Psychic Abilities

[CrystalDragon]

I say psychic abilities, assuming they exist and aren't fraudulent, are natural-born abilities of man, just not abilities that most have been able to hone properly. After all, if we're "created in the image and likeness of God" I feel like signaling us out like that must give us some difference from the animals, since animals can have intelligence and empathy and emotions. Many of them have stronger physical abilities than we do, so there mud be something that sets us apart.

As for whether its demonic, back in the day people thought everything, from diseases to seizures, was demonic. We know better now, it's not.

 

[MayMcFlurry]

Psychic abilities are the same as prophetic abilities, just named differently. Physic abilities are like physical senses. But they are spiritual senses. EVERYONE has them. But not everyone has learned how to use them. Now, the issue is, spiritual entities can manipulate and influence what you perceive, which is where deception can come in.

I'm psychic/prophetic. Personally I think these abilities are not objective.

 

[Gregory Thompson]

The scripture seems to indicate that the old testament prophets were a step above psychics and witches. One issue this kind of thread brings out is that some people rely on the bible for their salvation, because Jesus cannot exist for them without it ... this makes anything to them a form of evil spirituality.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

There are no references in the New Testament where people received "words of knowledge" that could be confused with psychic phenomena. The only 20th Century evangelist who had the remarkable ability to tell people all about themselves was William Branham. He was unique. Others have tried to copy him and this is where big problems have arisen because those copies ended up being counterfeits. If a person is using the Word of Knowledge, then it has to be supported by Scripture, common sense, and the leadership of the church in which that person is ministering. The Word of Knowledge never reveals sin in a person. That would be usurping the role of the Holy Spirit in convicting of sin in a person. God can reveal things in a person but the aim is to bring that person to Christ, not to glorify the person giving the Word. The trouble with many people who profess to have and use the Word of Knowledge is that they draw attention to themselves instead of Christ. That is what makes their "gift" a counterfeit.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Psychic abilities are the same as prophetic abilities, just named differently. Physic abilities are like physical senses. But they are spiritual senses. EVERYONE has them. But not everyone has learned how to use them. Now, the issue is, spiritual entities can manipulate and influence what you perceive, which is where deception can come in.

I'm psychic/prophetic. Personally I think these abilities are not objective.

The fact that you advertise yourself this way is an indication that I would avoid you ministering your "gift" to me. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. If you are advertising yourself as a prophet, then you are taking the glory away from Christ and playing into the hands of the enemy. The proof that a person is a prophet is the impact that he or she has on others in that faith and trust is strengthened in Christ and that the person receiving the prophecy to drawn to Christ, rather than the person giving the prophecy. Good prophets never advertise themselves as prophets. Others may call them prophets, but often humble prophets will deny the label because they don't want the glory of Christ obscured by any reputation they may receive.

 

[MayMcFlurry]

The fact that you advertise yourself this way is an indication that I would avoid you ministering your "gift" to me. The testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. If you are advertising yourself as a prophet, then you are taking the glory away from Christ and playing into the hands of the enemy. The proof that a person is a prophet is the impact that he or she has on others in that faith and trust is strengthened in Christ and that the person receiving the prophecy to drawn to Christ, rather than the person giving the prophecy. Good prophets never advertise themselves as prophets. Others may call them prophets, but often humble prophets will deny the label because they don't want the glory of Christ obscured by any reputation they may receive.

Yeah well, I never asked for heightened spiritual senses. It's not a gift.

 

[tturt]

"Good prophets never advertise themselves as prophets."
Though I don't care for either. But think that sometimes when that information is known, it makes it easier to understand where someone is coming from.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

"Good prophets never advertise themselves as prophets."
Though I don't care for either. But think that sometimes when that information is known, it makes it easier to understand where someone is coming from.

If someone is operating prophetically it should be obvious to those who are in close fellowship with the Lord and who are familiar with the Word of God. I am starting, after 50 years of believing in the prophetic, to question it when people stand up and say "Thus says the Lord", and to give the impression that they are a prophet and that every word they say comes from the Lord. I wonder if 80 percent of all prophecies given in churches are just from the flesh and is mere human advice dressed up to sound prophetic? I also wonder if many who think they are prophets are nothing of the sort? Of course, there are many naive and gullible church members who will believe anything that is served up to them as the prophetic, and many lives have been wrecked when they have tried to put those prophecies into practice. Prophecies can come from a religious demon to deceive and the counterfeits can be so close to the authentic that it can take the gift of discerning of spirits to tell them apart. A lot of these prophecies are never recorded and so are forgotten and misunderstood. I think if a prophecy is given, it should be recorded and compared with God's Word. If it does not comply with the clear literal teaching of the New Testament (and not some weird subtext "spiritual" interpretation), then it should be rejected out of hand and the person giving the prophecies should be told to stop until they can be counselled by real men and women of God who are experienced in God's Word and the true prophetic.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Yeah well, I never asked for heightened spiritual senses. It's not a gift.

