Blog Archives
Fiction Flexes Your Seeing Muscles
Many people find this blog because they want to grow in being able to “see” the unseen realm. Can you see what is unseen? Yes, you can. Sometimes you see with the eyes of your heart and sometimes you see with your natural eyes. Here’s a couple of articles on this topic: Why Can’t I See or Hear in the Spirit? and How to See the Unseen Realm.
Today I want to explore some other ways you can grow in the ability to see.
Something about reading fiction enhances my ability to perceive angels and the unseen realm more clearly. Perhaps using my imagination as I read helps me tap into that realm more easily. Try it! Read a good fiction book like The Starlore Legacy series by Chuck Black – it’s like the Bible told in a Star Wars universe. Lots of fun! After reading for an hour or so, close the book and look around the room. Or walk through your house. I bet you’ll notice more things from the spiritual realm. I certainly do! 🙂
I believe the same part of our being that can imagine is the part that helps us perceive things that are invisible to our eyes. Think about when you get a prophetic insight – you don’t SEE it with your natural eyes, do you? You see it with the eyes of your heart! (aka your imagination) Paul said he prayed that the eyes of our hearts would be enlightened (Ephesians 1:18). I don’t think that this means we are “making it up” like when people use their imagination to create a novel. But it is a part of our being that we use to “see” things, to imagine things that our natural eyes cannot perceive. So when you read a good fiction book, it is flexing those “seeing” muscles! Isn’t that cool? 😲
Different Types of Spiritual Senses
I’ve noticed that many people that can see clearly in the unseen realm cannot perceive clearly. And those that hear can’t see and those that perceive don’t often hear or see. We need each other – none of us have all the gifts. This way we all have a piece to share. If we could see, hear and perceive everything all on our own, why would we need anyone else? 😉
I would much rather be able to perceive than to see. But that’s just me. By perceiving I mean sensing or feeling or “knowing” beyond knowledge.
I’ve also noticed that fasting sleep makes me more perceptive to the unseen realm, though I’ve never done it intentionally. It makes me overly sensitive to everything (which can be overwhelming) so I don’t do it on purpose. But if for some reason I get less than 5-6 hours of sleep, my senses are very sharp. If this happens for more than 1 night, I’m incredibly sensitive but it takes a big toll on me and I need a day or more to recover.
In college I lived on a supernatural grace of 5 hours a night during the week and then slept copious amounts on the weekend. I was young and on fire and my friends and I sought hard after God. It was exhilarating!!
So what enables you to perceive the unseen realm more clearly? And no, I don’t mean psychotropic substances. I personally don’t trust anything that alters my ability to perceive the natural realm to begin with.
By the way, I ALWAYS notice a big shift in my awareness after midnight until the sun comes up. Everything is clearer and it’s much easier to get discernment or prophetic insight. Have you noticed this too?
Let me know in the comments section – let’s learn from each other! 🙂
Life After Death Shared Experience – Husband and Wife ❤
Many people describe near death experiences – this is the first one I’ve read that had a husband and wife who died together, but one of them came back. Can you imagine what that must be like?
Jeff Olsen: The accident happened while we were driving back to our home in Bountiful, Utah, from a visit to relatives in the southern part of the state. My wife, Tamara, was asleep beside me. Our seven-year-old son, Spencer, was in the back seat, playing with his toys. Our toddler, Griffin, slept in his car seat. The road stretched out ahead, and my eyes grew heavy. It felt as if I’d blinked for just a second.
That was all it took.
I lost control. The car rolled, windows exploding, gravel flying, as we spun over and over until I lost consciousness. I woke only for a second after we stopped. I felt horrible pain and heard Spencer crying in the backseat. Everything went black again. I was terrified. Where is my family? Are they safe?
Then, suddenly, I was calm. The pain was gone. I looked around. I was floating above our car accident. Before I could react, I felt a presence near me. It was Tamara. We were encircled in a bubble of light that was emanating complete peace. I knew then she was gone, but it was as if my grief were suspended. All I could feel was serenity. I wondered if we were on our way to heaven.
