French Jesuit priest, Louis Lallemant, taught how to be led by the Spirit in the 1600s. Here are come quotes from his book La Doctrine Spirituelle (The Spiritual Doctrine).

“We may compare those who are led by the gifts of the Spirit to a ship running full-sail before the wind.”

“In almost everything we are led by nature and human views. We follow but little, if at all, the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

“Few abandon themselves to the leadings of the Holy Spirit.”

“The spiritual life consists in the operations of God in the soul, and following the movements of His Spirit in whatever direction He may impel us.”

“We must regulate our behavior by the Spirit of God, conforming ourselves to the guidance of the Holy Spirit.”

“We seize upon every manner of thing without being to satisfy ourselves.  God alone can make us happy.”

“Our happiness consists in the subjection of the heart to the empire of God.”

“The more we renounce ourselves to unite ourselves to God, the more we cease to be miserable.”

“Few have sufficient courage to reach the point of grace and of glory which God desires for them.”

“Some think they do wonders because they preach powerful discourses, well composed, well prepared, and delivered with grace.  They deceive themselves.”

“Pay great attention to divine inspirations.”

“The reason why we are so little illuminated by the Holy Spirit and so little guided by the motions of His gifts is that our soul is sensual and full of a multitude of earthly thoughts, desires, and affections, which extinguish within us the Spirit of God.”

“We are so full of illusions and so little on our guard against them, that we deceive ourselves continually.”

“Enter into the things of God by a submissive love rather than by the force of reasoning.”

“Consult the interior voice of God’s Spirit in all things, lest the human spirit should prevent its operation.’