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Are you someone who can detect a truth from a lie? Or something a bit trickier, a partial truth with a little bit of a lie? How gullible are you to believe what you are told by others? Have you found yourself agreeing to something only to later find yourself regretting your decision, feeling upset, hurt or angry by what happened afterward? Maybe you were taken advantage of, or you felt manipulated or lied to, maybe even abused in some way? Or maybe you find yourself in the company of negative or toxic people who really drain your energy after you have been in their company?
It may not even be just a person, it could be an organization or business. You might even go to the grocery store and start feeling or sensing weird emotions or having weird thoughts while you are there. Well, if any of this sounds familiar, stick around and we will be discussing discernment and discerning of spirits.
Discernment is fundamentally being able to judge well. Whether its choices we make or the people we interact with, discernment is recognizing the moral and practical consequences of our decisions. We need to all pray for discernment.
Discerning of Spirits the gift to recognize whether or not something is truly from God or in accordance with righteousness.
God gives us gifts as He wills, but we all need to pray for discernment so we can determine truth from error. It is, basically, a spiritual detection system that measures spiritual realities not apparent to the natural senses. It is the God-given ability or gift to recognize the source of spirits, whether they come from the Holy Spirit, angelic spirits, demonic spirits or individual human spirits which are behind different situations or activities.
Authentic or Counterfeit
I once went to the bank to make a regular deposit when the teller boldly told me, "This $20.00 bill in the stack is a counterfeit." The bank employees are trained to spot counterfeit bills, I, on the other hand was not. Well, I had picked it up somewhere, unbeknownst to me and now I was out that $20.00. How many situations do we find ourselves in, which look authentic, but in fact they are counterfeit? We have to really know what the authentic version looks like in order to detect slight variations. We hear of numerous money scams on the rise. Good people falling for this type of trickery and having their bank accounts cleaned out.
When we refer back to the first book of the Bible in Genesis, the serpent deceived Eve pretty quickly.
"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”"
Genesis 3:1
We are in a time we must be wise to what is truth in Christ and what is error in the world.
"And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve."
2 Corinthians 11:14-15
Just like a fighter jet can detect enemy planes on their radar, spiritual discernment can tell us if there is a "bogy" on our spiritual radar.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."
Ephesians 6:12
Holding Fast To Truth
Holding fast to the truth of the scripture is hitting the mark. Many times we will see a "falling next to or beside the mark", which is just a degree or two off. But it is still missing the mark. It may be undetected by the casual observer. However, if we asked ourselves, would we mind if the bank "missed the mark a little" in our bank account and we had less in there than what we deposited, would it matter to us? I think most of us would not be satisfied.
All through the Bible we have standards to follow to provide a navigation system. Now, the problem comes when we don't read or study what the word says or we don't apply it to our lives. The Bible is not just a collection of encouraging stories, it is a guidebook for life and it contains the living word of God for every day living.
"To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
John 8:31-32
The Bible tells us the truth sets us free. It is also true that lies place us in bondage. Most of us would not knowingly chose lies. Therefore we have a God who gives us gifts to help us discern what is truth and what is a lie. With the Bible to show us truth, we can learn to see what is true and what is not.
Spiritual Gifts
"Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
The gift of discerning of spirits is one of the most needed gifts of the Body of Christ today. Jesus tells us," become wise as serpents and harmless as doves", Matthew 10:16.
This gift implies that we must develop supernatural discernment, the ability to detect motivation and the spirits that motivate. This gift will become increasingly important as we approach the end of this age because deception will be the hallmark of these perilous times.
Falling Away From the Faith
We are warned," Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.".1 Timothy 4:1 NLT
Examples of Falling away from the Faith
1. A few years ago, I accompanied my husband on a work trip to San Francisco. I had never been there previously and was excited to see this part of the state. We had to leave on a Sunday morning, which meant we were unable to attend church. No big deal, but we go to various houses of worship as we travel, so we thought we would pick up an evening service. I did some searching on line and found a church which sounded interesting.
