Intuition is a way to sense the world around us, and it’s an important part of who we are. When we value our intuition, it helps us make better decisions and connect with others on a deeper level. The Bible teaches about intuition in a variety of ways, from having faith in God’s wisdom to following your feelings that are aligned with His will. Make sure to check out these verses as well!
God has blessed you with a special gift. It’s called “intuition,” and it is your ability to know what needs to be done, even when there is no reason to know. This great life skill will help you avoid misunderstandings, hurt feelings and arguments in your relationships
Over the years, I have gained a lot of life lessons from scripture. It inspires me, motivates me, and gives me peace. The Bible is full of many verses about intuition. If you’re looking for some inspiration or motivation when God gives you a gut feeling, scripture is a great place to start.
Right here on Churchgists, you are privy to a litany of relevant information on intuition of the spirit, intuition vs holy spirit, spiritual word for intuition, and so much more. Take time to visit our website for more information on similar topics.
Bible Verses About Intuition
In the Bible, God teaches us to listen to our intuition and follow the promptings of His Spirit. Here are some awesome Bible verses that remind us not just to listen, but also to act on our inner voice.
The Bible has many verses that can help you learn more about your intuition and how to use it. The following verse is a great example: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).
The Bible contains many verses about intuition. Here are a few of the most important ones: “Like the deaf, who do not hear the word of God, and the mute, who cannot speak with their tongues, so [the wicked] ignore the Torah for wantonness.” (Psalm 19:4).
Intuition is often described as a gut feeling or a sense of knowing without the need for conscious reasoning. The Bible has many verses that speak to the importance of listening to our intuition, as it can be a way in which God communicates with us. Here are some Bible verses that touch on the topic of intuition.
List of Bible Verses About Intuition:
- Proverbs 3:5-6 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
- John 16:13 – But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 – These are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us.
- Isaiah 30:21 – Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.”
Intuition The Voice Of God
The Bible is full of verses about intuition.
- Proverbs 3:5-6 reads, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
- Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.”
- Jeremiah 10:23 says, “O Lord God of Israel, who rules over all things! Lips don’t lie, but people do.”
The Bible is full of passages about intuition, and we’ve gathered some of our favorites here.
- Proverbs 3:5-6: “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths.”
- Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
- Psalms 37:23-24: “The steps of a man are established by the Lord; when He delights in his way, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.”
- Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.”
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” – Proverbs 3:5-6
1 Corinthians 2:10
But God has revealed it to us through the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
2 Corinthians 12:7-10
And most of the brothers and sisters who know our Lord Jesus Christ in person have been my teachers and helpers. From them I received what I also passed on to you: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared even to me—though I am not worthy of being called an apostle because I persecuted God’s church [the church of Messiah]. But by God’s grace I am what I am! And his grace towards me did not come by my works but by Jesus’ own purpose and grace which he gave me when I believed in him.
1 Corinthians 2:6-13
Yet we do speak a wisdom among those who are mature
“The Lord revealed to me that I would be going on a mission trip to [country name] this summer.”
-Jeremiah 1:5
“I will be with you and will bless you; for you shall call upon me, and I will answer you.”
-Jeremiah 11:5
Intuition Of The Spirit
THE THREE PARTS OF THE SPIRIT—
CONSCIENCE, FELLOWSHIP, AND INTUITION
Just as our body has many parts, so does our spirit and our soul. Our spirit is composed of three: conscience, fellowship, and intuition. The conscience is for us to discern right from wrong, to justify or to condemn. Romans 9:1 compared with Romans 8:16 proves that the conscience is a part of our spirit. Fellowship is for us to contact God and to commune with God. This is shown in John 4:24 and Romans 1:9. Intuition means to have a direct sense or feeling in our spirit, regardless of reason or circumstance. First Corinthians 2:11 indicates that our spirit can know what our soul cannot. Our soul knows by reason or by circumstance, but our spirit can perceive without these. This is intuition, the direct sense in our spirit.
THE THREE PARTS OF THE SOUL—
MIND, EMOTION, AND WILL
The soul is also of three parts. The main one, the mind, is for thinking, considering (Psa. 13:2), knowing (Psa. 139:14), and remembering (Lam. 3:20). In the mind we have thoughts, ideas, concepts, reasonings, understanding, knowledge, etc. Emotion, another part of the soul, is for us to love (1 Sam. 18:1; S.S. 1:7) or hate (2 Sam. 5:8), to like or dislike, to be joyful (Isa. 61:10; Psa. 86:4) or grieved (1 Sam. 30:6; Judg. 10:16). All our emotional feelings, positive or negative, are in this part of our soul. The will is also a part of the soul. It is the part through which we have our purposes and choices (Job 7:15; 6:7) and make decisions (1 Chron. 22:19). When I consider or reason, I am using the mind. When I feel happy or sorrowful, I am in the emotion. When I make a decision to do a certain thing, the will is in operation. The mind, the emotion, and the will are the three parts of the soul.