Tamara looked at me, her face serious. “Jeff, you cannot be here,” she said. “You have to go back.” How could I? She was here. Then I remembered Spencer’s cries. He was still alive. He needed me. I knew I had to make a choice. I pulled Tamara close to me. “Goodbye,” I said. I let go. Then I felt myself drifting away from Tamara and the comforting light.
Suddenly, I was in a hospital. I was not yet back in my body—I was still weightless, without pain. I moved freely through the halls, observing the people around me. Somehow, I was able to see their whole lives as I looked at them. Their stories, their fears, their experiences. I felt no judgment toward any of them. I was filled with the most incredible love and oneness with each of them.
I finally reached a room and stopped. The patient was in terrible shape, and doctors were rushing around him. Wait, I thought. Is that me? I recognized my own face now. I was horrified. I couldn’t go back to that! Then I remembered what Tamara had said. I thought of Spencer. I couldn’t leave him alone.
I let go and chose to move toward the body. The heaviness was the first thing I noticed, then came the horrific pain. But the worst part was the guilt. It hit me like a tidal wave. Tamara and Griffin were gone. Even as I sensed the doctors over me, working furiously to save my life, the only thing I could think was: This was my fault.
——————————————————
Dr. Jeff O’Driscoll was finishing his rounds at the hospital when Rachel, an ER nurse, grabbed his arm. “Come see this,” she said. “His wife is…here.”
Dr. O’Driscoll: Rachel and I stood in the doorway. The room was loud. A team of doctors worked to stabilize the patient. As I watched, the sounds around me faded out. I sensed a divine presence in the room. And then I noticed a light. In it was the form of a woman, floating above the patient’s bed. She had flowing, curly blonde hair and was dressed in various shades of white. Her form was almost transparent, and the look on her face was serene. She looked vibrant, otherworldly—I knew innately that this was the man’s wife. The divine presence in the room was allowing me to view her eternal soul.
She smiled at me, as if she’d known me forever. I sensed her immense gratitude toward the doctors who were working to save her husband. She looked directly at me and back at her husband, then back at me. Her eyes were intent.
Then everything slowly returned to normal. I could hear the doctors speaking, and I could hear Rachel again. “Did you see her too?” she asked. I looked again. The patient’s wife was gone. The trauma surgeon took the man to surgery.
Olsen: After a few months and 18 surgeries, I finally moved to the rehab wing. One night, just days before my release, I fell into a deep sleep and had a dream that was more powerful than any I’d ever had. I was standing in a big field. The serenity I’d felt in the bubble of light on the day of the accident returned. My body was healed, and I could walk freely. I felt light and started running. I noticed a corridor appear on my left. I entered and followed it to the end. I found Griffin there, asleep in his crib. He looked perfect. Tears filled my eyes as I picked him up and held him close. I could feel his breath on my neck as I rocked him. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to forgive myself, I thought.
Then I felt a divine presence behind me. It exuded pure love. It felt like the love I’d experienced for the people in the hospital the day of the accident, free of judgment. I now understood that I’d been shown a glimpse of the kind of complete love that God had for me. I felt two arms wrap around Griffin and me, enveloping us. A reassuring voice said, “There’s nothing to forgive.”
This is an excerpt of a story that appeared in Mysterious Ways magazine – click here for the full story
For more information, I highly recommend the book Imagine Heaven by John Burke. It really encouraged me after someone close to me unexpectedly passed away. It is full of stories like this and it examines the details of these experiences in light of what the Scriptures say. Click on the book cover below to see the description on Amazon.
A Small Brown Dog
Rating: Educational, pleasant
I want to tell you a story – it’s the story of a small brown dog. This story illustrates how following the Holy Spirit in the unseen realm can be quite an unexpected adventure! 🙂
Several months ago whenever I walked my dog, I kept getting impressions of a small dog. I have never owned a small dog. Most of my dogs have been medium-sized dogs or larger. I currently had a dog and had no intention of getting a new dog. I didn’t know why I kept getting these impressions or faint images of a small dog in my mind.
