I took seriously President Russell M. Nelson’s counsel to members of my Church to learn to hear the voice of God and have been working at this since his landmark talk: Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives. I have been learning so much about how God speaks to me. I wanted to share a bit of my experience with you.

Here are some keys that he pointed out to hearing the Lord:

1. Find a quiet place for communion with God: I cleared out a room in my basement (although it gets messy so fast) and I carved an early morning time out of my schedule.
2. Record impressions: I bought myself something to record thoughts from the Lord on. I have tried a number of different things. I finally settled on yellow lined notepads from Walmart that are half size. They sell for the incredible price of 88 cents per pack. I keep at least one of these on the nightstand next to my bed. But I can also keep them in my purse or take them with me when I pray in my special place or do my scripture study.
3. Immerse Yourself in the Scriptures: I would like to do this one better. My mom and some of my amazing sisters read for an hour a day. I am not quite there yet. But I set aside a good chunk of time each morning to devote to prayer and scripture study.
4. Really talk to God: Tell him how you are feeling, your hopes and dreams, your worries. I am good at this part. I love to express my feelings.
5. Listen: This part has been a little harder. I often get so carried away and my thoughts focused on my problems that I have to make a concerted effort to be still and to listen. But the thoughts really do come. And now they are starting to be easier to recognize.
6. Follow through: The hardest part of all. I try to check off the impressions that I have followed. And sometimes I only get through a few. Then I don’t seem to get as many the next day.

I am amazed how willing God is to talk to me when I take the time to listen. I am so grateful for the counsel given in this talk.