Updated:2020-09-06
What So Special About The Discerning of Spirits?
Many Christians speak about the discerning of spirits, but what does that mean? Who operates in it and why is it important?
Welcome to my blog. My name is Leroy Daley and on this website, I teach Bible studies that are motivated by scriptures.
I do not teach my opinions. I utilize the scripture to explain the scripture, here a little, there a little, line upon line, precept upon precept.
It must be precept upon precept or else we will have confusion.
Today, I want to look at the discerning of spirits and I will dive into the intricacies of it.
Stick with me to the end and I will have a bonus just for you.
If you prefer to watch the video of this Bible Study, click this link.
The Bible Defines The Discerning of Spirits
I want to use the bible to define what it means by discern and what are spirits, then I’ll show who has the gift of discerning of spirits, how they got it and why.
The phrase, the discerning of spirit occurs only once in the Bible. We’ll find it in (1 Corinthians 12:10).
Since there’s only one reference of this phrase, it poses a problem. Mainly, because I’ve always taught that we cannot use one scripture reference to teach anything.
We need at least two because word must align with word.
So what does the Bible mean by discern?
According to Genesis twenty-seven verse twenty-three, to discern means to know or to recognize. I’m going to read from the King James Version of the Bible.
I always use this version.
“And he”, speaking of Isaac, “discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau’s hands, so he blessed him” (Genesis 27:23)
So we see here, if we replace discern with know, or recognize, you’ll see that this is what it means:
“And he recognized him not because his hands were hairy as his brother Esau’s hands, so he blessed him”.
To recognize will definitely be in context and to know would also be correct.
This scripture represents the first mention of “discern” in the Bible. So this is the first time discern is appearing in the bible.
Another Meaning for to Discern
However, the next scripture presents a totally different meaning from the one we just looked at.
Let’s read, “With whomever though findest thy gods, let him not live; before our brethren discern thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachael had stolen them” (Genesis 31:32).
So according to the scripture above, the meaning of discern, in this context, is to identify.
So, let’s replace to identify with discern in the scripture and we will see that it makes perfect sense.
It says, “With whomever thou findest thy gods, let him not live; before our brethren “identify” thou what is thine with me, and take it to thee. For Jacob knew not that Rachel had stolen them.”
So we see here that it makes perfect sense because discern in this context means that Rachel’s dad could identify.
To Discern Also Means This
Now let’s look at a final meaning of discern. We find this in (2 Samuel 14:17) and I am going to read,
Then thine handmaid said, The word of my Lord the king shall now be comfortable: for as an angel of God, so is my Lord the king to discern good and bad: therefore the Lord thy God will be with thee” (2 Samuel 14:17).
In this final reference, to discern means to differentiate or to distinguish. So, if we replace discern with differentiate or distinguish, this is what it will be.
So is my Lord the king to differentiate good and bad or to distinguish good and bad, therefore the Lord thy God will be with him.
As a result, to possess the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits is to know or to recognize, to identify, or to differentiate or distinguish spirits.
We are dealing with spirits. When we can know them, identify them, distinguish them, then we are able to discern spirits.
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What Are Spirits?
Now that we are clear on the meaning of discern, let’s explore the biblical meaning for spirits because there are many of them.
Let us go to Matthew eight verse sixteen and I am going to read, “When the eve was come, they brought unto him”, meaning Jesus, “many that were possessed with devils: and He cast out the spirit with his word, and healed all that were sick” (Matthew 8:16).
So, in this scripture, we recognize that devils are spirits, they are one and the same. In other words, then, spirits are unclean spirits or they are devils.
Let’s find another scripture that speaks to our topic. Let’s go to Psalm one hundred four verse four.
It says, “Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire” (Psalm 104:4).
We will find this same reference in this same context in (Hebrews 1:7).
So far we learned that spirits are devils, they are angels and we are going to learn something more about them very soon.
Let’s look at Joshua five verse one.
And it came to pass, when all the kings of the Amorites, which were on the side of Jordan westward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which were by the sea, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of Israel, while we were passed over, that their heart melted, neither was their spirit in them anymore, because of the children of Israel” (Joshua 5:1).
