We can be empowered to take control over our own thoughts and increase our spiritual connection to God.
Photo by Himsan
Some days it feels like everywhere I turn I’m being overwhelmed by information. Sometimes my mind can’t take it, and I feel like I’ve lost control of my own thoughts. But I’ve found strength in the words of President Boyd K. Packer in his talk “The Spirit of Revelation.” He talks about focusing our thoughts so that we can feel the spirit of peace instead of fear.
President Packer tells a story of his brother who was able to feel the spirit of peace by singing a hymn, even when he faced deadly difficulties while serving in the military. President Packer then recounts a story where he himself faced similarly intense danger. While flying over the ocean in a typhoon, he and his crewmates found themselves hopelessly lost. President Packer remembered his brother’s words and began to sing and pray silently. He learned that we can “pray and even sing without making a sound.”
After their plane landed safely with only a few seconds’ worth of fuel to spare, President Packer found that hymns and prayers helped his heart and mind feel the spirit of peace. He urges us to memorize a hymn, study the scriptures, and learn to pray in order to find calm and focus in a scary world. By doing so, we will be empowered to take control of our minds. By focusing our minds on the things of God, we can find the space to connect to the spirit of peace and revelation rather than the spirit of fear and uncertainty.
Read Boyd K. Packer’s talk “The Spirit of Revelation” to learn more about taking control of your mind.
Source: General Conference
—Stefani Stewart, Latter-day Saint Insights
Find more insights
Find out more about the importance of our thoughts by reading Dean L. Larsen’s BYU devotional “Thoughts about Thoughts.”
Learn about focusing your thoughts on Christ in “Think on Christ” by Ezra Taft Benson.
Every action is rooted in thought. I like this approach and method of thought. Thanks for sharing.