Spiritual discernment requires that we recognize the voice of the Spirit and that we recognize the voice of the Good Shepherd, for my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me (Jn 10:27). If we do not learn to hearken to his voice during our mortal sojourn, we have no hope that we will know the voice in the hereafter.
Brigham Young
“How are we to know the voice of the Good Shepherd from the voice of a stranger? Can any person answer this question? I can. It is very easy. To every philosopher upon the earth, I say, your eye can be deceived, so can mine; your ear can be deceived, so can mine; the touch of your hand can be deceived, so can mine; but the Spirit of God filling the creature with revelation and the light of eternity, cannot be mistaken-the revelation which comes from God is never mistaken. When an individual, filled with the Spirit of God, declares the truth of heaven, the sheep hear that, the Spirit of the Lord pierces their inmost souls and sinks deep into their hearts; by the testimony of the Holy Ghost light springs up within them, and they see and understand for themselves. This is the way the Gospel should be preached by every Elder in Israel, and by this power every hearer should hear; and if we would know the voice of the Good Shepherd, we must live so that the Spirit of the Lord can find its way to our hearts.” (Discourses of Brigham Young, ed. by John A. Widstoe, p. 431)
Brigham Young
“...we can receive the Spirit of eternal life through our Lord Jesus Christ, by which we may know the voice of the Good Shepherd, whenever and wherever we hear it. And as we know the voice of the Good Shepherd, so shall we learn to distinguish it from the voice of a stranger--the voice of the evil one. We can then clearly understand the things that are of God, and the things that are not of Him, and be able to see and judge all things as they are, for, ’He that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.’ (1 Cor 2:15)” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 10, p. 302)
M. Russell Ballard
“When my ministry is over, it won‘t be any talk that I’ve given in the Tabernacle that will make much difference or will be very important in the sight of the Lord. What will be important, I think, is that I hear the voice and respond to the prompting, that the Spirit might direct me that I might be an instrument in the hands of the Lord to do His will and His bidding.” (Church News, Jan. 16, 1988)