Pray to Know the Truth Through the Holy Ghost (PMG Lesson 1 Principle 8)

This message of the Restoration is either true or it is not.  You can know of its truth by the Holy Ghost, as promised in Moroni 10:4-5 (last week's scripture).  No one can know of spiritual truths without sincere prayer.  This is what Joseph Smith learned when he read James 1:5 (this is the scripture of the week).  If you want to know the truth, you must pray.

Do you know how to pray?  Let's review the steps.
1. Address Heavenly Father (Our Father in Heaven, Dear Heavenly Father, etc)
2.  Thank him for blessings
3.  Ask for answers and help.
4.  Close with "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

*(Optional) There is a song in the Children's Songbook that teaches these steps.  If desired, sing the second verse of "I Pray in Faith" (CS p. 14) to learn or review the steps of prayer.

In answer to our prayers, the Holy Ghost will teach us truth through both feelings and thoughts. What does the Holy Ghost feel like to you? (Lead a discussion about how to recognize the Holy Ghost.)

Song: Search, Ponder, and Pray (CS p. 109)

Offer a kneeling prayer at the end of the lesson.

THIS WEEK'S SCRIPTURE STUDY:
--Recite James 1:5
--Sing "Search, Ponder, and Pray" (or one of the other songs I have listed below)
--Study one of the following:

1.  Pres Uchtdorf's Oct 2014 conf address "Receiving a testimony of light and truth"

2.  Elder Craig Christensen's Oct 2014 conf address "I Know these things of myself"

3.  D&C 8:2-3

4.  Alma 5:45-46


5.  John 14:26

6. “Studying the Church … through the eyes of its defectors,” Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said, is “like interviewing Judas to understand Jesus. Defectors always tell us more about themselves than about that from which they have departed.”

7.  Sing "I Pray in Faith" (CS pg. 14) if you didn't during your lesson.

8.  Sing "A Child's Prayer" (CS pg. 12)

9.  Sing "Let the Holy Spirit Guide" (Hymn #143)

I Know My Father Lives (Hymn #302 OR CS p. 5)

Today we are going to learn a song that teaches us about God.  Did you know there are many people in the world who are confused about who God is and what He is like?  But we don't have to be confused, because we can learn the truth through this song.

I'm going to sing the first phrase of this song, and I want you to listen for two truths it tells us about God:
(sing) I know my Father lives

Truth #1:  God is my Father
Truth #2:  God has a body; He lives

Now I'm going to sing the next phrase.  Listen for another truth:
(sing) and loves me too

Truth #3: God loves me

Will you sing that whole line with me?  ("I know my Father lives, and loves me too")

(Bear testimony:) God is real.  He lives, and because He is your Father, He loves you. I know that is true.

Do you feel the Holy Ghost whispering to you that this is true?  That's the Holy Ghost's job: to tell you in your mind and in your heart what is true.  When you feel happy, that is the Spirit speaking to you.

The next line of the song reminds us of this.  It tells us HOW we can know these things are true.
(sing) The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true; and tells me it is true.

This song is a testimony.  It tells what you know, and how you know it.  When you sing this song, it is just like bearing your testimony.  Will you sing it with me? (repeat it several times until it is learned)

God is Our Loving Heavenly Father (PMG Lesson 1 Principle 1)

Lesson 1 Principle 1: God is Our Loving Heavenly Father

FHE LESSON:

Note: This is written for younger children who may be unfamiliar with this song.  Obviously if your family already knows this song, sing it and discuss the doctrine without all the extra repetition. Always feel free to adapt to your family's needs.

(CS p.5 OR Hymn #302)
Today we are going to learn a song that teaches us about God.  Did you know there are many people in the world who are confused about who God is and what He is like?  But we don't have to be confused, because we can learn the truth through this song and through the scriptures.

I'm going to sing the first line of this song, and I want you to listen for three truths it tells us about God:
(sing) I know my Father lives and loves me too

(We have a white board we wrote these truths on.  Then we left it up all week to help us remember what to bear testimony about.)
Truth #1:  God is my Father
Truth #2:  God lives; He has a body
Truth #3: God loves me

Will you sing that line with me? As we sing, think about how it makes you feel.
sing: "I know my Father lives, and loves me too"

Bear testimony: God is real.  He lives, and because He is your Father, He loves you. I know this is true.

Do you feel the Holy Ghost whispering to you that this is true?  That's the Holy Ghost's job: to tell you in your mind and in your heart what is true.

The next line of the song reminds us of this.  It tells us HOW we can know these things are true.
(sing) The Spirit whispers this to me and tells me it is true; and tells me it is true.

This song is a testimony.  It tells WHAT you know, and HOW you know it.  When you sing this song, it is just like bearing your testimony.  Will you sing the whole song with me? (repeat it several times until it is learned)

There is a scripture in the Bible that bears this same testimony. 

