Recognizing the Holy Spirit#
A talk given 1991-03-24, St. Louis 2nd Branch
My wife and I were privileged to help the missionaries in Durham, NC, teach an interested couple of medical students. After one of the lessons, I was conversing with one of them when she said something which struck me as very important. “Why is it,” she asked, “that y’all keep talking about your church as being ‘true’? Other people are happy to have churches that are ‘interesting’ or ‘nice’ or ‘good,’ but you keep saying your church is ‘true.’ Why is that?” I felt she had hit on a key concept. To paraphrase a recent conference talk by Pres. Hinckley, no one would die for an “interesting” church, or walk barefoot across the plains for a “nice” church. But our predecessors did all that and more because they knew this was the true church of God. (See D&C 1:30.1) It also seems that wanting to find the truth is a deep-seated desire of everyone. When we talk about religious questions, ultimately all true answers are verified by revelation through the Spirit of God.
What the Spirit isn’t like#
Now right from the start, let me clarify something about getting a witness from the Holy Spirit. Some people not in the Church of Jesus Christ use the phrase “getting the Spirit” to describe the same unusual behaviors that were around different Christian groups in the early 1800’s. Joseph Smith writes:
Soon after the Gospel was established in Kirtland, and during the absence of the authorities of the Church, many false spirits were introduced, many strange visions were seen, and wild, enthusiastic notions were entertained [he describes some of these experiences] . . . and many ridiculous things were entered into, calculated to bring disgrace upon the Church of God [and] to cause the Spirit of God to be withdrawn. . . . But when the authorities returned, the [true] spirit was made manifest. . . . [We have also had brethren and sisters who have had the gift of tongues falsely; they would speak in a muttering, unnatural voice, and their bodies be distorted . . . whereas,] there is nothing unnatural in the Spirit of God. (TPJS, pp. 213-214; italics added.)
Notice that these false copies of spiritual gifts caused the true Spirit of God to actually be withdrawn. This is also the teaching of Paul, who wrote to the Corinthians about speaking in tongues and commanded them not to speak unknown words unless someone could interpret so the congregation could learn from it— and even then to take turns speaking (1 Cor. 14). He concluded, “For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace.”
Of course gifts of the Spirit do follow the true Church, and so God provided a reliable way to decide if a particular spiritual manifestation comes from Him or not:
Unto the bishop of the church, and unto such as God shall appoint and ordain to watch over the church and to be elders unto the church, are to have it given unto them to discern all those gifts lest there shall be any among you professing and yet be not of God. (D&C 46:27)
What the Spirit feels like#
Now that we have discussed false spiritual manifestations, how do we know when we are truly feeling the Spirit of God? As far as I can tell, this is a personal feeling, possibly somewhat different for each individual. Still, descriptions from the scriptures and from my own life may help you recognize the Spirit when you feel it.
For me, especially, one of the most familiar manifestations of the Spirit is a feeling of understanding and clarity of thought. I described this in my journal once during my mission:
Tonight we had a very spiritual district devotional with Elder Campbell. As he talked about priesthood power and faith and Christ’s atonement and God’s work and service, I could feel my mind opened! I could feel, as Joseph Smith said once of the Holy Ghost’s influence, “pure intelligence” flowing to my mind. . . . I bore my testimony (with the others) at the meeting’s end, and felt the Spirit very strongly. I had tears in my eyes and had felt the Holy Ghost giving “light and truth” to my mind. (10/31/82)
Similarly, the Lord described the Spirit as bringing us understanding, or light:
[H]e that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth[.] Wherefore, he that preacheth and he that receiveth, understand one another, and both are edified and rejoice together. . . . That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light. (D&C 50:21-22, 24)
Alma also compared the Spirit to knowledge and understanding in his analogy of the gospel as a seed:
If it be a true seed, or a good seed, . . . ye will begin to say within yourselves— It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea it beginneth to be delicious to me. . . . Your understanding doth begin to be enlightened, and your mind doth begin to expand. (Alma 32:28,34)
Nephi also delighted in the “plainness” of God, and said, “the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding” (2 Ne. 31:3). In a scripture that reinforces this and brings us to my next point, the Lord promised:
If thou shalt ask, thou shalt receive revelation upon revelation, knowledge upon knowledge, that thou mayest know the mysteries and peaceable things— that which bringeth joy, that which bringeth life eternal. (D&C 42:61)
It should be no surprise that the Spirit is experienced as “peace” and “joy” and not only as knowledge and understanding, for as Paul reminds us, the gospel is preached not “in word only, but also in power . . . and in much assurance” (1 Thess. 1:5). This peace is another way to recognize the Holy Spirit. Thus the Holy Ghost is described as “the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory” as well as “the truth of all things” (Moses 6:61). James said, “the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable.”
