5 Fantastic Spiritual Senses That Lead to Faith

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God has given us spiritual senses by which we can know Him. Just as we have five physical senses (seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, touching) by which we discover the physical world, each person has five spiritual senses that can lead us to discover the spiritual realm, if we allow them to.

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Sometimes those who lack physical senses are the best at discovering God through their spiritual senses. My friend Dave Yager had ALS or Lou Gehrig’s Disease. He gradually lost feeling and control of most of his body. Yet as he lost his physical senses, he developed keen spiritual senses.

Likewise, those who are dying and losing their connection with the physical world are often those who have the keenest understanding of the five spiritual senses. My wife Carolyn’s sister Gwen died of cancer in 2007. But she thanked God for the cancer, for through it she really came to know the meaning of life through Jesus Christ. Amazing.

So, what are the five spiritual senses?

Here’s my observation of the 5 spiritual senses that lead to faith:

1. Consciousness.

Consciousness is defined as “the fact of awareness by the mind of itself and the world.” The marvel of the existence of this first of the five spiritual senses is starting to be addressed by the academic and scientific community.

Richard Dawkins has confessed that as an atheist, he has no solution for the “Hard Problem of Consciousness.” In Scientific American magazine, he admitted that “…maybe the ‘hard problem’ of consciousness is forever beyond us, just as calculus is forever beyond the mentality of a chimpanzee.”

But just what is this Hard Problem of Consciousness? An article in The Guardian by Oliver Burkeman describes it this way:

Why on earth should all those complicated brain processes feel like anything from the inside? Why aren’t we just brilliant robots, capable of retaining information, of responding to noises and smells and hot saucepans, but dark inside, lacking an inner life? And how does the brain manage it? How could the 1.4kg lump of moist, pinkish-beige tissue inside your skull give rise to something as mysterious as the experience of being that pinkish-beige lump, and the body to which it is attached?

This sense of consciousness is a God-given spiritual sense. Scripture says that we’re made “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). Like God, we are conscious beings, created for fellowship with Him. This spiritual sense should lead us to God.

2. Morals.

Along with consciousness, human beings have a sense of morality—of right and wrong. This second of the five spiritual senses distinguishes us from animals, who don’t worry about issues of morality such as:

• Covering their bodies with clothing.

• Not eating their own kind or cannibalism.

• Not stealing from each other.

• And so on.

If naturalistic survival-of-the-fittest were the only objective, why would any of these moral issues matter? They’d be moot points. But instead, we have a sense of right and wrong, an internal moral compass, a spiritual sense that tells us there are moral laws and a Lawgiver.

3. Emotions.

This third of the spiritual senses is an incredibly powerful indicator of the spiritual realm. Human beings experience such strong emotions, they are often even more powerful than our physical sensations:

• The joy and ecstasy of deep love.

• The intense pain of rejection.

• The overwhelming power of anger and rage.

• The seething churning of jealousy.

• The agony of grieving.And so on.

Once again, each of these is a powerful indicator that there is a spiritual realm. In fact, each of these are emotions the Bible says that God experiences. Since the Bible indicates we’re created in the image of God, we know the spiritual realm through these. We’re not simply physical matter, we’re spiritual and emotional beings.

4. Beauty.

This fourth of the spiritual senses is wonderful because it has virtually no downside.

As I write in my office looking out the window, it is a gorgeous sunny day with a blue sky, green trees and beautiful hills in the distance. Every few minutes a handsome bird flies by—I especially enjoy the amazing hummingbirds. There are gorgeous flowers blooming—an array of stunning colors, shapes and sizes.

At night, we look at the sky, the moon, the stars and the vastness of the universe.

When I see such beauty, I’m inspired! Part of my inspiration is to know the One who created such beauty.

This fourth of the five spiritual senses is well-documented in the Bible which says:

They know the truth about God because he has made it obvious to them. For ever since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.” (Romans 1:19-20 NLT)

5. Intelligence.

Intelligence is a wonderful blessing. Through it we’ve been able to develop magnificent inventions like computers, jet aircraft, and life-saving medical devices. However, this last of the spiritual senses is a two-edged sword. Why? Because some use their intelligence as a weapon to try to invalidate their spiritual senses. Imagine that: using a spiritual sense to quash spiritual senses!

Of course, those who do this will vehemently (and condescendingly?) argue that they are doing so. But those who are open-minded and look at the evidence using their intelligence, have ample evidence for faith. Not just faith in God, but in Jesus Christ and the Christian faith.

