Revelation and inspiration

This is a topic that Rick and I have talked about for hours and hours over the years. It's a tenet of our faith as stated in the 9th article of faith:

9. We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God.

We believe that God speaks to his followers through revelation & inspiration. We believe that through the Gift of the Holy Ghost, (which we are given following baptism through the power of the priesthood) we as his followers are given the gift of receiving revelation and inspiration to help us in our lives. All people are given the light of Christ and this light helps all seekers of truth to be able to know and feel truth when they hear it and to know right from wrong. While this basic belief is central to our religion, the interpretation of what it actually means to us as followers is an individual occurrence. Rick and I have come to the conclusion that there is no no "one size fits all" application. While some basic guidelines apply in learning to feel and follow the promptings of the spirit, the use of this great gift is an individual quest.
I know a few things that work for me. These discoveries have come through years of trial and error.
~I need to have peace and quiet. I can't "listen" when there is too much commotion. Turning off the TV, the music and all the noise and just thinking and pondering helps me so much. I get good thoughts while driving if I'm alone and it's quiet.
~I've only had a few times in my life when I've felt pure revelation. Getting the prompting to serve a full-time LDS mission was one of those times. It was undeniable and very strong. It had to be that strong and different to get me to pay attention! I have had many, many times when I've felt inspiration to do something, to say something, to go somewhere or to help someone. If I feel a prompting (which is really just getting a thought in my head of a positive nature) I try and act on it. If I can't act immediately, I try and remember it or write it down and get to it later. These are usually things like: go see someone, call someone, send a card, send some money, ask someone if they need help, etc. etc. Or in preparing a lesson or a talk, it's good to just sit and think and see what thoughts come in how to approach the assignment. Usually, good thoughts will come. In problem solving, it works for me much the same way. I think of the problem and then start to sort out all possible outcomes and finally I settle on a course of action. I decide and move forward.
~I don't feel comfortable using the words "the spirit said" this and that when talking to other people. First of all I don't think I need to tell anyone of my own personal promptings. Second, I think it gives the false sense that I have a direct pipeline that tells me everything to do. I think that phrase is overused and often misused. If some sort of explanation is needed then I like the terms "I had a thought that..." or "I felt that..."

Orson Scott Card recently posted an article on this very subject. What he said rang true to me.
I quote:

"Revelation comes when the Lord has urgent business, and he calls upon whichever of his servants are in a position (usually with authority) to carry out his will.

But if every decision in our lives came to us by revelation, where would our agency be? Every choice would be between obeying God or not; we would be like children whose parents were always present, telling them what to do.

I think of inspiration as coming into our minds along with all our other ideas, and indistinguishable from them. We follow the ideas the Spirit brings us, not out of obedience, but because we desire the path itself. Our choices then reveal who we are, and we are fully responsible for the life we chose to live."

And further:

"That is why I worry when people make a claim of inspiration as a means of asserting authority or ending what they see as opposition.

When you propose something to others with words like, "I feel impressed that our course of action should be …" you are effectively cutting off the possibility of receiving good counsel from others.

You can leave them feeling that their own thoughts and ideas are of no interest to you; you don't need them.

If, in fact, you have received clear revelation in a matter that is within your stewardship, so be it.

But if your idea merely might be inspiration, then prudence, modesty and the agency of others suggest it is wiser to say, "The thought occurred to me that we might … "

You will not be testing their faith (in God or in you) with every idea that pops into your head. This leaves others free to think and ponder and counsel and even test your ideas with questions and objections.

You might become acquainted with new information that you would never have received had you introduced your thought with a claim of inspiration."

Elder Bednar gave a talk at the MTC a year ago on this topic that really helped us. It's probably the best talk I've even heard on inspiration. I'll share a few notes from that tomorrow.