They began talking about their ministry to homosexuals and how God loves everyone. I thought, oh, how wonderful, I don't feel most churches currently know how to minister effectively to many different types of issues or situations many people face these days.
Then as I read what they believed, I was struck with "The ERROR. They said, "when this scripture or that scripture says this, it really means this." Basically, they had taken scripture and decided how they wanted it to read and what they wanted it to mean to meet their agenda. NOT what God said or the intent. It had been twisted. This is just one example.
2. We had a Church in our city who had a pastor "who taught many ways lead to salvation." I heard this from too many people not to wonder what was being put out there. I heard about this many years ago. This was before I was even aware of discerning of spirits. But at that time I could not wrap my mind around why this was being taught.
"Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." John 4:16
3. I had a co-worker many years ago who would tell me, in her church, they believed Jesus was a great teacher, but NOT the son of God. So basically, He was a liar. He can't be Lord, who he said He was and a liar at the same time. They would cherry pick what they liked from various religions and adopt them. This is man choosing what man likes and wants. This isn't submitting to God and choosing Jesus as Lord and Savior.
Christian Journey
I don't know what your journey with God looks like or if you have one yet, but I started out in Baptist denomination which is "word strong". My family moved a lot was very dysfunctional and I was in and out of church a lot. So nothing was very cohesive. It wasn't until I was married and had a baby that I wanted a deeper and more consistent walk in my faith and I wanted to help my daughter be planted in a secure soil of faith, so to speak. This journey lasted about 8 years until my life was blown apart through a very difficult divorce. There's lot's in between, but for the consistency of this topic, I will leave those parts to get to the point of the article. I later met and married again and it was through my new husband I was introduced to one of his childhood friends, who along with a couple in a Christian ministry we were involved in, began to introduce me to the knowledge there was more than God, Jesus and the Holy Bible.
I had read about the holy spirit but no one ever really talked about it or about the gifts of the spirit. I felt like there was a door which was opened in a house which I had not seen previously. As I entered into this, I was shown more and more. I knew about satan and demons in the bible, but I guess I had never thought about the reality of it in life today as we know it, until my friend shared some of this side of the spirit world with me. Then someone I know who had been involved in the occult was having lots of issues because of it. We didn't know what to do or where to seek help because the local churches didn't teach or know anything about it. Thus, you could say, I came into learning about this by being thrown into it.
I would highly recommend Angela Greenig Ministries if you or a family member is dealing with anything from demonic spirits. There are many prayer centers and International Healing Rooms all over the world now which can help people, too.
That was over 10 years ago and I am still learning and growing. As a result, of some of these experiences, my husband opened a Prayer Center in 2018, which serves our community to help people. They pray for people for physical, spiritual and emotional healing. I have learned the spiritual realm is real and the more intimate we grow with God, the more real it becomes.
Where Do We Begin Discerning of Spirits?
First we need to pray for discernment and for the gift discerning of spirits.
Many times the gift of discerning of spirits is often interwoven with other manifestation gifts. For example the person operating in the gift of discernment may simultaneously be aware of the presence of a demon or an angel or both. They may know what to do about it. If a demon, they may begin to command it to come out. If an angel they may know the purpose of the angel and their assignment. For instance, if a healing angel shows up, a person may be getting ready to receive a healing from God. The person would then know to pray and partner with what God is doing.
The person may receive a word of knowledge or a word of wisdom in the situation. For instance, sometimes my husband will feel a pain in some part of his body in which he does not think it is his pain, so the Holy Spirit will lead him to ask someone. I can remember distinctly this happening to him at a church, he went up and asked a man we knew if he had pain in his leg and he said he did. He prayed and the man was healed. A word of knowledge could be seeing a vision, having a pain in a part of your body which is not you, feeling an emotion which seems off, like it is not from you, it is more something you are sensing around you, it can be a smell, something you taste, even something you hear.
When operating in a word of wisdom, you may know how to apply knowledge for the correct purpose. This is an endowed gift given to you. Sometimes you just know what to do in a situation or you have understanding which cannot be explained by reasoning.
