Calling Premonitions

[BlueDreams]

 Not to receiving callings but more so to when a calling was about to end. I sensed that my time as a teacher was ending. I feel more forewarning or revelation about certain events in my regular life than church ones. 

I have received some revelation for others. But it was more so for me to have guidance when working with people or to help those I'm closest to. And often it was tied to other gifts than revelation, like a fairly strong gift of perception. Someone else described it as being a bit of an empath. But I generally sense people's emotions very accurately. Or when something is very wrong in a relationship I'm seeing. I don't usually tell people right off the bat. Or sometimes ever. I'm skeptical of anyone who goes about spouting revelation to every Other person. Also skeptical of "psychics," to me the good ones just sound like me...good at reading people...and I know for a fact that I'm not psychic. 

 

with luv,

BD

Edited January 27, 2017 by BlueDreams

[Jeanne]

1 hour ago, BlueDreams said:

 Not to receiving callings but more so to when a calling was about to end. I sensed that my time as a teacher was ending. I feel more forewarning or revelation about certain events in my regular life than church ones. 

I have received some revelation for others. But it was more so for me to have guidance when working with people or to help those I'm closest to. And often it was tied to other gifts than revelation, like a fairly strong gift of perception. Someone else described it as being a bit of an empath. But I generally sense people's emotions very accurately. Or when something is very wrong in a relationship I'm seeing. I don't usually tell people right off the bat. Or sometimes ever. I'm skeptical of anyone who goes about spouting revelation to every Other person. Also skeptical of "psychics," to me the good ones just sound like me...good at reading people...and I know for a fact that I'm not psychic. 

 

with luv,

BD

Being able to have that perception for others is still a wonderful gift.  I am sure you have helped so many.

[Bobbieaware]

1 hour ago, hope_for_things said:

Sharing spiritual experiences is a matter of personal preference and its acceptance is entirely culturally driven.  Early Mormonism this was common and expected.  Times change and so does the cultural winds of what is acceptable or not.  I don't fault people for wanting to share something that is meaningful to them.  

I can see what you're saying here, but how do you draw a line between "revelation" and a "hunch".  Its all subjective.  I agree about the boasting part, and I don't like that.  

This is an example of communication and misunderstanding.  However, I think we need more honesty, more vulnerability in society, not less.  I think when we close ourselves off, and this is coming from a naturally inclined very closed person, that we limit our ability to connect to others, I'm trying to become more open as I grow in life.  Of course there are risks to this, but there are great rewards as well.  Brene Brown's work on this subject has been inspirational to me, and is helping me make better friends as I open myself up more.  

The only thing I would say in response is that genuine revelation may be viewed as being purely subjective to an unbeliever who's on the outside looking in. But to someone who's received genuine revelation, there's more than subjectivity involved in the process. The Book of Mormon says we can know truth, not just believe something is true, Those who have not had the experience of  receiving revelation will never understand how this can be so, but it is a true principle nonetheless .

For example, I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God as well as I know the sun will rise tomorrow morning. But you have the every right to say I cannot know truth in this manner. Even so, I know it is possible and that one day I will be vindicated in my assertion. Because the natural man, by very nature, cannot receive nor comprehend the things of God, the process will remain foolish superstition to the unbeliever until the day God comes out of his hiding place.There's no sense bashing heads about it because the mind of the natural man cannot and will not ever be convinced of these things, because the things of God can only be spiritualy discerned.

[Bobbieaware]

17 hours ago, Duncan said:

I can go on an on about this lady's "revelations" and nobody seems to do anything about it, is what gets me. She told my dad years ago, according to revelation, to divorce my mom because she knew someone better than her,to which my dad told her to write down all her revelations and them burn them. She goes to the same ward as my folks. A few weeks ago she told the congregation in F/T because she's in this calling and is a Temple worker, she's on a "higher level" now and my my folks were like, yeah..........people who do illegal drugs are also on higher level..............

It's all clearer now. We're talking about someone who's emotionally and spiritually off. 

