The manifestation of discerning of spirits is necessary if Christians are going to deal effectively with the spiritual realities of this fallen world. As with the manifestations of a message of knowledge and a message of wisdom, discerning of spirits is revelation from God, not “guesswork” or “a feeling.” It is wrong and harmful for any of us to say that someone has a demon unless we get actual revelation about it and the guidance to reveal it. Too many Christians mistake their own feelings for “revelation” from God. When it comes to the manifestations of holy spirit, we dare not be like the false prophets who thought their own deep thoughts and feelings were revelation from God (Jeremiah 14:14).
The manifestation of discerning of spirits is one that enables Christians to set captives free. We must use it like Christ did in his life, with love, humility, accuracy, and boldness.
God has a purpose in revealing things to us, whether how to pray in a certain situation or the discerning of evil forces at work.
The gift of "discernment of spirits" or "distinguishing between spirits." The Greek word for the gift of discernment is Diakrisis. The word describes being able to distinguish, discern, judge or appraise a person, statement, situation, or environment. In the New Testament it describes the ability to distinguish between
The gift of discernment, is not about discerning the hearts of people but about discerning the source of something. When you are operating in the gift of discernment, you are recognizing where the driving force behind an action is coming from. Many times, the actual motivational force behind people’s actions and behavior is not clear. William Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich
This is where the gift of discernment comes in.
Three Categories of Spirits Discerned by the Gift of Discernment:
1. The Holy Spirit: The Spirit of God living in the inside of born again believers in Jesus. This is recognized by the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit talked about in Galatians chapter 5.
2. The human spirit: Man is a triune being created in the image of God. He has body, soul, and spirit. The spirit of man usually can be recognized by a self-centered or egotistical point of reference.
3. Demonic spirits: These are fallen angels of whom, Satan is the leader. They are not all knowing, or all powerful, or have other attributes only attributed to God, but they are powerful and dangerous. You can tell if you are dealing with a demonic spirit by the fact that they are always in opposition to the advancement of the kingdom of God. They will oppose the advance of the kingdom of God in the life of an individual or in the region of humanity they are in charge of. Discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit to perceive the source of a spiritual manifestation and determine whether:
• a) it is of God (Acts 10:30-35),
• b) of the devil (Acts 16:16-18),
• c) of man (Acts 8:18-23), or of the world.
It is not mind reading, psychic phenomena, or the ability to criticize and find fault.
1. The case of Ananias and Sapphira chapter 5 of Acts.
2. The woman that followed Paul around proclaiming him to be servants of the most high God. This was in Acts 16.
3. A man named Barjesus tried to keep Sergius Paulus from the truth Paul was preaching in Acts 13.
4. In Acts 8 when Simon wanted to buy the power to give people the Holy Ghost.
5. The Pharisees who followed Jesus around just to find fault, not because they desired to hear Him.
Also discerning of spirit with healing:
• Mark 7:31-37 that was healing the deaf and the dumb but in
• Matthew 9:33 it was a demon directly and had to be cast out.
Discerning of spirits must be done by the power of the Holy Spirit:
He bears witness with our spirit when something is or is not of God. The gift of discerning of spirits is the supernatural power to detect the realm of the spirits and their activities. It implies the power of spiritual insight - the supernatural revelation of plans and purposes of the enemy and his forces. It is a gift which protects and guards your Christian life.
The gift of discernment of spirits and the seer are two very different things.
The gift of discernment of spirits is expressly a gift to distinguish between spirits. For example, being able to tell whether someone is speaking in tongues by the Holy Spirit or by a demon.
The manifestation of discerning of spirits is interwoven with the other manifestations. For example, a believer manifesting discerning of spirits may be simultaneously aware of the presence of the demon, know what to do about the situation, and begin to command it to come out of the person. Receiving the information about the demon and knowing what to do is similar to, and interwoven with, a message of knowledge and a message of wisdom, while casting out the demon can be in the category of working a miracle (Mark 9:38 and 39), even as a healing can be a miracle (Acts 4:16).
Every Christian will encounter demons, whether he recognizes them or not. What a great blessing and comfort to know that God has equipped each of us to deal with any demon that comes against us. Ephesians 6:12, which says we wrestle with demonic powers, is written to every Christian. Jesus was the first person to regularly and effectively use the power of God to recognize and cast out demons (Matthew 8:16, 9:33, 10:1, etc.), and it is primarily from his example that we learn about discerning of spirits. He taught his disciples about the spiritual battle, and commanded them to cast out demons also (Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:17).
Through the manifestation of discerning of spirits Peter accurately discerned that Satan filled the heart of Ananias (Acts 5:3), and Paul knew that Elymas was a child of the Devil (Acts 13:10). Via discerning of spirits Paul knew that the slave who was mocking them was not just as disgruntled pagan, but someone under the influence of a demon, and he also knew the proper time to cast it out, after having put up with her mocking “many days” (Acts 16:16-18).
The seer, on the other hand is a prophet who tends to SEE.
Their gift tends to flow in terms of visions, dreams, and divinely imparted knowledge and understanding. Unlike someone with a gift of knowledge, the seer's gift is received in the womb, and it is in a manner of speaking always 'tuned in.'
The gift of discerning of spirits & discernment are two very different things.
Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.
First Thessalonians 5:21-22 teaches that it is the responsibility of every Christian to be discerning: "But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." The apostle John issues a similar warning when he says, "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" (1 John 4:1). According to the New Testament, discernment is not optional for the believer-it is required.
The key to living an uncompromising life lies in one's ability to exercise discernment in every area of his or her life. For example, failure to distinguish between truth and error leaves the Christian subject to all manner of false teaching. False teaching then leads to an unbiblical mindset, which results in unfruitful and disobedient living-a certain recipe for compromise.
Observing what a person does. In Matthew 7:15-20. Jesus explains that false prophets are known by their fruit-their conduct and actions
Observing whether or not a person exalts Jesus Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Savior 1 Corinthians 12:3
By listening what a person say 1 John 4:1-3. Does their confession line up with the truth of God’s Word
Discernment will help us to know whether someone is just in the flesh, giving forth his own opinion or obeying the Holy Spirit and giving a prophecy. Sometimes an evil spirit will mimic and copy the real and discernment will know the difference. Sometimes people just get in the flesh and they are not necessarily evil or have an evil spirit, they just may make mistakes so we have to be very careful with this subject.
Discernment intersects the Christian life at every point. And God's Word provides us with the needed discernment about every issue of life. According to Peter, God "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3). You see, it is through the "true knowledge of Him," that we have been given everything we need to live a Christian life in this fallen world. And how else do we have true knowledge of God but through the pages of His Word, the Bible? In fact, Peter goes on to say that such knowledge comes through God's granting "to us His precious and by magnificent promises" (2 Peter 1:4).
Sandra Ann
Comments
Post a Comment