Impressions of Heaven

SAUL WAS A MAN who sought to imprison and punish those who followed Christ.1 But later, through repentance, good works, and faith, he became a new creature in Christ—the Apostle Paul.2 Paul’s writings reveal God’s influence working deep within him—shaping him into the servant the Lord knew he could become, helping him discern what to do, and guiding him throughout his ministry. He wrote, “For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”3

Like Paul, God also desires to work within each of us. One way He does so is through feelings and impressions—communications felt in the heart and recognized in the mind.4 God may not always remove life’s challenges, but He does send promptings that can help us know what to do next and how to move forward.

Promptings from heaven may warn of a need for change, but they never demean. Theydo not foster doubt; instead, they invite faith. They encourage us to move forward instead of anchoring us forever in the past. And they inspire righteous action—whether that means stepping ahead or, at times, accepting the invitation to “be still”5 and “wait upon the Lord.”6 Paul’s apostolic example offers a pattern we each can follow: Work to listen, pay heed to what you feel in your heart and sense in your mind, act in faith, and then entrust the outcome to God.

The scriptures record that Paul prayed regularly even while in prison.7 He received impressions from the Spirit as he traveled from place to place.8 He walked by faith as he went to Jerusalem, “bound in the spirit,” not knowing what would befall him there.9 He experienced miracles10—even as he accepted the Lord’s will not to remove some of his own personal suffering and challenges.11

Thousands of years later, Paul’s pattern remains true. As we learn to listen carefully to heaven’s voice, we too can receive divine influence from the Spirit of God—guidance that helps us move forward in faith, trusting both the outcome and the timing to Him. And as we do, heaven’s quiet impressions can shape our lives, and, like Paul, we can become new creatures in Christ.

See Acts 8:3; 9:1–2.See 2 Corinthians 5:17.Philippians 2:13.See Doctrine and Covenants 8:2.Psalm 46:10.Isaiah 40:31.See Acts 16:25.See Acts 16:6–10.Acts 20:22.See Acts 14:8–10.See 2 Corinthians 11:23–27; 12:7–9.