When we begin to learn and grow in this gift, we need to ask God to show us what he is doing as we ask these questions:
We need to ask of "what" spirit something is of.
1. Is it human, coming from us or thoughts, wants desires.
2. Is it from the Holy Spirt led by God and carries the heart of the father?
3. Or is it a demonic spirit who wants to kill, steal and destroy?
Video Teaching
How to Recognize the Voice of God vs. a Deceiving Spirit with Ryan LeStrange Ministry.
Examples
Humanly Motivated
"When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them.” But Jesus turned and rebuked them."
Luke 9:54-55
In this example, the disciples were motived to defend from a human standpoint. They did not seek God's perspective.
Holy Spirit: God Motivated
"Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said, to them,...By the name of Jesus Christ of Nazarath, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead--by Him this man is standing before you well. ...Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus."
Acts 4:8-13
When it is of the Holy Spirit it will point to God and bring a person closer to Him. The directive is toward relationship with the Father.
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Demonic Spirit
She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her."
Acts 16:17-18
In this example she was pointing to the men and causing a disruption. It did look like she was exalting God. It may look like it is the Holy Spirit, but she was getting a lot of attention and causing disruptions. Demons love attention-getting tactics and they love to cause chaos. They also love deception.
Test Every Spirit
"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world."
1 John 4:1-3
We need to be diligent to test what we hear NOW more than ever. Not every word broadcast to us is truth and of God. We need to be diligently reading God's word so we can recognize error and to determine if what we are hearing lines up with His word. Here are three principles to help you in learning to discern correctly of what spirit is being spoken.
When it is God's voice it will lead us to focus on the real Jesus. There is a leading and revealing. Pointing to a way to help or avoid something which would harm you. He will not bring guilt, conviction will show you a way out leading to freedom. (If you think about most of what is put out in today's media, you will NOT find this). I would encourage you to be very careful what you allow yourself to believe and be cautious to protect what you listen to and what you allow yourself to see. Advertisers know what they are doing is effective, so repetition over time of these messages does create impact to a person and moves them to change. Much of our society is motivated and driven in decision making by what is put out by Hollywood and advertisers. Think about that. Cultural norms and day to day decisions are being guided by a mostly morally corrupt industry driven by money and it has infiltrated many Christian Organizations including churches.
2. When it is from Demons, there is pushing, manipulation, or pressure. You may feel intense pushing, guilt, anger, condemnation, accusation may be present or subtle. If you are hearing a demanding voice, this is a sign.
As I said previously, we all need to pray for better discernment and if you wish to have the gift of discerning of spirits, pray and earnestly seek this gift. It is not a one and done gift; it is a gift you will grow in your entire life.
Video Teaching
Here is a great short teaching By Ryan LeStrange on Not Ignoring what You See
Don't Ignore What You See By Ryan LeStrange Ministry
Proper discernment takes time and training. Be patient with yourself as God Grows you in this gifting.
How Do You Know if You have the Gift of Discernment?
1. A true discerner will have a passion for the un-grieved Presence of the Holy Spirit.
2. Sensitivity to Spiritual Atmospheres
You may be more sensitive to spiritual atmospheres than most other people. You may be affected by the presence of any spiritual activity in the atmosphere.
Especially when it is in the environment around you. We are spirit beings living in the world, but there is a spirit realm and some of us can feel those realms.
Example: I can walk in a room and many times I am struck with all kinds of emotions. Basically, I have had to learn, these are not mine, I am feeling what is in the atmosphere. I have to learn to discern what is me and my own emotions and what is in the atmosphere. One which is very difficult for me, I can feel other's pain. It can be overwhelming at times.
Dawna Desilva has a great teaching on this. It is learning what is you and what is something else in the atmosphere.
Shifting Atmospheres on Amazon.
3. Feeling Like You Don't Fit In or or Different from Others
Someone with a gift of discerning of spirits may see and sense things that others do not see or sense.