Psalm 51:6 reveals that within our being are “the inward parts” and “the hidden part.” Hebrews 8:10 compared with Jeremiah 31:33 proves that the mind is one of “the inward parts.” The rest of “the inward parts” must be the emotion and the will. Therefore, all the parts of our soul are “the inward parts” of our being, while our spirit is “the hidden part.”
THE HEART
Since 1 Thessalonians 5:23 speaks definitely that we are a tripartite being composed of the spirit, the soul, and the body, the heart could not be a separate part in addition to the spirit and the soul. The heart is a composition of the first part of the spirit and all three parts of the soul. It includes the conscience (Heb. 10:22), the first part of our spirit. Thus, it condemns (1 John 3:20) as does the conscience. It also includes the mind, the will, and the emotion, which are the three parts of our soul. Thus, it thinks (Matt. 9:4) and has thoughts (Gen. 6:5; Heb. 4:12); it rejoices (John 16:22) or has sorrow (John 16:6); and it purposes (Acts 11:23) and has intents (Heb. 4:12). Hence, the Scripture shows us clearly that our heart is composed of the conscience, the mind, the emotion, and the will. It is equal to a part of our spirit and the whole of our soul. Since the heart is thus composed of parts of our spirit and soul, it is very closely related to both.
THE PURPOSES OF THE PARTS OF MAN
The purpose of our body is our human existence. It is by our body that we may exist and live physically and practically for the Lord. Our body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for our body (1 Cor. 6:13). The Lord prepares us a body (Heb. 10:5) that we may exist and live for Him. Thus, we must offer our body to the Lord (Rom. 12:1) and glorify Him in our body (1 Cor. 6:20).
The purpose of our heart in God’s intention is that it may love Him. Mark 12:30 says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart.” Our heart is a loving organ, prepared by God for us to love Him. The purpose of our spirit is to contact the Lord (John 4:24), to receive Him (1 Cor. 6:17), and to contain Him (2 Tim. 4:22). Our heart is the loving organ, whereas our spirit is the contacting, receiving, and containing organ. The Lord whom our heart loves is contacted, received, and contained by our spirit. What then is the purpose of our soul? Its main purpose is to reflect and express the Lord. Second Corinthians 3:18, in the original text, has the thought of reflecting. Our soul, that is our person or our personality, must be the very organ, as a mirror, to reflect and express the Lord. Thus, we love the Lord with our heart; we contact, receive, and contain Him with our spirit; and we reflect and express Him with our soul in all that we think, like, and decide—in all that we are and all that we do.
Intuition Vs Holy Spirit
The first thing we should understand is that there are real differences between human instinct and God’s Spirit.
Human intuition either nudges us in a general direction or alerts us when there’s danger. In threatening situations, intuition provokes the biological fight-or-flight response we all learned about in school. A non-Christian is wise to follow his or her intuition because it’s based in fact—your physical senses are registering that something’s not normal, telling you there may be a threat to your safety.
The Holy Spirit is different than our intuition because He works above and beyond our physical senses. He attunes believers to God’s answer and evokes an extraordinary peace that enables us to do what God wants, even if we’re scared. Presbyterian minister E. Paul Hovey has said, “Jesus promised His followers that ‘The Strengthener’ would be with them forever. This promise is no lullaby for the faint-hearted. It is a blood transfusion for courageous living.”
The Spirit often inclines us to “stay and obey” rather than to “run or resist.” To run or resist is our instinctive, human response; to stay and obey is the Christian’s Spirit-led response.
More Similar Than We Think
The second thing we should understand is that, for followers of Christ, human intuition and the Holy Spirit are more similar than we might realize. Or, at least more connected.
When you accepted Christ into your heart as Lord and Savior, the Holy Spirit came to live inside you. Just as every person is born with intuition, every individual who is born again is given the Holy Spirit as part of this new birth. And because the Holy Spirit is one with God the Father and Christ the Son, He knows the deep ways and thoughts of God.
Jesus said of the Holy Spirit:
- “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26).
- “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth . . . whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).
What does this mean? It means the core of your being has been the repository of the Holy Spirit’s wisdom for as long as you’ve been a Christian. Therefore, trusting your intuition, or your “gut” in my terminology, is trusting the collection of your experiences as you’ve walked with the Lord. Your intuition holds all the insights you’ve gained as you’ve studied the Bible, prayed, read thoughtful books, listened to sermons, interacted with fellow believers, and practiced the presence of God.
Wait for Peace
The best way we can discern when we are hearing from the Holy Spirit—including when He speaks through our intuition—is the reality of peace in our hearts. Running on our own instinct is often driven by fear and typically produces fear, worry, and doubt. When we are aligned with God’s will, He gives us peace.