So here we find the Lord comparing heart with spirit. The heart is synonymous with the spirit.
There are many scriptures in the Bible that will explain this (Romans 2:29). I want to get to the next point.
Why do We Need to Discern Spirits?
Since spirits could mean devils or angels or hearts, it’s imperative that we discern among them. Which is which?
We need to determine which one is speaking and this is the important point, speaking.
Is it the spirit of a devil, an angel, a person or is it the Spirit of the Lord that is speaking any time we encounter someone.
It’s important to discern amongst them because all four are invisible, they are spirits.
So, you’ll hear a person speak and you will wonder why did that person say that? Now, what we need to do as Christians, is to discern the spirit.
Which spirit is that? Is that the spirit of the Lord, is it the spirit of an angel, is this the spirit of the person or is it the spirit of devils?
Any time we can accurately discern the spirit that is speaking we will know the motive of the spirit.
Subsequently, the Bible teaches us how to make the distinction. Listen as my favorite apostle, yes I have a favorite apostle, instructs us.
Do you have a favorite apostle, a bible character that you admire? Well if you do, reveal your favorite apostle in the “Discussion” tab on my YouTube channel.
Go to the “Discussion” tab and tell us who is your favorite apostle right there.
Another Reason to Discern Spirits
So, my next point is, Why do we need to discern spirits?
And I’m going to read again from First John Four Verse One.
Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
So we have to try them to know if these spirits are of God. Every spirit you encounter, you try! Whose spirit is this?
That’s what you’re trying to find out, is this the Spirit of God? We need to discern spirits because doing so aids us to be obedient to the Lord God.
Additionally, when we hear the word of the Spirit of Truth we need to recognize, accept, and believe it because this is the word of God. (John 14:10).
But if we cannot discern it we cannot recognize it. We should never accept and believe it, we should never because we might accept the doctrines of devils and we’ll see later on, that in the latter times that’s going to happen.
How to Discern Spirits?
Now, how to discern spirits? And again I’m reading from First John Four Verse Two.
Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God” (1 John 4:2).
So, we understand that spirits speak. Any utterance that affirms the conception, the birth, the ministry or life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ, is a Spirit of God.
“Now the Spirit speak expressly“, who is speaking? The spirit and this is the Holy Ghost, but all spirits can speak unless it’s a dumb spirit (1 Timothy 4:1).
“That in the latter time some shall depart from the faith” (1 Timothy 4:1).
So this scripture is really referring to Christians you know?
Christians shall depart from the faith, the faith in God through Jesus Christ. Why? Because they are giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils (1 Timothy 4:1).
How Does a Spirit Speak?
So that’s why we need to discern spirits so that we know when the Lord is talking and we will not obey spirits of the devil.
According to Meridian Webster, seduce means lead astray usually by persuasion or false promises.
How does a spirit speak? It does so through a person, consequently, there are many false prophets who are very eloquent and they are persuading many people with their doctrines of devils and leading them astray.
Therefore leaders of the church whom the Lord have blessed with the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits will identify these false prophets and their false doctrines and expose them.
Thus preventing them from entering into the church.
And every spirit that confesses not, that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God and that is that spirit of antichrist, whereof we have heard that it should come and even now already it is in the world” (1 John 4:3).
This is the spirit of anti-Christ and this spirit remains silent on the first advent of Jesus Christ in other words.
How to Recognize the Spirit of the Devil?
They are of the devil, that’s what the scripture said, every spirit that confesses not, he speaks not about it, then you know that’s a spirit of the antichrist.
But you are of God little children and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world”, speaking of the Holy Ghost.
The Holy Ghost that’s in us is greater than everything that’s in the world. So, many Christians teach that this gift is for Believers, but this is not true.
Who Manifests the Discerning of Spirits?
I’m not saying that Believers cannot manifest it. Any Spirit-filled Believer cannot manifest the gift of discerning of spirits.
Any Spirit-filled Believer could manifest it, but in the context of the first Corinthian church and the Church in general, these gifts were given exclusively to leaders.
A part of God’s hierarchy for leaders in his church. They manifest these gifts, not people of the pews.
Now, in each of the examples which follows, who was operating in the discerning of spirit, was it the pews?