I began to notice small dogs in my neighborhood. One day I walked out my front door and there was a woman I had never seen before. She was walking a Shih Tzu. I asked her about her dog – she told me she had rescued it and that she had two other small dogs at home. Then the neighbor down the street lost her Yorkie and came to my house to see if I had seen her dog. She was so worried! I helped her put up posters in the neighborhood and spread the word among the neighbors via text message. Thankfully, someone saw her dog and returned it to her. Crisis averted – all was well.
That summer my dog passed away – he was 14.5 years old. I missed him terribly – he was my fitness partner, always eager to get me up and walking around the neighborhood.
About 3 months later, I suddenly started getting the pictures of the small dog again. This time it was more insistent and I noticed a color – it was a small brown dog. I told my husband about it. We were getting ready to go out of town for the holidays (near Thanksgiving) so he suggested that if we were to get a dog, we should wait until after we got back. I sighed and patiently waited. I wasn’t sure why I kept getting these pictures, but I felt sure they were important and I should do something to respond.
Unfortunately, we both got sick and had to delay our trip. I was starting to feel anxious – I felt sure that there was a small brown dog that needed our help and we needed to find it. As soon as we returned, I started looking for a small brown dog on Petfinder.com. I also looked in the Lost and Found site for pets (a local service). Nothing felt right. We went to two pet adoption events at pet stores (hosted by rescue groups) – lots of nice doggies, but not the dog I sensed needed us.
Finally we decided to try the county shelter. I am very happy to report that all the small dogs were already adopted! What a relief! Yet the search continued.
I began to wonder if it was “just me”. Maybe I wanted a dog and this was just my crazy idea.
Then a friend called and said he needed prayer. He asked if he could meet with my husband and I. We agreed. He came over and while we were waiting on God, the presence of God filled the living room. It was very tangible. The Lord spoke to our friend and it was exactly what he needed to hear. My husband also received a word from the Lord for him – and it lined up with what the Lord had told our friend. While these two men were being “spiritual”, all I got was a larger, clearer picture of a small brown dog! Front and center – the image filled my mind. I took that as a sign that God really was behind this dog search and that He wanted us to find a specific dog who needed us.
The next day we went back to the shelter. Still no dogs that matched my vision. We came home and I laid down to rest. I felt an insistent nudge to go on Craigslist. I am not a fan of Craigslist – there’s a lot of shady things that go on there and you never know who you are dealing with (especially in Miami). But the nudge wouldn’t go away. I did a search and there was a post that caught my eye. I contacted the person by phone.
Craigslist photo of a small brown dog
A woman named Zoey said a casual friend lost her apartment and asked her to keep the dog for a few weeks until she got a new place. She did it as a favor. Then after the friend moved, she didn’t want the dog back. Zoey kept calling; the woman did not answer. Finally she left several messages saying she was selling the dog. After a month of no response from the owner, she posted the dog on Craigslist. Three hours later, I saw the post.
We agreed to meet. The dog was adorable – small, brown and lively. Very loving and well-behaved. We paid her a small re-homing fee. We had found our dog! Both my husband and I KNEW this was the dog we had been searching for.
First day in her new home 🙂
It didn’t dawn on me until later – the timing factor. The insistent nudges I received that we needed to DO something were just about the same time that Zoey’s “friend” brought her the dog. However, we never would have found her at that time because she wasn’t in need of adoption yet. Then we got sick and our trip was delayed. After we returned, we went on several trips to shelters and adoption events. Finally, when I was ready to give up and began to think I was “crazy”, God sent me a confirmation that it really was HIM and not me. The next day, we found her through an unconventional path – something I never would have thought of to begin with. If we hadn’t gone through all those unsuccessful attempts to find the dog, I probably would have dismissed the idea of searching on Craigslist.
