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Personal revelation: How to recognize promptings of the Spirit
This highly readable book is an exhaustive study on personal revelation. It is well organized and is full of examples and inspirational stories.
177 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2004
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May 26, 2024
Introduction There may be sound even though few ears hear it. There are revelations even though most minds be materialistic and most hearts impenetrable. I believe that much personal revelation is just not recognized as such. Because there are many voices around us, it is vital that we learn to recognize the voice of God.
1/Revelation for those who will hear: they may have all things manifest (Moses 8:24). Every devoted, obedient and righteous person on earth has and does receive revelation from God (Bruce R. McConkie). If they do not believe, they will receive no visitation. If they are content and depend upon their own limited calculations and interpretations, then, of course, the Lord will leave them to their chosen fate (Edward L. Kimball).
2/Feelings: Mission president wouldn't send out transfer assignments until it felt right. Later received a letter asking for a missionary to come back. Feelings brought by Holy Ghost (peace, knowledge, joy). Lamanites were past feeling and could not feel his words (Ne 17:45). Many of us get caught up in our shortcomings and weaknesses, and assume that we are unworthy to receive personal revelation. If we had to be perfect to receive revelation from the Lord, no one would receive any. The more I listen and respond, the more revelation I receive from the Lord. I have also found a direct correlation between asking for promptings and receiving them.
3/Bad Feelings: Questionable scenes on TV, you may not have any reaction at all. That isn't because the scene isn't bad. It is because you were warned and warned and warned by the Holy Ghost that it was bad, and you ignored the warning so many times that it quit prompting you in that area. A stupor of though to me would be uncomfortable or confusing or undecided feelings. I believe it is important to study a problem out in your own mind. It is important to make decisions and ask if they are right. As we train ourselves to listen to our feelings, we can identify what the feeling is.
4/Knowing: The next morning, I woke up, and the first thought that popped into my head was, 'I need to break up with him. It just isn't right.' I will tell you in your mind and in your heart (D&C 8:2-3).So often we don't recognize it at the time. We just think we figured things out by ourselves and got the information through our own intelligence.
5/Joy: in the morning, I found myself full of joy. I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy (D&C11:13-14). The joy the Holy Ghost fills us with is one way to let us know what is right; the adversary cannot give us joy. Men are that they might have joy (2 Ne2:25). Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy. Like most other emotions, joy is felt in different degrees and in different ways. Sometimes joy totally fills our being and we feel absolutely wonderful. Other times it is a warm, satisfied feeling, or perhaps it is somewhere between these two perimeters. If it bothers you, it's wrong. If you wouldn't do it if Christ or your parents were there, it's wrong. IN the spring an apple tree has blossoms, which fall to the ground leaving buds that grow and develop into apples. Fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. To missionary: do you realize that the joy you feel and those wonderful feelings that you have when you tell the Joseph Smith story are the Holy Ghost bearing testimony to you that what you are saying is true? You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive additional blessings God has for you. When we are doing as He would have us do, we know we are on track when we receive a wonderful burst of joy. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will. When you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness. She was blessed by receiving a dose of joy over and over to confirm the rightness of her actions. These feelings do not come when we choose to have them but when God chooses to put HIs stamp of approval on an action.
6/Peace and Comfort: Peace is the gift of God (John Taylor). Peace is the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22). Marjean was injured and their were complications. It just seemed like a long process. Those long processes are refining periods. Youth temple trip: Ask our Father in Heaven to let you feel His Spirit. Each walked by himself around temple and did not talk to each other. If you walk into that Sacred Grove Area with any degree of reverence, you will have an overpowering feeling of peace. Much uncertainty invades this modern world. Even when common sense dictates that fear should exist in our lives, we can know differently as we seek feelings of peace from God. Living without peace that comes from God means a life full of doubts. Why when things look so bad for us, do we feel that everything is so very right? (kids when Dad had cancer).
