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What Is The Gift Of Discerning Of Spirits In The Bible?

The spiritual gift of discerning of spirits is a powerful and supernatural gift given by the Holy Spirit, equipping believers to recognize and differentiate the spiritual influences at work in a given situation. In this post, we will explore the biblical foundation of the gift of discerning of spirits, examine its application in scripture, and discuss the importance of staying grounded in God’s Word as we operate in this gift.



What Is The Gift Of Discerning Of Spirits


1 Corinthians 12:4-6 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

...

1 Corinthians 12:10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.


The discerning of spirits gives supernatural understanding, empowered by the Holy Spirit, into the unseen world and differentiates what spirit is behind the activities taking place. "To discern" means to recognize by seeing or hearing. In the context of what can happen in a church or Christian setting, it is testing (discerning) what spirit is behind the prophetic word, manifestation, miracle, etc.  



What Spirits Could Be Involved?


There is something that needs to be understood about this. It is not just discerning when an "evil" or "demonic spirit" is involved. It is discerning what type or from what kingdom, natural or unnatural might be behind whatever is going on.


1 John 4:1 - Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.


To simplify it, we need to understand there are three "spiritual" sources for all spiritual activity: the Kingdom of God, the kingdom of darkness, or the spirit of man.


Kingdom of God: God, Holy Spirit, various classes of angels


Kingdom of Darkness: devil or satan, various classes of demons


Mankind: meaning spirit of man (born out of man).

Some may question this, but an example would be a prophetic word that comes that is not from God or that is not demonic but is simply coming from the own person's thoughts. See Jeremiah 14:14 - And the Lord said to me: “The prophets are prophesying lies in my name. I did not send them, nor did I command them or speak to them. They are prophesying to you a lying vision, worthless divination, and the deceit of their own minds.


Another example, sometimes manifestations are just human reactions and have nothing to do with God or a demon. These things are being born of a person. Note: Indeed, they are often influenced by either kingdom and the good or evil tendencies of the human spirit.



What The Discerning Of Spirits Is Not


It is not simply having discernment. Sometimes people will say, "I have the gift of discernment." 1 Corinthians 12:10 is speaking about the discerning of spirits (not simply having discernment).


Sometimes what people call the gift of discernment (knowing things by the Spirit of God) is the gift of the word of knowledge in action.  


Also, the discerning of spirits is not a type of spiritual mind reading or insight or understanding gained through psychology. It is not the ability to discern the faults of others. The gift of discerning of spirits is not fault-finding. In other words, the discerning of spirits is not a spiritual gift to reveal human failures. It is not even the discerning of people.


It is also not simply knowing if something is Biblical or not. It is not being able to recognize if something is out of order.


It is called the discerning of spirits, and it deals with spirits that exist in the spirit realm, whether they are divine, satanic, or human.



Discerning of Spirits Is Not Simply Discerning Of The Demonic


The gift of discerning of spirits is not just the discerning of Satan, nor is it the discerning of only evil spirits.


To suggest that the discerning of spirits has to do only with devils is false. This gift has to do with all types of spirits. Too many times people have become obsessed with only discerning the evil that they forget that it involves other spiritual beings. If you only see (discern) the evil, I would question whether the gift is operational.



Maintain Balance In Dealing With Demons


The way that some people teach about demons and casting out demons can be troublesome and is problematic when examining it against the Bible.


For example, many things that people say are the devil, may not be the devil but works of the flesh.  


Galatians 5:19-21 - Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.


We have the flesh to deal with. And we are told in the Word how to deal with it. We are to crucify or mortify the deeds of the flesh - (Romans 8:13; Colossians 3:5)


We need to be watchful about these things. Some people become more mindful of the devil than they are mindful of God or even what the Bible says.



Biblical Example Of The Gift Of Discerning Of Spirits


Paul - Acts 16:16-18 - As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.


In Philippi, Paul encountered a servant girl with a spirit of divination who was fortune-telling and bringing profit to her masters. We see the need for this gift to be used because of what she was saying. Interestingly enough, her words—declaring Paul and his companions as “servants of the Most High God”—were accurate, Paul discerned that her proclamation was powered by a demonic spirit. The discerning of spirits allowed Paul to recognize that even seemingly good words can come from the wrong source. Paul spoke straight to the spirit. He commanded the spirit to leave her in the name of Jesus Christ, and it did. After that, she couldn't tell fortunes anymore. Notice – in this case, Paul dealt with the spirit, not the person.



 
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