AllAboutMormons.com Webmaster from La Jolla, California:

Hi friend. I'm happy you posted your question here. I think it's natural to feel a little scared when thinking about making great life changes. Don't worry. The decision to be baptized is definitely worth it. :)

The influence of the Spirit is something very personal that comes to the prepared mind. I believe that God tailors His communication with us so that we will best understand His message; consequently, the perception of the Spirit varies from person to person. Furthermore, a person can perceive the Holy Ghost differently on different occasions, and as one matures in the Gospel, that perception can change over time. Let me describe some of the manifestations of the Spirit with which I'm familiar.

1. I think the most common manifestation comes by way of something similar to an emotion. I say something similar to an emotion because, in my opinion, with practice it is possible to distinguish between a simple emotion and the influence of the Spirit. After one prepares his or her mind through prayer and study, God can send feelings of pure love and peace. In fact, one of the names of the Holy Spirit is “the Comforter.” The effect can be subtle or quite strong, depending on the situation. Sometimes, especially in the beginning, it's necessary to pay close attention in order to perceive the divine influence. I believe that most people who pray to know whether or not they should join the Church receive this kind of answer.
2. Another way to perceive the Spirit that perhaps even many members of the Church do not fully appreciate is through our minds. Joseph Smith once said that the Spirit can “quicken our minds.” We suddenly perceive things that were not evident before. God can put ideas into our minds so that we can better accomplish His work. I believe that many “epiphanies” are in fact manifestations of the Spirit. For example, you said that you identified with the Church when you visited. I don't know exactly what you meant by that, but it is possible that this “identification” is a manifestation of the Spirit that is “quickening your mind” as you are exposed to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
3. The vast majority of dreams are meaningless, but every once in a while God can communicate with us through a dream. In the Book of Mormon, for example, the prophet Lehi had a dream of the tree of life, a tree that represented Jesus Christ. When I was a missionary, a woman who was interested in the Church had this same dream! Happily, she was eventually baptized. This dream was obviously a manifestation of the Spirit for her.
4. Sometimes, especially with practice, the Spirit can manifest itself in less subtle ways. It's extremely difficult to describe this type of experience, but I'll try with analogies. Sometimes the Spirit manifests itself as if it were an energy running through our bodies, as if we were suddenly perceiving God right at our side. It's as if a fire were consuming us, but it's not hot nor does it hurt. We suddenly feel the entire universe within ourselves. Often we cry when we feel this way, not because it hurts, but because it's an unspeakably overwhelming experience, and it seems that our human bodies were not made to withstand it. For example, I sometimes feel the Spirit this way when I listen to certain Church songs, songs that have special significance for me and that are able to touch my heart deeply.
5. Finally, we should not omit the most rare manifestation of the Spirit. We read in the Bible and in the Book of Mormon that sometimes human beings can see God face to face. This type of vision is called a “theophany.” It happened to Moses, Isaiah, and Ezekiel in the Old Testament, to Paul and Steven in the New Testament, and to Nephi in the Book of Mormon. In our days, with the restoration of the gospel, it happened to Joseph Smith when he experienced the first vision, as well as with others. In Doctrine and Covenants, we read: “Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am.” For many, this promise is fulfilled figuratively; we don't need to literally see God's face in this life to know that He is. But I believe there are some few who literally see God's face, even in our days. The heavens are not closed.

Each person feels the Spirit in different ways. Many people feel pure love and peace in their hearts when the Spirit manifests itself, but I believe that legitimate visions are quite rare. Another gift of the Spirit, aside from perceiving God's influence directly, is the ability to believe in the experiences of others. As Doctrine and Covenants teaches:

“For all have not every gift given unto them; for there are many gifts, and to every man is given a gift by the Spirit of God. To some is given one, and to some is given another, that all may be profited thereby. To some it is given by the Holy Ghost to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world. To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.”

In other words, faith and trust in others' testimonies are also manifestations of the Spirit.

As a scientist, I'd like to close by saying that these experiences are real. They are not imagined or invented. Recently, scientists have studied the brains of people like nuns and monks as they experienced the spiritual. In fact, just as certain regions of our brain are activated when we see images, hear a bird's song, or converse with our friends, there are regions of the brain that are activated when we feel the divine influence. Obviously, scientists cannot prove that this activation is the product of divine communication, although there are some scientists that accept this possibility. With the appropriate practice and preparation, I believe that any person can communicate with God through the influence of the Spirit. Human beings were biologically created to be able to communicate with their Creator.

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Pamela Dean from Clarenville:

What an excellent and informative response from the webmaster! Thanks so much for that. You may also find Elder Glenn L. Pace's article “Do you know?” (Ensign, May 2007, 78–79) helpful as well. He is a member of the seventy.

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