The Lord knows our thoughts and our path. He knows how to direct our steps even when they are not what we would normally do. He’s amazing, isn’t He? I love the adventure. We had so little to go on – a faint vision, an insistent nudge and a feeling that there was something we were supposed to do. A small brown dog needed to be rescued and the Lord cared enough to order our steps so we would find her. I am so glad He did! ❤
Divine Communion
A. W. Tozer was a man who perceived God in the unseen realm. The words he used to express his relationship with God have often resonated with me. On some deep level, I “get” it. Here are some of my favorite lines from Tozer’s book, The Pursuit of God.
“To have found God and still to pursue Him is the soul’s paradox of love …”
“In God we shall find that for which we have all our lives been secretly longing.”
“God formed us for His pleasure, and so formed us that we, as well as He, can, in divine communion, enjoy the sweet and mysterious mingling of kindred personalities. He meant us to see Him and live with Him and draw our life from His smile.”
“A spiritual kingdom lies all about us, enclosing us, embracing us, altogether within reach of our inner selves, waiting for us to recognize it. God Himself is here waiting our response to His presence. This eternal world will come alive to us the moment we begin to reckon upon its reality.”
Doesn’t this resonate with you? Doesn’t something within tell you that there’s MORE than you are currently experiencing with your 5 senses? These words of Tozer have inspired me for years.
In the beginning of his book, it says this:
“Others before me have gone much farther into these holy mysteries than I have done, but if my fire is not large it is yet real, and there may be those who can light their candle at its flame.”
Thank you, A.W., for lighting my candle. I hope I can do the same for others. God is real – I love experiencing His presence and His nearness. Don’t you?
Book Review: The Veil by Blake Healy – A Look Behind the Scenes of the Unseen Realm
Amazon link
I recently finished reading The Veil by Blake K Healy. Blake is a good guy. He teaches at the Bethel Atlanta School of Supernatural Ministry. I’ve seen a lot of flaky stuff on the subject of the unseen realm – his book is not like that at all. It’s very real, very believable and very down to earth. I enjoyed reading it. He says he has been able to see clearly the unseen realm since he was a child. He never thought he was different – he thought everyone could see what he saw. Until he reached a certain age where it became obvious to him that he was “different”. I liked his book because he didn’t make me feel excluded because I don’t “see” like he sees. Many people who have special giftings tend to give you that impression. He didn’t put himself on a pedestal at all. In fact, instead he tries to make “seeing” or “perceiving” the unseen realm something anyone can do. He even includes “exercises” in the back of the book to help you get started. Very cool! 🙂
I used the exercise with a friend this weekend and lo and behold, she saw an angel! In my living room, no less. That was cool. But more on that later ….
Here’s some highlights from his book:
Demons have no authority over you unless you give it to them. A demonic entity has no right to act in your life without expressed agreement from you. (p. 37) Lies are the only power that demons have, and lies are only powerful if you believe them. … there is freedom in revealing deception to be deception. (p. 41) … the interesting thing about demonic influence [is] it feels so real when you’re in the middle of it, but the moment you see it clearly it’s no more threatening than a paper-mache bunny. (p.48)
I really like that – Lies are only powerful if you believe them. Wow – so if the only power that demons have is the power we give them by believing their lies, then it should be fairly simple to keep them from influencing us, right? In my life, I have found it very hard to discern the lies I believe – ’cause they don’t LOOK like lies. If I believe them, then I believe they are true, right? If I KNEW it was a lie, then I wouldn’t believe it. It’s kinda complicated, isn’t it?
I’m very glad I discovered this little heart “exercise” called the Lie Detector. That’s in a book called Freedom through Forgiveness by Sandy Walker. It’s on the Resources tab above. I’ll post about that book at another time. Anyway, that little exercise has been majorly helping me find the lies I believe and uprooting them. And as a result, I feel a LOT freer. I had no idea I believed so many lies!