Identify as I go through who was operating it. Let’s turn our Bibles to (Matthew 16:13-23).
Peter Identifies Jesus
Let’s read, When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, He asked his disciples,
“When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?” (Matthew 16:13).
“And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets” (Matthew 16:14).
“He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” (Matthew 16:15).
And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16).
How Did Peter Know This?
“And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 16:17).
So Jesus discerned that Peter didn’t say this on his own, the spirit of the Lord revealed this to Peter.
Now we’ll say, where was the Spirit of the Lord?
He was in heaven, he was in the Earth. He’s all around! He’s everywhere and the Bible tells us that while Jesus was on earth he was that spirit that was with his disciples.
When he left, he promised to send another Comforter, another Spirit, so based on what Peter said, here again, it’s about speaking, we know from the scripture because Jesus told us, that the spirit revealed this to Peter.
Peter had adequately discerned Christ that he was the Son of God. Let’s continue.
“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:19).
How to Recognize the Spirit of Satan?
Then charge he”, meaning Jesus, “his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ” (Matthew 16:20).
From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day” (Matthew 16:21).
“Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee” (Matthew 16:22).
But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men” (Matthew 16:23).
Now, this is the verse that many leaders have problem with.
But he”, meaning Jesus, “turned and said unto Peter”, he didn’t say, Peter.
Instead, he turned and said to Peter. Now we need to understand that Matthew is using text to portray a picture of what’s happening between Jesus and Peter here.
That’s why he has to use words here to tell us what was happening. But he is describing what Jesus is doing.
But he turned and said unto Peter, he never said Peter’s name, Jesus didn’t say “Peter”, he didn’t utter the word, Peter.
Jesus Never Called Peter This
If Matthew were using video he would have had no need to say give this little introductory description here because Jesus would just turn and say to Peter get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence unto me: for those savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Jesus told us here who he was addressing. He never said get me behind me Peter. He said get me behind me Satan, he looked at Peter but he said Satan because he knew that the devil was in Peter trying to shift him as wheat, as Luke tells us, that the devil desire Peter to shift him as wheat.
Now when you are when you sieving wheat, you’re trying to make it purer, by removing impurities from it.
The fine particles would go through the sieve and the bigger ones will remain in the sieve where you can blow it away or throw it away.
Now in the context of Peter, he was trying to get the word out of Peter so he could have Peter to be bouncing all around and not believe the word of Jesus, but the Lord prayed for him.
So here in one moment, Peter uttered a revelation that the Spirit gave him, then the spirit of the devil entered into him because he was a leader in the Church.
Who Operates in the Discerning of Spirits?
Remember again who operates in this gift? Leaders! Peter was the chief Apostle. The chief of the leaders of Jesus’ leaders.
The devil was trying to destabilize Peter and this is what he does. He goes into leaders, he uses leaders to teach false doctrines and to destabilize, try attempt to destabilize the church, but Jesus right here discerned that this wasn’t Peter.
This wasn’t the young man who just gave me a revelation of who I am, that’s what Jesus was saying.
This isn’t the young man who just gave me a revelation of who I am. This is, he discerned that based on what Peter said that this was the spirit of Satan,
So, he addressed Satan directly by looking at Peter because Satan was in Peter trying to destabilize the whole thing.
Jesus never called Peter Satan. Preachers, leaders, stop saying that. If you understand what’s happening here you will realize that Jesus never called Peter Satan.
Apostle Paul Knows How Spirits Operate
And we’ll see subsequently in this Bible study that Apostle Paul recognized a similar situation and spoke to the devil just as Jesus did because he is aware of how spirits behave.
Now, what Peter said about Jesus was not bad, so what was wrong with it? It was contrary to the word and the will of God.
Remember, for God so loved the world that he gave his only beloved Son to die for us. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels to shed blood.
Angels don’t have blood and we need sinless blood to atone for our sins, that’s why Jesus came.
So if Peter is trying to dissuade him from going to Calvary, everybody will be lost and that is why it was satanic because Satan would do anything and he did everything to prevent Jesus from going to the cross because going to the cross fulfilled the will of the Father who sent Jesus.
