GIFT OF DISCERNMENT.
GIFT OF DISCERNMENT.
This gift belongs to one of the nine gifts of The Spirit. We can read about the gifts of The Spirit in 1st Corinthians 12, but they are also mentioned in other letters in the Bible. I choose to write about this gift knowing that many find that this gift is difficult to have and many do not know how to use the gift. I myself have found it difficult and I have asked the Lord to remove this gift away from me, but I do not pray like that anymore. On the contrary, I pray that many more should receive this gift, especially Christian leaders. They would be able to protect their sheep in a different way then. A church is very much like the leader(s).
The same gifts of The Spirit can be a little different from person to person. It depends on the person and how the person should function. Some people are called to minister to individuals, others to groups and churches. We receive these gifts to use for blessing people within and outside the Body of Christ. They are never given for people to be praised and honored. I am quite open about the gifts God has given me. I use them freely knowing that they are gifts that I should use to glorify Him.
Some people that have the gift of discernment can actually see angles and demons in the spiritual world. Others are getting a bad smell when there are demons presence while others are getting a sweet smell when The Holt Spirit is at work. We can read about smell in the Bible in 2nd Corinthians 2:15-16. It says that we are the fragrance of Christ to God and among those who are being saved. To those who are perishing we are the aroma of death. I am not smelling demonic activity, but I sense it. I might get nauseated and often I get the name of demons. This gift is often used together with other gifts in counselling. The gift of knowledge or the gift of prophesy are gifts I use often. When a person is delivered, he or she might need healing for wounds afterwards then. The gift of healing might be used then. We can pray for sick people without having the gift of healing. We read in Mark 16 that all believers should drive out demons and lay hands on the sick and the people should get well.
This gift of discernment has been a great blessing for me and others, but it has also created a lot of confusion and pain. I might attend a meeting or watch one on television. All of a sudden I might sense that something isn’t quite right. I check with the Word of God. If the words spoken are not in alignment with the Word of God, they come from another source. One example is if the preacher says when Jesus is coming back. The Bible gives examples of the signs in the End-time, but not when. On the contrary, we should not know. We have more spiritual manifestations in more freer churches. All of these manifestations are not from God. Some are demonic. I could cry sometimes when preachers encourage demonic manifestations to continue, believing they come from The Holy Spirit. I have actually left the meeting sometimes since I can’t do anything about it except to pray.
Why is it so difficult to have this gift? Many are thinking that one is critical. Most of us do not want to be that. For example: You are at a meeting and others come to you saying: “Wasn’t it a fantastic meeting today?” You have sensed that something was either said or done from another source than God and what should you answer? There are times when one can be honest and point to the things that you thought to be wrong. You can also say: “You thought it was fantastic, but I didn’t have the same feeling.” I can share something that happened to me just after I received this gift. I was watching a program with an American preacher. I thought he was judgmental, but what he said was right. He was asking people to come forward to receive Jesus and many came. I sensed that something was wrong and I accused myself all night for feeling this way. I should have rejoiced for all the newly saved. I read in the newspaper a couple of weeks later that this preacher had sex with prostitutes. He lived a double life. I was glad that God allowed me to read this, but sorry for the preacher. I now understood why I felt the way I did. I prayed for the preacher.
When one is new and doesn’t know how to use the gift, seek others with more experience. They can support and guide you.
Those of us with the gift of discernment have a tendency to accuse ourselves and we need to talk to others with the same gift. I have lately talked to people who have had this gift for years. They have felt lonely and it has been very tough.
Are those of us with this gift called to be spiritual police? No, we must be sure that we do not have any controlling spirits in us. The Holy Spirit should guide us in when and how to use the gift. I recently read something that I got upset about. The Holy Spirit said: “This is none of your business. Leave it to me.”
A Christian cannot be possessed since we have a perfect new-born spirit, but we can have spirits in our soul and body. Many do not understand that a Christian can come with prophesies or other things stemming from different sources. The gift of discernment can know the source. Many more Christians need deliverance from demons they had before they became Christians. We need more teaching about this. We do want the Bride to become more clean.
PRAY THAT MORE LEADERS RECEIVE THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT!
Mother Else