Back to Blake’s book – he says he’s never met anyone who didn’t have a personal angel. That’s kind of cool, isn’t it? 🙂 He says about 30% of the personal angels look like the person they are with. Kind of explains why people told Rhoda it was “Peter’s angel” at the door when Peter was supernaturally released from prison by an angel (Acts 12) – maybe they had seen these look-alike angels before.
I like Blake’s stories – he very simply describes what he sees: in a coffeeshop, in a church service, at a party. It’s very cool. I also really appreciate that he emphasizes that “it’s not about the gift”. It’s about asking the Holy Spirit to teach you and show you what is all around you. Reading his stories gave me a little nudge to start paying attention more. His descriptions stretched my imagination. For instance, here’s one I thought was cool:
Sometimes people would come with cuts and bruises on their faces [in the unseen realm]. As each word was prophesied over them [in prayer ministry], liquid light would form in the air, repairing the cuts and clearing the bruises. (p. 66) [brackets added for clarity]
So, back to my friend seeing the angel in my living room. Blake says that if you want to become more aware of the unseen realm, then pay more attention to it. I knew my friend wanted to become more aware of this realm. We were sitting in my living room with some friends. I told her, “Close your eyes, ask the Holy Spirit where to look. Then open your eyes and ask Him to show you something.” (this is a very brief summary of Blake’s exercise). She did. She opened her eyes and pointed to an area near my bookshelves. She said, “There’s an angel there.” We both smiled.
Then I focused on the area and “saw” a rather large figure. Taller than the people who were there. Then I remembered the last part of Blake’s instruction – ask the Holy Spirit to explain to you what you are seeing. So I did. I got the impression that the angel was there for protection. He was certainly BIG enough. 🙂
Blake says there’s an impartation on his book – in other words, it stirs up your faith to open your heart and believe that you too can see/perceive the unseen realm. I think he’s right. It certainly stirred me up. So if this is an area you’d like to grow in, give his book a look.
Here’s the link to Amazon – you can preview some of the chapters before purchasing it.
Let me know if you decide to read it and what you thought. Or if you have another cool book you’d like to recommend, please let me know in the comments below. Thanks! 🙂
Update Feb 2014: Blake now offers a recording of the his “Seeing in the Spirit – Workshop”: In this workshop Blake shares his testimony and his heart regarding the gift of seeing in the spirit, along with several stories that illustrate the overwhelming love of our God. Over two hours of questions, answers, and keys to growing in the gift of seeing are included in this extended digital version. 4 hours total – mp3 format. Click here to for more info
Video: Experiences of the Unseen Realm
Rating: Educational
I found this episode of “It’s Supernatural” by Sid Roth where he interviews Jonathan Welton about his experiences of seeing the unseen realm. What’s cool is that they illustrate what he describes with actors playing out each scene. That really helps me to understand what Jonathan says he can see.
It’s a nice episode. I think you’ll enjoy it. Be prepared – it’s kinda “out there”.
Jonathan Welton: Seeing in the Spirit
Here’s the original link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6je44kzcCgc
If you go to YouTube and watch the link, I’m sure you’ll find all kinds of other “related videos” too. 🙂
Elements of the Unseen Realm
Rating: Educational
So what’s in the Unseen Realm? There are quite a few things. Perceiving them varies depending on the situation and your ability to discern them. Obviously, we need to rely on the Holy Spirit to show us what is there and why.
Here’s what I think of when I think of the Unseen Realm.
Elements of the Unseen Realm
God the Father
Jesus
The Holy Spirit
Angels – guardian angels, warrior angels, worship angels, healing angels, etc.
Demons – evil spirits of every kind (i.e. unclean spirit, lying spirit, spirit of adultery, spirit of fear, etc.)
