In such a noisy world, Christians constantly strain to find peace in their hearts through moments, through events in a day, and through self-realization. Can our minds even fathom receiving peace in a Holy Presence? CS Lewis once said that "God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: It is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world." While CS Lewis never had the opportunity to feel God’s presence in the temple, I testify to you that the Spirit of God is an overwhelming feeling of joy and peace. But how do we receive His Spirit in a world where things are being thrown into our pond of consciousness? Can there really be a place of peace?

I know, by my experience in the temple, that He does not want the words "House of the Lord" engraved on just the building, but the inner and outer parts of our hearts as well. “I advise you all,” said Joseph Smith, “to go on to perfection and search deeper and deeper into the mystery of Godliness.” Where can we find this? In the House of God. One way to receive our Lord is to come to Him.

I recently had the honor of being able to enter into the House of the Lord. After being baptized about a year ago, one of my goals was to be able to learn how to become closer to my Creator by visiting His house. Brigham Young once exhorted "It is absolutely necessary that the saints should receive the further ordinances of the House of God before this short existence shall come to a close, that they may be prepared and fully able to pass all the sentinels leading into the celestial kingdom and into the presence of God” (Discourses of Brigham Young 12:163-164). We have a modern day prophet, President Thomas Monson, who encourages us to visit the Temple because he knows the blessings that will come to fruition for our own peace of mind on this earth and the world to come.

Since the beginning of time, from the Adamic dispensation to Jesus’ time, and beginning again with Joseph Smith, our fathers have had temples. Joseph Smith, the prophet that restored His kingdom, received the keys that released all heavenly ordinances, which bring us closer to His will and becoming what He sees in us. God placed the temple on earth for a specific purpose. This purpose is for us to return to His presence, to sanctify ourselves and to bury the natural man.

If we really knew who we are, and who we can become through Jesus Christ’s atonement, and actively participate in His plan, then we will leave the world behind. In D&C 110:7, the Living Savior reveals these words to Joseph Smith, "I have accepted this house, and my name shall be here; and I will manifest myself to my people in mercy in this house." How merciful is a Lord who demonstrates His love for us by keeping His word by bringing our combined joy and Spirit to reunite in a place of sanctuary and worship.

What does the temple mean to me? In simplicity, it is a place where I come to KNOW my Savior. This is where the plan of salvation comes to life. Only when we know where we came from, who we are at this time, and where we’re going can we begin to see the real role of Jesus Christ in our life.  The temple helps me to develop a personal relationship with God. This relationship will magnify our position as a child, allowing us the opportunity to stand exalted with the Father. This Fatherly love can only be understood once we truly understand we are beings made in the form of God.

There are many resources, books, and scriptures that invite us to come to the knowledge of our God. However, we are mortals bearing feelings and emotions well designed by our Maker. We do things because of the way something makes us feel. Even being baptized, there was a longing in my heart where I needed to be more sure of things to come. There is a place in the world where I can learn through feeling and spiritually revealed knowledge that I am a literal spiritual offspring of Deity.

The first place I had to start was taking spirituality as a serious journey and not a lukewarm, foot-dipping in the waters of religion. Our Spirits are running towards a loving God, as our natural minds are running towards a shallow world of empty promises. As Hugh Nibley once stated “If you take yourself seriously, you won’t take the gospel seriously and the other way around. If you take the gospel seriously then you will say, now I know that man is nothing. . . . Oh, the nothingness of man. We can joke about ourselves once we take the gospel seriously and once we know its blessings and promises. Then we can relax and breathe easily and have some fun, which I don’t do enough of.” I am learning to love to sacrifice things of the world for the sake of being closer to my Father in Heaven.

In Matthew 7:23, Joseph Smith (by the power of the Holy Ghost) translates what Jesus really meant when he said "...I never knew you." If He doesn’t know us we can assume that we never really knew Him. The most profound change is the altering of our human eyes to match our Creator’s eyes. Robert Millet said, “We do not see things as they really are; we see things as we really are.” How much peace of mind it is to know that every problem is only temporary and what a blessing it is to become like our Heavenly Father?

I testify that our Father in heaven has a breathtaking desire in his heart for us to learn of ourselves in His House. He wants us to feel comforted by His overwhelming mercy. He wants to individually remind us in a compassionate manner that we were with Him before our first breath on this earth. He doesn't want us to be confused about who we really are and why we came here. He wants us to remember, as an old Jewish proverb says, “the worst thing the evil inclination can ever do to you, is to have you forget that you are the son or daughter of a king."

Our natural parents want us to be like them, and to excel with their guidance. In the same way, Our Father in Heaven wants to give us a roadmap where we can walk, crawl, or climb in spiritual intervals to His presence. Truman Madsen said, “ ‘To be or not to be?' That is not the question. What is the question? The question is not one of being, but of becoming. ‘To become more or not to become more,’ This is the question faced by each intelligence in our universe.” You will know your real purpose as the Spirit of God reveals it to you in His time. In the temple, God adds His glory through ordinances to show you the perfect avenue of becoming more like Him.

Truman G Madsen said, "I have faith that if only twenty thousand caught hold of God's living candle on that truth and went out into the world--I don't care if the vocations are sensational, spectacular, or brilliant--just out in the world being true to the vision, we would not need to defend the cause of Jesus Christ. People would come and ask, "Where have you found such peace? Where have you found the radiance that I sense in your eyes and in your face? How come you don't get carried away with the world?" And we could answer that the work of salvation is the glorious work of Jesus Christ. But it is also the glorious work of the uncovering and recovering of your own latent divinity” (BYU Speeches, 3 March 1974). As Moses came down from Mount Sinai, that same light in his countenance is available to all saints who persist in engaging in the temples ordinances. As Moses desired the Israelites to see the face of God, we too must also seek for the face of God. All the learning in the world will not enhance our joy if we never learn who we really are. We can’t do this task alone. Many believe that revelation is a thing of the past. It isn't gone and I know that. As long as we’re progressing, and trying to make an effort to visit Him, He will bless us to continue our spiritual progression. The knowledge of the creation, the council in heaven, and our first parents will enlighten us beyond measure. Where we came from spiritually will aid us in the full measure of where our Creator wants us to go. All these questions are answered and the answers are portrayed in the temple in a manner that our souls will never forget.

Our bodies are a temple of our Creator as well. "The elements are the tabernacle of God; yea, man is the tabernacle of God, even temples...” (D&C 93:35). If we envision ourselves as a mini-temple, carrying back the Light and revelation we received in the House of God, then we would see things the way our God sees us. I feel more comfort knowing (for myself) that we may bring this peace to our habitations. I know he wants us to bring the peace back to where we live, where we work, and back to our family and friends who don’t know about the gospel. The countenance of knowing allows our souls to shine without any restraint.

I love the house of My Lord, and I testify to you that He dwells there. I testify to you that the Temple is a house of Worship and Ordinances that are a step-by-step procedure to embarking on your journey to His Presence. I pray that we will help people get to the temple. I pray that everyone who reads this may ask if God wants you to visit him, and when that sense of peace floods your heart, the heavens may prompt you to talk to your bishop and setup a way to see Him. On a personal note, I cannot receive the fullness of joy without seeing my brothers and sisters embark on your journey as well. My prayer is sincere, and I urge you to take steps towards His doorstep. I say this in the Holy and Sacred Name of Jesus Christ, AMEN.