This ability can result in us feeling of different or weird , lonely or misunderstood at times, especially when you are growing in the gift and do not know of others operating in it. So, it is helpful that someone with a developing gift of discernment finds a safe place to journey with others who are similarly gifted and accountable. If that is not presently possible there are many great resources now available and people in Ministry both on Christian TV and through on-line ministries. Ask God to help you find a good fit for you and people who are submitted to Him to help guide you. Remember, the Holy Spirit is a teacher, too, and he will lead you and teach you as you go as well.
4. Unusual Experiences
It is not uncommon for someone who is gifted in discernment to experience unusual experiences which are difficult to explain to the average person.
People who are growing in a spiritual gift of discernment begin to see or feel things that others most likely are not aware of. This may include unusual visions, dreams and sensations that alert them to what is happening in the spiritual realm.
Several years ago, I could be sitting in a church and out of no where I would start seeing what was in the spirit realm. It just came without warning. I had no idea what was happening. I now know, this is a working of the gift of discerning spirits. At the time, I was hesitant to talk about it much. This is the kind of thing they lock people up for. You tell someone you are seeing things others don't and they want to send you to a hospital to get help. Luckily I had a friend who was a Seer Prophet and I could talk to her about it. She knew what was happening was "normal" for what God was showing me. At the time, I had no experience or theology for it.
God was showing me what was in the atmosphere. It is helpful in knowing what you have. If you go to pick an orange on an apple tree thinking you will get an orange, but go to get the fruit and find it is an apple, then you realize, "Hey, this isn't an orange tree, it is an apple tree." Basically, I might be sitting in a church and see some weird stuff. God was alerting me some things were amiss. We need to pray about what we see, speak if he tells us to, but sometimes this is for our own protection or the protection of others.
The first time I vividly remember God opening my eyes to the spirit realm, I was in a conference where my husband was instantly healed of color Blindness. During the worship at this conference I was able to see and be in the throne room of God. It absolutely rocked me to the core of who I was. I sobbed a flood of tears and it is one of those experiences that leaves you undone for Him. God knows how to woo us and draw us closer to His heart and into intimacy with Him.
It has taken me some time to figure out what to do with what I am given. Now we always pray about what we are shown, but how do you deal with some of this stuff? This is an ongoing process of seeking God and gaining wisdom and revelation on next steps. Sometimes, it is just, be aware of what is here. Sometimes there are strategies of how to deal with it and what to do or how to partner with Him and sometimes there is nothing to do but allow him to work as we pray. But I know I have a ton of room to keep growing.
5. Pre-Salvation or Signs in Childhood
It is not uncommon to experience things relating to your gift even before becoming a Christian.
Our Father prepares us for His plan, calling and gifts from prior to conception. Even when a talent or gift is misused, God can redeem it. He can anoint that ability for His use, so that you can serve Him and minister to others. There are some who have walked in the world of the occult or New Age because they are drawn to counterfeit gifts or feel more connected to others in it, to later become saved and redeemed and serve God to use their gift of discernment for His Glory.
As children, they may "see" things in the night which adults will write off to imagination, but in actuality, they are sensitive to the spiritual realm. They might encountered demonic spirits or angels in their room, or dreams. I know many people who report Jesus visiting them as children and having conversations with them. Adults inadvertently help shut the gift down telling children this isn't possible or true. I never personally had visitations as I child, but I found out later in life, many of my family members did. It takes a wise parent to help steward discerning spirits in the life of their children. I personally know a young couple whose 2 year old and 4 year old boys see angels and play with them in the house. They see Jesus, too. Wouldn't this be a wonderful challenge to have as a parent to learn how to help your children learn to walk with Jesus in a closer and more intimate manner? Where are the how to books on this one?
6. Ability to Discern a Person’s Words or Actions
Someone with a gift of discernment has the ability to see behind what a person is saying and presenting. Basically, you can see through them. You may know whether they are telling the truth or not. You may also be aware if someone is manifesting a demonic spirit and be able to identify what that spirit is.