Powers – both good and evil ones
Principalities – both good and evil ones
Human spirits
Human souls
Soul-ties
Anointings, Giftings, Callings, Mantles, Spheres of authority
Blessings – current blessings or generational blessings
Curses or assignments – current curses (like a word curse) or generational curses from the past
Objects like listening devices, tracking devices, a sword, a scepter, a crown, armor or clothes, etc.
Structures like portals, doors, windows, etc from this realm to another one
Locations like Sheol, the Second Heaven, the Third Heaven, the Throne Room, etc.
Beings in heaven like the four living creatures, seraphim & cherubim, 24 elders, etc.
Other miscellaneous things like the Tree of Life, Living Water, the River of Life, etc.
I’m sure I’ve left something out – please feel free to add it in the comments below. There is so much in the Unseen Realm – people are often amazed to realize how much we are unaware of.
Backlash and Bloodshed – Freaky!
Rating: Creepy
This memory keeps standing out in my mind so I guess I should share it next. It’s a little “out there” – it creeps me out whenever I think of it.
I was traveling for business. My brother happened to be in the same city, attending the wedding of an extended family member. He called me and said he was very worried about a certain sister’s safety. She had been at the event and then disappeared without telling anyone she was leaving. They later found out she had boarded a bus to go back to her home. This concerned him greatly because she had been telling him she was relieved to be away from home because she was in a very abusive relationship and the man had recently threatened to kill her. No one could understand why she suddenly left to return to him.
My brother is a man of prayer – when he is worried, his first defense is to intercede and ask God to intervene. He asked me to meet him to pray for this sister. We decided to go for a walk – there were too many people in the house and everyone was upset about the situation. We figured being outside would help us clear our heads and enable us to focus better in prayer.
As we walked, he did most of the praying. I just agreed. At one point, I “saw” this very, very large being above us. In comparison to its size, we looked like ants. I could see its legs like large columns going up and up. I sensed that it looked down at us, specifically at my brother, and it was annoyed at his prayers. The attitude conveyed was, “You think you have a right to pray for her safety? She’s mine!”
My brother interceded harder, asking God to save her life and protect her from the violence of the man she was going home to. He’s very bold when he prays. He prays with great authority and obviously he annoyed some very large being that was watching over this situation.
We finished praying. He walked me back to my car and I drove to my hotel. Even though we had closed out our time with prayers of protection and covering for ourselves, I had the uncanny feeling that this being was going to manifest in some way the next day at my job. I prayed about it several times that night, but I could not shake that feeling. I didn’t know what to expect. We had been praying against violence, bloodshed, the spirit of death, etc – anything that seemed related to the attack against this sister.
The next day at work, I was on the alert. I prayed on the way and I prayed when I arrived. I didn’t like knowing that somehow this spirit was going to show itself in my work day, but I was glad I had advance warning. I didn’t feel afraid – I just prayed for grace to know how to deal with it when it happened. For some reason, I didn’t feel I had the authority to block it from manifesting.
I was managing a small office of people. They needed an extra pair of hands to get a job done so the district manager had approved for a temporary labor office to send someone over. The man who arrived surprised me. He looked kind of like Santa Claus – he was older, overweight and had a white beard. The work assignment was physical labor. I explained this to him and asked if he felt he could do the work. I was a little concerned because he looked about ready for retirement, not a full 8 hours of physical labor in the sun of a very hot climate. He said he was fine and I sent him outside to be trained by one of our regular personnel.
About an hour and half later, he came walking into the office holding his left hand in his right hand and said, “Can someone help me please?” We all turned to see him – blood was dripping from his hands as he walked across the floor. I was shocked. Thankfully, the rest of the staff responded immediately. One of the office clerks had nurses training in her background and steered him toward the bathroom so she could see how bad the wound was and clean it up. Another staff member had training in blood borne illnesses and notified me that he knew how to clean up a blood spill correctly and proceeded to do so.
We had never had someone injured in this office before – at least not to my knowledge. We were all quite puzzled in how he could have hurt himself – and after only working for a little over an hour by himself. Thankfully, his wound was not serious. The office clerk got the bleeding stopped and bandaged him up from the first aid kit. I called the temporary labor office and our district manager for instructions on where to send him for treatment. I gave him the information and off he went.