The story of Lee Strobel told in the movie and book The Case for Faith, is a great example. Lee was an atheist who came to faith through studying, as a lawyer and a journalist, the evidence for the Bible and Christ.

Many others have come to faith by utilizing their intelligence to examine the evidence. For more resources check out the apologetics websites on my Recommended Resources page.

In summary, our 5 spiritual senses are a big part of the reason that 90% of all human beings believe that God exists.

What do you think? Did I correctly identify and describe these five spiritual senses?

Your thoughts are welcome! Please leave your comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• 4 Powerful Proofs that Jesus Lives

• 4 Reasons You Can Love and Trust the Bible Today

• How Digging in the Dirt Proves the Bible is Reliable

• What If Jesus Had Never Been Born?

• Podcast: Where do dinosaurs fit in the Bible?

• Podcast: How do we know we have the right books in the Bible?

• vlog: Creation demands a Creator

• 4 Reasons Why 90% Believe God Exists

• My Classmate Bart Ehrman’s Hopeless Response to Suffering

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Nothing Lies Beyond The Reach of Prayer

except that which lies outside the will of God.

Phillips Brooks was a clergyman and author who lived in the 1800’s. He said, “Nothing lies beyond the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the will of God.” Was he correct? Is anything beyond the reach of prayer except those things that lie outside of God’s will for us? In other words, will God violate His will to answer our prayers?

We know from the Bible that nothing is too hard or too difficult for God.

Jeremiah 32:27 says: “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” (NIV)

And the Bible says in Matthew 19:6, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” (NIV)

It is true that we can pray about everything and the Bible encourages us to do so as in Philippians 4:6-7. But at the same time, God is not obligated to answer any and every prayer, as some people believe. This error is partially due to the “health, wealth and prosperity gospel” teaching that we can somehow force God to do what we want.

While it is true that Jesus said “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”(Matthew 21:22) This verse is teaching that we need to have faith to receive answers to our prayers.

We must consider other verses about prayer and the will of God that give us more insight. The Bible says that praying according to God’s will is the only way that we can be sure that He even hears us. In 1 John 5:14 we read, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” (NIV)

Jesus had strong words about doing the will of God.

In Mark 3:35 “For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (NIV) We also have His example of prayer that He prayed prior to His betrayal and arrest, in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Additionally, He taught His own disciples in the Lord’s Prayer to pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:10 ESV)

We do have free will to make choices. But we shouldn’t confuse this with thinking we can impose our desires upon God and force His hand. We certainly can make our preferences known to Him.

However, when it comes to asking God to do something we can know that He will not answer any prayer that contradicts His will. Christians should follow the example of Jesus and pray, “Father, not my will but Yours’ be done” instead of praying, “Father, not Your will, but mine be done.”

How then can we know the will of God? 

The answer is by reading the Bible where there are many verses that reveal His will to us. For example, the following verses are clear indications of His will for us.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV)

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality;” (1 Thessalonians 4:3 NIV)

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Ephesians 5:15-20 NIV)

If you are still unsure of the will of God for you, after prayer and searching the Scriptures, then speak to a Christian Pastor and obtain wise counsel from mature Christians.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• Why Thanking Prayers Are So Important

• So You Think You Can’t Take a Prayer Retreat?

• Unexpected Ways It Pays to Pray

• Seven Ways to Pray When Suffering

• Podcast: Why Aren’t My Prayers Answered?

• Podcast: How should I pray when suffering?

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What Caused Me To Doubt My Salvation

Knowing what causes doubt can help us avoid lack of assurance.

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In a recent article, I wrote about how I doubted my salvation and how later I came to assurance. It was agonizing to wonder if I was truly saved. Now that I no longer doubt my salvation, it is interesting to look back at what caused it. I hope that my experience can help you.

Here are some of the issues that I believe caused me to doubt my salvation:

1. Fatigue and exhaustion.

Either Vince Lombardi or General George Patton said, “Fatigue Makes Cowards of Us All.”

Whoever said it, I agree. When we’re physically exhausted, we become vulnerable to emotional and spiritual weakness. The three simply cannot be separated: if we go down physically, we’re likely to go down emotionally and spiritually.

This is the issue that Elijah faced when he was so discouraged that he asked God to take his life (1 Kings 19:4). After a miraculous spiritual victory and tremendous physical exertion, he was exhausted. He had an emotional collapse.

