Time and Trust are the only two ingredients needed to differentiate between Intuition and a Spirit Message. I am not sure what the context of the message was but it seems there is some doubt in your mind that it is actual a “true” message or just a thought. Once people become aware that they may be receiving messages from spirits or other sources they can become overwhelmed or overzealous. I have seen many people who get spirit messages and just spit them out to their loved ones or the general public. They do this without thinking or taking the time to learn what a true message is and this can cause some harm to themselves and the intended recipient. Not every message that is received from a spirit (or other sources) are true. Spirits can lie as well as humans. So this is where you must learn to trust in “Yourself”. Spirit messages are part of the spiritual growth process but they are not the whole of it. I think many people forget that the abilities we receive are there to strengthen and help us out and are not the foundation of our spiritual awareness. Always look to your heart to find the truth for that is where “Truth” resides. When a message comes look to define the meaning of the message and then run it past your heart. If you want to separate the true from the false then you must trust in yourself and in your heart.
I personally do not tell most people about the messages I receive about them. It is not a matter of withholding information it is a matter of knowing that a message can harm as well as heal. Let me tell you how this can happen, from a personal experience I recently had.
A long time friend of mine had lost his job, his longtime girlfriend, his house, his car, the whole deal, in the spring of 2008. through this time we would often talk and I would help him spiritually, mentally, and energetically as much as I could. Years before this we had a discussion about my abilities and how I was able to use them. He had never asked for more then just a simple healing or words of kindness for many years. He already understood that I did not do “readings” or talk about the messages I receive while doing my work. I explained to him that divination of the future cannot be 100% correct due to the infinite amount of possibility that are contained within one breath. The future is fuzzy at best.
When the world came crumbling down around him he became considerably agitated (I don't blame him one bit) about what the future held for him. I kept telling him to focus on the present and work to get back on his feet again. To trust himself over anyone else, myself included. He did start putting his shoulder to the wheel and rearranged his life to better suit his situation. But bumps come up in life that jar even the best of us. He hit bumps and fell back on wanting to exactly know his future. In December I broke down, it was a real low time for him and he was at his end, and it was the wrong thing for me to do. He had just applied for a job and had been waiting to hear back to see if he had gotten the position.
He waited about a week and decided he would call the business up and see if there was any clue to whether he received the job or not. They did not have an answer for him. He came to me again looking for his future, and I did give in. I told him what I saw, he would have the job in February of next year. This lifted his spirits immediately and downed mine. I told him to understand that the factors can change and to trust in himself. But he trusted in me and the message more. At the end of December he heard from “Someone who knew the sister of the cousin who was best mates with the boss” that the positions were all full. He called me and bitched me out and the spirits and everything else he could. He hit rock bottom again. I told him maybe it is time to stop worrying and start getting his act together and in time the future will take care of itself. After he hung up (abruptly) I was a bit mad at myself and him. But I knew that for him everything would work out eventually.
He received a call mid February and he was offered the job at the company he had applied to and I told him he would be working at. His future was fulfilled. He went in and the head managers all loved him and were egger to get him on board. He just had to wait 3 days while they ran a background check and to call his past workplace. He told the manager about how he was told that the positions were filled. The manager told him that “Things change” and not to trust everything he hears. I had to chuckle a bit on the phone because things do change. He was happy, I was not. I was not mad at him mind you or anything else. I was a bit unhappy about the “Future”. He called me again in three days. He lost the job. When the company called his last employer his old boss was not in town so they spoke with the person under him. This person did not like my friend and sabotaged the whole deal. He was employed and unemployed in a matter of 3 days. I hope he will call again sometime but I doubt that will happen anytime soon.
The abilities we have can cause great good but also harm. I only offer this as a warning, I am not saying not to trust the Messages we receive or put them to good use. Just be careful, especially when it comes to “messages”, put more trust in yourself and your heart then anything else. Take the time to practice and learn about all the things you can do before you act.
Subject: Your own intuition vs spirit message 
