When a hypersensitive
person gives their life over to Christ as Lord and Savior and accepts the Holy Spirit, there is an immediate challenge and ensuing process that occurs concerning their hypersensitivity. All hypersensitive ability and use must be submitted to Christ and guided or given by the Holy Spirit only. In order that we may receive the divine energy of grace, we must adhere to certain God-given boundaries. The hypersensitive must remain under the 'wings of God', (Psalm 36, 57, 61, and 91). As such, there are right and wrong uses of free will with fruits that result from either case. The most dangerous wrong use of free will is arrogance, the using of hypersensitive abilities as one see's fit or as one determines is good and best. This is the 'lawless' use of hypersensitivity and ultimately brings the hypersensitive down. They “fall and are unable to stand”. The proper use of free will for the hypersensitive in utilizing their abilities is to seek out and hope for God's mercy, truth, righteousness, and judgment rather than depending on their own understanding.
The divine energy of grace is available to all, but it is not effective outside the boundaries that the Trinitarian God has set. It is not a matter of utilizing hypersensitive ability and then asking God to agree and bless it after the fact. Whatever the hypersensitive does must be approved within the boundaries God has given, guided by the Holy Spirit and be edifying to their soul.
In order for the hypersensitive to acquire the right use of free will with their abilities, they must participate in a process of purification and deification. This often involves sensitivity to one's 'passions/patterns', entails a severe cost, and sometimes involves spiritual violence, as one “takes the Kingdom by force” in defeating anything that hinders the flow of divine energy and communion. It is truly an unseen warfare that occurs within the hypersensitive in order to reach the degree of watchfulness and perfection God demands for the hypersensitive. It is these areas that this post will begin to explore.
Watchfulness/Nepsis
Watchfulness is the spiritual art of guarding one’s heart, actions and thoughts and is referred to by Jesus in Matthew 26:41. It is a discipline that is essential to the spiritual health and growth of the hypersensitive Christian. It is often referred to as ‘Nepsis’, a Greek word meaning “to be sleepless, to guard, inspect, watch over, examine or keep under surveillance”.
Most hypersensitives have a well-developed intuitive sense, called the nous, which is intertwined with their hypersensitive ability. To be watchful is to direct a continuous attention to the nous, or intuitive functioning of one’s hypersensitive ability. Such spiritual attention or inward activity, as it is developed and deepened, is perceived in the spirit realm as spiritual light, which is repellant to demonic entities and malevolent human spirits. Merely the presence of a hypersensitive Christian who has developed watchfulness of themselves and their spiritual environment inhibits the activities of spiritual entities.
Often, when a hypersensitive Christian of this sort is present, the entities and spirits refuse to participate with psychics and mediums, telling them they do not “like” the hypersensitive Christian or they may ask what business the Christian may have with them. They may even become temporarily silent, seeming to disappear only to return when the hypersensitive Christian is no longer present.
When sufficiently developed, the inner spiritual dimension of watchfulness acts to guard the nous from attacks and assaults of demonic powers so that they do not penetrate the spiritual heart and soul. This is a powerful assist to the hypersensitive in “seeing” how the demonic attempts to deceive.
The mature neptic hypersensitive Christian possesses a clear spiritual sense of direction and purpose concerning their abilities and when and how to utilize them as well as when not to. He/she comprehends clearly that hypersensitive ability has a sacramental character about it and is hidden in Christ. Such abilities are a theophany or appearance of God and are for a specific purpose and need that is determined by God.
The hypersensitive Christian must assess when, where and how they use their abilities carefully since such abilities make them partakers of God’s nature. They are also a way by which the hypersensitive comes into intimate contact with Jesus. A Christian’s hypersensitivity can be like the hands of Jesus reaching out with love and with power, if it is submitted properly and completely to the Holy Spirit.
As the hypersensitive Christian grows in watchfulness, they more and more acquire diakrisis, the power of discernment and discrimination within themselves. There develops a strong spiritual sense within from the Holy Spirit that has prophetic qualities rather than “psychic” ones. The hypersensitive begins to take more careful note of what is happening within them and learns to guard the heart. He/she shuts the door to temptation and provocation from the enemy. Thus begins the hidden warfare against the passions.
Unseen Warfare
An important part of watchfulness is spiritual warfare. When we think of spiritual warfare, things like deliverance and the clearing of house, property and land of troublesome or malevolent spirits come immediately to mind. However, there is a whole other level of spiritual warfare that is unseen, hidden and very personal. Neptic awareness is a part of this unseen warfare.
