I can see that the last topic introduced did not capture the interest or attention of the readers, so lets discuss something else.
How do we determine the difference between feeling the spirit and our own emotion? Is it possible to tell a difference? We speak in terms of "feeling" the spirit, but is it a feeling? When I watch a romantic movie that makes invokes a feeling of love or passion, is that the spirit? How about people that get "spiritual witnesses" to acts or beliefs that are so obviously wrong (like believing the spirit told you to leave your wife, or kill another individual) how can we really know such things?
Is it possible for God to communicate truth? If so, how can we tell it is from God?
I feel strongly about the answer to this question. Before putting in my two cents I would like to see other people's thoughts...
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First of all I think that you should totally keep this going even though no one is commenting on your post. I think this is a great forum for discussion on the important things in life not like your other blog (just kidding). To all those who are not commenting or answering the question that you are posting it is the spirit telling you to not your emotions. So listen! (Also just kidding)
(All thoughts and Ideas here are as such and are not doctrine)
It is important to understand the true mission and responsibility of the Holy Ghost first and foremost.
Chorinthians chapter 2 reads:
9 But as it is written, aEye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath bprepared for them that love him.
10 But God hath arevealed them unto us by his bSpirit: for the cSpirit dsearcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
11 For what man aknoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God bknoweth no man, cbut the dSpirit of God.
12 Now we have received, not the aspirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s awisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost bteacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
I believe it is important to realize that the spirit provides us with confirmations of truth and warns us of evil. If you are watching a romantic movie and you feel a great warm feeling it is pearly emotion and not the Holy Ghost telling you to find Patrick Swazey in a pottery studio. The same goes to if you are on the best date of your life and you have great feelings it is typically not the spirit telling you to marry that girl. However, if you have decided to marry a certain person the spirit can defiantly confirm that holy decision.
I love the words that Joseph smith spoke to Oliver Cowdry through revelation in Doctrine and covenants chapter 8.
1 aOLIVER Cowdery, verily, verily, I say unto you, that assuredly as the Lord liveth, who is your God and your Redeemer, even so surely shall you receive a bknowledge of whatsoever things you shall cask in faith, with an dhonest heart, believing that you shall receive a eknowledge concerning the engravings of old frecords, which are ancient, which contain those parts of my scripture of which has been spoken by the gmanifestation of my Spirit.
2 Yea, behold, I will atell you in your mind and in your bheart, by the cHoly Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
3 Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses abrought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.
I think one of the most important things that are thought in this scripture is that the spirit will teach us in our mind and our heart. To me this tells us that the promptings of the spirit will be both logical and spiritual. Perhaps the most important part of this scripture is that if we are living righteously the truth will dwell in our hearts and not leave us. For myself personally I never did receive direct revelation that Lynsee (my wife) was the one that I was to marry only a confirmation after I asked the lord if it was the right decision and it wasn’t a burning fire in my bosom only a feeling of comfort that I was making a good decision but the confirmation that she was who I was suppose to marry dwells in my heart and that is a confirmation of truth. Similar to my testimony of the church or Joseph smith it continually dwells in my heart.
So the difference between emotion and the prompting of the spirit is that the spirit confirms truth through faith and warns you of evil and dwells in your heart and all other feeling are feeling of emotion. Direct example is that you always remember the feelings of when you were set apart to be a missionary, getting married, when you heard truth spoken trough a talk at church, or when you received confirmation that the book of mormon was true not when you had your first kiss and you swore you received confirmation that you were going to marry that girl.
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