As a young church planter, I worked many, many hours. Probably too many. In addition, I became emotionally exhausted. That, in turn, led to spiritual exhaustion and doubts.

Someone has said, “Sometimes the most spiritual thing we can do is to take a nap.” Sounds funny, but I believe it’s true. Relieving our physical exhaustion can lift our emotions and spiritual doubts.

2. Disappointment with fellow believers.

I don’t like to say this, and I’m not trying to blame others. But sometimes I’ve found that a lack of godliness and downright ungodliness by those who claim to be Christians is spiritually depressing.

As the leader of a church plant, I hoped to see people’s lives transformed by the Gospel. But sometimes there seemed to be virtually no transformation. In fact, Christians said and did hurtful and ungodly things.

“Maybe the problem is me,” I thought. “Maybe God’s not with me.”

Am I over-exaggerating bad behavior or judgmental? Perhaps. But this is honestly how I felt and the problem was real.

Nowadays I’ve come to realize several things that help:

• I accept that the process of growing in Christ takes a long time and won’t be completed until heaven.

• I think I’ve grown in grace and forgiveness toward those who do hurtful things.

• I’ve come to look more at the purity of Christ than the impurity of His followers.

• I understand that Jesus said there would be false believers and fakes who are in fact pretending and not truly saved. (Matthew 7:15)

• I’ve seen the power of Christ in many, many people and realized that while He “is able to do exceedingly more than we can ask or imagine,” (Ephesians 3:20)

• His work is dependent on our cooperation.

A few years ago, my world was rocked by the behavior of a Christian I know well. But I’ve grown to where my response was more disappointment with that person than disappointment with Jesus.

3. My emotional insecurities.

A third issue that caused me to doubt my salvation is my own lack of emotional security.

This is hard to admit, although over the years I’ve found out that even the greatest of leaders are often insecure. I used to feel like an oddball—now I think that a lack of emotional security is part of the human condition.

In Jr. High, I thought I was totally unattractive. Since then I’ve found out that is what most every adolescent thinks. Then one day a female friend named Vicky told me she thought I was cute or something like that.

I was truly surprised. That flew in the face of my self-perception. But I thought, “Well, if she thinks so, then just maybe it’s true!” She greatly boosted my self-perception.

Since then, I’ve realized that my self-perception might tell me that I am totally unattractive to God, but He says something quite to the contrary. His Word says:

• He chose me before the foundation of the earth (Ephesians 1:4)

• He has lavished his love on me (1 John 3:1)

So now, if I start to think that I am unlovely and rejected by God, I just remind myself of what He has said.

4. My parents weren’t the nurturing type.

I think I had wonderful parents. I’m deeply grateful for their love, their examples of Christian living, their values and so on.

That said, I think it’s fair to say that their parenting style was not very emotionally reassuring. Maybe nurturing wasn’t most people’s parenting style back then. And maybe their “love language” was just different from mine.

At any rate, I wondered sometimes if my parents truly loved me. And I’ve realized that it’s easy for that kind of doubt to transfer to doubts about our Heavenly Father. In other words, doubts about my parents’ love caused me to doubt my salvation.

What helped me overcome this is my realization that while my parents love was flawed, (like every parent’s) my Heavenly Father’s love is perfect.

Parents are human: our heavenly Father is divine.Parents make mistakes: our Heavenly Father makes no mistakes.

Jesus promised in John 10:27-29:

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.” (ESV)

I don’t doubt my salvation any longer. Understanding these four causes has helped. I hope this helps you.

Your thoughts are welcome! You can leave a comment below.

Help Spread the Word! If you found this article helpful, we’d love for you to share it with others on social media or otherwise. This will help get the Word in front of more people who need biblical guidance. Thanks for your help!

Additional resources about related subjects on this site:

• How I Moved from Doubting My Salvation to Assurance

• Who Needs Jesus, I’m a Good Person

• How to Prepare for Eternity Now and Face Death with Confidence Later

• Please Don’t Call Yourself a Christian If…Please DO Call Yourself a Christian If…

• Podcast: Will someone lose their salvation if they commit terrible sins?

• Podcast: Have I committed the unpardonable sin?

NOTE: Facebook is random. Email is reliable. Subscribe via email and you won’t miss any of my articles, podcasts or videos. You’ll also get my eBook: 10 Prayers to Unlock Heaven on Earth