Wait upon the Lord.

Psalm 40:1, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry."

Sometimes the answer to prayer takes longer than we expect. This is why hearing from the Holy Spirit requires that we be patient. When we ask of God, when we seek his will, we can know instantly what his will is in many cases by reading the Bible. But in those areas where the Bible is not specific and we ask God something about life's direction, who to marry, what job to take, etc., we must wait in order to hear from the Holy Spirit.

Oftentimes, we can discern the will of the Holy Spirit by the becoming aware of an increase or decrease of desire in our hearts as we repeatedly pray and wait on him. In other words, God often puts a desire into our hearts that increases over time as we pray about something. If that desire is in agreement with scripture, then it is most probably from the Lord. If the desire in your heart decreases it may be that the Lord is not speaking to you on that topic. Look at it this way. Pray and ask the Lord to increase desires in your heart that are from him, and decrease those that are not. And, always make sure your desires are in accordance with the Bible.

Therefore, be patient and give the Lord the opportunity to answer you, to speak to your heart.