How do I know when I'm feeling the Spirit?

[Gatsby]

I've been wondering this for quite a long time now. How do you know when you're feeling the spirit of God?

I'm a member of the church. I am inative right now, the only reason i became a member was because my whole family was going to. (I became a member at 13)

Now, I want to know the truth, but I'm afraid.

Can someone describe how it feels to have the spirit with them? How can I know when it is the spirit?

[georgia2]

This is an excellent question!

I think it takes a lifetime of listening, feeling, acting on the feelings, promptings, to be able to discern or distinguish when the spirit is speaking to you.

When I was taking the discussions 30 years ago, the missionaries had to explain it to me. I had been feeling the Spirit but didn't know that I was ! They asked me how I felt after I had been praying about the church. I told them that I had a feeling inside like I had just fallen in love. That happy, elated, hopeful feeling. they told me that this was the Spirit, but I still had to pray and ask if this truly was the spirit! I have been trying to understand it and recognize it ever since! Of course I have gotten better at it! THe Spirit speaks to us in many ways. Each of us is unique and as such the Spirit speaks to us in unique ways. Sometimes it is a clear and distinct thought straight out of no where. It can be a thought that keeps coming to our minds that we try to dismiss. Sometimes it can be a feeling of peace and comfort, Sometimes it can be a feeling of warmth and overpowering emotion. Sometimes it can be a bird that catches our attention as we are praying or wondering if God hears us or is aware of us. It is as though through nature, Heavenly Father has his creatures tell us, "Yes I know you are there and I am with you always!" The Spirit can speak to us through dreams, and even through others. He speaks to us as we listen to conference and ideas come t our minds. this is personal revelation that is intended to help us to grow individually. I heard a talk on BYU tv a few weeks ago from an education week speaker that for me described inspiration and revelation in a way that hit home with me and really helped to firm up what I had already experienced. I will try to find it and post it or send you a comment on your page.

The most important thing is to search the scriptures, pray in faith that you will receive answers, then they will come. He knows you better than you know yourself and He knows what you need to feel or hear to realize that He IS answering your prayer. Ask Him to let you know, ask him to help you recognize his Spirit and guidance, then be open to receive His answers.

[georgia2]

Receiving, Recognizing, and Responding to Revelation

Craig J. Ostler Education week 2007

BYU Broadcasting | Education Week Media Archive

you can watch on windows or quicktime.

[Traveler]

I've been wondering this for quite a long time now. How do you know when you're feeling the spirit of God?

I'm a member of the church. I am inative right now, the only reason i became a member was because my whole family was going to. (I became a member at 13)

Now, I want to know the truth, but I'm afraid.

Can someone describe how it feels to have the spirit with them? How can I know when it is the spirit?

You will only feel the spirit when you have made place for that spirit in you very being. I suggest that you attend your ward meetings and make note of how you feel. If you are still confused - ask to meet with your bishop.

The Traveler

[Justice]

On the road to Emmaus, the 2 disciples that walked and talked with the Savior after His resurrection said, "Did our hearts not burn within us?"

The Spirit comes in different ways to different people. Often, the Spirit is felt differently even by the same person. However, I believe there is one constant when the Spirit is present, and it is the promised sign of the Spirit from before the world was created, which is the sign of the dove.

In a word, peace.

Peace is the one thing Satan cannot duplicate. It's not in his mind or intention to make us feel peace. When the Holy Ghost speaks to us we feel it in many ways, but the feelings of peace that attend it or come shortly after are a sure sign from God, and a promise, that it is the Spirit and it is of Him.

With a study of peace and what brings this strange-to-the-world feeling will help you understand why it is such a sure sign.

Peace is the answer.

[Guest tomk]

Here is a favorite scripture of mine regarding the fruits (the results) of having the Spirit:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

In my life, particularly, it has been peace that I have felt.

I also recognize it as strokes of intuition (revelation) concerning certain scriptures. Or even "secular" work-related questions! A verse I am familiar with opens up to me in new ways I never imagined it could. THAT is the Spirit of God working in my life. He does it for me. He'll do it for anybody who seeks Him with full purpose of heart.

