Posted by : Brady in (Elders, Mission Preparation, Senior Couples, Sisters' Section, Spiritual Preparation)
How to Recognize the Spirit - Part 1: Obedience
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When I began the mission, one of the biggest questions in my mind was “How do I recognize the Spirit?” I always wanted to know the difference between my own thoughts and the Spirit. How could I tell if I walked by someone and I was supposed to talk with them or if my mind was just playing tricks.
I’m sure you know how it is when you leave your house and you have a thought that you should take something with you. Then you start to debate in your mind whether it is an impression or if it is only your own thought. Sometimes you decide to listen, but you find that you never really end up needing what you thought you did. So how can you tell the difference between the Spirit and your own mind.
Well, let me tell you about some things I learned about this while I was in Bolivia, but first, there are some principles to understand:
Principle 1: Obedience Enables Recognition of the Spirit
Obedience enables recognition of the Spirit. If you are obedient and worthy of the Spirit, your own thoughts are inspired by the Spirit. Let me explain.
When you are obedient, it eliminates the need to battle within your mind as to whether the thought is from the Spirit or not. As long as it is a good impression, you can assume that it is from the Spirit. Then the key is to react to the thought. Don’t take the time to debate with yourself if it is your own thought, but act immediately on it. The second you begin to debate in your mind, many times you lose it and end up not acting on the impression.
I would always tell missionaries I worked with about what I like to call “Huh Thoughts.” How many times have you been at school and thought, “Huh, maybe I should say hi to Brian.” Or, “Huh, I should write a letter to my grandma.” It happens just about everyday! We have these little “Huh Thoughts,” and many times we begin to battle in our minds and don’t realize that they are coming from the Spirit. There is a reason you are having the thought, and that is the time to react to it! Write it down immediately, and then do what you felt you should do!
I would always talk about these “Huh Thoughts” with missionaries I worked with, and I remember a particular day when I was on a split with a youth from our ward. We were headed down an old dirt road to an appointment, and I had just finished talking to him about how important it is to react to these thoughts. A few minutes later, we both stopped immediately, turned to the right, and saw a married couple that was sitting at a table around the back of this dirt home. We turned and called out, “Hermanos! Cómo están! It’s been so long since we’ve seen you… We’ve NEVER seen you!” The next thing we knew, we were at their table inviting them to church.
To make a long story short (which I’m sure I will share more of this in other posts), this family was baptized, and a year later they moved to Cochabamba (an overnight bus trip away) to be temple workers.
I’m not saying that you will always have experiences like that where the person you say “Hi” to in the hall will become your best friend or that your grandmother will pass away the next day, but there are some incredible blessings that come from acting on these impressions. Next time you have a “Huh Thought,” write it down and give it a try. You will find that Heavenly Father is working with you and you are putting yourself in His hands to be able to be taught.
In my next post, I will cover Principle 2 to recognizing the Spirit: Acting is Motivation.
