Many times the red light in our hearts is easy to recognize because it is such an uncomfortable feeling on the inside. The green light inside is not always as obvious because it can be a very calm, peaceful, warm feeling.

Peace is one of the signs the Lord uses to let us know everything is okay. Peace is the green light.

But the green light can be more than just calm and peaceful. It can range from a good, warm feeling inside, all the way to an explosive excitement!

Many times adults will say things like, "My spirit just went off like a rocket when you said that." Or something similar to, "My heart just leaped, like it was pounding out of my chest, and I knew it was God leading me."

However, we do need to be careful about our emotions. They can trick us at times. We should always check the motives of our hearts when making decisions. (Motive: the real reason behind why we want to do something.)

But if we are always genuinely honest with ourselves and truly want to do the will of God, we can generally be confident these types of reactions in our spirits are the results of the Lord leading us.

As children, we still need our moms and dads to help us sort through our true motives. We don't have the experiences grown-ups do to help us think through our emotional feelings. God has put our parents in our lives to help us learn how to hear His voice.

When we learn to obey our parents, we are actually learning how to obey God. It's not enough to hear God speak to us. The important part is obeying what we hear.

The guilty feeling we have when we disobey our moms and dads, or the good, warm feeling inside we have when we do what they say, is really the same red light, green light God uses to speak to us about other things as well.

Let's experiment right now to see if we can look in our hearts and tell the difference between the red light and the green light. I'm going to give you some examples of different situations. Close your eyes and try to picture these events. When I give the example, think about what you feel in your heart.
  1. Your mom has told you to do your homework, but you are watching TV instead. What are you feeling in your heart?
  2. It's your night to clean the dishes off the table after supper. You do it without being told to. How do you feel on the inside?
We said before that the feelings the Holy Spirit uses to lead us are very similar to the voice of our conscience telling us right from wrong.

Yellow Light
But there's another light that's yellow. What does yellow mean? It means "caution." It can mean, "Slow down!" or "Be careful." It can cause us to have one big question mark in our spirits. But in this case this light also affects our minds.

One of the ways to identify the yellow light is the feeling of confusion. You will find yourself thinking, "What's wrong with this picture?" Confusion, or a feeling of being all mixed up, can often come with the yellow light.

Sometimes confusion comes simply because we have not understood something correctly. But other times it comes from something different. The Bible tells us in I Corinthians 14:33, "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace."

So we could say confusion is the opposite of peace. If confusion doesn't come from God, where does it come from? It comes from our adversary, or our enemy, the devil.

There was a story in Acts 16:16-18 where Paul was preaching in a certain city. Everywhere he went a girl would follow him and his companions. She was always shouting out, "These men are the servants of the most high God, proclaiming the way of salvation!"

What she was saying was true. But it caused Paul to have one big, giant question mark in his mind that said, "What is wrong with her?" She was causing confusion. Finally, the Holy Spirit revealed to Paul the girl was demon possessed. He cast the demon out of her, and she stopped this strange behavior.

As a child, if you are ever confused about a person or a situation, you need to talk to your parents or another adult you can trust. It's very possible the Holy Spirit is trying to warn you about something.

Whenever you are confused, be very cautious and careful about making any decisions. It's better not to make any decision at all than to make a wrong one.

Many times confusion and pressure will come together. The enemy will confuse you about something and try to pressure you to make a quick decision about it. If this happens to you—run! It's not the voice of God!

Source: School Of The Holy Spirit For Kids, p. 44-45 by Becky Fischer
Excerpt permission granted by Kids In Ministry International