Quick Take
- Narration: Lisa Larsen reads clearly and respectfully; the material benefits from a narrator who doesn’t editorialize, and Larsen doesn’t.
- Themes: Spiritual discernment, the gift of seeing and hearing in the spiritual realm, biblical foundations for charismatic gifts
- Mood: Earnest and convicting, written from deep personal experience with the subject
- Verdict: A focused, practically-oriented guide to the gift of discerning spirits, essential for charismatic and Pentecostal listeners who have this gift and lack a framework for it.
I should be upfront about where I sit with this material: I approach charismatic Christian literature as a literary critic rather than as a practitioner. What I can assess honestly is whether the book does what it sets out to do and whether it does it with integrity and craft. On both counts, Seeing the Supernatural, by prophetic voice Jennifer Eivaz, makes a strong case for itself, particularly given the very specific gap it’s addressing.
The audiobook carries Lee Strobel’s name on the listing but is written by Jennifer Eivaz, and the content is clearly hers: deeply personal, drawn from direct experience with the gift of discerning spirits, and structured to help readers who have similar experiences make sense of what is happening to them. The opening move, acknowledging that people with this gift have sometimes been diagnosed with mental disorders because they found no support in the church, is a genuine act of pastoral intelligence. It meets the reader where the need actually is.
Our Take on Seeing the Supernatural
Eivaz moves from biblical foundation to practical application with more discipline than many books in this space manage. She lays a scriptural basis for the gift, explains what seeing and hearing in the spiritual realm looks and feels like, and then provides a framework for discerning what is being perceived, demonic, angelic, or other spiritual activity. Reviewer Brandi Bourne, who describes herself as having the gift of discernment and finding it “quite overwhelming,” wrote that the book “helped me connect the dots scripturally speaking on many points.” That kind of testimonial speaks to what the book is actually for.
One reviewer compared the experience to reading The Veil by Blake K. Healy, which is a useful reference point for potential listeners: both books operate in the same territory, offering personal accounts of navigating spiritual perception alongside biblical grounding. Eivaz’s approach is somewhat more practically structured than Healy’s more narrative-forward account.
Why Listen to Seeing the Supernatural
At just under five hours, this is a focused listen. Lisa Larsen’s narration is clean and even-handed, which is the right call for material that could easily tip into performance if mishandled. The kingdom principles and reflection questions that close each chapter, highlighted by reviewer Magdalena Rodriguez, work better in print, but Larsen reads them at a pace that allows the listener to sit with them.
Reviewer Yariela E. Miller praised the book for its lack of “religiosity” and “nothing overhyped,” which is a fair summary of Eivaz’s register. She writes with conviction but not hysteria. The testimonies are grounded in specificity rather than spectacle. For a subject that can attract a great deal of sensationalism, that restraint is worth noting.
What to Watch For in Seeing the Supernatural
This is a book written entirely within a Pentecostal and charismatic Christian framework. It assumes belief in the supernatural gifts described in the New Testament and operates from that foundation. Listeners outside that tradition, whether skeptical or simply from different Christian backgrounds, will find the premises require a significant prior commitment to engage with. The book is not making an apologetic case for the existence of spiritual gifts; it is offering guidance to those who already operate within a framework that affirms them.
The reflection questions at the end of each chapter are a genuine addition for serious study, though they function better in a group context than in solo listening. Anyone using this for a small group or ministry context should plan to complement the audio with the print edition.
Who Should Listen to Seeing the Supernatural
Charismatic and Pentecostal Christians who have experienced what they understand as the gift of discernment and want biblical grounding and practical orientation. Also useful for pastors and ministry leaders looking to support congregation members who report these experiences. Not recommended for listeners outside a charismatic framework expecting an objective or multi-perspectival treatment, this is insider literature, and it serves that audience well precisely because it doesn’t try to be anything else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this book by Jennifer Eivaz or Lee Strobel?
The content is entirely Jennifer Eivaz’s. Lee Strobel’s name appears in the publisher listing but Eivaz is the author. The synopsis and all reviews confirm this is Eivaz’s work on the gift of discerning spirits.
How does this compare to The Veil by Blake K. Healy on the same subject?
Both cover supernatural spiritual perception from a charismatic Christian perspective. Healy’s book is more narrative and memoir-driven; Eivaz is more structured and practical, with biblical foundation and chapter reflection questions. Reviewers of this book who have read Healy typically recommend both.
Does Lisa Larsen’s narration suit this kind of spiritual content?
Larsen reads cleanly and without editorializing, which is appropriate for material this personal and experiential. She doesn’t perform the spiritual intensity of the content, which lets Eivaz’s own convictions come through the words rather than the delivery.
Is this appropriate for someone who thinks they might have the gift of discernment but isn’t sure?
Yes, Eivaz explicitly addresses people who have had experiences they couldn’t identify or explain. The book offers a framework for recognizing and understanding the gift, including how to distinguish what is being perceived in the spiritual realm.
