Life in the Spirit is exciting, challenging, refreshing, unpredictable, and supernatural. Why shouldn’t it be? We serve a God who has all those qualities and more!
God still does miracles, and there are few things more thrilling than hearing of or personally experiencing healing, for one. When believers pray, and a stubborn disease leaves the body of an afflicted person, there is shouting in the camp! God is glorified, and faith levels soar to new heights.
There are nine gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (ESV): Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another, the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 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. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.
Within the gift of prophecy--a divinely inspired message from God spoken through a believer to edify, encourage, or comfort--is often the ability to “see” into the unseen world. At times, the Lord shows us things occurring in the spiritual realms that are beyond the limitations of the physical earth where we live. There is only a very thin veil that separates us from the unseen world. Immediately upon our death, we will penetrate that veil and be in the presence of the Lord, seeing things that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined (1 Corinthians 2:9). Such things often confound the wise and make no sense to the natural, carnal mind. Still, they are very real in the unseen realm.
A person who “sees” things in the spirit realm is called a seer. This ability is a helpful tool in using the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Please note the word is seer, not sayer. The two are vastly different. A seer, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “sees” visions, pictures, or scenes in the mind’s eye or in dreams, or sometimes with the natural eye. A sayer, also called a soothsayer or diviner, foretells the future with assistance from evil spirits, not the Holy Spirit. Fortune tellers are in this category and can foretell the future with some degree of accuracy because they are aided by familiar (evil) spirits who study and know intimate details about people.
The source behind all such information that a sayer, diviner, or fortune-teller knows is Satan, not God. We are strongly cautioned against seeking counsel from such people, for by doing so, we allow Satan to enter our lives. And do not let your people practice fortune-telling, or use sorcery, or interpret omens, or engage in witchcraft, or cast spells, or function as mediums or psychics, or call forth the spirits of the dead. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-12 NLT). If you have ever engaged in any of these occult practices, ask the Lord to forgive you, and know that He shed His blood for the forgiveness of all sin—even the sin we’ve done out of ignorance or naivety.
Kings and rulers of old often included prophets and seers in their selection of counselors and advisors. They valued those who could see the unseen and sought the prophets’ and seers’ counsel before going to war or making weighty decisions. Kings like David, who employed Gad and Asaph as seers, along with Saul and Solomon, had personal prophets and seers in their court to ensure a high level of spiritual intelligence and insight as they ruled their kingdoms.
New Testament seers, though not labeled as such, included Paul, Stephen, and John, who had visions of not only heaven but of people and situations on earth (Acts 10:11, Acts 16:9). As we approach prayer for any situation, it is helpful to avail ourselves to the idea that perhaps the Lord wants to show or tell us something about it so that we can pray more precisely and effectively. Remember that all these [gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.
In 2022, my sister Leah underwent delicate surgery on her spinal column. Many people prayed for her, and we were confident she had a strong prayer covering as she approached the surgery. The following is an excerpt from my journal, as I “saw” something quite extraordinary before the surgery:
This morning at 9:15, I was standing at the kitchen counter cutting apples and pecans for my oatmeal. I wasn’t thinking about Leah or the surgery; I was thinking about my apples and pecans.
In an instant, I saw in the Spirit a vision about Leah’s surgery. I heard the Holy Spirit say, “We interrupt your thoughts to bring you this…” It was as if the Lord pulled back a curtain and showed me the operating room where Leah would be. “Here’s what’s going on right now,” He said.
I watched as many angels filed into the room, lining up along all the walls. More and more angels kept coming into the operating room, and the other angels made room for them, as we do when we’re in a crowd, and people move over to make space for us.
They were of differing heights—very tall ones and shorter ones. The amazing thing was that they were all in military dress. I saw epaulets decorated with varying stripes; others had many badges of honor and importance. It was a powerful group; they stood at attention, awaiting their orders and instructions. The holiness and power of God were very strong.
All this unfolded before me in an instant. It was incredible! I was so impressed with the strength, reverence, awe, holiness, and power in the room.
They were the Angel Armies of Heaven, commanded by Jesus, the Captain of the Host of Angel Armies. And they were assembling, in place, at 9:15 a.m., the day before Leah’s surgery!
The scripture that flashed through my mind was: It is the LORD who goes before you. He will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed (Deuteronomy 31:8).
As I shared this with our family, it brought great peace and reassurance of the Lord’s active involvement in the surgery and my sister's well-being. Postoperatively, the neurosurgeon said the surgery went very smoothly. How could it not, with the room's supernatural “team” of helpers? She continues to have an excellent recovery.
Seeing the unseen? To some, it’s kooky. To God, it’s a valuable part of prayer and prophecy.
© 2024, Chris Custer Werre
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