Now that I’ve been teaching people to see in the Spirit for several years, I’ve found that most take to it naturally. As with anything having to do with God, certain forces are interested in keeping you from seeing. The demonic resistance is too meager to be bothered with for the most part, especially when viewed from our place in the arms of the King of all kings. Internal resistances are much more effective in preventing God’s supernatural power and love from reaching our hearts.
I have listed a few of the key issues that will sabotage your ability to see in the Spirit realm. Fortunately, every one of these problems is best solved by the very thing that will hone your seeing gift: time spent communing with your Creator.
Fear
The first tactic of the enemy is fear. Fear is faith in the devil—believing that God is incapable of protecting and guiding you. The devil has some power, but he has no authority unless you give it to him with your belief.
People who have never seen in the Spirit sometimes shy away from pursuing the gift after hearing some of the less pleasant things that I see, afraid that they won’t be able to handle such dark visions. While it is true that some of what I see is grotesque and unpleasant, and the demonic entities that scared you away from your gifting may attempt to torment you again, none of this matters if you are closely connected to God.
Jesus died so that we could be close to God again. Everything was solved by that sacrifice. The most malevolent machinations of the enemy shatter against God’s shins like a car made of matchsticks would fall apart when ramming a tank. The enemy is terrified of people who can see in the Spirit because it reveals his powerlessness and God’s greatness.
Unforgiveness
If there is one thing that can prevent you from experiencing the goodness of God, it is unforgiveness. When we choose not to forgive, we are withholding from others the very thing that gave us access to God’s presence. Jesus died on the cross as the answer to the laws of sin and death. It was the ultimate act of forgiveness. God looked at the entirety of human history, saw every dark choice that every person would make, and decided that we were worth forgiving.
That act of forgiveness is the only thing that allows His presence to enter our hearts. When you don’t forgive, you have refused to view life from God’s perspective. You may be able to see into the spirit realm with unforgiveness in your heart, but I guarantee that you will not be seeing it through God’s eyes.
Offense
Jesus had no problem offending people. He regularly called out the Pharisees for their religious beliefs. He told a Samaritan woman that she was a dog (Matt. 15:21–28). And He alienated the majority of His followers when He told them to drink of His blood and eat of His flesh (John 6:51–54). In all but one of these cases, people missed the blessing that Jesus had for them because they were offended.
The Pharisees were so stuck on protecting the religious prestige they had built for themselves that they were unable to see the Savior they had spent their lives studying. The crowd around Jesus left when He told them to drink and eat of Him because they couldn’t hear the heart behind His words (John 6:53). The Samaritan woman, however, pushed past the potential offense and received the miracle she was looking for (Matt. 15:27–28).
Most offense comes from insecurity. Anything that challenges the identity that we create for ourselves or our current view of the world feels threatening. The solution is twofold: Become an expert at connecting with the Holy Spirit about everything you don’t understand and make your relationship with God the core of your identity.
Religion
Religion is trying to achieve through ritual and labor what God wants to give you through your relationship with Him. Jesus said that we are no longer slaves but friends (John 15:15). Paul wrote that we have been made coheirs with Christ because of the sacrifice Jesus made (Rom. 8:16–17). The punishments and rules have taken a backseat because God got what He was originally looking for—a place to give His heart.
The Bible is not a set of rules and regulations that must be followed to earn a place near God. It is a picture, painted over thousands of years, of God’s pursuit of mankind. It is the story of the Bridegroom seeking His bride. Is He going to strike you with lightning or pull all His blessings from your life if you sin? Probably not. But He gave you His heart to protect.
Religion prevents you from seeing in the Spirit because it puts a wall of regulation and duty where God intended to put love. It makes you a slave when He’s looking for sons and daughters.
Independence
To be clear, by “independence” I am not referring to your ability to function as a singular being. I am also not talking about the declaration Americans celebrate on July 4. By “independence,” I mean the spirit of division that makes you believe you don’t need others.
This is one of the main attacks against all prophetic people. It is my belief that the prophetic is best expressed when under the covering of accountability and authority. You need people in your life to love and encourage you as well as to warn you if you’re going off track. Any gift or revelation that does not function within the context of loving godly relationships with other people is a gift or revelation that you should question.
Most of the prophets in the Bible followed this model, serving in the priesthood or under a king. It was only in rare and extreme circumstances that they operated independently. Besides, people are going to value your revelations and experiences much more if they know who you are. It is difficult to know how to value a wild seer running around in the wilderness. However, if you are part of a community that has seen God’s grace on your life, then your revelations have a context.
The main justification for spiritual independence is the idea that you can get all you need from God. While it is true that God is capable of filling every need you will ever have, I do not believe that this is His intent.
This was a big struggle for me while I learned how to use my gift. My interactions with other people regarding the spirit were constantly frustrating, while my conversations with God were fun and enlightening. The truth was, however, that by keeping my experiences to myself, I was limiting the perspective I could have on the things I saw. While every answer is in the heart of God, I believe that He hides some of those answers in the people around us because He wants us to need each other.
Everything that God does is modeled on family. It is in this structure that growth and health flourish. You need spiritual fathers and mothers to speak into your life, brothers and sisters to run beside you, and children that you are pouring into. In this structure, it is difficult to get far off track, and it’s easy to grow. {eoa}
The preceding was excerpted from Blake Healy’s The Veil (Charisma House, 2018).
Blake Healy has been able to see both angels and demons from a very young age. Though this gift has had its ups and downs, the message that Blake carries through it is one of love and intimacy. He has made it his goal to invite people into a greater understanding of God’s goodness. He is the director of the Bethel Atlanta School of Supernatural Ministry and is part of the Senior team at Bethel Atlanta. He is the author of The Veil and Profound Good.
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