Inspiration, Revelation, or good thinking

Orson Card is not one of my favorite fiction writers; unlike many who truly enjoy The Ender's Game et al. He is, however, an essayist who I do enjoy and for the most part am piqued in thought by his musings. Recently he wrote an article on defining and delineating between Inspiration and Revelation.

"Let us take that as a hallmark of revelation: It brings an increase of truth and promotes right actions.
Inspiration, on the other hand, can come into our minds like any other idea, often indistinguishable from our own thoughts; indeed, they might well be our own thoughts, which are merely confirmed or encouraged by the Spirit.
Revelation comes when the Lord has urgent business, and he calls upon whichever of his servants are in a position (usually with authority) to carry out his will.
But if every decision in our lives came to us by revelation, where would our agency be? Every choice would be between obeying God or not; we would be like children whose parents were always present, telling them what to do.
I think of inspiration as coming into our minds along with all our other ideas, and indistinguishable from them. We follow the ideas the Spirit brings us, not out of obedience, but because we desire the path itself. Our choices then reveal who we are, and we are fully responsible for the life we chose to live"

Our pathway in life is one where we are to learn how to hear the voice of the Lord through the spoken word, the scriptures, revelation and inspiration. The more carefully we listen the more we can hear. The more we hearken the more we will listen. The more attuned we are the better our own decision making abilities become. Card presents an interesting dialogue concerning taking the Lord's counsel, pondering upon it and seeking all good inputs might well be part of the Lord's counsel in helping you decide.

Following the Spirit is an individual, personal, and interesting journey.