7/Sudden thoughts and thoughts that persist:It may give you sudden strokes of ides (Joseph Smith). When promptings or knowledge comes, too often we let our mortal reasoning win out and we refuse to act on the feelings that come from our Heavenly Father. God gave me such a neat idea this afternoon. Through the Holy Ghost, God can plant all kinds of ideas that help us and help others.
8/Urgency: The bottom line is that we feel a need to do something. God given feelings meant to guide him (Elder Packer). Bruce R. McConkie relates experience where a feeling of urgency coupled with a strong thought and an immediate response saved his life (drug by horse, dad heard - run out into the orchard). I knew if God thought I could do it, then I could indeed do it.
9/Promptings: Too often we overlook the small, gentle promptings because we want the visions and visitations. The more we learn to pray throughout the day, the more the promptings will come and help us by inspiring us as to what to do. We make 70% of our decisions based on how we feel about something. I don't differentiate between the feelings that come from the Spirit of Christ and feelings that come from the Holy Ghost. He wants us to draw nearer to Him and He will help us do just that if we will let Him.
10/Tingly Sensations: We do not have the words which perfectly describe the Spirit (Boyd K. Packer)
11/Given the Right words: Author knew what advice to give to a negative Elder was for him to say: That's great! For it shall be given you in the very hours, yea, the very moment, what ye shall say (D&C100:5-6). President Snow prayed for rain for Utah (he had made a promise it would come if they were faithful and planted crops). Ask and then receive (D&C 4:7). We must remember that even a prophet has to ask repeatedly for blessings and guidance. Lesson prep advice: study material well, pray and ask the Lord for Help, go with prayer in hear, flexibility to follow whatever thoughts enter your mind. The Lord works best with a full bucket. In other words from the reservoir of study that you have done come ideas in a better sequence than you prepared. As seminary teacher she wasn't happy with a personal interaction with Monte, so she asked the Lord to bring him to class 20 min early again and it happened and she was able to say what she wished she had said. Her bad feelings purred her into action to find out what she should have said. A parent can pray about a problem with a child, pleading for the Lord to help him communicate in a way that his child will understand. God knows a whole lot more about our children than we do. When we pray, asking for the very words we need to say in any given circumstance, we allow God to enter our lives and help us.
12/Guidance: Coincidence is often the Lord working anonymously. I have a testimony that while He often leaves us to the last hour, He has promised us that His guidance and blessings will come to us.
13/ A Voice: After praying heard words: Sweet peace be unto thee, dear daughter. Thad in a bar: YOu need to pray. The words repeated themselves over and over.
14/Answers through others: God watches over us and loves us, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs (Spencer W. Kimball).
15/Missed promptings and other obstacles: Never postpone a prompting of the spirit (Thomas S. Monson).
16/Diversity of ways: God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Dale Fonnesbeck cuts his hand with a saw (very little bleeding, he remains calm, best surgeon is back from medical leave, bone fragments found in his shop to complete surgery).
17/A warning, a conclusion and a sure guide: All people, if they are worthy enough and close enough to the Lord, can have revelations (Spencer W. Kimball). One of the challenges is to decide which are our own emotional feelings, our own personal thoughts and which come from God. I used to think all the really good ideas were mine. I have found as years pass that they come from Him - the wonderful ideas as well as the subtle suggestions and strong feelings that aim me in the right direction. I have found that one thing that helps me to identify the Lord's hand is recording my feelings in my journal and then going back and reading the outcome. Boy on ATV seeks dad only when the machine is stuck. We are so like this boy. We rush off in our busy lives and only when we are stuck do we seek for help from the one who can really help us. How much wiser we would be to listen as we go.
1/Revelation for those who will hear: they may have all things manifest (Moses 8:24). Every devoted, obedient and righteous person on earth has and does receive revelation from God (Bruce R. McConkie). If they do not believe, they will receive no visitation. If they are content and depend upon their own limited calculations and interpretations, then, of course, the Lord will leave them to their chosen fate (Edward L. Kimball).
