heartprints

The voices often disguised themselves in confusion, especially when I had to make difficult decisions, life choices that would impact my future.
The two voices are direct opposites.
They contradict each other.
Ego and intuition.

Ego is defined as a person’s sense of self-esteem or self-importance.

Intuition is the ability to understand something instinctively, without the need for conscious reasoning.

I always felt comfortable with my intuition. My father called it a gut feeling. People who didn’t know me well, called me suspicious.
To the contrary, I learned that people in power positions felt more comfortable with ego. Here decisions are made to impress people, to gain attention and to secure materialistic success. I learned that the ego feeds on fear and anxiety. It prompts people to compete with one another, instead of working together towards a common goal. The ego prompts us to base our worth on external things – the amount of money we have in the bank, our physical appearance, and it leaves us wanting for more.
It robs us.
We never feel satisfied.
Ego sets off self-righteous pride and we become so self-consumed and self-centered that we lose our intimacy with God.

Don’t think you are better than you really are. (Romans 3:23)

Who can say, “I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin?” (Proverbs 20:9)

All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. (Romans 8:23)

When our ego is insulted, we argue. Pride only breeds quarrels. (Proverbs 3:10). We are quick to jump to conclusions. We question other people’s motives. You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:5). We become lonely, isolated people, filled with strife. Intimacy becomes unbearable. If we walk in the light, we have fellowship with each other… (1 John 1:6-7). The ego inhibits us from seeking help; it hinders the healing process. He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy. (Proverbs 28:13). Although the ego keeps us from embarrassment and failure, it also prevents personal growth.
We become stuck.

If I alone bear witness about myself, my testimony is not deemed true. (John 5:31)

I have often been criticized for my intuitive decisions and there was a time when I started questioning myself. It felt as if I was living in an alternative universe where everything made sense to me, while everyone around me questioned my sanity. I ended bad relationships, resigned from an unfulfilling job, and I moved house, because I was prompted by intuitive guidance – my inner voice.

I can do nothing on my own. As I hear, I judge, and my judgement is just, because I seek not my own will but the will of Him who sent me. (John 5:30)

I found that my intuition steered me towards a life where I experienced joy, contentment and peace. I was happy!
I started to appreciate life and I felt compelled to live a life that was morally and ethically pleasing to God. I could give love and acceptance to the people in my life from a place of kindness, peace and abundance. I was no longer driven by fear and self-preservation.

You can only lose something that you have, but you cannot lose something that you are. (Eckhart Tolle)

In the process of letting go, you will lose many things. But you will find yourself. (Deepak Chopra)

What does the Bible say about intuition?

God imprinted us with the gift of instinctive knowledge. God gave Solomon wisdom and very great insight and a breadth of understanding as measureless as the sand. (1 Kings 4:29).
His wisdom gives me insight and understanding. He gives me the ability to develop this God-given insight. God’s Word finds a resting place deep within our soul, and He orchestrates change when we read and apply His Word.

I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes. (Psalm 119:19)

There is no wisdom, no insight, and no plan that can succeed against the Lord. (Proverbs 21:30)

Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

With weeping they shall come, and with pleas for mercy I will lead them back, I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble, for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. (Jeremiah 31:9)

And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the LORD. And his delight shall be in the fear of the LORD. He shall not judge by what his eyes see, or decide disputes by what his ears hear, but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth; and he shall strike the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips he shall kill the wicked. Righteousness shall be the belt of his waist, and faithfulness the belt of his loins. (Isaiah 11:2-5)

I learned to open myself up to God and to trust my intuition. God is faithful and His insight reveals the truth in any situation. I can go to God with all my problems. I can pray to Him, and I can trust that He will respond. If I open myself up completely, I can hear His voice, I can hear the whisperings of the Holy Spirit in my soul.

The lamp of the Lord searches the spirit of a man; it searches out his inmost being. (Proverbs 20:27)

My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm121:2)

I have hidden your word in my heart so that I might not sin against you. (Psalm 119:11)

If I am uncertain and I wonder if my intuition is defective, I have a choice to succumb to fear and failure, or I can rely on Scripture.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honour Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of a corruptible man and of birds, and four-footed animals, and crawling creatures. (Romans 1:18-23)

Encouragement for May

1. Let go of your ego, accept your imperfections.
2. Accept God’s grace, put Christ at the center of your life.
3. Embrace the fact that God loves you unconditionally.
4. Tap into God’s power for all your needs.

Dedication

I want to dedicate this article to every person that abandoned fear and embraced intuition. Great battles were won and our civilized world is richer because ordinary men trusted their intuition. Thank you to each artist, writer and creative genius, our world is beautiful because of you.
We celebrate the great thinkers, men and women, who pushed boundaries because they tapped into instinctive knowledge.

But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)