The night air was crisp and still as Fancie stepped out onto the back porch, her Bible tucked under her arm.
She had been a believer for years, but something was stirring within her – a longing to experience more of the unseen spirit realm that she knew existed all around her.
As she settled into the porch swing, Fancie opened her Bible and began to read the familiar passages about the Prophet Elisha and his servant whose eyes were opened to see the chariots of fire surrounding them.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:16-17 (NIV)
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She had heard these stories many times before, but tonight the words seemed to leap off the page with new vibrancy.
What would it be like, she wondered, to see angels and demons battling in the spiritual realm? To glimpse the majestic glory of Heaven itself?
A holy whisper seemed to stir her heart – this ability was available to her too if she desired it deeply enough.
Fancie’s hands began to tremble with a sense of awe and reverence. She knew she had to pursue this, no matter what the cost.
As she looked up at the star-studded sky, she imagined her spiritual eyes opening, ready to receive whatever revelations God had in store.
What is Meant By “Seeing in the Spirit”?
To see in the spirit refers to perceiving the spiritual dimension around us through our spiritual senses.
Just as you naturally see, hear, taste, touch, and smell the physical world around you, you also have spiritual equivalents of these senses.
Through spiritual sight, you can see things such as angelic activity, demonic oppression, auras, glory clouds, and heavenly encounters.
With spiritual hearing, you can pick up on the Holy Spirit’s voice, prophetic sounds, and even conversations happening in the spiritual realm.
This is different than having a vision while praying, or receiving insight into a dream.
Seeing in the spirit is an actual perception of the spiritual world happening in real time, just like opening your natural eyes.
Why is Spiritual Sight Important?
Being able to see into the spiritual realm provides many practical benefits for Christians:
- Discernment: You can rapidly discern spiritual roots behind bad doctrine, deception, and motives. Many times demons cloak themselves as angels of light. Spiritual vision pierces their disguise.
- Guidance: Seeing what the Holy Spirit is highlighting will guide you on how to pray and what to specifically target.
- Authority: Seeing into the spirit will build your faith. And faith is what moves the hand of God in the unseen realm! Signs start happening as your authority is unleashed.
- Protection: Being able to spot spiritual traps and warfare strategies ahead of time will enable you to counter them. Your discernment will protect you and others.
- Intimacy: As your spiritual senses are activated, you start picking up on Jesus’ presence. Deep intimacy is developed as you become attuned to Him.
Seeing into the spiritual realm is important for operating in discernment and the supernatural. Without it, it’s like fighting a war blindfolded!
3 Keys to Awaken Your Spiritual Senses from Scripture
Opening your spiritual senses requires dedication and seeking the Lord. But the good news is God promises that those who pursue Him will find Him when they search with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13 ESV).
“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”
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Based on principles from Scripture, here are three keys to awaken your ability to see in the Spirit:
1. Develop intimacy with the Holy Spirit
Your spiritual senses flow from intimacy with the Holy Spirit Himself.
He is the Spirit of Truth who Jesus said will guide us into all truth (John 16:13 ESV).
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
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As you develop a deep communion and fellowship with Him through praise and worship, prayer, and studying His Word, your spiritual senses will be awakened.
Spend extended time focusing on Jesus to ignite spiritual hunger within you.
Many seers emphasize that learning to recognize the inward witness of the Holy Spirit speaking to your spirit is the gateway to seeing in the spirit.
As you become finely tuned to the Holy Spirit’s subtle impressions, you’ll begin to sense the spiritual realities around you.
2. Ask for spiritual gifts
In 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 (ESV), Paul lists “distinguishing between spirits” as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
“7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”
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Distinguishing between spirits will enable you to perceive whether something is from God, your soul, or an evil spirit.
Furthermore, Paul exhorts all believers to eagerly desire spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 14:1 ESV).
“Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.”
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As you ask the Father for spiritual gifts, it demonstrates that you believe He is good and desires to give you His supernatural empowerment!
3. Step out in faith
At a certain point, you have to take the limits off in your mind of what is possible. Jesus says signs follow those who believe (Mark 16:17-18 ESV).
“17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
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As you pursue seeing in the spirit, take a step of faith and describe what you are picking up on.
Stepping out empowers the Holy Spirit to awaken you to the greater realities of experiencing His Kingdom even now.
He will accelerate your ability to see into His dynamic unseen realm!
Testimony – My Eyes Were Opened to See in the Spirit
Two years into my born-again experience, I was in fervent pursuit of God’s presence and desired to encounter the supernatural realm.
This included fasting, prayer, and countless hours of worship, often staying up through the night to meet with Jesus.