The signs of divine direction through the Spirit are not only a peace that is beyond understanding, beyond circumstances, and beyond ourselves—but also outcomes that promote “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Gal. 5:22–23). This is how we know it’s the Spirit of God at work rather than simple human intuition or skill. Not only do we gain discernment about God’s will, but our character actually undergoes transformation so that our choices and values more closely echo Christ’s!
When it’s all said and done and you have the “answer” for your decision, confirmed by the steadfast peace of God, you may be unable to recount the exact chain of events by which the Holy Spirit brought you to that answer. But be assured that your gut has the truth of God readily available, and the Holy Spirit knows both where to find it and how to deliver it so that you can clearly recognize God’s will for your situation.
Spiritual Word For Intuition
Ephesians 1:17 ESV / 48 helpful votes
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
Hebrews 4:12 ESV / 40 helpful votes
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Proverbs 2:6-15 ESV / 36 helpful votes
For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding; he stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity, guarding the paths of justice and watching over the way of his saints. Then you will understand righteousness and justice and equity, every good path; for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; …
Romans 2:14-15 ESV / 22 helpful votes
For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them
Job 38:36-41 ESV / 18 helpful votes
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can tilt the waterskins of the heavens, when the dust runs into a mass and the clods stick fast together? “Can you hunt the prey for the lion, or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, when they crouch in their dens or lie in wait in their thicket? …
Job 38:36 ESV / 15 helpful votes
Who has put wisdom in the inward parts or given understanding to the mind?
John 4:24 ESV / 14 helpful votes
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Psalm 19:1-4 ESV / 11 helpful votes
To the choirmaster. A Psalm of David. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun,
James 1:5 ESV / 10 helpful votes
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
1 Corinthians 2:11 ESV / 10 helpful votes
For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 ESV / 10 helpful votes
He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.
Psalm 148:1-14 ESV / 10 helpful votes
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise him in the heights! Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his hosts! Praise him, sun and moon, praise him, all you shining stars! Praise him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord! For he commanded and they were created. …
2 Timothy 3:16 ESV / 9 helpful votes
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
Philippians 2:10-11 ESV / 7 helpful votes
So that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Proverbs 2:3 ESV / 7 helpful votes
Yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
Deuteronomy 13:1-18 ESV / 7 helpful votes
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams. For the Lord your God is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall walk after the Lord your God and fear him and keep his commandments and obey his voice, and you shall serve him and hold fast to him. But that prophet or that dreamer of dreams shall be put to death, because he has taught rebellion against the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of slavery, to make you leave the way in which the Lord your God commanded you to walk. So you shall purge the evil from your midst. …
Ephesians 3:14-20 ESV / 6 helpful votes
For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, …
Psalm 1:1-6 ESV / 6 helpful votes
Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. The wicked are not so, but are like chaff that the wind drives away. Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; …
1 John 5:14-21 ESV / 5 helpful votes
And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask, and God will give him life—to those who commit sins that do not lead to death. There is sin that leads to death; I do not say that one should pray for that. All wrongdoing is sin, but there is sin that does not lead to death. We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but he who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him. …
Ephesians 3:10 ESV / 5 helpful votes
So that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.
Romans 1:21-24 ESV / 5 helpful votes
For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,
Romans 1:1-32 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith for the sake of his name among all the nations, …
Acts 17:28 ESV / 5 helpful votes
For “‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, “‘For we are indeed his offspring.’
Isaiah 3:1-26 ESV / 5 helpful votes
For behold, the Lord God of hosts is taking away from Jerusalem and from Judah support and supply, all support of bread, and all support of water; the mighty man and the soldier, the judge and the prophet, the diviner and the elder, the captain of fifty and the man of rank, the counselor and the skillful magician and the expert in charms. And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them. And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable. …
Psalm 144:1-15 ESV / 5 helpful votes
Of David. Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle; he is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and he in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. O Lord, what is man that you regard him, or the son of man that you think of him? Man is like a breath; his days are like a passing shadow. Bow your heavens, O Lord, and come down! Touch the mountains so that they smoke! …
Revelation 22:19 ESV / 4 helpful votes
And if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Revelation 22:18 ESV / 4 helpful votes
I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
John 16:13 ESV / 3 helpful votes
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
1 John 5:1-13 ESV / 2 helpful votes
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome. For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? …
John 14:26 ESV / 2 helpful votes
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV / 2 helpful votes
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
James 5:14 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.
Proverbs 4:23-27 ESV / 4 helpful votes
Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life. Put away from you crooked speech, and put devious talk far from you. Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
Job 36:1-33 ESV / 4 helpful votes
And Elihu continued, and said: “Bear with me a little, and I will show you, for I have yet something to say on God’s behalf. I will get my knowledge from afar and ascribe righteousness to my Maker. For truly my words are not false; one who is perfect in knowledge is with you. “Behold, God is mighty, and does not despise any; he is mighty in strength of understanding. …
John 17:22-23 ESV / 3 helpful votes Helpful Not Helpful
The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