2/Feelings: Mission president wouldn't send out transfer assignments until it felt right. Later received a letter asking for a missionary to come back. Feelings brought by Holy Ghost (peace, knowledge, joy). Lamanites were past feeling and could not feel his words (Ne 17:45). Many of us get caught up in our shortcomings and weaknesses, and assume that we are unworthy to receive personal revelation. If we had to be perfect to receive revelation from the Lord, no one would receive any. The more I listen and respond, the more revelation I receive from the Lord. I have also found a direct correlation between asking for promptings and receiving them.
3/Bad Feelings: Questionable scenes on TV, you may not have any reaction at all. That isn't because the scene isn't bad. It is because you were warned and warned and warned by the Holy Ghost that it was bad, and you ignored the warning so many times that it quit prompting you in that area. A stupor of though to me would be uncomfortable or confusing or undecided feelings. I believe it is important to study a problem out in your own mind. It is important to make decisions and ask if they are right. As we train ourselves to listen to our feelings, we can identify what the feeling is.
4/Knowing: The next morning, I woke up, and the first thought that popped into my head was, 'I need to break up with him. It just isn't right.' I will tell you in your mind and in your heart (D&C 8:2-3).So often we don't recognize it at the time. We just think we figured things out by ourselves and got the information through our own intelligence.
5/Joy: in the morning, I found myself full of joy. I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy (D&C11:13-14). The joy the Holy Ghost fills us with is one way to let us know what is right; the adversary cannot give us joy. Men are that they might have joy (2 Ne2:25). Your joy in life depends upon your trust in Heavenly Father and His holy Son, your conviction that their plan of happiness truly can bring you joy. Like most other emotions, joy is felt in different degrees and in different ways. Sometimes joy totally fills our being and we feel absolutely wonderful. Other times it is a warm, satisfied feeling, or perhaps it is somewhere between these two perimeters. If it bothers you, it's wrong. If you wouldn't do it if Christ or your parents were there, it's wrong. IN the spring an apple tree has blossoms, which fall to the ground leaving buds that grow and develop into apples. Fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance. To missionary: do you realize that the joy you feel and those wonderful feelings that you have when you tell the Joseph Smith story are the Holy Ghost bearing testimony to you that what you are saying is true? You are here on earth for a divine purpose. It is not to be endlessly entertained or to be constantly in full pursuit of pleasure. You are here to be tried, to prove yourself so that you can receive additional blessings God has for you. When we are doing as He would have us do, we know we are on track when we receive a wonderful burst of joy. When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will. When you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness. She was blessed by receiving a dose of joy over and over to confirm the rightness of her actions. These feelings do not come when we choose to have them but when God chooses to put HIs stamp of approval on an action.
6/Peace and Comfort: Peace is the gift of God (John Taylor). Peace is the fruit of the spirit (Gal 5:22). Marjean was injured and their were complications. It just seemed like a long process. Those long processes are refining periods. Youth temple trip: Ask our Father in Heaven to let you feel His Spirit. Each walked by himself around temple and did not talk to each other. If you walk into that Sacred Grove Area with any degree of reverence, you will have an overpowering feeling of peace. Much uncertainty invades this modern world. Even when common sense dictates that fear should exist in our lives, we can know differently as we seek feelings of peace from God. Living without peace that comes from God means a life full of doubts. Why when things look so bad for us, do we feel that everything is so very right? (kids when Dad had cancer).
7/Sudden thoughts and thoughts that persist:It may give you sudden strokes of ides (Joseph Smith). When promptings or knowledge comes, too often we let our mortal reasoning win out and we refuse to act on the feelings that come from our Heavenly Father. God gave me such a neat idea this afternoon. Through the Holy Ghost, God can plant all kinds of ideas that help us and help others.
8/Urgency: The bottom line is that we feel a need to do something. God given feelings meant to guide him (Elder Packer). Bruce R. McConkie relates experience where a feeling of urgency coupled with a strong thought and an immediate response saved his life (drug by horse, dad heard - run out into the orchard). I knew if God thought I could do it, then I could indeed do it.