[Stargazer]

This happened to me once.  I was serving in the US Army in Germany, and we had a servicemen's branch,  and one night the elders quorum president and I were returning from home teaching, and he happened to mention that our branch president was going to be released in a couple of weeks.  I hadn't heard this, and tossed out the casual comment, "I wonder who the new president is going to be?"  He chuckled and said "Who knows?", but the instant I said I wondered who it was going to be, a little voice in my head said "It's you."  As I contemplated this over the next couple of weeks, the feeling grew stronger that I was going to be called as Branch President.  And it happened.  I never told anyone at the time (other than my wife) about this.

Many years later, in a family ward in Washington state, I was serving as ward clerk.  One Sunday morning I overslept and was late for bishopric meeting, and when I entered the bishop's office apologizing, the bishop said no problem, we're being released this morning, and so all we've been doing here is reminiscing.  At this, I decided to go ahead and go to the chapel to get a few things ready, and as I walked down the hall I noticed a classroom with the light on.  And I got the sudden impression that the new bishop was in that room. I popped my head into the classroom to have a look, and there was one brother in there (he was a stake missionary, and there had been a missionary meeting there that morning, but it was now finished).  We greeted each other, and then I went to the chapel.  During the sacrament meeting he was presented to the ward as our new bishop.  Since I was kept on as ward clerk, I was in a bishopric meeting about a year later when the new bishop told us he had had an advance feeling that he was going to be called to be the bishop, in fact a few months before it happened.  Interestingly enough, he decided at that time to start staying away from our ward on many Sundays -- to avoid being seen very often by the stake president (who attended our ward) -- and so he took his family frequently on weekends to stay in their vacation home on the coast (they were quite well off), and attended church in that local ward.  It didn't do him any good, he got called anyway.

I've heard of this happening to others, too.  It's not that common, but it does occur.  Or else it is more common than I think, and those it happens to don't talk much about it.

Besides callings, I've become somewhat familiar with receiving impressions through the spirit of the Lord.  Like knowing a few seconds before it happens that I'm going to be called upon to give a closing or opening prayer.  One time when I got the distinct impression that the final speaker in a ward conference meeting (he was in the stake presidency) was about to call on me to come up to the stand to either bear my testimony or comment upon what he had been talking about.  In the latter case, I was sitting with my wife in the overflow area of the chapel (the cultural hall in fact), when I got this impression.  I mentioned it to her, and then started mentally reviewing what I might say.  And then the meeting ended and I wasn't called upon.  I was a little disappointed (I actually enjoy public speaking), but since I believe that it's important to be willing to serve even if not called, it didn't concern me greatly.  But after the meeting, this brother happened to run into me, and he told me that while he was speaking he had thought to call on me to come up to bear my testimony about what he had been talking about, but then decided to spare me!  When I told him that he should have, because I had gotten the impression through the spirit that he was going to do it, and was readying myself, he looked rather embarrassed about it.  It happened that he was the brother who had been that bishop called while I was the ward clerk, now in the stake presidency.

Because of these and other experiences I've had like them, I have plenty of reason to be convinced that the Spirit of Lord works with the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  And that's a strong validation for me that the Lord is guiding this church.

[Stargazer]

21 hours ago, HappyJackWagon said:

Most people share their premonitions after the fact so they seem quite faith promoting. After a new bishop is called someone will undoubtedly tell him "I knew it was going to be you." blah, blah, blah. Few people have the guts to do it before the calling is known so they don't have to deal with backlash for all the times they're wrong.

Also, it's often fairly easy to surmise a short list for any particular calling if you're plugged in to the workings of the ward/stake.  For example I correctly predicted the last bishop and stake president to be called in my area. But it wasn't revelation/premonition.

 

Predicting a possible stake president or bishop based on their activity, previous callings, and "being-known" is exactly as you say, not a matter of revelation/inspiration.  I've done this a few times, just for fun, knowing that a term of service for a bishop or a stake president was soon to be over.  In two cases, one for a bishop, my top of the short list brother was called to be the bishop, and in the second, for stake president, the top of my short list was called to be one the new SP's counselors.  Tons of fun, yes!  And both brothers were excellent church leaders.

