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President Munson: Seek Truth Through the Holy Ghost

A retired BYU-Hawaii accounting professor who has since served as a mission president and is currently in the Laie Temple presidency encouraged BYU-Hawaii "family" members in the July 22 devotional to seek truth through the power of the Holy Ghost. President Lloyd Munson, who taught at BYU-Hawaii for 21 years after retiring from the U.S. Air Force, said most members of the Church and many investigators are familiar with the Book of Mormon promise in Moroni 10, but "fail to read or understand" that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." While that is the goal, President Munson said "truth cannot be found...if the formula given by God through revelation is not followed." For example, he recalled one of his accounting students who asked him how he could do better in class. After suggesting a method that included reading the text chapter twice, Munson said he was almost speechless when the student asked, "Does that mean that I should buy the textbook?" Turning to examples from his nearly four years as president of the Florida-Tampa Mission, Munson recalled he often received anti-LDS literature that claimed any feelings investigators get after praying about the Book of Mormon couldn't be trusted. In response, he remembered the Apostle Paul's warning to the Ephesians [4:17-19] to "henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind. Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart being past feeling." Or as Nephi warned his brothers, Laman and Lemuel, who had seen and heard an angel, yet "ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words..." [I NE 17:45]. "Our first night's sleep was interrupted by a telephone call around 1 a.m. The Elder making the call said, 'President Munson, I just called to tell you that I am going home!' We made arrangements to meet together later that morning in the mission office where I was able to convince him to stay longer through the promptings of the Holy Ghost." In another instance, while 45 minutes away on their first P-Day after serving for several weeks, President Munson said he felt his pager vibrate, even though he had inadvertently left it in the office. When they got back to the mission home, he recalled, "a call to the number shown on the pager received an instant answer. The Elder said that he paged me several times and had been praying that I would call. There was no doubt in my mind that the Holy Ghost functioned in an unusual but effective manner that day." "The promptings of the Holy Ghost in making decisions falls somewhere between knowledge of things as they are and as they are to come," President Munson continued. "The gaining of testimonies comes from promptings of the Holy Ghost and probably relates most closely to the things as they are whereas actions taken as a result of our testimonies has an impact on things as they are to come." For example, he told how years ago the Holy Ghost had a calming influence on a nonmember couple in the Lakeland, Florida Stake who were in the middle of an argument when the doorbell rang. She said: "I called to my husband that two Mormon missionaries wanted to visit with us. His response was, 'send them away.' I was so mad at him that I invited them in." The husband continued the story: "As those missionaries came into the room, the ill feelings we had for each other just disappeared. We both knew that there was something special about these young men and the message they left with us." Finally, President Munson told of a humble Hispanic family that his assistant was teaching: "It was now time for the fifth discussion which includes the Law of Tithing. Elder Sumsion said he could not see any way that the family could pay tithing and he was tempted to leave any mention of it out of the discussion." "However, he knew that he had to. The husband had tears in his eyes as the presentation on tithing was made. At the conclusion of the lesson, the father said there is no way that we can pay tithing. However, I feel strongly that this is a true commandment from our Heavenly Father, so we will pay tithing." Before concluding, President Munson encouraged the BYU-Hawaii family "to keep your thoughts and actions clean and pure so that we are able to hear the 'still, small voice.' President Hinckley has reminded us many times of the importance of avoiding pornography. What we read, view or think can easily crowd out any possibilities for whisperings of the Holy Ghost. Likewise, we should only be in places where the Holy Ghost can prompt us." "Brothers and sisters, I testify to you that the Holy Ghost can be with you and will help you and strengthen you, even in your school work