I had heard about places in the spirit, discerning between spirits and even seeing angels but it was still unclear.
My mind was the biggest hindrance – I just couldn’t understand how these encounters worked or if they were still for today.
Until one incredible night when I was in deep worship in Church. It was like a switch turned on.
Suddenly before my eyes were these tall pillar-like structures made of light – almost like white fire. The room lost focus and it was as if there was a translucent spiritual grid overlaid on top of the room.
From that moment on I could occasionally glimpse activities happening in the spirit like angels joining worship and even walls of protection going up.
It was like perceiving another dimension – one flowing and alive with God’s energy and beings.
My spiritual eyes were opened simply because I was seeking God rather than His gifts.
I stepped over the line of doubt into a realm activated by faith to discover the Bible coming alive!
Seeing in the spirit is for every believer today who nurtures their relationship with Him.
6 Signs Your Spiritual Senses Are Opening Up
As you apply these biblical keys of cultivating intimacy with the Holy Spirit, asking for spiritual gifts, and stepping out in faith, here are 6 signs your spiritual senses are beginning to awaken:
- Hearing subtle inner promptings of the Holy Spirit and His still small voice guiding you.
- Seeing sparkles, colors, lights, and shadows not physically present.
- Increased ability to sense God’s presence and bursting heart for worship.
- Picking up “knowings” and emotional impressions about people and situations.
- Smelling heavenly fragrances like flowers, cinnamon, or scents that are spiritually symbolic.
- Feeling energy, tingles, or temperature changes in your body during prayer.
Seeing in the spirit develops progressively as you seek the Giver, not just the gifts. While an encounter may launch your journey, spiritual senses need continual cultivation.
Be encouraged if you haven’t seen into the spirit yet! It’s not a qualification of how spiritual you are.
God promises spiritual hunger and purity in heart are what enable us to see Him (Matthew 5:8 ESV).
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
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Keep drawing close to Jesus in faith!
Why Your Spiritual Senses Must Be Developed
The human mind struggles to embrace spiritual senses and unlock the unseen realm because we are trained to only trust what we see.
If we cannot gather tangible evidence for something, we relegate it to a gray area of subjectivity.
But the unseen realm is MORE real than the natural dimensions we perceive with our physical senses!
The Bible is clear there is an active, engaging spiritual world around us at all times.
We are tripartite beings made of spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23 ESV).
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
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Therefore we have built-in capabilities for relating to the realm of spirit.
In Conclusion: God Desires You to See!
The spiritual world intersects the natural world all around us. Angels ascend and descend. Demons lurk and set up strongholds. And the Holy Spirit watches over us awaiting our awareness of His presence.
Seeing into the dynamic realm of the spirit is important for following Jesus in today’s tumultuous times.
You need to walk closely with Him tuned through your spiritual senses to the unseen realities at work.
The Father promises that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth (John 16:13 ESV).
“When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.”
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Ask Him today to awaken your spiritual sight! Expect Him to nurture it into maturity.
Watch what opens up as you discover realms of God’s glory awaiting your exploration!
No longer will you navigate blindfolded. But with awakened eyes that pierce the darkness and walk as sons and daughters of light.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What’s the Difference Between Vision, Dream, Imagination, and Spiritual Sight?
- Vision: A divine communication of insight while awake, that involves perceiving something not physically visible.
- Dream: Received insight while sleeping through visual symbols that require interpretation.
- Imagination: Self-directed visualizing or picturing of something within your mind.
- Spiritual Sight: Seeing the actual present spiritual realities beyond the physical dimension by awakened spiritual senses.
Q. How do you know you are not imagining it?
A. Here are 5 indicators you are perceiving authentic spiritual sight rather than imagining it:
- It is spontaneous vs. willed by conscious effort.
- It continues even when your mind is distracted by something else.
- It is unexpected and even surprising as it unfolds.
- It aligns with Scripture and testifies to the witness of the Holy Spirit.
- It ministerially benefits someone other than yourself.
Q. How do I know what I am seeing is from God, not a demon?
Since Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, here are 8 scriptural tests:
- True messengers of God always lead people closer to the Word and authority of Scripture.
- The fruit produced leads to repentance and conviction of sin.
- What is seen glorifies Jesus Christ, not man.
- The supernatural encounter results in liberty, peace, and unconditional love.
- There is a confirming witness of the manifestation by other believers.
- Lives are transformed to be like Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit.
- It leads to holiness and forsaking of worldly attitudes.
- The spiritual presence encourages you to pursue a deeper intimacy with God.
