4 And they shall contend one with another; and their priests shall contend one with another, and they shall teach with their learning, and deny the Holy Ghost, which giveth utterance.
When we rely on our own learning to teach, we miss out on the blessings that come from teaching by the Spirit. Some of those blessings are:
- We can teach things we did not know previously, as the Holy Ghost guides our words. President Romney said, “I always know when I am speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost because I always learn something from what I’ve said.” (quoted in “Teaching with the Power and Authority of God,” David M. McConkie, General Conference, October, 2013)
- Those we teach can learn things we did not say, as the Holy Ghost teaches them directly.
- We and our students are edified, and we rejoice together. (D&C 50:21-22)
Today, as I have teaching opportunities, I will seek for the companionship of the Holy Ghost and avoid trying to teach with my learning alone.
There is often a difference in “preparing a lesson” and “preparing to teach”. Preparing a lesson focuses on preparing material and what's to be said and taught. Preparing to teach still requires preparing material, but it focuses on being prepared to go in the direction the Spirit directs. Sometimes it's tempting when teaching to “get back to the lesson”, but often w need to let go of our preplanned lesson and learning, and depend on our spiritual preparation and the Spirit to give the message we should. Thanks for this reminder to focus on the Spirit.
That is a great point. The way we prepare can make a huge difference in our ability to teach by the Spirit rather than adhere to a predetermined script. Thanks for your comment!