Perhaps the single most important thing we can do in this life is to
learn how to seek, hear, and follow the promptings of the Spirit. To
hear God's counsel to us and to follow it faithfully is to find the key
to happiness in this life and in the life to come.
Several scriptures teach us that communication from God to man is conveyed spirit to spirit--from the Spirit of God to our spirits. A few examples are listed below:
"There is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding" (Job 32:8).
"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord" (Proverbs 20:27).
"…As many as are led by the Spirit of God . . . are the sons [and daughters] of God" (Romans 8:14).
"I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do" (1 Nephi 4:6).
"Pray always, and I will pour out my Spirit upon you, and great shall be your blessing—yea, even more than if you should obtain treasures of earth…" (D&C 19:38).
“All those salient truths which come home so forcibly to the head and heart seem but the awakening of the memories of the spirit” (President Joseph F. Smith, Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. (1939), 13).
"I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart. Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground" (D&C 8:2-3).
We are all spirit children of a loving Heavenly Father. We lived with Him before coming to earth. He prepared a plan for our happiness. He taught us His plan, so that when we came to earth we could be successful. He wants us to become like Him. The only way to do so is to face the challenges of life on earth, our spirit bodies having been clothed in a mortal body.
To make this earthly experience a true opportunity to grow, through faith and obedience, a veil of forgetfulness was drawn over our minds. We cannot remember having been with God, nor can we vividly remember what He taught us. However, our Heavenly Father didn't leave us without the means by which to discern what is right and what is wrong. He blessed us each with a conscience, with prophets, and with the means to receive personal revelation.
When we go to God in prayer, He speaks to us spirit-to-spirit. In this wicked world, it is sometimes hard to sense the impressions that come to our spirits, but with faith in Jesus Christ and our best efforts we can do so.
How do we know whether or not a feeling that has come into in our heart or a thought that has come into our mind is from God? If it is communication from God, it will guide us to do something that is good, it will be in harmony with the Word of God found in the scriptures, it will be consistent with our responsibilities, and it will bring a feeling of peace. As Paul said to the Galatians, "...The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance"(Galatians 5:22-23).
As we earnestly strive to obtain and follow the guidance of the Spirit of God, we will find great happiness in this life and eternal life with God in the world to come. I know this is true, for the Spirit has confirmed to my soul that it is so.
