One thing I’ve noticed over the years of listening to lots of highly sensitive Christians: God interacts differently with highly sensitive people.
I can’t address how God talks to everyone else, but I do know that the Holy Spirit speaks tenderly to the highly sensitive person. He doesn’t holler, raise a ruckus, harangue, scold, frown disappointedly, or demand that they get their act together.
With the highly sensitive, God is a real sweet-talker.
What God’s Voice Feels Like
God speaks to the highly sensitive person in a way that feels really good. Period.
His communications are soothing. When you hear the Holy Spirit’s still small voice, your whole being melts into the truth of the message. It quickens something inside you and make you feel suddenly alive, and yet at peace, like everything’s going to be OK now.
The words create a life-giving, uplifting response. Your human spirit vibrates harmoniously to the words. Stuck places inside you dissolve effortlessly. Your mindset shifts.
Whether it’s a “sweet nothing” or a correction, God’s communications with a highly sensitive person melt tensions and elicit feelings of safety and nurture. It feels like the “Aaaaahhhh” of a perfect bubble bath after an exhausting day at work.
Learning to Hear Him
Many highly sensitive Christians don’t understand at first that the Holy Spirit talks to them this way. However, over time they are able to use this insight to differentiate His lovely voice from the babble of their wounded soul, harsh religious programming, and competing spiritual voices.
I have come to believe that God intentionally designed us sensitive ones so He would have someone on earth with whom He could share His lovely heart. Someone who would notice. And respond in kind. That heart-to-heart relationship He so cherishes.
You Are Safe With His Voice
I can assure you that if God made you sensitive, He will not violate your sensitivity.
Other people will violate it. Evil will violate it. Religion will violate it. Even you yourself might violate it. But not God.
He made you and He knows you. And He’s crazy about your sensitivity. “O God, satisfy us in the morning with Your unfailing love, so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives!” (Psalm 90:14). Blessings! Gail Ruth
{ 8 comments… read them below or add one }
God speaks. His message is usually short and simple. It often comes from His Word (the Bible & Jesus). Sometimes there are no words, just a message conveyed otherwise, strongly. There is a strength, a stronghold, a comfort to His message. It cannot be broken. A strong thought may insue. Though kind and loving, it is correcting. My response may be “oh, I did do that didn’t I”, and remorse, and a making of ammends where appropriate. He does convict us of our sins, graciously, so that we may receive His forgiveness and be put right with Him, when we’ve strayed from His Will. It makes for better communications with Him. And He wants the best. After all, that is what He is about – relationship.
This was a gift to me today… thank you Gail
I hope to one day know a small bit of why God made me so sensitive and emotional.
For a long time now I have been struggling with my sensitivity, I’m highly sensitive, highly emotional. Lately when I walk into church I have just started crying. Seeing someone that I know that cares for me deeply.The only thing I can think of is that I know they Love the Lord deeply and passionately and maybe I’m sensitive to that? It has happened also when I have met someone for the first time.
I feel the Presence of God in our church Sanctuary, other Sundays I have felt a large spiritual battle taking place. I remember feeling this as a small child at church. When visiting a church or a home or someone for the first time. I sometimes feel that something just isn’t right.
Lately when my husband prays for me silently I know he is praying for me. Or sometimes I can feel it if he is touching me.
I guess lately I have felt very lonely in all of this and honestly I want to hide it and run away from it. I cry, in hard times In worship. When I know someone else is struggling, sometime for no reason at all.
Any thoughts or encouragement would be greatly appreciated.
AH
Hi AH, I know this may surprise you, but your experiences are not particularly unusual in my crowd, and quite similar to several readers on this site. You sound like you are created to be a burden bearer. A burden bearer feels other people’s burdens. It’s really important for burden bearers to understand that the purpose of picking up other people’s difficulties is NOT to carry them, get distressed or bogged down by them, and often not even to minister to that person, but to feel them and lift them up to God on behalf of the other person. And then to release them to God and go on your way. It is a very important intercessory ministry.
For the things you pick up that are not someone else’s struggles, that too is common among the highly sensitive. We often know what is happening in the invisible spiritual realm.
Also, the ministry of tears is a great gift. Even with all you pick up, you have no idea the effect of your unplanned tears in the spiritual realm. They also act as intercession, and God saves every one.
I encourage you to pursue your love relationship with God and ask the Holy Spirit, your teacher, to help you grow into your gifts and calling.
Blessings!
Gail
Dear Gail,
Hmmm…. In the past I often hear a quiet, calm, yet stern voice. I tried to follow that voice, but found it to be increasingly disturbing to live like that. I now think it was the devil trying (successfully for quite a while) to trick me.
For Y E A R S I wondered if I was truly saved, because of that Scripture that said, “My sheep hear my voice.” Since I was not sure of hearing His voice, I wondered, “Am I really saved?” This was very disconcerting.
Fortunately, in more recent times, I have heard God speak to me and I felt like I had received very valuable information/insight, and I felt loved. However, I don’t feel that as often as I wish.
I’ve also felt Him “speak” to me by very gracious actions, such as having a little boy tell me that I dropped something important, or again, like the night before, I found my earrings (which had fallen out of my shirt pocket) in the closet at a particular spot. I had forgotten that they were even IN my pocket!! I just stopped and smiled and prayed a prayer of thanksgiving, for his “bringing” them to me.
Gail, you mentioned religion. I have a question. Do you know if highly sensitive people are susceptible to a religious spirit? if so, what is the solution/cure?
Also, do you have any articles on how the devil bothers highly sensitive people and how to recognize these tactics, or on how actual people have overcome these situations?
Thank you,
BluWhiskers
Hi BluWhiskers,
I will answer those questions in a post soon. In the meantime, read a post about the Holy Spirit’s communications.
Blessings!
Funny thing, I know the the voice of the Holy Spirit and just today, I had a reason to enforce something which was due me. (ie. I had a packaged delayed for Christmas and the company told me I could go for a refund from my local post office), but as I got ready to go there and collect that which was mine rightfully, refund for not delivering the package on time, I heard His voice and almost everytime I hear I cry, and He told me, Ben once your package has been deilvered, regardless of whether it was late or not, you have a chance to be on a higher moral ground for the Lord, just like when Jesus asked Peter if He, the Lord was required to pay taxes, then He said, in order not to offend people, just do something extra.
So I googled, Holy Spirit, and crying and I came to your website. I am really refreshen by your testimonies, it is so real, everytime I hear His voice, I just know it and no one can tell me otherwise. Amen and God bless you.
I’m loving your site. It’s like a tonic to me. Each time I read a new post it’s like a gentle breeze has just blown across the face of my soul and brought refreshment. Keep up the good work!
Thank you Gail for saying that God love my sensitivity. That means that I don`t have to pretend that I`m not sensitive. Others may think I`m crazy sometimes but I`m convinced that God is just giving me a other measure if insight.
I love the fact that I`m not alone, and that I can be sensitive and still yet have convictions .