As he left, I could not stop shaking my head. As soon as I ‘d seen the blood dripping on the floor, I’d known. This was a manifestation of that spirit of bloodshed and violence. I was very thankful it had been minor. That spirit seemed intent on intimidating me more than anything else – no real harm was done. The man would recover with a few minor stitches. I don’t know why this played out the way it did, but it made a definite impression on me.
Has anything this strange ever happened to you? What did you do? I’d love to hear stories from other people. I don’t often share these because most people have no frame of reference for something so odd.
Spiritual Senses – Which one is your strongest?
Rating: Educational
When I began to perceive the spiritual realm, I wasn’t really sure how I “knew” the things I knew. Part of me was convinced that when I sensed something that it was really there and part of me tried to rationalize away the feeling and just dismiss it. We have all probably experienced that.
I learned from Arthur Burk in his series, Nurturing the Spirit, that our soul tends to rationalize away the impressions we get in our spirit because they don’t necessarily make logical sense. For instance, when I was a child and I sensed that there was something scary lurking at the end of the hall or under my bed, my natural eyes could turn on the light and see that there’s nothing there in the visible realm. “See, you’re just making things up!” my mind would tell me. Or as most children are told by adults, “There’s no boogey-man under the bed or in the closet. See?” They open the closet and look under the bed just to convince you. But as soon as they leave, what do you believe if you can still “feel” them in the room? Does it mean you are crazy?
Anyway, during my studies of trying to figure out how this “sensing” the unseen realm stuff works, I came across a book. I can’t recall the title, but the concept has stayed with me. The author suggested that since we have 5 senses in our physical body, perhaps we have 5 senses in our spiritual body. Since that time, I have met people who have experienced the unseen realm through their spiritual senses: sight, hearing, touch, smell or taste. Then there’s that “sixth sense” where you just have an inner knowing, but you can’t exactly explain why. Either your senses are picking something up and your brain comes to a conclusion so quickly that you are not conscious of it or perhaps the Holy Spirit gives you the information through a word of knowledge. Somehow you just know.
Some people who “see” in the spirit say they can see the unseen realm with their natural eyes just like they would look at you or me. Blake Healy in his book, The Veil, describes his sight that way. For me, I “see” things in my mind while my natural eyes are looking at the location where I sense a presence. It’s like I’m seeing in my mind the exact same picture I see with my natural eyes except there is an added element there, such as an angel. I learned this (or was strengthened in it) through Gary Oates’ teaching called “Open My Eyes, Lord”. Both of these materials are listed on the Resources tab above. In Blake’s book, he says he encourages people to increase their perception through whatever way they normally use to “hear” from God. Is it through pictures in their mind or a feeling or hearing words in their thoughts? Whichever way God speaks to them is a sense they have learned to trust, so he says that’s a good place to start when learning to sense the unseen realm. His book has exercises to help you “practice”.
I don’t often hear things, but I have met people who do. Touch is the one I guess I relate to the most – I “feel” things often, everywhere I go. I am also very sensitive to the presence of the Lord and often “feel” His presence. Taste and smell are the most unusual ones – not too many people mention these. I have smelled anointing oil in a service that was thick with the Presence of the Holy Spirit. I have read of people who get a bad “taste” in their mouth when certain demonic spirits are nearby. I’ve never experienced that one, have you?
One other thing I realized recently – I think we sense things differently in our spirit versus in our soul. For instance, my soul can easily detect anything that is evil or unclean. And it usually freaks me out – my soul doesn’t know what to do with the information. However, my spirit does know what to do – so I have to remember to consciously choose to connect with my spirit and then use my authority to remove anything evil that’s bothering me (in my home or near me in a public place).
