5 Life-Changing Ways to Increase your Intuition
Inside: Is it a gut feeling or something from God? Learn how to align your gut feeling with Scripture and increase your intuition of God!
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A few weeks ago I received a message from a friend. The message came out of the blue and was a little bothersome. Before I replied, I prayed about how best to answer this message.
As I sought wisdom, I felt this gut feeling of how best to respond.
First, I sent this friend a video message and the culmination was to let this friendship go for a while. Second, I felt peace about it, but now a few weeks later and the response of this friend to my honest feelings and resultant hurtful actions towards me has had me question my gut feeling.
Are Gut Feelings From God?
Was this “gut feeling” from my flesh, or did God guide me to respond to this friend?
I heard a story where a man didn’t get on his train and didn’t get on the next one either because he had this feeling something wasn’t right. The first two trains ended up derailing.
Other stories surface about people having a feeling when they were house hunting to let a certain house go because it didn’t feel right. Later they find out a criminal lived next store.
Years ago, I had a gut feeling to seek out a new practitioner when it came to my health instead of settling with the direction of my former doctor.
Is it God or Me?
What is a gut feeling or sixth sense as others call it?
The truth is, all humans have gut feelings or intuition which is a gift from God as we are made in His image (Genesis 1:27).
The problem is sin has marred this intuition.
An unbeliever can say they had a gut feeling to do something contrary to the Bible. So even though God has gifted us with intuition, it can be faulty.
Psychotherapy says that this gut feeling is our interbrain which allows us to connect with others on a much more personal level picking up the other person’s emotions and energies.
All in all, how do we tell what is from God or merely our sinful flesh?
God’s Power Within Us
First of all, God promises us that when we come to faith we are a new creation and part of joining into God’s family is the gift of the Holy Spirit.
16 So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves.
The truth of the matter is we all have gut feelings, but as Christians, we have God’s gift of the Holy Spirit when we accept Christ into our lives!
As a matter of fact, the Holy Spirit within us is guiding us and convicting us when we need to make a decision or take a certain action.
Therefore, the Spirit within us also directs us away from certain events that could harm us. Many of which we may never even be aware of.
23 Jesus replied, “All who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come and make our home with each of them. 24 Anyone who doesn’t love me will not obey me. And remember, my words are not my own. What I am telling you is from the Father who sent me. 25 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
27 “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
Grow in Faith, Grow in Intuition
Uniquely, when we read and learn God’s word, we can grow in intuition as we grow in God. Our spiritual receptiveness increases as we strengthen our relationship with God.
Here’s the thing, God wants us to ask for wisdom, guidance, and knowledge. Additionally, He freely and readily gives us to us when we ask.
6 For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
7 He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
Elijah’s Encounter With God
Furthermore, learning more about gut feelings and my faith led me to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19.
Elijah has been feeling defeated in regards to how the nation of Israel is treating God. This nation is no longer following God’s ideals, and Elijah feels like he hasn’t been a good leader.
In this case, Elijah is so distraught and in despair, and he asked God to just take him.
God, however, always had a plan, provided for his physical needs, and then sent him to Mount Sinai.
In this instance, God approached Elijah asking him what is wrong. God then sent a windstorm, then an earthquake, a fire, and finally a gentle wind. God spoke to Elijah in the gentle wind.
The Powerful Takeaway
The greatest takeaway for me from this chapter was that I many times expect God to speak to me in awesome ways. Chiefly through a sermon, an event, or from the words of someone big in the Christian community.
However, God speaks in the quietest of moments. In other words, He is doing His work in and around us in a muffled way, not in a loud, foreboding one.
What is interesting to point out is: Jesus hasn’t sent the gift of the Holy Spirit yet, which was a gift to the disciples and to us, as Jesus left Earth and went into Heaven. So my question for you is: when are you quiet? Although those gut feelings can be intense sometimes, they can always be a gentle conviction. Are we allowing ourselves to step back from the busyness of life?
Additionally, are you getting in the Word so you can recognize how God speaks and whether the feeling is from God?
5 Practical Ways to Increase Your Intuition
- Many say God doesn’t speak to them; however, we are all made in His image, which means we are receptive to what He has to say. How important is God in your life? (Genesis 1:26).
- The truth is: God is near us constantly; we just need to focus on Him and ask Him to increase our intuition (Deuteronomy 20:1).
- Furthermore, has God told you something that you didn’t abide to do? We need to listen to Him and do what He says. To put it differently, listening and abiding increases our faith and receptivity! (Psalm 81:8)
- Get into daily communion with God. We only begin to know someone’s thoughts, wishes, and desires when we are in intimate contact with them. The first thing to remember is: we can’t judge gut feelings that don’t align with Scripture if we aren’t in Scripture.
- Remember how God helped you in the past, keep trusting and believing that He will give you the right gut feelings! When you know the feeling aligns with Scripture, act obediently at the right time.
God’s Gift of Presence and Guidance
As I’ve uncovered what I’ve learned about gut feelings, I have been encouraged.
The truth is: God doesn’t leave us alone to figure out life by ourselves. He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit within us to guide, correct, and shepherd us through hard times and decisions. As we grow in faith, we can be sure that these gut feelings are from God himself as we become more like Him.
(Isaiah 30:21, NLT).
21 Your own ears will hear him.
Right behind you a voice will say,
“This is the way you should go,”
whether to the right or to the left.
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I was really inspired by reading your wise words. God bless you more wisdom and knowledge.
warm regards
Thank you, Ali, for the encouragement!