Spiritual Senses #7 – Hearing the Future

A Spiritual Kingdom

palm 2013

Sometimes, the Spirit lets us hear the future before he reveals it to our sight.

I was young in the Lord and new to speaking in tongues—eager to learn all I could about the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:4-11 NIV). One day I was thinking about Jesus and what he did for me. Then, the sound of somebody blowing a trumpet intruded on my thoughts. What is that? I followed the sound—not because it was loud—but because the notes were flat! It seemed to come from the storage under the house. As I came upon the storage, the trumpet playing stopped.

I was so excited. I hurriedly blurted it to my sister, who was also new in the Lord. But I had erred badly. In my excitement, I said that I heard the sound of trumpets made by angels and the sound was heavenly.

The weekend came—and with it a surprise. In a large bin under the house, my young nephews “found” my dad’s old trumpet stuffed among his other things. They began to blow the trumpet and yes, there were many flat notes played that day! Though I tried to tell my sister that this was the sound I had heard earlier in the week, she looked at me annoyed and angry. “You said it sounded like angels! Like heavenly music! This isn’t it!”

Spirit let me hear the future, but the lesson was, “…consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18 NIV). When Spirit decides to gift us, we have the responsibility to be faithful to convey what we see or hear. Since I was young in the Lord, his grace covered my ignorance and my sin.

Now that I am more experienced in spiritual workings, I am careful not to abuse or misuse his gifts. I wish to be found faithful in the service he has entrusted to me.

Next time: Hearing the Future to Perform God’s Will

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #6 – Sight: Seeing that Life is for the Living

A Spiritual Kingdom

K-Bay, 2013

Because the Spirit is life (John 6:63), spiritual senses come alive as the Spirit determines:

My daughter was in high school when she heard that her friend had disappeared from home. Since they were close, my daughter asked if there was anything I could do. We prayed that she would be found and returned safely home.

Not long afterwards, her family placed flyers of her around the town. My daughter saw one of the flyers and called it to my attention. When I looked at her photograph, I was stunned to “see” that she looked alive! How could I tell?

Her picture on the poster “moved”—like heat waves that move on hot pavement. Although she was smiling in the picture, it seemed like someone had super-imposed her real smile upon her photograph. She looked happy!

Puzzled, I said to my daughter, “She’s fine. I think she ran away and is with friends”. A week later, the police found her at a friend’s house.

No doubt, Christians who are reading this are thinking “psychic”. If that’s your faith, then you have what you believe.

As for me, I only know God the Father, His Son Jesus, and the workings of the Holy Spirit. That is my faith and I will not be moved.

Next time: Hearing the Future

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, King James Version, Cambridge 1769. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #5 – Sight: When Sight and Feeling Work Together

A Spiritual Kingdom

Shower trees, 2013

All things work together for good, even spiritual sight and uneasy feelings:

The company flew me to the island of Maui. We were working on finalizing a health care brochure focused on Hawaiian women. I had only one more woman to interview that morning.

Getting a rental and driving up-country Maui was easy and hassle-free. The highway took one route from the airport and then curved alongside a little boat harbor to my right. It seemed like a friendly, welcoming place for a drive. The sun was shining. The sky was blue. The boats were neatly tied to their slips. Quite a picturesque scene!

After the interview was over, one of the women asked if I knew how to get back to the airport. I smiled and said, “Yes, thank you”—thinking I would just double-back the way I came. But it’s as if she didn’t hear me. She called out directions to my retreating back. I waved “Thank you!”, and left.

As I approached the road that would return me to the boat harbor, I stopped for a red light. In the time that I waited, I visually took in the harbor, the boats, and even the sky, now tinged with gray. Suddenly, I was alert. Something was wrong! The harbor looked strange, ominous, and abandoned. When the light changed, instead of turning left to the harbor, I continued straight. Shortly afterward, I saw the sign, “Airport”.