But most of all, the influence leaves me with a feeling of peace.

[rameumptom]

In Alma 32, it tells us that the Spirit works in specific ways:

It makes our bosom/heart to swell/burn, it increases our intellect, it causes our soul to expand, and it becomes "delicious" to us.

[Guest joshuadc]

I've been wondering this for quite a long time now. How do you know when you're feeling the spirit of God?

I'm a member of the church. I am inative right now, the only reason i became a member was because my whole family was going to. (I became a member at 13)

Now, I want to know the truth, but I'm afraid.

Can someone describe how it feels to have the spirit with them? How can I know when it is the spirit?

Ask a Muslim, a hindu, or a Jew how they feel the spirit, look back on the worshipers of Zeus into their feelings, you will most likely find the signs identical and providing no additional proof or worth, grow up a bit, do your own homework, think for yourself, and don't worry about any myth or "reality" your family tried to teach you before the age of reason, I may get banned for posting this, but that is only further proof of the fear that religous people have of reason, and objectivity....now am I saying morally the LDS church is off...NO, not drinking, doing drugs, and not having pre-marital sex are all good values, but for more than metaphysical reasons!

good luck

D

[Gatsby]

On the road to Emmaus, the 2 disciples that walked and talked with the Savior after His resurrection said, "Did our hearts not burn within us?"

The Spirit comes in different ways to different people. Often, the Spirit is felt differently even by the same person. However, I believe there is one constant when the Spirit is present, and it is the promised sign of the Spirit from before the world was created, which is the sign of the dove.

In a word, peace.

Peace is the one thing Satan cannot duplicate. It's not in his mind or intention to make us feel peace. When the Holy Ghost speaks to us we feel it in many ways, but the feelings of peace that attend it or come shortly after are a sure sign from God, and a promise, that it is the Spirit and it is of Him.

With a study of peace and what brings this strange-to-the-world feeling will help you understand why it is such a sure sign.

Peace is the answer.

I have felt "peace" while reading the BOM and trying to find out whether it was true or not. Thanks for making that clear.

[Gatsby]

Here is a favorite scripture of mine regarding the fruits (the results) of having the Spirit:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

In my life, particularly, it has been peace that I have felt.

I also recognize it as strokes of intuition (revelation) concerning certain scriptures. Or even "secular" work-related questions! A verse I am familiar with opens up to me in new ways I never imagined it could. THAT is the Spirit of God working in my life. He does it for me. He'll do it for anybody who seeks Him with full purpose of heart.

But most of all, the influence leaves me with a feeling of peace.

Then i have felt it many times while reading the scriptures.

[Gatsby]

In Alma 32, it tells us that the Spirit works in specific ways:

It makes our bosom/heart to swell/burn, it increases our intellect, it causes our soul to expand, and it becomes "delicious" to us.

I like that! Thanks.:)

[Gatsby]

Ask a Muslim, a hindu, or a Jew how they feel the spirit, look back on the worshipers of Zeus into their feelings, you will most likely find the signs identical and providing no additional proof or worth, grow up a bit, do your own homework, think for yourself, and don't worry about any myth or "reality" your family tried to teach you before the age of reason, I may get banned for posting this, but that is only further proof of the fear that religous people have of reason, and objectivity....now am I saying morally the LDS church is off...NO, not drinking, doing drugs, and not having pre-marital sex are all good values, but for more than metaphysical reasons!

good luck

D

[rameumptom]

Joshua obviously has never experienced a "metaphysical" event.

His attempt to make religious experiences equal falls flat, in that most are not described in the way LDS spiritual events are. Second, Mohammed was the only Muslim that experienced the angel Gabriel. Meanwhile, Joseph Smith had others with him: Oliver Cowdery in receiving the two priesthoods, the Three Witnesses of the Book of Mormon, Sidney Rigdon in seeing the Vision of the Heavens (D&C 76), and hundreds who witnessed angels at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple. Either Joseph was an expert at mass hallucinations, or there was something supernatural about his profession as prophet.