Good. If you did you might get a demon instead. Lester Sumrall said, "If you want to know the will of God, read the Bible. If you want to do the will of God, do the Bible!" He was one of the most powerful evangelists of the 20th Century and he was always right down the line true to Scripture in his preaching and teaching. I think that this statement is very reliable and better than trying to seek some heightened spiritual experience.

 

[GingerWaves]

I'm not really sure what to say in reading all I have just read.

Somehow I just know things. It's usually when something bad is going to happen. Sometimes I know exactly what it is, sometimes I don't. Sometimes, though less often, I know when something good is going to happen. I'm not always right, but am more times than not. I can often tell when a person is lying, when something is off about them, or when they can't be trusted. Many of the women on my mother's side have had this ability, but we were all very religious. My mother just passed away a couple of wks. ago and it's got me wondering just what this is all about. I dream about wolves a lot too...for over 20 yrs. It's always before something bad happens or when something bad is happening. I've just always thought of this as heightened senses and nothing more. I mean, we all have senses. As far as the dreams, I haven't a clue what to think about them.

I've been saved and Baptized. We are all sinners in the eye's of God, but I try to follow the Bible the best I can.

As I said, the wolf dreams, I haven't a clue why I have them. I've always loved wolves, maybe that's why...I really don't know. It's no fun when they're chasing me down, hunting me or biting me though, so I don't understand that part. I always dream about dark colored wolves, but before my mother passed away I dreamed about a dark colored wolf coming up to me and then biting me. I've never been bitten in a dream. Then a white wolf came up to me, laid down, whined and pawed at me in play and I laid down next to it. I thought that was kind of neat, figuring I'd never dreamed about a white wolf before. The next dream I had, had one white and several dark wolves in it though, and this time the white wolf was chasing me just like the others. Don't know why I always have these dreams, but they're so often it makes me wonder what is up with them.

As far as knowing things, I don't really think of where all of this comes from or why. I don't seek knowing things out...it just happens at times. I just pay attention to how I'm feeling and go with it, not questioning whether it's evil or good. I certainly don't want to think of it as something bad. I mean, it either comes to me or it doesn't. I read somewhere if it runs on a side of a family that it could be from people who practiced witchcraft in your family many yrs. ago (I did try out tarot cards when I was younger, though not for long because they started to creep me out, not knowing any better, but this was happening even before that), but, as I know of, no one in our family has. That or someone/s in the family who were into satanism or whatever, and it passed down as these abilities. I know nothing about that either. Like I mentioned, all I know is that we were all Christians and religious (I say were because, besides myself and my daughter, they've all passed away and we're the only ones left, though my daughter and I strongly believe in God and Jesus' teachings).

It's not evil is it? What is this and why do I dream about wolves so much? It's nothing I can control or help, so if it is evil, what do I do? Is it a heightened ability from God, or is it something else? I'm so confused.

 

[D2wing]

I thin you need to repent and renounce the use of the tarot cards and anything psychic and ask for deliverance in prayer. You have to decide if you want to give yourself to Christ or cling to your dreams and whatever is supernatural. This is a fairly common problem. Not all spirits are of God. But God has the ability to lead you but you must totally give it to God and not hope that he will somehow bless it.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

Yeah well, I never asked for heightened spiritual senses. It's not a gift.

If you are depending on "heightened spiritual senses" then you are not operating by faith, and without faith it is impossible to please God. The Holy Spirit always operates on the basis of faith and not by our senses. If you think that when you sense something it is the Holy Spirit, you may be deceived. I am not saying that you are definitely deceived when that happens but I advise you to treat every "spiritual sense" by poking it with a long barge pole and be ready to run away if it rears up and bites you.

 

[Presbyterian Continuist]

I thin you need to repent and renounce the use of the tarot cards and anything psychic and ask for deliverance in prayer. You have to decide if you want to give yourself to Christ or cling to your dreams and whatever is supernatural. This is a fairly common problem. Not all spirits are of God. But God has the ability to lead you but you must totally give it to God and not hope that he will somehow bless it.

