Gift of Discernment, Distinguishing between spirits

BEYOND THE SERMON

Gifts of the Spirit

Message 4: The Gift of Discernment

Pastor Rod Meyers  •  Covington Community Church  •  Key texts: 1 Corinthians 12:10; Hebrews 5:14; 1 John 4:1 (NIV)

 

Message Overview

There is one Holy Spirit. That means there are other spirits — bad spirits, evil spirits, spooky spirits — and it is a remarkable thing that the one Spirit of God gives revelation about all the others in our vicinity and in our age. It almost sounds like a Halloween message. But this is the third gift of revelation, the one Paul calls "distinguishing between spirits" (1 Corinthians 12:10), and it is a supernatural conversation designed for mature audiences only.

Ever run across somebody you just had a bad vibe about — and it turned out the vibe was right? That is a glimpse of what this gift does, only God-given rather than worldly: the ability to discern between good and evil, whether it is a person, a spirit, or a philosophy of the age. This message defines discernment, traces the Greek word behind it, shows why Adam and Eve needed it, and lays out four Scriptures that guide it. Then it prays — for you, and for the person in this congregation who carries this gift, because we need it for the age we live in.

Key Scripture

 

 

Rod read Hebrews 5:14 in the ESV wording — "those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice" — which makes the point even more plainly: discernment is a power, and it is trained. Do we always know what evil looks like? No. Most often we feel the consequences of it. We need people who can see it coming.

Word Study

 

What Is Discernment?

In the modern secular sense, discernment is the faculty of discerning; discrimination; acuteness of judgment and understanding. Fundamentally, it is the ability to judge well. We love to judge — Dancing with the Stars, singers, who is a ten and who needs remediation on the dance floor. It is one of our favorite pastimes. But discernment is about judging well: the choices we make, the people we interact with, and the moral and practical consequences of our decisions.

• Historically, discernment has been praised as a valuable trait that lets those who have it avoid costly mistakes and misfortunes. For a church, a body of believers, or a community, that is enormously important — and for an individual buying a used car, it helps to notice the oil leak, the squeaky brake, or that you know the previous owner.
• Biblically, the gift in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 points primarily toward the discerning of spirits: the gift to recognize whether or not something is truly from God and in accordance with His righteousness.
• The Holy Spirit gives it to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influences of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh — whether the voice is from God or from the enemy (1 John 4:1-6; John 10:4-5).
• The church needs it to warn believers in times of danger and when they are being led astray by false doctrine (Acts 20:28-31; 2 Peter 2:1-3).
• It is typically found in seasoned Christians who have been in the Word a long time and have a lot of God's Word in them (Hebrews 5:12-14). Many have called it the queen and crown of all virtues.

Why We Need It Now

Jesus told us we would come into an age of deceivers who would deceive many — in Matthew 24:4-5, Matthew 24:11, and Matthew 24:24 most would be deceived. Now add artificial intelligence, which can do wonderful things but can also show you things that never existed and steer people astray. In an age where deciding what is right, what is wrong, and what is actually true has never been harder, this is a gift we need in triplicate — many people who can help us navigate the waters ahead, across the globe and across the church.

The Gift Adam and Eve Didn't Have

Adam and Eve could not distinguish between good and evil. The choice they made turned out to be quite an evil one, but it looked like a good one — the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom (Genesis 3:6). They could not discern that the one talking to them was actually quite evil and had evil intent (Genesis 3:1-5; 2 Corinthians 11:3). And they were perfect people.

Had they used discernment, judgment, and asked God, it might have averted the whole situation. That is exactly the person we are looking for now: someone who will ask God, discern, pray, use the Scripture, and use the wisdom God gives to keep the rest of us from a costly mistake. Something may look good and like a great opportunity, and the consequences may be severe and dire. If two perfect people needed this gift, how much more do we?

Four Scriptures That Guide Discernment

1. Test the Spirits

 

There is a spirit of the age, and there is a negative spirit of the age too. There are false prophets — people purposely leading you astray, like the salesperson on the phone trying to separate you from your money fast. Do not believe every single spirit (1 John 4:2-3; Matthew 7:15-16).

2. Renew Your Mind

 

Turn on the TV and you will see every false message there is — need, greed, fear, and loss, which is how we shop. To navigate with discernment you need a renewed mind, renewed with God's Word, so you can know what is good, acceptable, pleasing, and perfect in His sight (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:2).