Apostle Paul Addresses the Spirit
Now, let’s look at another example, and in this is the final example, I want you to pay attention of who operates in the gift of discerning of spirits.
Here again, note, who is operating in this gift is it the pews or is it, leaders?
This is Apostle Paul and his contingents of brethren that were with him, right?
And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying” (Acts 16:16)
The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17).
“And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit,” Who did Paul address?
Just as how Jesus addressed Satan, Paul addressed this spirit of divination.
I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16:18).
So Paul addressed the spirit just as Jesus addressed the spirit, for he commanded the spirit and it obeyed.
Christians Who Possess the Discerning of Spirits Do This
Now that’s another feature of Believers who possess this spiritual gift of discerning of spirits. Demons and devils and spirits obey them.
In the same hour that Paul commanded the spirit of divination to exit this girl, it came out.
If this woman with the spirit of divination had expressed this in today’s world, many Christians would have said she’s a prophetess, she’s a woman of God, all sort of thing.
But you see what Apostle Paul did here, cast out the demon because it’s contrary to the word, to the doctrine and teaching of the Bible and of Jesus Christ.
So we need to recognize spirits when we encounter them in whatever shape our form, in whatever status or position, we need to recognize spirits to be successful in this life, in this world.
It speaks to our health, it speaks to our wealth. If you become sick it’s because you have accepted a spirit, a sick spirit, somebody’s word, you believe a word.
I can’t even touch this right now but I’ve written extensively on this. Down below in the description, there’s a link to my book living soul.
That book explains just what I said just right now, how to differentiate spirit, how to discern spirit and how sickness comes about and how you can prevent yourself from being sick, by recognizing and rejecting spirits.
I want to tell you too that even people who become homosexuals have accepted that spirit from somebody, some of them.
The Bonus
At the start of this video, I promised a bonus to those who watch to the end. Here is the bonus.
Now, it’s important that you know the Word of God. Utilize it to try the spirits. Compare every word a person speaks with the Word of God.
Analyze every behavior of every person you encounter according to the word of God and you will identify the spirit that’s motivating that person.
Is the motivator a devil, an angel, a person or the Lord God? If you use the Bible, the Word of God, that is quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword to discern the intent of the heart or reveal the heart, we will know the spirits. But we have to use the word.
So every word that is contrary to the Bible is diabolical and every action that opposes the teaching of Jesus Christ is satanic.
But every teaching that corresponds with the Bible is of God but every word that is contrary to it is diabolical, reject it.
Conclusion
Conclusion, I have explained what it means to discern and I have expounded spirits, however, words are spirits. This is subtle!
Many Christians will react quickly to spirits in “quotes” but they ignore words.
The Words of a Speaker do This for the Speaker
But pay very close attention to the words of a person and you will know who he or she is, the words of such a one will reveal the speaker.
When Peter spoke he revealed himself to the Lord, when he spoke the second time, he revealed himself again to the Lord.
When the girl with the spirit of divination spoke, she revealed herself to Apostle Paul.
Words reveal because from the fullness of your heart your mouth will speak, that’s what the bible says.
“For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds), Casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ: And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when our obedience is fulfilled“. This is coming from (2 Corinthians 5:10-16).
Learn How Our Ability to Discern Spirits Empowers
The Holy Ghost provides the gift of discerning of spirits. Leaders in the church of Christ possess this spiritual gift. It’s not available to the entire congregation.
I’ve also explained how to discern spirits and why. Spirits that are silent on the first advent of Jesus Christ are antichrist.
The discerning of spirits is essential because many false prophets are in the world teaching doctrines of devils and leading many Christians astray and away from God.
The ability to discern spirits empowers us to know and obey God. Devils are subjected to us. If we believe them and obey their teachings we become servants to them.
Effectively, we would have reversed and desecrated our role on the earth. To discern spirits we must utilize the Word of God.
The Lord placed leaders with the gift of discerning of spirits in His Church to prevent spirits from entering into it.
In closing, do you have questions concerning the discerning of spirits for me? Ask them in the “Discussion” tab of this channel, I will answer them. I will answer all your questions there.
Thank you for stopping by and God bless you
