How to interpret the Spirit?


Juloe
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I personally dislike the phrase "burning in the bosom"- to me that sounds like heartburn, which is anything but divine.  Rather, to me the Holy Ghost feels like... calmness.  I most equate it to the scriptural scene "Master the tempest is raging!"-- the Master calms the seas.  He calms the storm in me-- soothes my inner ADD-jack-rabbit self to be calm and just listen.  To be calm and just feel.  And yes, from that feeling does come conviction to move, but also comes conviction to just be.  To just stay and be.

I find that how the Spirit touches each of us is very different.  Each person first needs to learn what it feels like to them- learn how to listen to Him, and then is better guided to specific answers.  And as many others said here, often times the biggest answers are built over time- like the swelling of the tide in each of our hearts.  

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24 minutes ago, Juloe said:

 What exactly does “burning in the bosom“ and “stupor of thought”  feel like anyone have any experience? 

I agree with @Jane_Doe that everyone feels the Spirit differently - and can feel the Spirit in different ways at different times - I can think of no fewer than 4 distinct ways in which I have felt the Spirit - only one of them is "the norm".

I think the closest I could come to "stupor of thought" was the inability to stay focused on what I was praying about - my mind just wouldn't stay there for more than a second.  More common for me here is to feel uneasy or uncomfortable going forward with something.

I have once in my life felt something that could be called a "burning in the bosom".  It started as a warm, slightly tingly sensation at my heart and spread through my whole body.  It lasted only long enough for that to happen, then faded.  I knew exactly what I was feeling and why - no doubt.

For me, it's probably most common to not feel anything at all in answer to prayer.  I generally take this to mean that (a) I'm not good at this, and (b) I'd better just do what I think is right and pray that He'll stop me before I screw things up beyond hope.  Strangely, this seems to work out generally, though I'm not convinced it's best, just that it must be somewhat acceptable.  Someone here once pointed out that we generally receive inspiration rather than revelation, which makes it easier for me to trust more subtle feelings that a particular decision is best.  Someone else sometime recently (not sure if it was here or in Church) said that the Lord is trying to train us to do right on our own rather than be constantly bugging Him for every little thing.  Hopefully I'm not taking too much license with that idea...

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I normally use google translate to interpret the spirit.

;)

but in all seriousness! The greatest advice I ever received when it came to asking “what does the spirit feel like?” Was this:

Ask God in prayer to teach you what the spirit feels like. Anyone can describe it to you, but like trying to explain color to a color blind person, it is best done through experience :)

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1 hour ago, Juloe said:

 What exactly does “burning in the bosom“ ...eel like anyone have any experience? 

To me, it feels like what I imagine to be the warm confirming hand of God touching the core of my soul.

It is similar to how I feel when I do acts of kindness that bring about smiles of joy or tears of gratitude.

It is the "heart-warming" non-verbal communication from God that says, "It is good.", 

Quote

What exactly does “stupor of thought”  feel like anyone have any experience? 

For me, it isn't so much a feeling as it is a cognitive state, kind of like a brain cramp, or loss of words. or deer-in-the-headlight response upon realizing one is clueless. It is not unlike the sensation one may have when asked to square a circle or untie a Gordian knot. It is that point just beyond one's wits end,  and just before realizing one had it figured out wrong. It is God's silent way of saying, "It isn't good."

Thanks, -Wade Englund-

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12 hours ago, Juloe said:

 What exactly does “burning in the bosom“ and “stupor of thought”  feel like anyone have any experience? 

I've never felt a burning in the bosom.  So, I don't know what that's like.  But I've sure had a stupor of thought.  

I was intent on doing something.  And as I pray about it, I simply can't remember what it was I was praying about.  This is in mid-thought. 

It is similar to things like forgetting where you parked.  But it is quite different when you're in the middle of the thought with no time passing or distractions to take your mind away from the topic.

When I get a confirmation, I generally don't get a burning feeling.  I get what I call "an elevated" feeling.  There is a "warmth" to it as well as a "peace".  But there are not quite the right words to describe it.

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14 hours ago, Juloe said:

 What exactly does “burning in the bosom“ and “stupor of thought”  feel like anyone have any experience? 

I have had both sensations. The first feels like a physical experience and the second is a mental experience. The first has an attendant spiritual component of communication and the second, in retrospect, is a sign that the idea/decision/conclusion we were seeking confirmation for is wrong.

Edited by CV75
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In my experience, my conscience (the light of Christ) "feels" different from the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

In the case of my conscience, I feel guilty and sad when I do wrong and even when I think wrong. When I repent, then I feel better--as though my soul has returned to the state of peace it enjoyed prior to the bad behavior/thoughts.

Whereas, in addition to all that has been said about the Spirit, I experience confirmation in a way that may be likened to taste--there is a sweetness experienced when ingesting truth and more particularly wisdom.

Thanks, -Wade Engund-

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I have never had the burning in the bosom or the stupor of thought.

Instead, to me feeling the spirit strongly feels like being full of light and the desire to do things to make Heavenly Father happy.  Sometimes, the Spirit manifests itself as outside knowledge coming into my head - ideas I would have never thought of on my own.

On average, day-to-day, I don't necessarily feel completely full of light and on a spirit-induced emotional high all the time, but I know the Spirit is there.  I also believe, when the Spirit is there, it influences me subtly to make right choices, even without me being consciously aware that this is happening.  I feel, day-to-day, the influence of the Spirit is more subtle and profound than we realize.

I can also feel when I lose the spirit - I fall into the most terrible mood and I don't feel like being nice to others at all.

 

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24 minutes ago, wenglund said:

In my experience, my conscience (the light of Christ) "feels" different from the promptings of the Holy Spirit. 

In the case of my conscience, I feel guilty and sad when I do wrong and even when I think wrong. When I repent, then I feel better--as though my soul has returned to the state of peace it enjoyed prior to the bad behavior/thoughts.

Whereas, in addition to all that has been said about the Spirit, I experience confirmation in a way that may be likened to taste--there is a sweetness experienced when ingesting truth and more particularly wisdom.

Thanks, -Wade Engund-

I have always felt that the Light of Christ is not so much a feeling as much as instinctual knowledge that certain things are wrong.  We just innately know that it is wrong to murder or cheat on our spouses, and would know this even if we had never heard of Christianity.  As such, there is no real excuse for committing these types of sins.

I have always wondered about sociopaths - do they somehow lack the Light of Christ?  Does an absolute sociopath, who fully lacks the Light of Christ, even exist?

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