Neptic work over time frees the hypersensitive radically from arrogance, self-centeredness and evil; all of which affect the use of their abilities. When they begin to come nearer to the Triune God and to union with Him, the hypersensitive Christian meets within themselves as many wills as they have power and wants concerning their hypersensitive ability and its use. The hypersensitive may be given special grace at first, but eventually the person finds themselves embroiled in what seems to be a ceaseless fight against themselves and against everything that panders to their own wills or that incites and supports them. Personal spiritual warfare for the hypersensitive concerns the “inward” spiritual battle, occurring in the mind, in the realm of thoughts. It is the hardest of all battles to overcome.
The battle the hypersensitive fights concerning the spiritually proper use of their abilities has five degrees. Each degree signals a progressive degradation and corruption of the will, removing it from God’s will. The first degree involves a simple thought or suggestion which comes to mind from outside the person’s immediate focus. In other words, the thought was not premeditated.
The second degree occurs when the person is in conjunction or conversation with the thought. Permission is granted for the thought to come within as the person receives and holds the thought in the mind.
With the third degree there is a joining or accepting of the thought as the person is defeated by it. The fourth degree is one of captivity or an involuntary attraction of one’s heart to the thought. The thought constantly settles in the mind and carries the mind away.
The fifth and final degree is referred to as passion and is an inclination or an activity that has nested in the soul after a period of time. The person is visited and revisited by troubling thoughts and eventually innumerable hosts of demons. It becomes the soul’s nature and totally enslaves the person.
For a time this unseen warfare is constant. It seems to be never-ceasing. However, with constant watchfulness, discernment and a strong prayer life, a hypersensitive person can develops a state called “dispassion”. Dispassion or apatheia is not a negative condition of indifference or insensitivity to their paranormal abilities whereby the person no longer feels tempted to use them inappropriately. Instead, it is a positive state of reintegration and spiritual freedom, devoid of drama, in which the person no longer yields to temptation concerning the spiritually inappropriate or ill-timed use of their abilities. Dispassion doesn’t mean a person no longer feels the passions. It means they no longer accept them or “rent space” to them. It also doesn’t mean the person is no longer susceptible to demonic attack. It does mean that when attacked, the person remains unconquered.
Ultimately, dispassion results in a state of spiritual rest. The dispassionate hypersensitive person no longer sees and thinks of their abilities with self-centered desire. There is a profound difference between the “voice” and guidance of the Holy Spirit with the use of hypersensitive abilities and one’s personal preferences and habits of use of hypersensitive ability and/or perception. Dispassion is not being “on fire for the Lord”, “turned on for the Lord” or even “baptized in the Spirit” as all these, to one degree or another, have a dependence on the feeling, emotion, or drama of the passions.
A good “rule of thumb” with the use of hypersensitive abilities is to never rely on yourself or the dependence on your hypersensitive abilities/powers in anything alone. Always have a spiritual father, pastor or intercessory group involved in your spiritual life and the use your of abilities, particularly with involvement with the demonic. Also, the hypersensitive should put there hope in God alone concerning their abilities and direct everything about these toward pleasing God only.
Theosis
The ultimate aim of neptic awareness, discernment and dispassion is theosis, which is the divinization of the entire human person in Christ. It involves becoming like Christ to the point of identity with Him, acquiring the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16), and signifies a sharing in His very Life. As one may surmise, the divine purpose and use of one’s abilities are determined and informed by theosis, with the goal being communion and union with God. This creates a way of life and eventually a mode of being best described by the word “humility”.
If the hypersensitive Christian is to use their abilities in a way that is informed by and pleasing to God, then he/she must be transformed, becoming a temple of the Holy Spirit. They then would be a divine illumined light in the spirit world and a consuming fire to the demonic. Through communion with the grace of God, the transformed hypersensitive person manifests a presence or “sense” of the love of God. Any carnal, fleshy desire attached to the person’s hypersensitive abilities or possible connection to evil has been replaced by an unending focus on God’s love for all human souls.
Conclusion
All hypersensitive Christians have experienced the fact that God allows much in the utilization of their abilities. What this post is bringing forth is that there is a difference between God’s permissive will or allowance and His perfect will. What God allows is not always His will although He always makes provision for these in His perfect plan. In God’s perfect will He desires all to refrain from thought, word and deed that are contrary to His nature. This, of course, includes the use of hypersensitive abilities.
God leaves it up to the hypersensitive Christian to walk forward in His will, or not to do so, if that may be the case. It is up to the person as they develop their neptic awareness, engage in unseen warfare and develop dispassion and theosis, to take up His Word, receive His promises and walk this out concerning his/her hypersensitve abilities.
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