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Discerning of spirits is one of the “knowledge” spiritual gifts. It can be used to determine the source of what appears to be manifestations of the power and speech gifts versus false signs. It is also used in identifying situations that need intercession.
So how do you develop the gift of discerning of spirits?
First of all, every single experience should be tested against the Word of God. ((1 John 4:1. King James Version. Biblegateway.com. )) If you think that you have this gift or if you want to develop this gift (we are told to desire the gifts,) it is very important to make reading, studying, and memorizing the Word of God part of your daily lifestyle. You have to have a solid foundation to work from.
It is also important to be with a group of like-minded believers. First, to test what you are experiencing to see whether it is from God or not and to judge your assessment. Second, to learn from.
Another important consideration when you are developing your gift is looking at who you are under authority to. The one obvious authority is your church, but this could also be other organizations you are involved with.
When it comes to spiritual authority, be very careful who you put yourself under. (( Hebrews 13:7, 17. New Living Translation. Biblegateway.com )) If you are under someone who is completely whacky and goes offroading from the Word of God and doing their own thing . . . obviously you are going to have issues developing proper discernment as to what is from God and what isn’t. They won’t be able to give you proper feedback either.
But the opposite situation can also hinder the development of your gift. If you are in a church or under the authority of an organization that denies one or all of the gifts, you probably won’t develop that gift at all, or if you do, it will be severely stunted. And again, you won’t have anyone to help train you.
Awhile ago I was considering volunteering for an organization. I was so certain I was going to get involved in it that I bought the books, started looking at options for childcare, set aside the days for the volunteer training, and sat down to fill out the volunteer training application.
I filled out the whole application, all 12 pages, initialed the agreements on the Statement of Faith, but when I got to the last paragraph before I signed it there was a final agreement that I had to acknowledge.
It basically said that different denominations believed different things but that it didn’t prevent the church from working together. Which I completely agree with. .
But then in the next sentence it said that you agreed not to discuss or participate in, and then listed a whole laundry list of things like deliverance, healing . . . basically any of the power gifts were a no.
In comparison, I understand that things like speaking in tongues makes people uncomfortable. It’s not my gift, but I know a lot of people that have it.
But there is a difference between refraining from using a gift out of consideration for someone else and flat out denying them. And I felt like that was what I would be doing if I signed it. The wording was just so odd. I did send an email to the contact person asking for clarification. The response I got was:
“Thanks, we’ll update the application.”
So, I took that as a No from God. This was not a group I was to get involved with.
I don’t know if there is a connection between this or not, but since then the frequency and intensity of what I have been experiencing has increased.
So to recap, to begin developing discerning of spirits:
- Read, meditate, and memorize the Word of God
- Develop your prayer life. Pray to God and also pay attention to what He is telling you.
- Be under a spiritual authority that supports discerning of spirits.
- Have a group of believers, an accountability team of sorts, to test what you are experiencing, to correct if needed, and to help you grow in the gift.
Thank you for the lovely post. I was actually looking for someone who has this gift. There are some family situations and I suspected witchcraft or some such thing having been performed against some members of my family. Earlier, my mom had a soft corner towards my wife. Now both are at odds. As a son and husband, it is really challenging too walk the tightrope.
Now my mom is more in favor of my elder brother’s wife. Also, my brother’s wife keeps black candles in their house (we used to stay there until 6 years ago). Really not sure what all this is. Need discernment for their salvation. Your guidance will be appreciated.
Jesus had a 3 fold ministry which we are to follow. 1- Salvation through preaching of the Word. 2- Deliverance by casting out demons and 3- Healing. If we are not participating in all 3 we are not following His commands and example. The church rejects is 99%, they reject Jesus and fill it with their own demonic teachings and programs. The Holy Spirit is denied its rightful place to minister and set the captives free. I will not bound to authority like that
Rocco,
Yes, deliverance without Salvation first is futile. Praying for healing without first addressing any spiritual issues or spirits operating in the situation will be ineffective.
The church as a body, should be operating in all three. It is upsetting to me when I see so many people who encounter the spiritual, they have an experience they can’t explain and they are looking for answers. Very often the church either can’t, or won’t, give them an answer. That should not be. We should be the very first place people go for answers.
However, I would hesitate to classify programs as “demonic” just because they aren’t focused on one of those three. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and emphasizes the point that we all have been designed with unique talents for God’s specific plan for our life. Whatever we are gifted with, we are to do it to the best of our abilities for the glory of God. He will use it. They are all important to God and we have to remember that “our” thing isn’t more important than “their” thing because they are all HIS thing.
But it’s hard when you know part of what God called you to do is deliverance and healing and so many fellow believers don’t acknowledge it. This comment,
“The Holy Spirit is denied its rightful place to minister and set the captives free.”
I can’t tell you how on target it is in the situation I was describing. Eerily so.
God calls us to fellowship (Hebrews 10:25), but we have to be very careful and seek his will in the fellowships we have, not only in the church we attend, but our friendships, partnerships, and any organizations we are a part of.
Most Christians have been taught that the gift of discernment allows believers to examine natural or spiritual actions, events, doctrines, or practices to determine whether they are good or evil. Most Christians have also been taught that discernment is the God-given ability to determine whether a spirit is godly or demonic.