However, it isn't all "football pool".  During one stake conference, after a meeting on Saturday before the Sunday when the new stake president was to be called and presented for the sustaining vote, my wife and I were walking out of the stake center building when she stopped, turned around, and indicated one brother who had been walking out at about the same time.  She said, "He's going to be the next stake president!"  Although there were others coming out the door at the time, I knew exactly whom she was talking about. I didn't remember his name, but knew he had recently been released from being bishop over one of the stake's wards.  And sure enough, he was called the next day to be the new SP.  The odd thing about this was that my wife had no idea who he was at the time -- he was completely anonymous to her!

I guess that, from one point of view, it is "in the mouth of two or three witnesses".  Have you never received a spiritual testimony that a church leader was called of the Lord?

[Stargazer]

Nevermind

Edited January 27, 2017 by Stargazer

[Boanerges]

It has happened to me, most recently in my current calling. I did not know years in advance, it was only a short time (a few days). I actually dismissed it because at the time of my call to the high council I was inactive - then the call from the stake president came and the impression was repeated.

I do not claim to get revelation for anyone else nor do I have such impressions about anyone else. I'm always wrong with the new bishop and new stake president speculations.

[Thinking]

"Those who know don't tell and those who tell don't know."

[boblloyd91]

So I guess two experiences that have caused me to believe this. First I was recently called to the elders quorum presidency, and I recall a few weeks before I was called having frequent thoughts of the need to strengthen the ward. Also my mother in law was a former relief society president, and while doing this calling she would get constant ideas of ways to help her relief society ladies. A few weeks before she was released, those constant ideas and thoughts became more and more infrequent until she was released. Definitely interesting.

[hope_for_things]

On 1/27/2017 at 10:46 AM, Bobbieaware said:

The only thing I would say in response is that genuine revelation may be viewed as being purely subjective to an unbeliever who's on the outside looking in. But to someone who's received genuine revelation, there's more than subjectivity involved in the process. The Book of Mormon says we can know truth, not just believe something is true, Those who have not had the experience of  receiving revelation will never understand how this can be so, but it is a true principle nonetheless .

For example, I know the Book of Mormon is the word of God as well as I know the sun will rise tomorrow morning. But you have the every right to say I cannot know truth in this manner. Even so, I know it is possible and that one day I will be vindicated in my assertion. Because the natural man, by very nature, cannot receive nor comprehend the things of God, the process will remain foolish superstition to the unbeliever until the day God comes out of his hiding place.There's no sense bashing heads about it because the mind of the natural man cannot and will not ever be convinced of these things, because the things of God can only be spiritualy discerned.

Of course revelation is subjective.  I'm guessing that you wouldn't claim that your personal witness about the BoM universally applies to everyone else on this earth.  I'm also guessing you wouldn't accept the revelations of others about the Koran or Bhagavad Gita, or any other tradition's sacred texts to apply directly to you. 

Your points about revelation being real and sacred to you, really support my point about revelation being subjective.  Also, I'm not sure how any of this really helps to support your earlier comments looking down on those that share their revelatory personal experiences in more public ways.  Perhaps you're unwilling to allow for the fact that many other people have very different experiences than yourself, and that those experiences are just as powerful and legitimate in their eyes as your experiences are to you.  If true its your loss...

[stemelbow]

Every stinking calling I've been given I've guessed it.  Well, I usually know when a calling is coming, because they call me on the phone and ask me to meet with a call-giver, then I consider which callings are possible...and bla...blam....I'm usually right.  Okay, my claim of "every" is overstating.  But it's pretty easy to do.  Sometimes I go in with several options in my head and walk away having one of them offered.  I'm like, "yeah, I felt stronger about ti than the others.  You just know."  But calling that revelation seems silly. 

Anyway, we had a bishop called.  he was like, "I knew I was getting the call.  That I was supposed to."  We were like, "uh...yeah, you've been campaigning for it since you arrived in the ward."  His wife told us he should be bishop a few months before he was called as she bared her testimony too.  Anyway, it didn't seem all that impressive to me.