I also have very sensitive discernment when it comes to dealing with people. That’s a gift in my spirit. When I look in someone’s eyes, 9 times out of 10 I can see their soul. My gift is emotional healing so I see clearly their soul wounds. I can often also see their gifting or original design from the Father. Sometimes I can also discern if there are evil spirits oppressing the person. As you can imagine, I have to be very cautious not to reveal all this information on my face when I’m introduced to someone I’ve never met. I get it all pretty quickly. Being in a party full of people can sometimes be pretty overwhelming to my senses, receiving all this information at once.
So, how do you sense the unseen realm? As I shared on another post, what helped me was finding someone who sensed things using a different method than I did. We would go places and share what we were each aware of. By comparing notes, we grew exponentially both in confidence and in accuracy in being able to identify what we were experiencing. So if you naturally “see” in the unseen realm, go find someone who “feels” and vice versa. You’ll be glad you did.
Giant Bat Encounter – the Unseen Realm
Rating: Creepy
I’ve had my share of creepy experiences. This is one that stands out in my memory.
For some reason, I have always “known” that there is a rule in the unseen realm. Beings in that realm are not supposed to cross over into the visible realm and show themselves. At least not often. I don’t know why I think this is true – it’s just one of those “rules” that seems to be in my mind. In other words, angels cannot just show themselves to people anytime they want to. They have to be on assignment or have permission to become visible. The same goes with the dark forces – they are not allowed to manifest into the visible realm whenever they choose. If they do so, it is “going against the rules”. Somehow I am convinced of this, but I have no idea where I got this idea.
Anyway, that “rule” is why this experience made such a strong impression on me.
One night, a couple of ladies came to my house. One of them had asked my brother to pray for her. He has a powerful gift of prophetic insight that enables people to get free of things that bother them. During this season in our lives, we often worked together as a team. He ministered and I interceded. The second lady was there to translate since the lady requesting prayer did not speak much English.
As he was asking her questions about what she wanted prayer for, they began to discuss her family history. It came to light that her father had dedicated her to a diety at her birth. As she was explaining this to him, I began to get a very distinct impression that something was standing about 2-3 feet in front of the woman, facing her and staring at her intently. The longer they talked, the clearer the impression came until I could literally “see” this thing in my mind.
It looked like a Giant Bat standing with it’s wings folded around it. It was about 7 feet tall. What was most disturbing to me was that it was right next to me! I was thankful it was not looking at me, but I could feel the evil nature of its presence. I was getting more and more creeped out the longer they talked.
The tension in the room was becoming palpable. I finally told my brother what I sensed. The other lady, the interpreter, was also very prophetically gifted and she confirmed what I was sensing. My brother asked the lady receiving prayer if she wanted to break her agreement with this diety that she had been dedicated to as a child. She said yes. He then led her in a prayer to break the covenant that was made on her behalf by her father.
As soon as she finished the prayer, the creature left. Thank God! I have never been so uncomfortable – and the thing was in MY house! Yuk!
They said a few more prayers and then they left. My brother and I walked them outside to their car. After they drove away, something flew toward my brother’s head. He ducked and it swooped near me and then immediately flew straight up into the branches of a tall palm tree that was in the center of my front yard.
I gasped when I realized what it was – a bat! I had NEVER seen a live bat in my neighborhood. In fact, in all the years I had lived in South Florida, I had never seen one. I have since heard that they are not uncommon, but for me it was a first.
What are the odds that I “see” a bat in my living room related to an evil curse put on this woman’s life and then after she breaks the covenant with it, a real bat flies right at my brother’s head just moments later. I immediately thought of the “rule” about the unseen realm staying invisible. Seeing this rule broken (or maybe bent?) made me a little more cautious. I paid a little more attention to the impressions I got. If there was something nearby that could affect me, I wanted to have advance warning. That bat swooping out of nowhere was really creepy!
So, does anyone know what the rules are concerning the unseen realm? When are they allowed to manifest in the visible realm? I’m going to add that to the questions page – it’s a good one!
Discernment of the Supernatural Realm 