Given that his prophetic writings include things that no one in his time knew, I'd suggest we consider it revelatory from an actual God. For example, in the Book of Moses, he tells of Enoch coming across a man Mahijah in the land of Mahujah. This man asks him questions. In the Dead Sea Scrolls fragments of Enoch, we have a man Mahujah who talks to Enoch. No where else is this found, except in these two places. So, if it wasn't by revelation, can anyone (Joshua?) tell me where Joseph Smith got hold of a copy of the Dead Sea Scrolls (found in 1947, a century after his death)?

There are several other evidences just like this, which show that Joseph received his information from a supernatural source.

[Justice]

Why peace?

Sometimes we don't understand how this peace comes about or why it is such a vital part of the Spirit's work.

Think of it this way. The Holy Ghost is sent to teach truth. When you learn truth about something your mind is put to ease over that thing. Before you learn truth, there is confusion and wonder. Once you learn the truth about a matter, your mind can rest. No longer are you anxious over determining what is true, but the peace is the confirmation promised by God that we have learned truth, or have been shown the answer that we know is right according to God. This is why we must be humble and teachable. We must be willing to accept, or even do if necessary, what He teaches us. This is one way pride prevents us from learning truth.

Peace attends one who has learned the truth. So, apply that to your study of scripture, especially the Book of Mormon, and it's easy to see why feelings of peace often attend us while we read it. It answers and puts to rest many things we may be confused about.

This differs from the learning of the world which deals in percentages, not absolutes. When man conducts a study or embarks on a process to learn a thing without involving God, he will never know if that thing is true, but will only end up with a determined percentage of certainty. This is another way pride prevents us from learning truth.

The revealing of absolute truth to man by God puts a man's mind at ease concerning the matter, resulting in peace. Satan wants you to remain confused, thereby not feeling peace, and stresses that absolute truth cannot be obtained. Satan knows that all absolute truth comes from God and therefore he leads men away from all forms of it.

God will reveal any and all truths to us if we desire to know... and ask with faith. This remains a great mystery to men who seek to learn the way the world learns.

Edited December 2, 2008 by Justice

[ninjormon]

Feeling the spirit is different for everyone, most feel peacefullness others feel fire. Some feel power and some feel still. You have to actually try to feel the spirit. If you do things contrary to that it will be that much harder. I had been doing things and hanging around the wrong friends and I felt not only could I not feel/hear the spirit but that my prayers werent being heard either. It was like there was a complete lack of communication on both sides. It took me over a week of fasting, praying, and study to get what I wanted, but once it came the fire in me was stronger than ever. It felt like what I would imagine Jacob felt wrestling with an angel. I could feel the struggle. Keep fighting and trying. Just as important as trying to feel the spirit you have to guard yourself against other influences. You can become dessensitized. This is the point where you cant feel the spirit and then you have to fight harder than ever before to get it back. Each time you have to fight this fight it gets harder and harder. Its much better to fight a little every day and safeguard yourself than not fight and lose altogether. And when you pray, prepare to pray first, think about every good and bad thing in your life, think about what you truly want, think about what you want for those around you and how you can be a part of that for them, pray till you cry, then keep praying till you cant stop crying, this is a good start. It might not happen overnight but do this and you wont want to stop or miss a day. If you ever get to the point where you dont feel like praying or something tells you not to, you are in trouble and it means you need to pray.

[MaidservantX]

I agree with Justice that peace is the one thing that Satan cannot duplicate. Because Satan can duplicate a lot of nice things, like love. I remember feeling such sweet feelings during a time when I was making choices that eventually destroyed me. I took these feelings as the Spirit . . . and I was wrong.

I am past needing the Spirit to know if the church is true although from time to time I enjoy an additional witness. But my struggle right now is being led by the Spirit day to day in choices I make, and I have had failures and I am gradually learning my successes. I am not a person who can rely on the Spirit as being an emotional feeling. My emotions are not built correctly inside of me, and so I cannot use them for much truth at all. Instead I have come to realize that the Spirit invests itself into all of my being (if I prepare for it) -- physical, intellectual, emotional and so forth. I want the Spirit of God to enlighten all parts of my being and have a cleansing, redemptive effect on everything about me.