(Hold up printed scripture)  "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God." --Romans 8:16

How is this scripture like the song we just learned?  Will you read it with me (or repeat after me for non-readers)?  Let's memorize this scripture this week.  Then if you meet someone who doesn't know what you know about God, you can share your testimony through this song and scripture.

Bear testimony.

THIS WEEK FOR FAMILY SCRIPTURE STUDY:
Each day, do these three things:
--  Sing "I Know My Father Lives"
--   Recite Romans 8:16
--   Assign a family member one of the following.  There are more than six for a reason.  Choose which are the best fit for your family.  You may want to assign older children first, so that by the end of the week, the younger children will have heard the doctrine taught several times before it is their turn to teach. The important part is learning to teach and bear testimony in their own words.

1.  Read 3 Nephi 14:9-11.  In your own words, tell what it means.  What important doctrine is being taught? Share a related personal experience.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

2.  Read Doctrine and Covenants 18:10.  In your own words, tell what it means.  Share a personal experience.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

3.  Read or recite the First Article of Faith. The rest of the family can also recite it or sing the song (CS p.122). What does it teach?  Why is it important to know and understand?  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

4.  Read Doctrine and Covenants 130:22.  In your own words, tell what it means. Why is it important to understand?  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

5.  Read Joseph Smith--History 1:17.  Retell it in your own words.  What truths can you learn from this verse? What does it tell you about the Godhead?  What does it tell you about God's love for you as an individual? Bear testimony of this week's principle.

6.  Read this quote from President Monson:

"Heavenly Father loves you -- each of you.  That love never changes.  It is not influenced by your appearance or by your possessions.  It is not changed by your talents and abilities.  It is simply there.  It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful.  God's love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve love.  It is simply always there." -- Thomas S. Monson (Ensign Nov 2013)

Retell it in your own words.  Share an experience of a time when you felt God's love for you.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

7.  (for a Young Woman or 11 yr old girl)  Recite the first sentence of the Young Women theme: "We are daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him."  Why is this important for you to know?  Share a personal experience.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

8.  (for a Young Woman) Do Individual Worth #1 in your Personal Progress.  Share your experience.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

9.  (for a Young Man)  Learn about the Godhead for your Duty to God.  Share what you have learned.  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

10.  (for older children) Ammon and Aaron were missionaries to people who did not know about God.  Read Alma 18:24-40 and 22:4-23.  What did these missionaries teach about the nature of God?  How can you follow their examples as you prepare to be a missionary?  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

11.  (for very young children) Look at a picture of the First Vision (GAK 403).  Who is in this picture?  How does Heavenly Father feel about Joseph Smith?  How does He feel about you?  Bear testimony of this week's principle.

12.  Read Hebrews 12:9.  Bear testimony that God is the Father of our spirits.

Seek the Lord Early (CS p.108)

Have you ever played hide and seek?
What does the "seeker" do?
What would happen if the seeker decided to just lay down on the couch and take a nap?
Would the "hider" ever be found?
Seeking is an action word; it requires you to DO something.

This is a song about you being a seeker.  Listen to the first line.  Who are you seeking? (The Lord)  When should you seek Him? (early in your life/ in your youth)

Now as you listen to the song, listen for the things that YOU need to do as a seeker.  (If you have pre-readers, you can use pictures rather than writing out a list. Then use those pictures to help sing the song.)
         Search the scriptures
         Fervent prayer (fervent means really wanting to know and communicate with Heavenly Father)
         Obey the living prophet
         Keep the commandments

If you do these things, the Lord promises three things.  Listen for the Lord's promises.
      He will help me to know the truth (through the Holy Ghost)
      His love will abound (abound means there is so much, it can't be contained)
      He will be found

Remember that the Lord isn't trying to be tricky.  He WANTS to be found.  He's just waiting for you to do the seeking .

Other ideas for discussion:
---Why is it important to seek the Lord EARLY while in your YOUTH?  Can you think of examples of youths in the scriptures? (Samuel, Nephi, Joseph Smith)  Did they follow this same pattern?

---What does it mean to "find" the Lord?  Joseph Smith found Him in a very literal and physical sense.  But that is not usually how He is found.  How can the Lord be found in your life?

---Why is obedience included as an important part of seeking?

Conclusion:
End with a personal experience of a time when you were seeking and were able to experience the Lord's promised blessings.  You can also include a time when you weren't actively seeking (figuratively sleeping on the couch) and the blessings you missed out on.  Bear your testimony of this doctrine.

Sing the song again and afterwards point out the Spirit testifying that what you sang is true.

Optional: You can play this game to practice the song.  Choose a "seeker" to leave the room for a moment.  Have another person hide a small picture of Jesus (pass-along card size) somewhere in the room.  When the seeker returns, begin singing the song.  Sing louder as the seeker gets closer to the hiding spot; sing softer if the seeker gets further away.  Keep singing until the picture is found, then choose a new seeker to play again.