1 And now, it came to pass that when king Benjamin had made an end of speaking the words which had been delivered unto him by the angel of the Lord, that he cast his eyes round about on the multitude, and behold they had fallen to the earth, for the fear of the Lord had come upon them.
2 And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.
3 And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.
(Mosiah 4:1-3)
After hearing King Benjamin’s words, his people were painfully aware of their fallen natures. They “viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth.” Recognizing their own weakness, they were prepared to reach out to God and receive the salvation King Benjamin had described.
When “the Spirit of the Lord came upon them,” they were filled with joy and peace. Receiving the Holy Ghost is correlated with receiving a remission of our sins, because the Spirit “dwelleth not in unholy temples” (Mosiah 2:37).
That cleansing and purifying power of the Atonement is always available to us. The Holy Ghost is always available to us. But we have to seek it. King Benjamin’s people found the motivation to seek these blessings through a recognition of their own fallen state. That recognition humbled them and impelled them to exercise faith and to pray for forgiveness.
Today, I will acknowledge my weaknesses and seek for the grace of God. I will remember that I must be pure in order to enjoy the companionship of the Holy Ghost and that only the Atonement of Jesus Christ can purify me. I will exercise faith to pray for forgiveness of my sins, so that, like King Benjamin’s people I can be filled with joy and have peace of conscience.