reconciling abilities and Christainity

[dakotablue]

I am a Christian. There is no disputing that fact. The thing is as I'm having children I'm realizing thy may have the same...abilities I had/have.

So far I've taken to ignore my 'power' but it still tickles the back of my mind and I know that it was very strong when I was younger, and becomes strong if I pay attention.

My basic things are, ability to read others memories, read memories from objects, ability to read others hearts (not what they are thinking but what they feel about a subject), Spiritual battle (seeing demons and being able to 'clear' the air so to speak) and a few other randomness I never really tried to hone.

Example, Telling a friend (who was open to me saying it) that he mustn't of had a good relationship with his grandfather. I saw him in a green shed hiding and scared. He says he doesn't remember, but that he stopping going over his grandfathers house when he was about 5, he doesn't know why and he did have a green shed, that was the only thing he really remembered about his grandfathers house.

Also, just meeting a lot of spiritual people who note that I have power, like literally saying to me or just feeling their attention drawn in/ heighten.

The thing is I have pushed this all aside because i don't know how to fit this into Christianity I also don't know if its ok to explore these abilities or if that just leads way to sin. I was raised to believe that ghosts are either recordings on the earth or imprints of emotional energy, but if they are interactive they are demons. (I'm not looking for a debate on this, just background to my belief system.)

The abilities are not always consistent, but I never trained them.

I guess I just don't know what I'm going to do when my son 'sees' what the bad man did, or 'hears' the truth when someone is saying something else.

As a Christian how do I put the two together or can you? Is this just more spiritual warfare?

[cappuccinosmom]

Christianity certainly has a place for the prophetic and spiritual sensitivity.

What would be "trouble" would be things like seeking out spirits to talk to, those of the dead especially, focusing more on angels/demons than on God, allowing these sensitivities to let you justify something that is opposed to Scripture, etc. The danger for a Christian would be letting spiritual gifts become pre-eminent over an actual relationship with God.

Being able to discern truth when it's not being spoken is a pretty darn neat gift. Having awareness of others' unspoken problems or fears could be a helpful thing too. It matters not so much that you have these abilities (assuming they are spiritual gifts and are not just a naturally intuitive person by virtue of the way your brain processes things), but what you do with them.

[scottishmommy]

My mother has abilities and they didn't pass on to me or my brother. She chooses to ignore her sight because she doesn't want to go there at all. If I were you I would talk to a Catholic priest (you don't have to be Catholic for them to talk to you). The Church has a lot of insight into these sorts of things.

[AprilDaisy]

Originally Posted by scottishmommy

If I were you I would talk to a Catholic priest (you don't have to be Catholic for them to talk to you). The Church has a lot of insight into these sorts of things.

...interesting....

I believe in abilities and have them. I also believe in God totally being in my life. To me, all of it works very well. That said, I don't follow a religion.

[JMJ]

I would second the recommendation to look into Catholic ideas about such things. Such a gift could be given by God as a charism, precisely for the purpose to use in service. Look up http://www.siena.org/Called-Gifted/called-a-gifted.html for more information. I went to a Called and Gifted Workshop once, and they told the story of a woman who had a similar charism who worked placing children in foster homes. Whenever the people screening families were unsure if this was a good place to put kids, they would ask her to walk by the interview room, and she would be able tell. If this is a charism, the information you receive and share is for the spiritual and physical good of yourself and those you share with. It could be really helpful to find someone you trust to help you discern how God is calling you to use this gift.

You could theoretically instead be recieving information from a demonic source. Demons do exist, and they are powerful. They know the past, and they are often insightful enough that they can guess the future, even though they cannot see it with certainty. They share just enough truth to create chaos and fear and to attempt to draw you to sin. Good Christians can have experiences with demons. If this is what you are experiencing, it is not necessarily a reflection of your own sinfulness, but it would be helpful to seek spiritual help if this is the case. The Catholic Church has an exorcist in every diocese who may be able to help you if this is what you are facing or may be able to help you to determine that the source of your knowledge is not demonic.

I certainly cannot judge what is going on, if it is one of the above or something else I don't know about. There is nothing to be ashamed about with what you are experiencing. This is the kind of thing that the Catholic Church takes very seriously, so if you go to see a priest, you are not likely to get laughed out of the room or accused of being a horribly sinful person or anything like that, and you might be able to gain some insight into what is going on and how it relates to your spiritual life.

[hrsmom]

It seems like people I've read about in various Christian healing ministries have/have had these kinds of abilities.

I just have to say this- I don't think you need to worry about getting info from a demonic source. It actually hurt my heart to read that. Sounds like you have a gift to me.

I love the foster placement story! Neat!

[JMJ]

Originally Posted by hrsmom

I just have to say this- I don't think you need to worry about getting info from a demonic source. It actually hurt my heart to read that. Sounds like you have a gift to me.

I really don't think so either. I'm sorry if I offended anyone. The OP mentioned a sense of taking part in spiritual battles with demonic entities, so it may be helpful for her to explore what role she is being called to take in those battles. It could also be helpful to rule out the only other possible source of this information in order to be more confident that this is a gift from God. As a Christian, I don't know of any neutral source of such a gift. The OP was concerned that exploring her knowledge could lead to sin, and the only reason that would happen is if it had demonic roots. If it is a gift from God, he will only allow it to be used for good.

[JMJ]

Another thing to add. I have a friend with a similar gift. Sometimes, when he felt he knew something and felt uncomfortable with acting on what he knew, he would pray a great little prayer: "God, if this is from you, please make it stay. If not, please take it away." This helps give him the confidence to act when God is calling him and to not be bothered by temptation.

[LessTraveledBy]

Originally Posted by scottishmommy

If I were you I would talk to a Catholic priest (you don't have to be Catholic for them to talk to you). The Church has a lot of insight into these sorts of things.

Every Catholic Diocese must have an exorcist, and they often have "sensitive" people to help them with the exorcisms. E.g. such a person may know where the problem started (such as a cursed object).

There definitely is a place for these sort of gifts, assuming they are from God. (The other side can give those, also.) The real question is how one should use them.