In fact, not only peace but also all the other warm and happy sentiments are evidence that the Spirit is present. “The fruit of the Spirit,” wrote Paul, “is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23). The Book of Mormon prophet Alma described his experience with the Spirit using words like “joy,” “light,” and exquisite sweetness (Alma 36:20-21). King Benjamin preached that those who received the Spirit would “always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God” (Moses 4:12). The Spirit often accompanies things that are “virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy” (13th Article of Faith).
When it comes right down to it, the Spirit testifies of the truth, making us feel that what is being taught is just obviously true. The Lord told Oliver Cowdery that he would make his bosom burn within him; “therefore, you shall feel that it is right” (D&C 9:8). Now the Spirit feels different to different people, and I personally don’t experience it as a burning; when my bosom burns, I take an antacid. But many times in spiritual settings I have felt that what I was hearing was right. One instance was just a few weeks ago when I was reading a talk [in BYU Today] by Pres. Hinckley, one of the modern apostles. All through it I kept feeling, “Yes! That’s right! That’s just so obviously true! You tell ‘em!” This is really no surprise, when the Holy Ghost himself is described as “the truth of all things, . . . that which knoweth all things” (Moses 6:61). King Benjamin taught that the Spirit would bring “knowledge of that which is just and true” (Mos. 4:12).
For many Christians of other faiths, the Spirit they feel when the missionaries visit them is no stranger. In a recent Ensign article, a former Protestant minister said,
The Spirit was like light— stronger and clearer than it had ever been before. But it was the same Spirit that [my wife] had known previously: an old friend who had dropped in on many occasions, but who had now come home to stay. . . . We had been clearly shown a continuity between the Holy Ghost we knew as Presbyterians and the Holy Ghost we experienced as Latter-day Saints.2
To summarize what I’ve said so far, we recognize the Spirit as
understanding or pure intelligence
peace
love, joy, warmth
obvious (or immanent) truth, or by
prior experiences with the Spirit.
As the Lord told Oliver Cowdery, “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” (D&C 8:2).
How to find the Spirit#
How is it, then, that we go about trying to find this calm and light? This is what Oliver Cowdery was told in the revelation just cited: “[S]urely shall you receive a knowledge of whatsoever things you shall ask in faith, with an honest heart, believing that you shall receive” (D&C 8:1). Similarly, desire to know, belief that God can reveal knowledge, and study of previous revelation are the steps Nephi took before receiving the marvelous revelation in chapter 11 of 1 Nephi (verse 1), and we have frequently heard the same prerequisites from Moroni (Moro. 10:3-5).
In the process of trying to learn from the Spirit, it strikes me that humility is perhaps the most important element. You can probably easily think of sometime in your own life when you tried to answer a question posed by someone who (so he thought) already knew the answer— you probably also gave up sooner or later. God promises that “whoso knocketh, to him will he open,” whereas
the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches— yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them. (2 Ne. 9:42)
In addition to humbly asking, we can demonstrate our interest in what God has to say by doing what he’s already told us to do. The Lord said those who break certain commandments “shall not have the Spirit” (D&C 63:16), while “unto him that keepeth my commandments I will give the mysteries of my kingdom” (D&C 63:23).
Finally, prayer and fasting bring us closer to the Holy Spirit. Even though Alma had seen an angel who showed him his father’s preaching was from God, he says he “fasted and prayed many days that I might know these things of myself” (Alma 5:46).
What to do once we’ve felt the Spirit
don’t lay aside faith (Alma 32:35-36)
memory — Mos. 13:30 (daily remembrance). Mos. 4:11(b,c) “always remember & always . . . God,” “humble,” “daily,” “steadfastly”
“feast on words of Christ” (2 Ne. 31:20)
obey
“if you believe all these things see that ye do them (Mos. 4:10)
be baptized
tell others
Conclusion#
brief summary of what Spirit is like
2 Sundays ago at Barnes Hosp. getting ready for talk: cross-referencing, light, clear thoughts, immanent truth. I can say with Alma 5:45-46 “Spirit”.
if felt here, savor, remember (write?), and do the Lord’s will. Alma 5:62b.
- 1
Dallin H. Oaks, “The only true and living church.” New Era, Aug., 2011, https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/new-era/2011/08/the-only-true-and-living-church?lang=eng
- 2
Roger R. Keller, “Do I Know My Neighbor?”, Ensign, March 1991, p. 26. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1991/03/do-i-know-my-neighbor?lang=eng