Revelation comes through the mind and through the heart: “Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.” (D&C 8:2) “Through the mind” refers to our thoughts. Our thoughts work in conjunction with our efforts to investigate: to study, to think, to reason, to test. All reason tends toward what is right, but is only as good as our honesty. We will selectively include or exclude observations and twist interpretations to the degree that we are willing to lie. “Through the heart” refers to our feelings and desires. These interplay because our feelings are useful only inasmuch as our desire is toward good continually. Inasmuch as we lack trust in God and/or desire what is not according to our best understanding of right and wrong, our feelings will lead toward evil.
Some things are revealed without our seeking them. These types of revelation are rare. Most revelation comes commensurate with the amount of consideration we invest. The Lord said that he will expand our awareness if we ask him to: “Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” (Jeremiah 33:3)
Many times the Lord has invited and instructed us to ask, seek, and knock. What does this mean? It means to consider there is more to be aware of than you presently know, and to seek God for it. It means to ask him questions with the intent to have your awareness expanded, knowing that many times this will include the replacement of things you currently regard as true with something better.
We get revelation most often according to the topics we desire. Our desire is like a flashlight pointing a specific direction in the dark. It both actuates our learning and constrains it.
It seems that we all constrain the topics and content of what God can reveal to us. There are things we would rather not know. Don’t fear God. He has never given you a reason to, and he never will. He alone is worthy of your perfect trust. God will never reveal something to you that you are incapable of obeying, and he will never reveal something to you that isn’t precisely calculated to yield the greatest joy you are prepared to receive.
By having a radically open mind, you will not constrain what he can tell you. Having an open mind does not mean ignoring everything you have learned to this point. It means being willing to question those things and replace them when sufficient reasoning is provided. Being open-minded opens the flood gates, admitting the consideration of all things, both true and false. Constricting that aperture will successfully reduce the quantity of falsehood you consider, but will do so at the expense of truth you’ll never get to.
The solution to false positives is not dogmatism (a constricted aperture), but discernment. Discernment is the ability to evaluate truth. The evaluation of truth is discussed in another chapter.