3. Let Love Abound in Discernment

 

This gift helps our love grow toward one another. The person who exercises discernment exercises it in love — because if you are judging that something is bad for somebody, you want to tell them in a way they can receive it. Some people can tell you, "You have the right to do that, but you're going to hell, see you later." That is not it. Speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15; Galatians 6:1).

4. The Word That Judges the Heart

 

The Word is sharper than a surgeon's scalpel — the sharpest thing there is — because it goes to the soul, between bone and marrow. It is the instrument of discernment. That is why those with this gift have so much of it in them (Psalm 119:105; 2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Discernment Takes Practice

 

Discernment is a gift each of us needs to receive — and if we do not possess it, we need to find the people who do. It is a gift for the congregation and for the family. We do it for our children and hopefully for our friends; as a congregation, the world needs your gift of discernment.

Application: Open the Gift

• You may possess this gift and be afraid to use it — afraid to feel judgy, or shut down the last time you spoke up. This is a gift of love that comes from Christ, who clearly exercises it for us. Open it.
• Before the next big decision — the car, the job, the relationship, the doctrine that sounds new and exciting — stop and ask God. Discern, pray, test it against the Word.
• Test what you consume. Not every message on the screen is a spirit from God; some are engineered from need, greed, fear, and loss.
• Find the discerners. If this is not your gift, know who in the congregation carries it, and listen when they warn.
• Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:34), and there are crises ahead. We will need every good and perfect gift (James 1:17), and we need to seek those who have them.

 

A Prayer for a Discerning Spirit

Rod closed with this prayer, which is worth praying again: Lord, help us understand the heart and sensitivity of Your ways. Help us distinguish between the truth of Your Word and the lies of this world, between Your voice and the enemy's voice. May Your gentle warnings be louder in our ears than the enemy's threats. Turn our ears to Your still small voice (1 Kings 19:12); convict our hearts of sin, correct our ways, counsel our hearts. We know our accuser wants to discourage us (Revelation 12:10) — give us a spirit not of despair but of joy, love, and mercy. You are our Advocate (1 John 2:1), the one who defends, who gives gifts liberally and gently corrects us with Your Word.

Series Roadmap

 

 

Reflection Questions

1. "To discern is to judge." Read Matthew 7:1-5 and John 7:24. How do you reconcile Jesus' warning against judging with His command to judge correctly? What is the difference between condemning someone and discerning something?

 

 

 

 

 

2. Think of a time you had a "bad vibe" that turned out to be right — or a time something looked good and turned out badly. Looking back, what were the signs? Did you ask God before deciding?

 

 

 

 

 

3. Read Genesis 3:1-6. The fruit looked good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for wisdom. What "looks good" in our culture right now that a discerning person might see through? How would you test it?

 

 

 

 

 

4. What is the Zeitgeist — the spirit of our age? Name two or three ideas or movements that seem to compel people today. Which are in accordance with God's righteousness, which are not, and how do you know?

 

 

 

 

 

5. Read 1 John 4:1-6. John gives a specific test for spirits. What is it? What other tests does Scripture give (Matthew 7:15-20; Galatians 1:8; Isaiah 8:20)?

 

 

 

 

 

6. Read Philippians 1:9-10. Rod said discernment must be exercised in love. Have you ever been warned about something in a way you could not receive? In a way you could? What made the difference?

 

 

 

 

 

7. Read Hebrews 5:14. Discernment is trained by constant use. What is one practice — in the Word, in prayer, in seeking counsel — you can add this week to train your powers of discernment? If you sense this is your gift, who could you talk to about using it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Study

• 1 Kings 3:5-12 — Solomon asks for a discerning heart to distinguish between right and wrong.
• 1 Chronicles 12:32 — the men of Issachar, who understood the times and knew what to do.
• Acts 16:16-18 — Paul discerns the spirit behind a girl whose words sounded true.
• Acts 5:1-11 — Peter discerns the lie of Ananias and Sapphira.
• 1 Corinthians 2:10-16 — the Spirit searches all things; the person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things.
• 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 — do not quench the Spirit; test everything, hold on to the good.
• Matthew 24:4-14 and Matthew 24:23-27 — Jesus on the deceivers of the last days.
• Proverbs 2:1-11 — the Lord gives wisdom; discretion will protect you and understanding will guard you.

 

Next in the series: the Gifts of Healings and the Working of Miracles — the power gifts.