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Question: I am myself a minister and the pastor of a local church. There is a question that used to really bother me alot. I think that through the years, I have a pretty good "handle" on it, but none-the-less I'd like to hear what you have to say about it.

I was saved when I was nine years old the first time. I was active in the church much of my life, taught Sunday School, and even travelled with a gospel group as the lead singer. I realize all of these things do not make you saved, for even though I had a "head knowledge of Christ, I was never really filled with the Holy Spirit. I went to churches that didn't really teach the fullness of the Spirit, so I was always led so far, and dropped. Therefore, I was not ever taught what I needed to stand when the real tests came about. Hence, my life was a series of "in's" and "out's"...in church awhile, and out awhile.

During these years, I always had what some people call, "a sixth sense" about things. I knew when things were going to happen, and saw visions of things. When I was out in the world, some people called me a psychic, because of this ability. I didn't like to be called that, because I felt it was wrong.

Years later, when I finally did make Jesus my Lord, and was filled with the Spirit, (by the way, I've never been back out since, Praise the Lord!) all of a sudden, people were calling this ability, the gift of discernment, the word of wisdom, and the word of knowledge.

I know that all must be to the glory of God, and all else is unnecessary. There are certain things, I have learned, that even if we know, we do not tell, only to the edifying of the Body of Christ. What I have been shown is that the "gifts" are not unto repentance...in other words, we have these abilities before we are saved, but are using them for the devil...now that we are saved, we are using them to the Glory of God!

Just like if a person has been given a beautiful singing voice, they do not just now develop the ability to sing, because they just got saved...but, have had this ability since birth, and begin to develop it as they get older and are able to make sounds and memorize music.

Is this correct? Or am I on the wrong track of thinking?

I was terrified to use my gifts at first in the ministry, because I thought it was wrong...Of course, the Lord has given my a different perspective and a different way in which to use them. They are being used for His Honor and Glory now, and not to glorify me or any other man.

Answer:Let's talk about your gift, 6th sense, before you were saved.

To put it simply, every extraordinary ability of a human is from one of two sources: 1) A supernatural source (this can be God-given, or demonically given); 2) An extremely developed natural ability.

To deal with the first: If it is a supernatural power from God, it is a result of a saved person allowing the Holy Spirit to work through them. It is always a gift for the edification of the church and never for the uplifting or personal gains of the operator of the gift (as you well said).

On the other hand, there are people who are used as vessels of demonic clairvoyance, divination, etc. The Bible expressly forbids anyone seeking or allowing these powers to work in their lives (Deut. 18:10-12; Deut. 29:29; Dan. 2:22). To say that one just knows things and to not inquire of the source of how he knows, is a dangerous thing.

In the little revealed in your question, I would say yours is not the case of what I just described but of the following case. Many seemingly extraordinary powers are but extraordinarily developed natural abilities.

Let's start with physical ability: We all have seen people with highly developed and trained physical prowess that amazed us with their feats (juggling 3 or 4 chain saws, etc.). We ask incredulously, "How do they do that?" Yet, we know they just have extraordinary physical abilities that they have trained and developed. The same is true with intellectual and mental abilities.

Let's take a woman's intuition. It amazes us men often enough. Yet, a woman's intuition isn't a magical power. Because of a women's unique make-up, she is simply more keen to notice and assess things a man misses. She may not even be aware of the process, but it is not supernatural or magical.

She may "just know" something about a person. Yet, she doesn't know that from nothing. She has watched that person. She has picked up on something. Whether or not she realizes how her brain picked it up and processed it, it was still her mind that did it.

For example, I've asked gifted musicians how they knew to play such a chord. They said, "I just knew." Yet, they knew because of their natural ability to hear and their brain's extraordinary ability to process what they hear.

Now, I'm way beyond my level of knowledge about the psychology or physiology of the brain, but I'm sure you get the point. You said that you just knew things. I'd make a good guess that you just have more advanced analytical powers than most.

An example, would be a very good detective. He sees the same facts, clues, as others, yet he has a mind capable of analyzing the data and coming to conclusions others cannot come to. Of course, I'm only giving you an example, of how this pre-salvation 6th sense of yours worked. I wouldn't by any means attempt to give you an authoritative diagnosis of how it does. I don't have that gift. Ha!

The point is, I believe that your pre-salvation sixth sense is a congenital or developed natural ability. I have found that both with things I just know, or even things I dream (unless they are dreams from God) that if I think enough about it, I will discover the connection of how I knew it or why I dreamed it. Not always.

The brain can be trained to act beyond cognitive processes. As far as knowing things of the future, all play the game I-wonder-if. Most of us constantly play out possible scenarios in our mind. However, we remember our imaginative scenarios only if they actually do happen, and we forget the many scenarios that do not happen. That reinforces in our mind that we are seeing the future.

For example, Im constantly saying during the winter, "I think we are going to get a big snow this week." Every once and a while we do have one. Then I think, "It happened just like I thought it would." Yes, it did that time, but factor in all the times it didnt when I thought it would and there is nothing really extraordinary about my prediction.

It is like Jean Dixon. Perhaps she had some supernatural help (not of God). Really all she had was publicity and the coincidence on her side. Over all, her failed "prophesies" has given her about the same rate of accuracy any John Doe would have. There is really nothing extraordinary about her "prophesies."

I agree with your conclusion of how once a person is saved that the Holy Spirit often sanctifies and enhances a person's natural, God-given abilities (gifts). An example from Scripture is the artificers that built the Tabernacle. They were already craftsmen, artists. But for the God-given, God-designed task at hand, the Bible says the Holy Ghost came upon them to build the Tabernacle. They used their artistic abilities and gifts that were Holy Spirit guided and enhanced. I believe this.

Your example about a singer is a good example. However I think in our church world today there needs to be a BIG caution in this area. I heard a well known Bible teacher just this week talk about the gifts of the Spirit (I Cor. 14).

He was teaching what I feel is a big error today. He was teaching that these gifts of the Spirit were God-given natural abilities used by the Spirit.

I must differ and differientiate. There is a big difference between the gifts of the Spirit, and natural gifts used by the Spirit. There is a big difference between a supernatural prophesy (gift of the Spirit) and a natural born singer anointed by the Spirit.

Let's take the gift of the "word of knowledge." Today, people are explaining that this is simply the Spirit using someone which has the natural ability to teach. I beg to differ. I believe that the gift of the "word of knowledge" is a supernaturally given word of instruction (etc.) given to the Church through a willing individual for that church at that point, place, time. He may never be used that way again. He may or may not have the natural gift of teaching.

Without getting into the exegesis or theology of the thing, some gifts of the Spirit are for worship, some for ministry, some for offices (pastor, etc.). Again, God does anoint with the Spirit natural abilities and gifts and use them in His kingdom. But we must not equate this as the same thing as being used in the gifts of the Spirit.

The gift of tongues is not just the natural ability to learn a language anointed by the Spirit. The person used in tongues may not have any aptitude for learning languages. On the other hand, God certainly uses people with the natural aptitude to learn languages for His work--for example, missionary work.

Frankly, I believe that the gifts of the Spirit are operations through a person who could not have known, done, etc. what he knows, does, etc. without supernatural enablement. Whatever the case, the gifts are always to glorify the Giver. And may we always try the spirits whether they be of God.

This answer isnt intended to tell it how it is with the questioner. It is an attempt to explore the Biblical principles related to the question. Hopefully, it will assist in delineating some distinctions that give understanding and comfort.

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