12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good–yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.
13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

This is one of my favorite depictions of the influence of the spirit. The influence of the spirit leads us to do good, to treat others justly, to subvert our pride, and to judge righteously. Such feelings are from God. On the other hand, feelings of unjust dominion and pride are certainly from the adversary. This doesn’t mean that all judgment is bad or that we can never call out sin. But when influenced by the spirit, our desires will align with God and we will know that we are acting on his behalf. There is simply a big difference in how it feels. And we can trust in that difference because it will fill us with true joy and a feeling of enlightenment.

Skeptics suggest that the feeling of the spirit is just wishful thinking and our own desires. Those who have been led by the spirit to act against their deepest held beliefs and instincts know otherwise.



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