Revelation By Faith - Jarom 1:4

And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.

 Does it sound surprising that there are many that have revelations? According to Jarom, we must avoid stiffneckedness and and lack of faith in order to receive revelations. Stiffneckedness means inflexibility, or unwillingness to see things another way. God is constantly trying to "turn our heads" as it were, to see things correctly and act correctly. However, ofttimes we are "past feeling" (1 Nephi 17:45), or we refuse. We may receive a feeling or revelation about something and lay it aside, feeling that our way is better:

O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men! When they are learned they think they are wise, and they hearken not unto the counsel of God, for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves, wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not. And they shall perish. (2 Nephi 9:28)

I have done this so many times in my life. It would be comical (if it wasn't so pathetic) if you knew how many times I've fallen off the wagon and tried to get back on. The truth is, I pray for help, guidance and revelation in my life nearly every single day, but sometimes when it comes, the things it tells me to do make me uncomfortable, and I try to come up with excuses for doing things my own way - then things usually end up in disaster. I am the epitome of a work in progress, but with God's help, I'll be more obedient and less of a coward in the future.

A true mark of faith is to take revelation and inspiration from the Lord at face value and not waffle around it. Because His knowledge is perfect, we can always trust Him:

For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)

Remembering this one principle, that flexibility and commitment to follow inspiration are key to faith, will enable us to receive and do His will, leading to a more exciting and blessed life.