One amazing aspect of the prophetic gift is being able to sense what’s going on around us. We can feel things about other people, and we can even sense what’s going on in places.
Have you ever driven through a town and found yourself feeling a certain way? “Whoa—what’s going on here? This is a great place!”
Or maybe you felt something very different: “This place feels so HEAVY. I feel sad and tired right now, and I don’t know why.”
The prophetic capacity to sense things is a blessing from God, but if we don’t realize what’s happening with our gift—or how to deal with what we’re sensing—these burdens can become weights that push us toward exhaustion. If you’re prophetic at all, learn to understand how the gift of burden bearing works, so you can use it the way God intended and experience the glorious freedom He has for you as His child.
The Bible talks about burden bearing in Galatians 6:2 (NASB):
Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.
What can burden bearing look like in an everyday setting?
Let’s say I’m talking with a friend, and I begin to sense that she feels a certain way. Maybe she’s frustrated with something or going through a hard time.
In these moments, something is happening in the spiritual realm. Her loving heavenly Father is lifting a small portion of her burden off of her and giving it to me to carry. That is, I become aware of it as I start to feel some of what she’s feeling. For prophetic people, this can happen all the time! At the grocery store, at the park, at a concert—anywhere.
Burden bearing is a gift from God. But how could feeling someone else’s “stuff” be a good thing?
But unfortunately, that’s where many prophetic people stop. We’re holding someone else’s burden, and it starts to weigh us down. And down. And down.
We don’t realize we need to take a very important, very necessary next step.
In Romans 11:36 the apostle Paul writes about the pattern or cycle found in all spiritual matters:
For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.
All things are FROM Him, go THROUGH Him, and RETURN to Him. Everything we experience with the prophetic gifting needs to go through this divine cycle.
Many of us sense the burden, take it in our arms, and never think to give it back to God. We don’t even know we need to do this! So burden after burden after burden loads up inside us—to the point where we just can’t take it anymore.
“Don’t make me be around people! I don’t want to be around anyone!”
As a prophetic person, you don’t have to be weighed down by the burdens all around you. The moment you realize what’s happening, you get to give the burden back to God.
“Lord, I pray for my sister. I pray for my brother. I release this burden back to You.”
In a certain light, the need to feel defines us as prophetic people. Knowing this, the enemy tries to “hook” us into carrying burden after burden—when the way of God is Romans 11:36: from Him, through Him, to Him.
The next time you start to feel the weight of someone else’s burden, pray for that person and lift them up. Then give the burden back to God and let it go.
Want to learn more?!
If you feel you've related to this article, please consider enrolling in the Elijah House School of Heart Healing. We find that many of our students are prophetic and/or burden bearers, and when these gifts are channeled in a healthy way, they can be extremely powerful in helping others get set free. Our school has a twofold purpose: to help our students heal, so they can in turn help heal others. To the glory of God! Click this link to learn more.
25 comments
I was wondering if anyone also feels another persons dislike toward you, I feel this with sometimes the Pastor but a lot with the wife for no reason, though I feel it has to do with her being controlling but anyway I feel the pain or agitation from others; I have a hard time with cruelty to children or animals and if I drive by a dead animal it just hurts so much inside like I feel their pain and I get angry to be honest. I have always been this sensitive with things or persons. there’s been times I’ve been called paranoid but they are feelings I feel as though I’m picking up on emotionally from people. God has also allowed me to see things that will happen in the future, some already have and I know scriptures concerning prophetic gifts. Good to know more about this on your website as I’m discovering this and just want to know how to deal with it. Thankyou and God Bless you all
I have countless notebooks journaled with words, teachings from Holy Spirit than would coincide with my pastors teachings or answer a question or give and answer to whatever he would be preaching or teaching from weeks before. I asked the Lord about this and I realized that this happened so I would come in agreement with what God wanted to do on earth and so when pastor would preach the message could come thru with no hinderances. So check what is it God wants you to agree with Him for that person or situation. Ull have plenty of time to agree with the kingdom of heaven and what God wants fo do here. Come in agreement with Holy Spirit
So, there are many levels to being a burden bearer. Many of you have spoken about carrying physical and emotional burdens, but I haven’t heard much about the spiritual burdens. Please ask the Holy Spirit to give you discernment about what “spirits” that you are sensing or possibly that are trying to latch on to you. If you are feeling physical drained, command the spirit of infirmary to be released from that person and possibly from you, too. If you sense sexual sin, command the spirit of lust off that person and possibly you, too, again. If we start with the spiritual, then work to the emotional, and finally the physical, you may find the demand on yourself to be less daunting. Be blessed.
Hello Everyone,
Pray you are all doing better,
Just wanted to know if anyone else here has experienced extreme physical and mental pain over the 7 weeks ?
As Up to 7 weeks ago things have become very heavy to the point that physical strength has all but gone as well as lieing symptoms in back feet knees teeth and other ares as well as attacks in my household from the enemy , before that I was very active and for the most part healthy.
Also Elijahhouse do have a means that I might contact you for some intervention as this battle or burden trials is none like I have ever experienced that last thing I remember I was praying for Australia and few other issues then , all the above happened a once.
Regards
Albert
Michelle Burns I’m curious if you received a response yet. I am going through the same thing.