All Those Who Believe…
"Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:" – Peter (Acts 10:34)
The scriptures are quite clear that the power and gifts of the spirit are given to all those who believe without respect to persons or positions. The only criteria is faith which brings the power of the Spirit.
“And that he manifesteth himself unto all those who believe in him, by the power of the Holy Ghost; yea, unto every nation, kindred, tongue, and people, working mighty miracles, signs, and wonders, among the children of men according to their faith.” - 2 Ne. 26:13
“8. For I am God, and mine arm is not shortened; and I will show miracles, signs, and wonders, through all those who believe on my name.
9. And whoso shall ask it in my name in faith, they shall cast out devils; they shall heal the sick; they shall cause the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak, and the lame to walk.
10. And the time speedily cometh that great things are to be shown forth unto the children of men;" - D&C 35:8-10
We often judge and disqualify ourselves or others in one way or another. Because of this, it is often more difficult to obtain forgiveness from ourselves than it is to obtain from God. Rest assured, if we have the Holy Ghost, then we are worthy of it and clean of our sins. We can know this because the Holy Ghost does not dwell in unholy temples.
“And this I know, because the Lord hath said he dwelleth not in unholy temples, but in the hearts of the righteous doth he dwell; yea, and he has also said that the righteous shall sit down in his kingdom, to go no more out; but their garments should be made white through the blood of the Lamb.” - Alma 34:36
"And they saw that they had become weak, like unto their brethren, the Lamanites, and that the Spirit of the Lord did no more preserve them; yea, it had withdrawn from them because the Spirit of the Lord doth not dwell in unholy temples—" - Hel. 4:24
By virtue of the presence of the Holy Ghost, you are clean and declared fit. Rather than arguing with God about your worthiness and trying to prove God wrong, believe that if God finds you worthy by granting you his spirit, then you are worthy. To become worthy, focus on receiving the Holy Ghost and having it with you always. We tell you again and again, this is the whole purpose of the sacrament and the preparatory Gospel.
Men, Women, Children and the Gifts of the Spirit:
Joseph Smith had a terrible time with trying to help people of his day understand that these gifts are based upon the spirit and not the priesthood. He lived under the pressure of an extremely chauvinistic male society, who thought men should be the only ones to exhibit such gifts. At various times, he taught the following regarding the sisters in the Relief Society,
“No matter who believeth, these signs, such as healing the sick, casting our devils, etc., should follow all that believe, whether male or female. He asked the Society if they could not see by this sweeping promise, that wherein they are ordained, if it is the privilege of those set apart to administer in that authority, which is conferred on them; and if the sisters should have faith to heal the sick, let all hold their tongues, and let everything roll on.” –TPJS, p.224
“Respecting females administering for the healing of the sick he further remarked, there could be no evil in it, if God gave His sanction by healing; that there could be no more sin in any female laying hands on and praying for the sick, than in wetting the face with water; it is no sin for anybody to administer that has faith, or if the sick have faith to be healed by their administration.” –TPJS, p.224
We must learn to believe and accept the scriptures and the teachings of the spirit if we are ever going to break free from the shackles of the traditions of our fathers that limit us to being less than we really are. We are children of God. Our genetic code is that of the Gods. Their power is our birthright, but we must believe and accept it.