There are moments in life when the Spirit of God presses upon the human heart with an unshakable knowing. According to prophetic teacher Perry Stone, that sense has often come unannounced—yet unmistakable.
In a recent episode of Manna-Fest, Stone opened with a question that resonated deeply with viewers: “Have you ever…got out of bed or in midday…something came upon you that you could not explain, but it was what some people termed a gut feeling or a premonition that something was not right?”
He described it as an inner alert to danger, even when the specifics were unclear: “It’s almost as though you sense that there’s danger out there, but you can’t put your finger on what is the danger…where is it coming from, and when will it happen?”
For Stone, this phenomenon is not theoretical. For years, he experienced what he now believes were spiritual burdens of impending loss. “I would have a sudden internal weight that you would call a burden,” he explained. It wasn’t a typical burden to preach, pray or minister—but something far heavier. “This was an impending feeling of danger, and it would overwhelm me to the point that I would have to leave the office and go home.”
To order Jim Raley’s new book, The Realm of No Explanation, visit Amazon.com.
These episodes were not brief. Stone recounted seasons when the sensation lingered for days—sometimes more than a week—and nearly always preceded the death of someone within his relational circle. After tracking the pattern, he concluded, “about 20 times in the past 18 years, this burden would hit me,” usually seven to 10 days before someone passed.
While some would call such experiences intuition or a sixth sense, Stone framed the subject biblically. He distinguished between mere suspicion—rooted in “vain imaginations” and false narratives—and true discernment: “Suspicion is not discernment,” he warned. The apostle Paul identified a specific gift known as the “discerning of spirits” (1 Cor. 12:10), which Stone defined as “the ability to properly discern and judge what spirit is at work.”
Stone also emphasized the role of the human spirit, citing Proverbs: “The spirit of a man is the candle of the Lord searching all the inward parts of the belly” (Prov. 20:27). He noted that emotional and spiritual signals often manifest physically: “When someone dies, you feel it in your belly. When you suffer with grief, you feel it in your belly.”
His exhortation to the body of Christ was simple yet urgent: when something feels spiritually off, don’t ignore it. “When you begin to sense something is not right…don’t blow it off,” he urged. “Find a place of prayer and begin to pray against it, and God can prevent trouble and danger from coming your way if you’ll learn to listen.”
In a world clouded by uncertainty, Stone believes the Holy Spirit is still faithfully warning, guiding and preparing God’s people—if only they will heed the inner witness.
Abby Trivett is a writer and editor for Charisma Media and has a passion for sharing the gospel through the written word. She holds two degrees from Regent University, a B.A. in Communication with a concentration in Journalism and a Master of Arts in Journalism. She is the author of the upcoming book, The Power of Suddenly: Discover How God Can Change Everything in a Moment.