My mother in law once gave me a key about recognizing the Spirit. She pointed me to The Book of Moses, chapter 1. This is where Moses has experiences with first, God, and then Satan visits him. Moses is able to recognize Satan and tell him to go away precisely because he has had his experiences with God and knows the difference. So I have learned that I need to avail myself of visits with God -- prayer, scripture, church attendance, temple attendance, visiting teaching, obedience to commandments, loving kindness to my family. If I am immersed in these things, then I know God, and a by-product of that is that I will know Satan when he shows up also, and be able to tell him to get out.

A second key I learned for myself. The beginning (?) of listening to the Spirit is to listen to the living prophet. You must know what the prophet is teaching (this includes the apostles and the scriptures, but most definitely the current prophet). Then you must do what the prophet is teaching. Then, when you first start feeling impressions, you need to check them up against what the prophet is saying. If the impression is reconciled with the teachings of the living prophet, you have the Spirit. If it isn't, you don't. This is step one, to me. I hope it helps you. Later on in ones experience, a person can know the Spirit without constant "checking" perhaps.

I am right now going through one of the greatest challenges of my life and I feel I am at a new level of needing guidance. The right and the wrong choice(s) are not clear to me. I need to hear my Father in heaven give me his counsel. I need to have the veil parted to some degree. This is a level of spiritual impression that I have not needed, sought for or had the capacity for, but now I have no alternative. And so I am finding ways to immerse myself -- go back to the basics. I am fasting, attending the temple, forsaking all uncleanness, and so forth.

In any case, I wish you God's blessing on your journey.

Joshua . . . Muslims, Hindus, and all children of God are capable of experiencing the Spirit. I would hope they are full of the Spirit, and they are, if they are living what they believe to be right and according to whatever teaching and guidance their Father in heaven has dispensed to them in their life at this time. Any child of God who seeks God on an individual basis will be met by God on an individual basis.

[Misshalfway]

There is one thing I know about the spirit...... and that is the absence of fear in the message. I may have fear as I contemplate obedience to some command or nudge but the message itself is always void of fear.

I think that faith is an important part of the learning process with regards to the Spirit. I think that we use our intellect AND emotional/spiritual center to discern the Spirit voice above all the other voices and "guesses" inside our minds. I think when you describe feeling the fruits of the spirit (which is somewhat different than the spirit itself) then exercise your faith to follow the feelings. Apply yourself to obedience and the process of coming to Christ in humility that you will follow Him as He leads you along. Discipline the feelings of doubt and fear. They don't come from the Lord. They are the adversary's way of interrupting the leading process. If you recognize that when those feelings come, it helps to move your mind and spirit back into a posture of faith.

The scriptures say "be believing". I think that as you move forward in faith, the Spirit will come to confirm your obedience even if it comes AFTER you obey. Remember there is generally darkness before the light comes. And then once you learn how to open the doors to a little light, you will start to open more and more doors and more and more light will come. Remember that sin shuts the doors. So does pride and lack of faith. Your abilities to discern the spirit will increase with every step of your faith. That is the cool part of faith. It leads one to powerful places of light. It isn't in this sense blind at all.

[Hemidakota]

How do we recognizing spirit, it begins with your spiritual attunement and maturity in the gospel is how you receive and recognize when it comes. It will vary for each person based on those two simple principles.

In the Church News, years ago, a short article was written to answer that question called: 'RECOGNIZE SPIRIT WHEN IT IS MANIFEST'

Date: 04/29/89

The Lord instructed members that if they are to receive His spirit, they must be obedient to the commandments.

"For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsover is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ.

"And the Spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; and the Spirit enlighteneth every man through the world, that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit.

"And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father." (D&C 84:45-47.)

