I wasn't sure why I was sitting by her.I had seen her around at church, but I didn't even know her name.  And there I was, at a potluck meal, sitting at a table with six people I didn't really know, right next to this young woman.The organizer of the event invited us to stand in a circle so we could pray as a group. That's when I leaned over and asked, "Hey. Do you see spirits?"She looked at me. What kind of question was that from almost a complete stranger?

Resistance before the Potluck

Let's back up.  My church has a monthly class called, "Kingdom Culture," where we learn about living a life of God's love. The class has offered advanced teachings on spiritual gifts, deliverance, and loving others. You can see the teachings here. I had missed the last two months and was excited to go this time.The focus this month was Kingdom community: basically sharing a communion meal together and just getting to know each other. I planned to go straight from my office, but was pretty tired at work. In fact, I was exhausted and the thought of being social didn't appeal to me. Throughout the day, I began to lose interest and thought about not going at all.That was a signal, of course, that something good was going to happen and I needed to push through the spiritual resistance that was landing on me. The enemy had tipped its hand in trying to discourage me from going.God was up to something, and I didn't want to miss it.

Overcoming Introversion

About 6 round tables were set up in our children's church space, with the potluck dishes to one side. I walked in and scanned the room.I attend a large church, but only a couple dozen people were there and I didn't know a single person. Oh, I recognized a few, and only knew one person by name. It was quickly obvious that almost everyone else knew each other well, and several of them were in home groups together.One person was highlighted to me, however.  Instantly, as soon as I walked in, my eye went to her.  What I mean is, she looked more real than everyone else, almost like a supernatural spotlight was on her. She was a young woman, whom I had seen at church, but I didn't know her or her family.Believe it or not, I'm an introvert, and I found myself scanning the room from a corner. I decided that since it was an event about community, I should just jump in. I said hi to a few people, but found myself migrating to an empty table.  When the organizer called the meeting to order, several other people joined me. By chance, as it's called, the young woman sat to my left. I wondered if I should move because other family members were sitting there as well.The organizer said that during the meal, we were to get to know each other, and afterwards, we were to introduce the person to our left to the crowd, and tell a couple of things we didn't know about each other. Interesting.So we all got to know each other, and it was great fun. I hit it off with this family and wished my wife was there (she's better at these sorts of things than me).

Wrestling with God

Nonetheless, I felt there was more relevance to sitting at that table than happenstance.  Then, God spoke to my heart. He said, very softly, "She sees spirits."In my mind, I replied, "Oh come on, Lord. That's not you. That's got to be coming from me. Just because I have this website doesn't mean random people I sit by are seers."God replied, "She sees spirits."I answered, "Just what am I supposed to do? Huh? Just blurt out, this will sound weird, but do you see spirits? To which, she'll look at me like I have two heads."The essence of God's message didn't leave my heart. I felt electricity all over my body. God had won, but I was still arguing."Or am I just to bluntly say, do you see spirits? I mean, what kind of question is that? It's already a bit awkward, a young woman being engaged in conversation by an older man whom she didn't know. And you want me to ask that really weird question!"God said, "Remember that bit about obedience?""Fine, Lord. Just fine, okay? She'll run whenever she sees me. But whatever."About then, the speaker was having us stand.

Faith is spelled R-I-S-K

I quickly leaned over, completely forgetting her name in my panic, and said suddenly, "Hey. Do you see spirits?"She looked at me."Yes."She continued looking at me. I nodded. "I thought so."She muttered something about having seen them all her life. I didn't catch it because mainly in my mind, I was telling God about 5 things... Ha ha, Lord, you got me! and This is why I'm here, huh? and Oh boy, now what? God basically smiled his silence back.  She then softly - she always spoke softly - blurted, "How did you know...?"I smiled. God was beating the tar out of me until I asked, is what I wanted to say. But I actually said, "It was a Word of Knowledge." I added, "Don't leave before I can speak to you." And I mentioned to a family member, "I know that was kind of a weird question."The reply was, "That's not a weird question anymore. Not in this church."

Searching for Answers

After an intense time of corporate prayer, I had a few moments to speak with them. As mentioned in other posts, the seer gift tends to run in families, but that wasn't the case in this situation.Nonetheless, the family is very supportive of this young woman even if they don't have complete understanding of what she could see. I discerned that this young woman could see quite a lot and had a profound understanding of spiritual things; an understanding that exceeds what most of us non-seers possess.That's how it goes for seers, because they see things all the time that are swirling around us. They can see the spiritual consequences of words and actions, which the rest of us don't even guess at.I asked if she had met any other seers in our church, and she had. She had attended some advanced classes in our church about spiritual things and the Kingdom of God.Our church welcomes and trains in spiritual abilities. Our leaders train us in how to use these gifts in the cosmic conflict between the Kingdom of God and the Domain of Darkness. This training is the source of much of the teaching on this website.I mentioned a couple of other young seers whom I've met, including Jake, whom I said I met after teaching a workshop called "Spirit Realm: Having Eyes to See" a couple years ago at a conference.She said, "I know. I was there.""You came to my workshop?"She nodded and said it was her first conference.Of course she came to the workshop! She was a young seer who was trying to make sense of the things she saw. At a youth conference, there was a workshop specifically talking about spiritual things, so naturally she would attend it. That's why I wanted to offer the workshop in the first place. I even blogged about it here.

"Thank You For This"

As I reflect on meeting this remarkable young woman and her awesome family, I note that she has characteristics of many young seers I've met. Quiet. Observant. Wise beyond her years. Eager to be close to the Lord Jesus, because that's the safest place for someone who sees the reality of the unseen realm.A couple times a month, I speak with another young seer by phone. She is in the opposite situation. Her parents are not supportive. Her church rejects her. She's feels all alone.But she's not alone. There are many seers out there, and even a few of us non-seers who understand something about their abilities and something more about the cosmic conflict.

5 Ways Seers Don't Have To Be Alone

Seers, you're not alone. If you feel alone, here are some ideas to help:

1. Find a church community that is supportive of your gifts. They really do exist.
2. Join the Seers See Ministries group on MeWe.
3. Share articles from this site on social media.
4. Subscribe for updates. There are more resources coming your way to help.
5. Check out this article from last year.

Before the young woman and her family left, I gave her my card with the website address on it. She held it with both hands. She and her mother both said, "Thank you for this."Seers and family: don't keep this stuff a secret. There's a world of hurting, lonely seers out there who need to know they don't have to be alone.