What happened? A warm and inviting setting had just turned cold and lifeless before my eyes, producing a feeling of unease. I couldn’t deny a double witness. Spirit was saying, “Don’t enter the harbor” (Acts 16:7 NKJV), and I listened!

Next time: Seeing That Life is for the Living

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Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #4 – Sight: Watching Movies on a Personal Screen

A Spiritual Kingdom

Our spiritual sight begins to function when we “see” into another dimension, revealed to us by his Spirit (1 Cor. 2:9, 10). For spiritual Christians, it’s a spiritual dimension:

1) We were at a prayer meeting where the gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12:8-10) and the five-fold gifting to the church (Eph. 4:11) were welcomed, so we placed a “hot seat” in the center of our group. Anyone wanting a word from the Lord could sit there and wait for the Spirit to move upon the people to prophesy, give a word of knowledge, etc. Though many had approached the hot seat and prophesied according to the gift of the Spirit, a couple discerned that I had a word for this person, and urged me to approach the seat. As I did so, a big white movie screen dropped down in front of my eyes. I could no longer see the person sitting on the hot seat, nor anyone else that the large screen hid. Then, a movie of his life began to play on the screen before me. Not knowing what to do, I began to prophesy to him exactly what I saw was happening on the screen. He broke down in tears and praised God! How cool was that?

2) We had to study for college finals. I studied and memorized and wasn’t sure I could call up all that info on exam day. My brother suggested I study in a different way. He said, “When you study, see what you’re studying. See moving pictures, not words, and not still photographs.” I did as he advised. Nervous on exam day, I didn’t know how all this would play out. I shouldn’t have worried though (Matt. 6:34). As soon as I flipped the exam paper over and read the first question, I began to see a movie playing inside my head—not on a white screen, but in 3-D. I wrote according to what I saw as it related to what I studied. What a great visual aid that was!

I’m persuaded that since most Christians dwell too much on the devil, their fears prevent them from having the abundant life Jesus promised us for today! That abundant life is waiting for us in Spirit.

Next time: When Sight and Feeling Work Together

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Scriptures are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.

Spiritual Senses #3 – Sense of Smell Reveals Hidden Activities

A Spiritual Kingdom

A pair of cardinals 2013

Warning: You might not like this blog. However, I’ve learned ALL things work for good if we love God and are called according to his purpose. So here goes:

1) A handful of us Christians were invited to meet with a church family in their home for prayer. They believed they were being spiritually attacked. On my way that evening, I kept smelling alcohol and vomit in my car. Of course, I put on the AC, but the smells still hung in the air. So, I rolled down the car windows to let some fresh air in and get rid of the odor. Nothing seemed to help.

I began to pray in the Spirit. Some of you guessed correctly that the adult members of the household drank alcohol to excess, hence the smell of alcohol and vomit. They kept their consumption “hidden” from the church because they were in leadership positions. After we revealed their hidden activity, they came clean, cried and repented. Then we cleaned their house for them, spiritually speaking.

Drinking alcohol in moderation is not a sin—until as in all things—it is taken to excess; and where excess is, so are the works of the flesh (Gal. 5:19, 21);and fleshly works invite all types of spirits to play havoc with Christians.

2) I had a window seat in a crowded bus. The lady next to me got off at her stop. Immediately, a man in his late thirties sat down. It was after work, so I expected everybody on the bus to have body odor. However, spirit-odors are stronger. I began to smell the odor of a wet moldy rag coming from this guy. Finally, I excused myself. After I stepped into the aisle, I asked if he was a Christian. Then I suggested he stop what he was doing because the smell gave him away. I got off the bus.

I can say with certainty he was a Christian engaging in an activity that will prevent him from inheriting the kingdom of God (Gal. 5:19, 21). Even though the world has a different set of values, Christians should know better. Thus, a Christian’s hidden activity should be made known to them (Acts 5:1-11).

“Instead of fragrance, there will be a stench;” (Isaiah 3:24).

Next time: Sight: Watching Movies on a Personal Screen

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Scriptures marked “NIV” are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.