Instructing missionaries at the Missionary Training Center June 21, 1988, Elder Dallin H. Oaks of the Council of the Twelve explained to missionaries that to teach by the Spirit, they must learn to recognize its influence.

"I know from experience that some seasoned members of the Church do not know when they are receiving a witness of the Spirit. . . .

"Perhaps lifelong members of the Church don't recognize the testimony of the Spirit because they have had it so often they take it for granted. Perhaps they are looking for something startling and different. . . .

"I have heard adult members of the Church claim they do not have a testimony because they have never experienced a 'burning in the bosom.' (D&C 9:8.)

"If I thought this scriptural "burning" only referred to caloric heat, I would have to say that I have never had a burning in the bosom either. . . . In this usage, it does not seem to refer to heat but rather to an intensity of feeling.

"For me, the witness of the Holy Ghost is an intense feeling of serenity or well-being."

Sources: Church History and Modern Revelation, vol. 2, by Joseph Fielding Smith. Doctrine and Covenants Student Manual; Journal of Discourses, vol. 4; and "Teaching by the Spirit," an address by Elder Dallin H. Oaks.

Other worthy references that can be found on LDS.Org site [2038 references found].

I will just list a few here that may help you:

Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer

in Richard G. Scott, Ensign, 1989, Nov.

... - Ensign Article - Learning to Recognize Answers to Prayer Skip to Content Skip ... know that thou hast been enlightened by the Spirit of truth.” ( D&C 6:14–15... more...

Helping Youth Follow the Spirit

in Brad Wilcox, Ensign, 1992, Apr.

... and leaders talked me into it.” Helping Them Recognize the Spirit Young people sometimes ask, “Is it...have been as effective as the voice of the Spirit. She was able to recognize it and respond properly. That is the kind of spiritual ability we want...

That We May Always Have His Spirit to Be with Us

in David A. Bednar, Ensign, 2006, May

...). My message this afternoon focuses on the baptism of the Spirit and the blessings that flow from the companionship of the Holy Ghost.... emphasize the importance of recognizing the inspiration and promptings we receive from the Spirit of the Lord. And such ...

Have I Received an Answer from the Spirit?

in Jay E. Jensen, Ensign, 1989, Apr.

... too often we are worked upon by the Spirit and do not even know ...direction in a variety of ways. Consider the following: The Spirit Speaks Peace to the Mind The feeling of peace...We would do well to recognize how often the Spirit inspires us and work...

Keeping Our Balance: Recognizing and Resisting Excesses in Our Efforts to Live the Gospel

in O. Don Ostler, Ensign, 1983, June

... Ostler, “Keeping Our Balance: Recognizing and Resisting Excesses in Our Efforts ... and pastimes adopt a course that looks to the spirit as well as the letter, the intention and not ... Too often we do not recognize God as our partner; we become ...

Gifts of the Spirit

in Robert D. Hales, Ensign, 2002, Feb.

... his or her personal blessing. How Do We Recognize the Gifts of the Spirit? One might ask, What are the spiritual manifestations of the gifts of the Spirit? The scriptures are clear with regard to the feelings one has within when ...

Yielding to the Enticings of the Holy Spirit

in Kenneth Johnson, Ensign, 2002, Nov.

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Yielding to the Enticings of the Holy Spirit Skip to Content Skip to Navigation Search All Church ...

Strength of the Spirit

in Joseph Anderson, Ensign, 1974, May

LDS.org - Ensign Article - Strength of the Spirit Skip to Content Skip to Navigation Search All Church Content Gospel Library

Teaching and Learning by the Spirit

in Dallin H. Oaks, Ensign, 1997, Mar.

... And preparation is a prerequisite to teaching by the Spirit. Being Led by the Spirit The next principle after preparation is the requirement that...Way First, we should recognize that the Lord will speak to us through the Spirit in his own time...

First Presidency Message Inspirational Thoughts

in Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, 1998, July

... Young University devotional, Marriott Center, 17 Sept. 1996). Recognizing the Spirit “How do we know the things of the Spirit? How do we know that it is from God? By the fruits of it. If it leads to growth ...