But the manifestation of the Spirit isgiven to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdomthrough the Spirit the word of knowledge through the same Spirit to anotherfaith by the same Spirit to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit toanother the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning ofspirits, to another different kind of tongues, to another the interpretation oftongues. But the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individuallyas He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11)

We have entered a time of increased power and abilitiesin our God-given gifts. More individuals are knowing the future ofcatching a glimpse of the unseen world. Along with this, is the increase ofquestioning; Is this real, is this of God, am I crazy?

To begin, lets try to unravel this bible quote.Someone who defines themselves as religious may also describe themselves asbeing spiritual, while to be sure, someone who is spiritual does not have to bereligious. In the United States, those who identify themselves as religious arethe least likely to hold paranormal beliefs. In contrast, a person operatingfrom the identity of Spiritual is very open to the idea.

Most major religious faiths in the world scope, do havea belief in the existence of ghosts of some definition. The doctrinal teachingsmay not say the word ghost, but spirits that behave like ghosts arewithin the theologies of most other world cultures.

I understand this questioning and yearning to makesense of a paranormal event of prophecy and seeing spirits and other entities.I have struggled with it since my earliest memories can recall. I haveknown things that come to pass. I have seen what I believe wereAngels. One was of light the other darkness. I have seen ghosts. I have beengiven messages from the dead that I could not have known myself, and many werefor strangers. But all the words were not only accurate but detailed, and somewere family secrets. Who was I seeing? Who was I getting these prophecies andall this knowledge from? I dont know is the real answer. I still do not know.

I pray to God and ask mostly not to know or see, but itpersists. I ask only to interact with God or his good Angels or messengers. Butcan I tell you who, no? So when I say I understand it can be confusing andfrightening to experience, and that is compounded by not feeling able to sharefor fear of judgment, I am telling you my truth.

So why all the judgment? Well, as a society we aretaught if not by our families, certainly in the earlier decades in school thatthere is good and evil and things are black and white, and there is noin-between. If you experience knowing something that comes to pass, you must bea witch. If you see a ghost, it must be a demon.

So even those seeking answers in the Bible are confusedby the different versions and terminology. They are referred to as spirits,ghosts, familiar spirits, which are not the same. For example, lets examineLuke 24:37-39.

In Luke 24:37, 39 King James Version, the Lord appearsto his disciples after his resurrection. Its recorded that they were terrifiedand supposed that they had seen a spirit. Jesus said, Handle me andsee; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. The NewInternational Version and Holman said: thinking they saw a ghost, andJesus then says, a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see Ihave. In other bible versions, they vary in the usage of ghost orSpirit

Another passage concerning ghosts is when Christ waswalking on water. His disciples thought he was a ghost stated in Matthew 14:26.It was suggesting even Christs disciples experiences and teachings allowedfor spirits. Christ never corrected this in any following passages. In Matthew14:26, it says: When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they wereterrified, and said, It is a ghost! And they cried out in fear.Commentary from Adam Clarke states it is a spirit That the souls of thedead might and did appear, was a doctrine held by the greatest and holiest ofmen that ever existed; and a principle which the cavaliers, free-thinkers, andbound-thinkers, of different ages, have never been able to disprove. AlbertBarnes Notes on the Whole Bible that they were troubled They were afraid.The sight was remarkable. It was sufficient to awe them. In the night, amid thetumultuous billows appeared the form of a man. They thought it was a spirit anapparition. It was a common belief among the ancients that the souls of peopleafter death frequently appeared to the living.

Now that being said, the term familiar spiritscompletely different in perceived origin. The word familiar is from the Latinfamiliaris, meaning a household servant, and is intended to expressthe idea that sorcerers had spirits as their servants ready to obey theircommands. Those attempting to contact the dead, even to this day, usually havesome spirit guide who communicates with them.

Use discernment in every instance of prophecy andvisions of the dead or other entities. First Thessalonians 5:21-22 tells us ofour responsibility to be discerning: But sift through everything; holdfast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil. The apostleJohn issues a similar warning when he says, Do not believe everyspirit but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because manyfalse prophets have gone out into the world, and in 1 John 4:1 fromthe New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer it isrequired.

I have known very credible Christian people that haveexperienced what is referred to as paranormal encounters with spirits inperson, on film, and through hearing voices or receiving messages. Each hasmade their conclusion about the experience. Some believe the message was directlyfrom God to them. Some believe the Spirit they saw was not a demon or lostsoul, but their beloved family member or loved one. Others think a spiritcaptured on film was a glimpse into a parallel universe, just a thin veilbetween us. I believe, for my part, that is has been a mixture of divineinteraction with the messengers of God. Other experienced I firmly believe werelow-level energies. Interestingly enough, I have never seen the Spirit of anyof my family members that have crossed over. None.

Several ghosts that I have seen appeared to be goingabout their business without even knowing I was there. The Angels Iencountered, I believe, came from different sources since one passing wasnatural and happened the morning of the appearance; the other foretold a murderthat came to pass three days later.

It is a vast subject, and we only lightly touched onseveral possibilities here. I wish you peace, and I hope this has helped youmake sense of what you have possibly encountered.

Blessings, Teal L. Gray

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