9/Promptings: Too often we overlook the small, gentle promptings because we want the visions and visitations. The more we learn to pray throughout the day, the more the promptings will come and help us by inspiring us as to what to do. We make 70% of our decisions based on how we feel about something. I don't differentiate between the feelings that come from the Spirit of Christ and feelings that come from the Holy Ghost. He wants us to draw nearer to Him and He will help us do just that if we will let Him.
10/Tingly Sensations: We do not have the words which perfectly describe the Spirit (Boyd K. Packer)
11/Given the Right words: Author knew what advice to give to a negative Elder was for him to say: That's great! For it shall be given you in the very hours, yea, the very moment, what ye shall say (D&C100:5-6). President Snow prayed for rain for Utah (he had made a promise it would come if they were faithful and planted crops). Ask and then receive (D&C 4:7). We must remember that even a prophet has to ask repeatedly for blessings and guidance. Lesson prep advice: study material well, pray and ask the Lord for Help, go with prayer in hear, flexibility to follow whatever thoughts enter your mind. The Lord works best with a full bucket. In other words from the reservoir of study that you have done come ideas in a better sequence than you prepared. As seminary teacher she wasn't happy with a personal interaction with Monte, so she asked the Lord to bring him to class 20 min early again and it happened and she was able to say what she wished she had said. Her bad feelings purred her into action to find out what she should have said. A parent can pray about a problem with a child, pleading for the Lord to help him communicate in a way that his child will understand. God knows a whole lot more about our children than we do. When we pray, asking for the very words we need to say in any given circumstance, we allow God to enter our lives and help us.
12/Guidance: Coincidence is often the Lord working anonymously. I have a testimony that while He often leaves us to the last hour, He has promised us that His guidance and blessings will come to us.
13/ A Voice: After praying heard words: Sweet peace be unto thee, dear daughter. Thad in a bar: YOu need to pray. The words repeated themselves over and over.
14/Answers through others: God watches over us and loves us, but it is usually through another person that he meets our needs (Spencer W. Kimball).
15/Missed promptings and other obstacles: Never postpone a prompting of the spirit (Thomas S. Monson).
16/Diversity of ways: God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Dale Fonnesbeck cuts his hand with a saw (very little bleeding, he remains calm, best surgeon is back from medical leave, bone fragments found in his shop to complete surgery).
17/A warning, a conclusion and a sure guide: All people, if they are worthy enough and close enough to the Lord, can have revelations (Spencer W. Kimball). One of the challenges is to decide which are our own emotional feelings, our own personal thoughts and which come from God. I used to think all the really good ideas were mine. I have found as years pass that they come from Him - the wonderful ideas as well as the subtle suggestions and strong feelings that aim me in the right direction. I have found that one thing that helps me to identify the Lord's hand is recording my feelings in my journal and then going back and reading the outcome. Boy on ATV seeks dad only when the machine is stuck. We are so like this boy. We rush off in our busy lives and only when we are stuck do we seek for help from the one who can really help us. How much wiser we would be to listen as we go.
March 7, 2025
I’m not sure what to think about this book. Lots of good stories, but lots of “insight” into the way the Holy Ghost communicates with us that I’m not sure I agree with; ”tingly” feelings, and so forth. What Joseph R. McConkie called “the goosebump crowd” in his talk on five counterfeits of the Holy Ghost.
November 14, 2017
I really loved this book. It opened my eyes to how the spirit speaks to us more than we give credit. I loved all the examples in the different ways the spirits speaks to us daily.
July 31, 2023
I love this book so much, that I keep going back reading it.
July 20, 2016
(I think this is written by my mother's mission president's wife. I've had a strong desire to read this ever since I saw it in my mother's hands.)
A great book and probably one every LDS member should read. It would be great for non-LDS, too, except that it uses many scriptures they would not be as familiar with. Still, something for everyone to gain from. I certainly did. Half of the book was reassurement of things I have learned for myself over the last few years concerning personal revelation. It felt like gentle pats on the back as if I was being told, "You're on the right track. You're doing well." Then there were the things that I felt I could do better in and with, which I had hoped to take from this book. So I'm happy to not be disappointed there.
