Regarding Gaining the Spirit When We Don’t Have It:
If you do not have the spirit, then follow the Gospel plan of Faith, Repentance, Baptism for the remission of sins, and then, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost!
If you want to remit your sins faster, bear your testimony of what has been revealed to you by the Holy Ghost, (D&C 62:3, 84:61). This immediately invites the spirit as it witnesses to both yourself and others the truths of your testimony. Then you both are filled and edified, (D&C 50:21-23). As you become filled with this sweet spirit, remember that the Holy Ghost cannot dwell in unholy temples (Hel. 4:24), and so the very presence of the Holy Ghost is a witness that you are worthy.
For some, it is very difficult to let the spirit in. Relax, calm down and pray for strength and courage to let the spirit fill your soul. Then do it.
One often overlooked criterion for receiving the spirit is to take upon you the name of Christ. Listen closely to the Sacrament Prayer in relation to taking upon us the name of Christ. We must all become Christ’s. Just as Jesus took upon him the name of Christ and became Jesus Christ. We each must follow his example and do the same.
Pray to know the feeling of the name of Christ because without the feeling, the literal word, “Christ” is just another word. The feeling is the fruit of the spirit and must be experienced to be understood correctly.
The name of "Christ" is the only name by which we can be saved. Salvation comes Not just knowing the name or even using the name, but by taking the name (feeling) of Christ on ourselves, just as Jesus of Nazareth did. This new name is a key that is not often understood.
“5. And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives…
10. And now it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall not take upon him the name of Christ must be called by some other name; therefore, he findeth himself on the left hand of God.” - Mosiah 5:8 & 10
We take upon ourselves the name of Christ when we are baptized, which is an outward symbol of an inward commitment and change.
“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel.” - 2 Ne. 31:13
Now this is important because taking the name of Christ just as Christ/Jesus did is required before we can receive the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost. Anyone who receives the outward ordinances or physical ordinances but have not received the inward Spiritual ordinance will not be baptized by fire and the Holy Ghost.
The entire point of the "preparatory gospel" is to prepare us to receive the Holy Ghost and the purifying baptism of fire. The preparation steps of this Aaronic/Lower gospel is focused on:
- helping us to be worthy
- helping us to believe we are worthy.
Christ means, “Anointed to deliver”. The name of Christ is synonymous with “Love”. We must take on ourselves the name of Love by “loving our selves, and then our neighbors like unto ourselves”. If we do this, then we will be baptized by the Spirit of Love. God is Love. And His spirit is with those who are like him.
Other Suggested Helps:
Practice Gratitude: As the song says, count your many blessings. Pray continually that you may come to see and recognize your blessings. Often times we forget how to be grateful. We may need to regularly practice.
Be Humble: Humility means teachable. Be teachable. Beware of false humility which is when we tear ourselves down by speaking lies in an attempt to appear teachable or weak. Be honest. Be open to new ideas and teachings that you haven’t considered before. Let people plant seeds in your heart and only keep those that grow and blossom as Alma instructed, (Alma 32). Believe all things first, then let the spirit teach you.
Credit God: To perform miracles, it is important to recognize that God through his spirit did the work. We are blessed to be an acting witness of God’s power. Without God we of ourselves could not have done the miracle. (But without us, neither could God.) We do not need to know how it was done and most often we do not understand the minute details. But we thank God for doing it and that we could be present and an instrument in their hands.