I was asked a question that I could not fully answer by putting into words. I find that when this happens I say a prayer in my heart asking to be led. I was asked this question on Monday and I am writing down my revelation today, which is Wednesday. My sharing of this detail, my actions right now in writing this first paragraph, is also part of the answer.
The question in question was;
“How do I know the Holy Spirit is talking to me and not my own thoughts I am coming up with?”
My best answer at the time was; “it is a feeling that helps me to know and I am aware that is a shallow unsatisfying answer to give you.”
It was at that time that my soul sent my spirit on a quest to find a way for the answer to come to me. The answer was not a new discovery for me but something I had acquired during my formation studies. It was also something I had felt most of my life but had not known how to put into words, instead it was during formation that I learned how to. It has become such a part of me that I needed to review my formation studies to find the words again.
I can distinguish that the Holy Spirit is speaking to me or if it is my own thoughts by my pleasure energy. When the Holy Spirit is talking to me I get very excited and happy and want to share it with the world. When it is my own thoughts my pleasure energy is, to be blunt, more selfish or private. I may share it but only with a person or two. It is the same if the Holy Spirit is calling me to action, I feel it like a river current that I can not fight against. It is a sacrifice, a sacred act, that I am happy (although sometimes a bit intrepid) to do. My own personal decisions of action are more self serving. That does not mean that my personal thoughts or actions are negative or badly selfish, it is just how I can tell when the Holy Spirit is calling to me.
Naturally we must take time to recognize when the devil is trying to influence us. I then go back to that selfish feeling. I find that when I have to go to extremes to justify my own desire or way to myself, then I examine my conscience. If it is from the devil, then the feeling does not last. If it is from the Holy Spirit, then the feeling does not go away. It stays and many times it grows. The feeling from the devil may come and go or be momentarily intense but burn out quickly. A message from the Holy Spirit withstands the test of time because God is patient and is on a different time scale. The devil is like a scam call or phishing message trying to push you into a quick decision or action (which many times is followed by quick regret).
I do not know that this explanation will work for everyone, but I hope it can help anyone.
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