By the Spirit

And the Spirit shall be given unto you by the prayer of faith and if ye receive not the spirit ye shall not teach. Doctrine & Covenants 42:14

Teaching and learning spiritual truth can only be done spirit to spirit, as a transaction between the spirit of the teacher, the spirit of the hearer, and the Spirit of the Lord. Righteous teachers pray for the Spirit to be with them so that a confirmation will come to their hearers of the truthfulness of what they teach. Because all who are members of the Church are teachers in one way or another, ours is a continual process of studying and preparing, repenting and overcoming, as we humbly do our best to be “an example of the believers” (1 Timothy 4:12). We cannot fake, shortcut, or cram. If we do not have the Spirit, we can talk, but we do not teach; we can speak, but we do not inspire with the influence of the Spirit. Both hearer and teacher can usually feel the difference. It is both a commandment and a statement of fact: If we do not have the Spirit, we cannot teach. (Robert L. Millet and Lloyd D. Newell. Draw Near Unto Me: Daily Reflections on the Doctrine and Covenants. 109)