There are many ways to hear God. Intuition is one of the ways that God uses to speak to you. Intuition, impressions and perception are all shades of the same thing.
Sometimes you might get a slight impression of something or a gut feeling, this is often referred to as intuition.
- Intuition is knowing something spontaneously, without reasoning it out or discovering it.
- Perception is understanding something by your senses or your mind, and involves intuitive awareness.
- An impression is very similar – people tend to use the word impression when they refer to a prompting or nudge of the Holy Spirit.
Everyone has intuitive feelings at some level – a gut feeling or simply knowing something without learning it or being told. The New Testament describes the disciples perceiving things, God has given you the ability to perceive things too. Whatever you call it, intuition, perception or an impression, it is simply knowing something without using your natural senses.
If you give Him the opportunity, the Holy Spirit will magnify these inner nudges and help you to develop your spiritual senses so that you can be aware of danger, of hidden things, and the thoughts and intentions of other people’s hearts.
The more you take notice of these impressions, act on them and trust the Holy Spirit’s promptings, the more sensitive you will become to God’s nudges.
God is speaking to you through subtle impressions. It’s time to start taking notice of them, step out in faith and begin to act on your intuition.
When you start out listening to your subtle impressions you will sometimes get it wrong. You will get better at hearing accurately by practising. If you persist and allow yourself to learn from your mistakes you will eventually get it right more of the time.
If you keep on stepping out in faith your level of spiritual awareness will increase. Trust that God is speaking to you through your intuition and act on what you sense.