Yes. I agree. Any experimentation with the occult can invite in a familiar spirit. These familiar spirits can disguise themselves as the Holy Spirit and make one think that an impression is from the Holy Spirit when it is actually from a familiar spirit. We must always be careful about impressions, dreams, "words" or some type of inner "knowledge" because they all work through the senses, where the Holy Spirit always works on the basis of faith in God's Word. Familiar spirits work through the senses and their mission is to deceive people into thinking that what is being thought and said comes from the Holy Spirit and therefore carries the authority of God with it. Countless lives have been damaged and hurt by impressions and "words" that have been given which have been accepted as the Word of God for them, when all the time it was a deceiving familiar spirit using the impression and the "word" to take that person's eyes off Christ.

Yes, I think that renouncing the experimentation with the occult will get rid of the garbage that the familiar spirit is feeding on, and then that spirit's influence can be broken off.

 

[GingerWaves]

I'm sorry it's taken so long to respond. As I said, my mother passed away, but then my father had a heart attack. We knew it was only a matter of time with my mother, but with my dad it was unexpected, as he had a 99% blockage in his aorta and he takes good care of himself. He has a stint in and is doing better now though.

With the tarot cards, yes, I did repent a long time ago. I haven't used them in over 20 yrs. I was saved again and Baptized.

As far as knowing things, I don't always know them and I'm not always 100% right, but am enough for it to make me wonder what is going on. I don't use it for anything unless I feel something bad is going to happen to someone, then I'll warn them. Most times I don't know what the bad thing is that's going to happen, just that it is. It comes and goes, it's not that I know something all the time. I don't seek it out, it just pops in my head. I never put much stock in it other than a heightened sense. Like if a mother who lives across the country suddenly senses something bad has happened to one of her children, but doesn't know what or how she got this information, and suddenly she finds out she was right. Or in the case of twins who can sense how the other is feeling even if they're not living together. As I said, every woman on my mother's side has had this ability in one way or another. Yes, I was wrong and I messed around with the tarot cards. I asked forgiveness and never used them again. They scared me. As I said, I was again saved and was Baptized after. The women in my family have always been very religious. My grandmother knew things too and was a Sunday school teacher. My aunt knew things and her son is a pastor. My daughter is already started picking up on things and she's never touched a thing to do with the occult, has been saved, Baptized and raised up in the church. Our hearts belong totally to God. I remember one time when I was young, myself, my mother and my grandmother were all singing Amazing Grace. You could feel the room was alive with the Holy Spirit. Even the cat started meowing. I bought a little box the other day with the chorus to Amazing Grace that plays the song when you lift the lid to keep some of my mother and my grandmother's special belongings in. It brings tears to my eyes to remember that wonderful day, but they're good tears...tears of joy. I cried when I was Baptized and when my daughter was. It was two of the best days of my life. There were times in church where our pastor's words would hit me so hard it would bring me to tears. Again, good tears.

As far as the wolves, that was just a question. Have no idea why I always dreamed about them, just thought it was odd. My husband has never messed with anything occult related and always has dreams about an old run down building. Haven't dreamed about wolves in over a month now though.

 

[Z3rn4rius]

Hey Tobias, so I was reading what you wrote and I'm pretty sure I have some natural born psychic abilities. Today I just went to my church completely in tears from what I had heard from the bad spirits that have followed my family since before I was born. When I went and told them everything all I got told is "Are you sure you believe in God and Jesus?" That stung a lot. Their pretty much telling me I don't know my own belief! Just because I'm capable of seeing the outlines of the face (mostly), able to hear them, and can sense their presence in the room or area around me and I get touched by them. It's not like I chose to have this! Sometimes I was so desperate to stop all of this and would ask God why would you give me such a gift? I wish you would tell me what it was for it would make things so much easier than being in the dark. Then I think to myself well if I and the others at church communicate to God all of that is spiritual. In prayer you are talking to God Who is technically a spirit. Then you also have the Holy Spirit that lives inside of you. So no matter what Bible banger or not when you pray to God or just live a normal daily life as someone who believes in God you are pretty much communicating with either God or the Holy Spirit. Although the Holy Spirit might be communicating with you more than anything by telling you what decisions to make. But long before I figured this out I used to think there was something terribly wrong with me because if was born with such abilities. Yet, they are completely natural and have not come through witch craft or asking spirits to help me with anything. I just still get a bit upset when people question my belief in Jesus and God. I just know someday God or Jesus or The Holy Spirit will tell me what this gift is truly for and honestly I can't wait until that day comes.

 

[tturt]

Z3rn4rius, welcoming you to the forums.

I'm sorry about the response from the church. Unfortunately, that's pretty common.

You're right Yahweh is Spirit and as believers, we have The Holy Spirit. When something happens that you believe is from Him, you can asks Him if it is. If it is, what, if anything, He wants you to do. Everything He does has a purpose. You may find that He wants you to pray.