First seek to obtain my word

The Lord did not ask Hyrum Smith to begin preaching the gospel. Rather, He commanded Hyrum to study the Bible and also the Book of Mormon when the translation was completed (see D&C 11:22). Then, the Lord said, Hyrum could go forward declaring His word with the promise of help from the Spirit. President Henry B. Eyring explained how a study of the scriptures will prepare a person to declare the gospel with God’s power:

“The Holy Ghost will guide what we say if we study and ponder the scriptures every day. The words of the scriptures invite the Holy Spirit. The Lord said it this way: ‘Seek not to declare my word, but first seek to obtain my word, and then shall your tongue be loosed; then, if you desire, you shall have my Spirit and my word, yea, the power of God unto the convincing of men’ (D&C 11:21). With daily study of the scriptures, we can count on this blessing even in casual conversations or in a class when we may be asked by a teacher to respond to a question. We will experience the power the Lord promised: ‘Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man’ (D&C 84:85).

“We treasure the word of God not only by reading the words of the scriptures but by studying them. We may be nourished more by pondering a few words, allowing the Holy Ghost to make them treasures to us, than to pass quickly and superficially over whole chapters of scripture” (“Feed My Lambs,” Ensign, Nov. 1997, 83–84).