Elder Bednar believes that we learn through our faith in addition to preaching by the Spirit. The Holy Ghost carries important spiritual messages from the Lord unto us but not into us, meaning we have to let the message into our lives. “Learning by faith opens the pathway into the heart.” We learn through our faith by taking action upon things and situations rather than letting ourselves be acted upon. “Learning by faith requires spiritual, mental, and physical exertion and not just passive reception.” If we choose just to be acted upon, then we will never truly let the Spirit guide us in the learning process. This process cannot be transferred from the teacher to the student, but rather the student must act in faith to obtain the knowledge for his or her learning. In order for an instructor to be effective in their teaching, they cannot just give the answers to the students right away, but rather, show them the correct steps for them to take on their own. As a missionary, I understood that I needed to help my investigators and friends learn by faith, and not just tell them what they wanted to hear or tell them the truth about the Gospel. I understood that in all honesty, they might not remember all of the principles and ideas that we were trying to teach them. However, I made a plan to help them see the next steps that they needed to take in their lives in order for the Holy Ghost to teach them and let the message be carried into their hearts. One lady that we were teaching wanted to know all of the answers right away, and she wanted us to tell them to her because she was used to a pastor having this teaching
method. We taught her that all of the answers that she was seeking were inside the Book of Mormon and that she needed to ask God through diligent study and prayer in order to find them. At first, she was hesitant because she wanted to be acted upon instead of acting for her own learning. Eventually, she came to understand the concepts we were teaching her and she was grateful that we did not give her the answers right away. Is it possible to know when each of us is ready to receive instruction from the Lord through the Holy Ghost?
Can we know when it is appropriate to let the Holy Ghost teach the students rather than us as the instructors?
How can I know when I am being acted upon and not acting for myself?
How can I improve my ability to learn by faith?
