I believe the prophet Joseph once answered a question about the major difference between our Church and others, with the statement, “We have the Holy Ghost.” After we are baptized, each of us is entitled to personal direction from the Spirit for our lives and responsibilities. These revelations are sometimes clear but also can be subtle and difficult to understand or interpret. For example, the Book of Mormon tells us that a group of Lamanites “at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and knew it not.” (3 Nephi 9: 20)I am thinking that there might be at least three types of answers or directions that arise from the Spirit, that it would be helpful to be ale to interpret correctly according to the Lord’s intent. One type is a warning of something not to do or say. Valerie has written well on this option as Mother's Spirit School- Lesson Five (Sunday, March 14, 2010). She identified feelings of discomfort, uneasiness, unrest as spiritual warnings of something to avoid. In my own life, I have most often experienced or identified this kind of spiritual reaction as I have begun to say something that might be seen as unkind or gossipy. I hope I am getting better at recognizing these kinds of feelings and acting on them correctly.
Positive answers are often experienced as feelings of peace or joy (for example, see Mosiah 4:2-3, where these feelings communicated forgiveness from God), or as a burning in the bosom (D&C 9:8). The following incident suggests that there might be two types of “Yes” answers. Paul Warner, in a BYU Education Week talk, described a situation in which a young man had been dating a young women that he really liked, had prayed to know if they should marry, and seemed to have received a positive answer to his prayers. However, the young women had rejected his proposal of marriage, in spite of his protestations that the Spirit had answered his prayers with direction that they should marry. The Church leader taught the lesson that the positive spiritual promptings meant that the Lord approved or “was OK” with this young man pursuing marriage with this particular girl, but did not communicate that she was the “one and only” for him and he for her, and did not compromise her freedom to choose or act for herself. (Paul R. Warner, “Divine Answers to Personal Concerns” BYU Eduation Week address, Aug 18, 1997 --http://www.byub.org/talks/Talk.aspx?id=1662)
In a similar vein, I recall the experience as Bishop of determining various callings to be extended to ward members. For major callings, especially those of executive positions (presidents of auxiliaries, Aaronic Priesthood presidents, other callings involving special needs) we sought for a burning, ringing confirmation regarding the specific person. On the other hand, we moved ahead with the majority of callings with a lessor spiritual witness. I do not recall making any calls about which I and my counselors did not believe we felt the peace of the spirit. However, we relied to a considerable extent on our own judgment as persons holding presiding keys, acting in the capacity to which we had been called, in order to maintain staffing across all church programs. We were cognizant that a number of ward members were available and could have performed these particular callings equally as well as those we called, and that the Lord would probably would have also consented to our using them in these capacities, but, in our judgment, the persons we selected were a good choices and our preferences at the time of call.
Therefore, I am suggesting that the Spirit may give to us two types of “Yes” answers. One is that the response by the Spirit identifies the only correct answer. This very action, or choice, or person is the Will of the Lord. No other correct option exists. The second “Yes” answer means something a little different, that the Lord accepts or supports your choice but your choice may be one among many that the Lord might affirm if asked.
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