Radio Tubes of Revelation

Yesterday, at Institute, I enjoyed an inspiring lesson about the life and teachings of President Harold B. Lee. What stuck out most to me from that lesson was a message he shared with someone who was having trouble receiving revelation. After asking a few questions, President Lee learned that the man hadn't been living many of God's commandments. By way of advice, President Lee said this:

In my home I have a beautiful instrument called a radio. When everything is in good working order we can dial it to a certain station and pick up the voice of a speaker of singer all the way across the continent or sometimes on the other side of the world, bringing them into the front room as though they were almost right there. But after we have used it for a long time, the little delicate instruments or electrical devices on the inside called radio tubes begin to wear out. When one of them wears out, we may get some static -- it isn't so clear. Another wears out, and if we don't give it attention, the sound may fade in and out.  And if another one wears out -- well, the radio may sit there looking quite like it did before, but because of what has happened on the inside, we can hear nothing. 

Now, you and I have within our souls something like what might be said to be a counterpart of those radio tubes. We might have what we call a "go-to-sacrament-meeting" tube, a "keep-the-Word-of-Wisdom" tube, a "pay-your-tithing" tube, a "have-your-family-prayers" tube, a "read-the-scriptures" tube, and, as one of the most important -- one that might be said to be a master tube of our whole soul -- we have what we might call the "keep-yourselves-morally-clean" tube. If one of these becomes worn out by disuse or inactivity -- if we fail to keep the commandments of God -- it has the same effect upon our spiritual selves that a worn-out tube has in a radio.
-Stand Ye in Holy Places

Essentially, President Lee said that the more we keep the commandments of God, the easier it will be for us to receive and understand personal revelation. None of us are perfect at keeping all of God's commandments, and none of us are perfectly able to receive personal revelation, but the more of God's commandments we sincerely try to keep, the more able we will be to receive inspiration and guidance. Thus, personal revelation is one of the many rich rewards for those who strive to live righteously.