy) came around, I was a LOT more careless. Sad, but true. It is so hard to keep violence out of the home and let’s all be honest, we love those action movies that are so popular right now. But if we were to put on our “critical eyes” we would not be able to deny those movies are full of violence, mayhem, destruction, and comic death (I don’t know what that means other than “un-important people die, or blood isn’t shown so it doesn’t count—Ironic excuse).

Anyway, I point all that out because it’s pretty hard to maintain any amount of the Spirit with all that going on. However, feeling the Spirit in our homes HAS to be the MOST IMPORTANT thing we do as the Relief Society and as Women in the Church because the world does not teach this “most important thing.”

In these final days of the raging battle between good and evil, it is ONLY the Spirit that will bring light, safety, and joy into our households. I absolutely know how hard it is to keep the Spirit in a house full of children. It’s next to impossible!! But as the women of the Church, that should be our highest priority, and the Spirit will help us.

It is our job, as mothers and fathers, to see that our children learn how to recognize the Spirit for themselves. It will take a conscious effort and some sacrifice on everyone’s part. We can send a strong message to our children by example that this is important and other things are secondary.

In this past general conference (April 2015) we heard talks to help us focus better and succeed:

Cheryl A. Esplin—“Filling Our Homes with Light and Truth.”

Henry B. Eyring—“The Comforter.”

Wilford W. Andersen—“The Music of the Gospel.”

Dale G. Renlund—“Latter-day Saints Keep on Trying.”

Ulisses Soares—“Yes, We Can and Will Win!”

And that’s just a sampling; there are many more messages. If we need help, strength, and support, we can find it in the talks of our leaders to urge us on in finding and feeling the Spirit in our lives every day.

We’ve been watching our grandchildren this week and our house has been chaos. All Monday there was constant yelling and fighting. We raised a pretty riotous brood ourselves, but somehow we had forgotten just how wild things could get. We still managed to have FHE that evening and my husband asked one simple question: “What was the very first thing Jesus Christ said to the Nephites when He visited them?” One of the younger kids actually gave the right answer: “No fighting????” Yep! That was the right answer. Jesus Christ wanted the Nephites to feel the Spirit. No good could come to them without the Spirit (see 3 Ne 11:28-29).

After sending half the kids to bed without their ice cream (and a strong explanation of consequences and repentance meaning a change in behavior), the next day ended up being phenomenal. Something had actually sunk into their heads and efforts were made all day long. We couldn’t give them enough praise and we all felt the Spirit throughout the day. It was awesome!

There are no guarantees for the future, of course. In fact, fighting continues to break out periodically, but there are no limits to gentle reminders, right? And having success once means we can have success again and again.

We can know when our lives are worthy enough for the Spirit. We actually control that aspect of our lives. If we want it, we can get it—any time. This is a singular power we each have at our fingertips. What are you willing to do to wield this power in your own life?

Learning to sacrifice some of this life’s pleasures for a more spirit-filled life is very rewarding. Serving others with our time, talents, and means is life-changing. Pres. Monson is the best example of this. Don’t we all wish we had incredible stories to share as he does? Well, we can—if we set that as a priority in our own lives. Can we ever forget the feelings that come when we hear the stories he shares with us?

1. While presiding over a stake conference in Shreveport, Louisiana, he was asked to visit a family of a very sick 10-year old girl—eighty miles away. His schedule did not allow for the amount of time necessary. He suggested that they could pray for the girl over the course of the conference instead. Of course, that was gracious, though disappointedly accepted. As Elder Monson stood up to speak, the Spirit told him what he needed to do. You can read this story here.

2. While swimming at a rec center, Pres. Monson suddenly felt an urgency to visit a friend with a debilitating disease. The man was not in his bed, but the nurse suggested he might be at the rehab pool. Pres. Monson found his friend alone, contemplating ending his life. You can read this story here.

We can have these experiences as well with enough practice and sincere effort in listening and obeying that undeniable voice that speaks to our hearts and minds. And more importantly, we can teach our children how to have their own experiences.

Our mastery in having the Spirit in our homes will bring us to the temple and to the covenants that are made there. It is by the power of the priesthood that we are “sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise … for time and for all eternity.” Without the Spirit, all the blessings of the temple “are of no efficacy, virtue, or force in and after the resurrection from the dead” (D&C 132:7). Understanding this gospel truth makes these words, from Pres. Benson, all the more powerful:

“Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.” ([D&C 43:34] p. 163)

Understanding the power the Spirit has over our eternal salvation will bring us to the scriptures, helping us to keep our focus on the temple. Teaching our children this power, and living our lives by this power, “the closer you become as husband and wife and children. You will find that by reading the scriptures the truths of eternity will rest on your minds” (pg. 163).

Teachings of the Presidents of the Church–Ezra Taft Benson–Lesson 12