Years ago at work we had a temporary worker who came into our department. She came across as very needy and many of my co-workers hovered around her to help. I had a check in my spirit about her, which said, "Don't get involved you need to beware this situation". I don't remember all the particulars, but this woman ended up being a con-person. Everyone eventually found out and she was let go, but I was glad I didn't get drawn in. I have a big heart and I do remember "feeling" like I was being mean by not joining in with everyone. I remember even feeling a little bit guilty, too.
I sensed strongly not to get involved so I listened in spite of the feelings I was having. Discernment can be challenging, so take heed in remembering as we discern accurately, there will come other spirits to move us away from the truth we have discovered. The guilt and feeling like I was being mean. You may even have people say you shouldn't do this or that or think this way or that way about a situation. When everything in you knows.
When a prophetic message is brought, someone with a gift of discernment may tell whether or not it is anointed of the Spirit. They may discern if it is from the speaker’s own heart, demonic or from God.
This is not always the case, and as with other revelatory gifts such as prophecy, you will sometimes be mistaken. Or, you may have partial discernment.
"Do not quench the Spirit. Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test them all; hold on to what is good,"
1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
"For we know in part and we prophesy in part,"
1 Cor 13:9
*Remember, demons can prophesy details but it will not carry the heart of God or point to Jesus.
(Demons operate in networks and they communicate with one another and gain information.)
Teaching by Apostle Ryan LeStrange How to discern the voice of God
Know that you will miss it sometimes. Even the best discerners miss it. Be willing to be corrected and know that only God has accurate, 100% discernment.
7. Gift May Be Confirmed by People or Leaders for the Good of Others
You may have the gift confirmed through people telling you. for example, I have had several people state, "Melanie can see right through you." At first this really threw me. As I was not sure what this meant. But As I have come to learn more about the gift, I have gained a greater understanding, it is like the invisible is made visible. It is an inherent knowing of what is going on in the background of a situation.
The bottom line, as with the the presence of any gift, it is useful for its purpose and submitted to the Lordship of Christ.
The purpose is to help build up and bring people closer to Jesus. We must also be able to discern truth from error whether in the world or in Christian circles.
When you submit what you are seeing or sensing, your Christian circle confirm your accuracy.
The gift is not meant to criticize or tear down a church, person or leader, you know. This is a misuse of the gift. Or, you may realize it is simply a person’s hurt or frustration masquerading as discernment. Discernment has a redemptive aspect that without this does not carry the heart of what God wants to do.
It might mean confronting error, but doing so in love with repentance and restored fellowship in mind. The gift can help guide us to avoid deception and danger in our lives and the lives of others.
Think about the Samaritan woman at the Well. Jesus told her all she had done, which brought conviction, but then it led to the redemptive side of coming to him for eternal life.
(John 4:1-26)
We need to discern for possible abuses as well. There has been so many scandal's in churches and this hurts people and burns them in their faith walk. My heart is tender to those who have been hurt in churches, but this was not God who did this, yet so many turn away from God and blame Him. We need to take a deeper look at who is behind the corruption and deception even in Churches and Ministries.
What bothers me even more than this is the people who know it is going on and do nothing but hide their head in the sand and act as if they do not see it.
There is nothing new under the sun, even during the time the Bible was written, there was corruption, Christians were killing each other and there was perversion in the church.
“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves."
Matthew 7:15
“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves."
Mathew 10:16
"Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil."
Ephesians 5:15-16
We must be like soldiers with our armor on and our weapons to fight the good fight of faith.
Armor of God
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.
14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,
15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.
16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.
17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."
Ephesians 6:10-18
Promise of Abundant Life
Jesus died for us to have eternal life and to have an abundant life here on earth. He did not promise we would not have troubles. He also warned us there was an adversary who would be against us. But He did promise He would be with us through the Holy Spirit and He gave us gifts and the Bible to use to help us.
"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly." John 10:10
"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33"
Where are you on your journey? Are you a Christian must starting out? Haven't made that decision yet? What spiritual gifts have you been given? If you aren't sure, I would invite you to do some digging to discover them. Being a Christian is a great adventure and it is exciting to go on treasure hunts with God to find out what he wants to reveal to you. You are a one of a kind and He made you with a special purpose in mind.
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