Look at the bottom of this post for links to the previous three parts in this series.
Once we learn to invite the spirit into our lives, and rely on it for survival, we have to be able to recognize it, and follow its promptings. If asked what the Spirit felt like, it would most likely be a different answer for every person. I love the talk by Elder Packer called the Candle of the Lord. This was a talk he gave to new mission presidents.
Since we may not be able to perfectly describe what the Spirit is to someone else, it might be hard to recognize the promptings of it. He says, “The spiritual part of us and the emotional part of us are so closely linked that is possible to mistake an emotional impulse for something spiritual. We occasionally find people who receive what they assume to be spiritual promptings from God, when those promptings are either centered in the emotions or are from the adversary.”
He goes on to say,
“The voice of the Spirit is described in the scripture as being neither “loud” nor “harsh.” It is “not a voice of thunder, neither … voice of a great tumultuous noise.” But rather, “a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper,” and it can “pierce even to the very soul” and “cause [the heart] to burn.” (3 Ne. 11:3; Hel. 5:30; D&C 85:6–7.) Remember, Elijah found the voice of the Lord was not in the wind, nor in the earthquake, nor in the fire, but was a “still small voice.” (1 Kgs. 19:12.)
The Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all.”
Each of us has to learn how to recognize the Spirit, and how it will manifest to us in our own lives. For me, it is usually a thought that comes into my mind. When I ponder it, I usually feel good about it. If we do not tune out the non-essential things in our lives, we might easily miss the opportunities to follow the spirit in our own lives. If the spirit is usually a whispering, then what is going on in our lives that might prevent us from hearing that whispering?
When I think of a whisper, I think of having to strain to hear what someone is saying to me. They need to be close. If they were standing across the room from me, I definitely would not hear it. If the Spirit does usually speak to us quietly, then we need to be straining to hear it, or we might just miss it.
More importantly, we need to obey it when we do hear it. If we do not follow it, then it can and most likely will be taken away from us. I think that is part of the reason the missionaries have the spirit with them so strongly all of the time. It is because they are seeking it, relying on it, recognizing it, and following it all day long.
I referred to missionaries and my mission a lot in this series. I think that is because we all know that missionaries are full of the spirit. Investigators can feel it, and so can we when we are around them. While we are not all full-time missionaries, we have the same ability and right to have that same kind of spirit in our own lives daily. But, we have to be the ones to take action. If we seek it, rely on it, recognize it, and follow it, then we can feel that same power in our lives daily, and it will be like we have a road map for our lives.
Seeking and Following the Spirit-Part 1
Seeking and Following the Spirit-Part 2
Seeking and Following the Spirit-Part 3