The Gifts of Intuition

Have you ever said one of these phrases: “I knew I shouldn’t have done that" or “I knew that was going to happen.”  You had this feeling and it was right. That is your intuition at work. But many times the reason we don’t know it until after the fact is because we explain it away. We don’t trust it. We much prefer logic, the grounded, the explainable, or the unemotional. We accept logic even when it’s wrong but deny intuition even when it’s right.
Can you imagine a beautiful gazelle on the plains of Africa, saying to itself, “it’s probably nothing” when seeing the lion moving slowly through the grass.

While discussing our God-given gift of intuition, I will be referencing the book “The Gift of Fear” by Gavin DeBecker. As believers, we know God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. And that is true! The fear the author is talking about is really our “intuition” which can be used to predict human behavior and therefore keep you from danger. I’m hoping through this you will come to recognize the survival signals your intuition tells you. After all the word “intuition” means “to guard, to protect”.

Because our intuition is always in response to something, rather than making a fast effort to explain it away or deny a possible hazard, we are wise if we make an effort to identify the hazard if it exists.

Our intuition is always right in at least two ways:
1. It is always in response to something.
2. It always has your best interest at heart.

However our interpretation of it is not always right.

Our intuition sends us messengers to get our attention. Below is a list of the “Messengers of Intuition” which are listed least to greatest:

The Messengers of Intuition

Nagging feelings
Persistent thoughts
Humor
Wonder
Anxiety
Curiosity
Hunches
Gut feelings
Doubt
Hesitation
Suspicion
Apprehension
Fear

The intuitive signal of the highest order, the one with the greatest urgency is fear and it should always be listened to. By thinking about these signals you can learn how to communicate with yourself.

Messengers of intuition are warning signs that can help you avoid being a victim of violence but even if you make excellent predictions you might still find yourself in danger. If so, there is no right strategy for all situations but one: Listen to your intuition!   Only you will know because you will have all the information to determine the best course of action.

These messengers of intuition help us most during stranger encounters. When we have people already in our lives, we look at behavior predictions to determine their course of action.

One powerful predictive tool is called “Rule of Opposites”. We can predict a future behavior based on favorable and non-favorable behaviors. As we grow up, we learn what is favorable behavior and what is not. This is harder for children because they are still learning. All types of behavioral predictions, not just those about danger, can be improved by applying the “Rule of Opposites”. Below are some examples:

Favorable                              Unfavorable

Does his job and no more        Offers to help on unrelated tasks
Respectful of privacy               Curious, asks many questions
Stands at an appropriate          Stands too close
distance
Waits to be escorted               Walks around house freely
Keeps his comments to the      Tries to get into discussions on
job at hand                              other topics; makes personal comments
Mindful of the time; works       No concern about time; in no hurry to leave
quickly
Doesn’t care if others are        Wants to know if others are home
home
Doesn’t care if others are        Wants to know if others are expected
expected
Doesn’t pay undue                  Stares at you
attention to you

Sometimes we confuse our intuition and worry. To oneself is a form of self-harassment. Worry is the fear we manufacture- it is not authentic.

To live free of fear yet still get it’s gift, there are three goals to strive for:
1. When you feel fear, listen
2. When you don’t feel fear, don’t manufacture it.
3. If you find yourself creating worry, explore and discover why.
When you honor accurate intuitive signals and evaluate them without denial, you need not be wary for you will come to trust that you’ll be notified if there is something worthy of your attention.

Trusting your intuition is the exact opposite of living in fear.

Lisa Fraley