If your warning bells are going off, there is something wrong. We should use discernment to connect dots, avoid traps, and make wise judgments without becoming too judgmental, suspicious, and faultfinders.” ― Assegid Habtewold A few months ago, I walked into a gas station a little after 7am. I immediately noticed two guys at the register, and I knew something was off. I felt that “gut” feeling telling me to leave and not to go any further. But I shook it off. I grabbed a few items, and then I heard them getting really loud, and I walked up behind them. They were harassing the girl at the register, she looked flustered. It was obvious they were on some kind of a drug. They turned around and gave me that up and down look that didn’t make me feel pretty but instead it gave me those icy chills up and down my spine. I felt a voice inside telling me to put stuff anywhere and get out “now.” I was worried about the girl up front because she looked at me with eyes that were screaming “fear.” The guys were not making total sense in their speech, and they were being very vulgar but I finally realized that I better listen to that “gut” feeling and get out of there now. I just laid my stuff somewhere near where I was and walked out. As soon as I got into my car, and backed out of my parking spot, then 3 cop cars came flying in and drove right up to the very front entrance. I noticed that 1 cop had his gun drawn as he went through the door. I didn’t wait to see what happened, I just wanted to leave so I pulled out onto the main road. I started crying thanking God for allowing me to be in tune and for helping me to be sensitive enough to act on it. I am pretty sure the young girl at the register pressed a button to alert the policemen. Those 2 guys may have had guns on them, who knows what could have happened. That day I learned a quick 101 lesson on discernment and that is that it is not enough to get that “gut” feeling, or to discern something is off but acting on it is just as important. I call it my “gut” feeling…Its called, intuition that many of us have. It can be what we call the gift of discernment. 1 Corinthians 12:10 to another the ability to discern and distinguish between [the utterances of true] spirits [and false ones].. Even Elijah in 1 Kings 9:11-13 tells us how he covered himself at the sound of the “still, small voice.” Still today, Jesus speaks to us in that “still, small voice.” We often identify this as our own internal thoughts. Yet it’s important to note that God’s voice isn’t the only one we can hear. We also hear the voices of our own self and the enemy. Discerning the enemy’s voice is relatively simple: It will always contradict Scripture, have a bent towards selfishness, or hold an ulterior motive. 1 Peter 5:8-9 is very clear on telling us that our enemy, Satan will try to trip us up too, and confuse us. God alerts us when something is off. I occasionally get dreams that wake me up and rattle me, and nearly every time it is a word or a warning. At this point in my life, I have learned to listen to it. The other night I had one of those dreams and Asbel was out of town. I texted him at like 4am and he was up too. I immediately began to pray and plead the blood over my home, my family and other areas that I felt were under attack. I have learned that you don’t dismiss something that your gut feeling is speaking to you and that you need to act on it. I implore all of you to stay sensitive to your surroundings…What your children are doing…What is going on in your life and relationships. Sometimes we think everything is okay just because it looks okay on the outside. But we have got to become more sensitive and pray over our families, friends, and children. Pray over your job, or the ministry that God has called you to do for Him. Pray over your dreams, and the season that you are in. Have you ever had a hunch or gut feeling about something — and put it aside? Maybe you said to yourself something like, “I’m just being paranoid.” or “He/she is being perfectly nice. What’s wrong with me?” or “They’ll think I’m stupid.” And then later something happened and you wish you would’ve paid more attention to that “internal” voice. Perhaps it was something unpleasant, or even dangerous. Your first intuition was right! Don’t ignore those red flags. By ignoring them we can put ourselves into awkward positions and into unhealthy relationships. Don’t be naive! When your intuition warns you, act to increase your safety whether it be physical or emotional. Sometimes acting on your intuition can feel awkward, embarrassing, even stupid, or it might make you feel nervous. Sometimes making the right choice is hard. Do it anyway. Keep your focus on ensuring your safety, self-respect and well-being. Don’t let embarrassment or other uncomfortable feelings stop you from being safe. My self worth and safety are more important than anyone’s embarrassment or inconvenience — Pray for wisdom...You dont need to announce it to FB, or even to those around you that you have feel this and that. Some things are meant to remain private and for us to go into prayer mode. Perhaps you may need to even combine a 24 hour fast with prayer. Find a confidante or two too that you can talk to about it if needed. This is a topic that I could write more about because its something that we all do have and need to know how to use it. I just implore you to pray for God to guide you, and to help you to be able to discern correctly and to know when to act on your gut feeling. Daily I pray that He will give me wisdom, and to know when something is off. I want to be aware and not naive with my surroundings. Stephenie HaneyMontes
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:11:20 +0000
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