Real intent

Today during Elder's Quorum the instructor mentioned something that really struck a chord with me.  He was discussing Conference and how President Nielsen suggested that we study the conference talks with real intent.  He asked about the definition of intent.  I had never really thought much about the word, just thinking that it meant with real desire. 

In Moroni 10:4, Moroni promises us that if we ask with real intent, having faith in Jesus Christ then He will make those things know unto us.  When I had read those words I guess I always just thought that they meant real desire.

When the instructor asked us what an intention was and that might help us understand the base word of intent.  An intention is something you plan to do.  It reminds me of a joke that Joe Anderson always said over the headset while working with the Forgotten Carols.  He said, "Crying children are like good intentions and should be carried out". 

This all led me to look up the definition in the dictionary.  An intent is a usually clearly formulated or planned intention.  An intention according to the dictionary is a determination to act in a certain way.  So an intent is a clearly formulated or planned determination to act in a certain way.  WOW!  That changes the passage in Moroni for me. 

Here's the complete fourth verse:

4 And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

If we ask with a sincere heart, with real clearly formulated or planned determination to act in a certain way, the certain way that the Lord might reveal to us, then he will manifest the truth of it unto you.  This changes everything!  When we pray or when we listen to conference we should be praying and listening in a way that will help us act upon what we are hearing or praying for.  It no longer just being acted upon.  We should have the determination to live and do the things which we hear and pray for.  No longer can we ask to bless so-and-so, we should ask but have a clearly defined plan on how we are going to act.  No longer can we ask to help us be kind to one another, but we should already have a determination to be kind to one another.

I think I've been missing this in my worship.  I feel like many of us just go to church, or pray or read and expect something miraculous to happen when it is our responsibility to have a determination planned out to act, TO ACT!  The gospel is about action, about doing all we can and not letting things just happen to us.