Ask Teresa

Dear Teresa

I need wisdom and understanding. I have a question and would appreciate your input and help. God has given me the gift of intercession as well as a prophetic gift. My question deals with feelings and impressions that I personally experience and then find out later it was not my "feeling" so to speak, but that of someone in close proximity to me.

Let me explain. The first instance happened in 1996 or 1997 at my former workplace. One day, out of the blue, I started to experience a feeling of fear that was so intense it was almost overwhelming. I bound fear, continually proclaiming God's word and asking Him what was going on, because everything just seemed weird. The next day, my boss came to me to tell me he was leaving due to a failed drug test. He told me that the day before he was afraid all day long because he knew he would be caught. Apparently the fear I felt was his fear that kind of jumped on me so to speak.

This has happened several times over the years with different emotions. I have "felt" lust, fear, confusion, the jitters, etc....and each time it was not my own struggle with these emotions or problems, but I seem to be picking up on other peoples vibes, for lack of a better description.

I usually don't recognize the source at first, thinking it must be me or an attack against me, but when I realize what is going on I will bind or pray against the source of the negative feelings [not the person, but the enemy, then I will lift the person up to God for mercy and help and intercede on their behalf.].

Does God allow people to experience other people's feelings? Or the predominant mindset of a congregation at a particular moment, such as a stronghold of unbelief at an altar call for healing? God does speak to me and direct me through His Holy Spirit but this is different--no words, just feelings. I really need wisdom and insight and scripture to know what is going on. Thanks for your help.

- Sensitive To Others

What you are describing is textbook classic "physical word of knowledge." The most common form of this is by healing ministers who give very detailed and specific "words of knowledge" about a physical condition that is present in the meeting that God wants to heal. The reason they are able to give such detailed descriptions of the symptoms of the infirmity is because they feel it in their own bodies. [I have a whole session-long teaching on this in my "healing workshop" but I don't know if I have written much about it online. I think I do discuss this some in my book How To Hear The Voice Of God In A Noisy world in the chapter titled "Sensing."] Let me try to give you a quick explanation of physical words of knowledge.

Words of knowledge can be emotional (experiencing other people's feelings) just as easily as they can be physical (experiencing other people's body sensations). There is nothing surprising or alarming about the Lord giving you physical words of knowledge about things another person is struggling with. That is a very common thing. People who move in healing tend go get more of the medication condition words and people who move in intercession and/or personal ministry tend to get more of the emotional state words of knowledge.

The real question becomes: "What will you do with this supernatural revelation when you receive it?" Your current strategy is to rebuke it and try to make it go away, then to intercede for whoever is feeling that way.

I would like to suggest an alternate strategy. Next time you get one of these, instead of rebuking it and going into "warfare mode," why not take it back to the Lord and go into "inquiry mode" instead. Tell the Lord something to the effect of "Lord, You seem to be giving me a word of knowledge. What would You like me to do with that information? Please show me what You want me to do." At times maybe all God wants you to do is to pray for the person--after all, you are an intercessor. But I bet there will be times when God wants you to say a kind word to someone to encourage them. There may be times when God wants you to minister to the person, e.g., pray with them instead of interceding for them. There may be times when the Lord wants you to release a prophetic word to them.

The best thing to do with a word of knowledge is to treat it like when the gift of discernment kicks in. Take it as God "getting your attention" by giving you a piece of supernatural revelation. Then go back to Him and ask Him how He would like you to use that revelation in this particular case. Hear from Him, then do what He shows you to do.

It is a good gift and the more you learn to move with the Spirit and discern His will for each word of knowledge, the more powerful it will become in accomplishing His purposes and doing what the Father is doing.

It is not at all uncommon for intercessors to get words of knowledge when they pray. Some of these words come in a physical way (feeling the person's pain or emotions). Others come in a visual way (seeing a picture or image). One time when I was driving, I suddenly saw a picture of my pastor in a car. I pulled over to the side of the road and asked God what this was about. All of the sudden, the picture began to move and my pastor was making a right turn at a 4-way stop sign. The person coming from his left ran the stop sign and broadsided his car right as he was turning. Suddenly I felt this intensity to pray. So I prayed until the intensity went away. Then I looked at my wrist watch and noted the time. I asked him the next day if he was almost in a car accident at such-and-such a time. He said, "Yes. I was turning right at a stop sign when someone ran their stop sign and almost broadsided me."

Still others come in a hearing way, where you hear the Lord whisper something to you in a voice that sounds very much like your own thoughts. At other times, God drops the information into your spirit and you "just know" something--but you have no idea how you know it.

All of these word of knowledge experiences are common things that many intercessors experience.