I think what I was happiest to gain from this book was the final assurance that it is okay for me to feel, acknowledge, admit, and even tell others (if it is right to do so) of the Lord's influence in my life through the Spirit. While I have quite often known it was the Lord guiding me and influencing me, I have felt, um, embarrassed (?) that I SO often said "it was the Spirit." I suppose I was too wary and cast down by the Molly Mormon label that even members of my own faith would place on me. But now I'm resolved to not care. Why should I? It is my life, and I'd rather have the Lord's guidance than not. If that makes me a Molly Mormon, then so be it.
A great book and probably one every LDS member should read. It would be great for non-LDS, too, except that it uses many scriptures they would not be as familiar with. Still, something for everyone to gain from. I certainly did. Half of the book was reassurement of things I have learned for myself over the last few years concerning personal revelation. It felt like gentle pats on the back as if I was being told, "You're on the right track. You're doing well." Then there were the things that I felt I could do better in and with, which I had hoped to take from this book. So I'm happy to not be disappointed there.
I think what I was happiest to gain from this book was the final assurance that it is okay for me to feel, acknowledge, admit, and even tell others (if it is right to do so) of the Lord's influence in my life through the Spirit. While I have quite often known it was the Lord guiding me and influencing me, I have felt, um, embarrassed (?) that I SO often said "it was the Spirit." I suppose I was too wary and cast down by the Molly Mormon label that even members of my own faith would place on me. But now I'm resolved to not care. Why should I? It is my life, and I'd rather have the Lord's guidance than not. If that makes me a Molly Mormon, then so be it.
October 26, 2014
This book was a quick read since there were many personal experiences and interesting stories. Occasionally the author's voice overpowered the narrative a little bit too much causing the book to lose some authority, and there were a few examples that I did not agree with her assessment as being spiritual promptings. But overall it was a good read and uplifting, and it gave me a renewed awareness of listening for and acting on personal revelation.
July 15, 2008
Our bishop actually recommended this book for our entire ward to read. Hamilton shares wonderful insights into how to recognize the Spirit working in our individual lives through sharing her own personal experiences. It will leave you inspired!
May 11, 2010
I listened to this book on CD as I drove to work and back home. The author reads the book and so it was like listening to her and more personal than reading the book. Very inspirational. She shares great and insrpiational stories as well as doctrine.
June 6, 2011
A wonderful book, full of stories that illustrate the various workings of the Spirit. This will be very useful to help teach my children how to recognize the Holy Ghost, as well as improve my own ability.
July 30, 2013
I really enjoyed this book! I felt like I learned a lot and was reminded of things I should be doing to recognize the promptings of the spirit. I loved all of the personal stories and felt like I could relate to most of them. I highly recommend!
July 8, 2008
I really enjoyed this book. It explains many ways to understand the promptings of the spirit and tells great stories to illustrate.
October 17, 2008
Do you ever wonder how you feel the spirit or how someone else does? This book is a wonderful look into both. Excellent.
August 2, 2009
What an amazing lady! It's a very inspirational and useful little book. I'd really like to read it with my older children.
January 12, 2009
Great read if you want to fine tune your spiritual senses. Real life stories from the author backed up by General Authorities counsel makes this a readable, instructive book.
August 26, 2009
It's a load of crap. How anyone can buy this mess is beyond me.
I believe the phrase is "Mumbo Jumbo".
I believe the phrase is "Mumbo Jumbo".
September 2, 2009
a good read. I'd want my kids to read it.
April 24, 2010
Very good
May 30, 2010
I got this one as a gift and I am so glad that I have my own copy!
August 1, 2011
I got more ideas from this book that weren't written on the page than I did from what was written. Not sure I would recommend it too strongly, but really glad I read it.
March 13, 2012
Very inspirational.. really makes you think
March 19, 2012
It was very inspiring and helped me to direct my thoughts more inward.
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May 12, 2014great stories and explanation of how revelation is received.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews