Weapons for the Believer 5.6
– The Gifts of the Holy Spirit – Discerning of Spirits
According to Paul, there are
weapons of warfare.
2
Corinthians 10:3-4 (ESV)
For
though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For
the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to
destroy strongholds.
We are considering ten
weapons that the Believer has at their disposal. We looked at the first four in
previous posts. If you haven’t read them I encourage you to do so.
The next weapons are
referred to as The Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Word of Wisdom, Word of
Knowledge, Faith, Gifts of Healing, Working of Miracles, Prophecy, Discerning
of Spirits,
Different Kinds of Tongues,
and Interpretation of Tongues.
When our faith intersects
with the Spirit’s power, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished in those
moments. I do not believe these are given permanently as some teach. I do not
believe that some “posses” these gifts, but instead are given in the moment
when needed. Consequently any or all of these may manifest in each Believer as
the Spirit chooses.
There are nine gifts list by
Paul in 1 Corinthians 12. Traditionally these have been divided into three
groups: The Power Gifts, The Revelation Gifts, and The Speaking Gifts.
The Power Gifts: Faith
(or special faith, as some have described it)
Gifts of
Healing (the only plural gift)
Working
of Miracles
The Revelation Gifts: Word
of Wisdom
Word of
Knowledge
Discerning
of Spirits
The Speaking Gifts: Prophecy
Tongues
Interpretation
of Tongues
Today we will look at the sixth
of these in more detail: Discerning of Spirits. This is truly a defensive
tactic given by the Holy Spirit to protect us from deception and any harm that
someone might intend toward the Believer.
Hebrews
4:12 (ESV) For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged
sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow,
and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
A common mistake people make
in relationships is trying to judge someone’s intentions. The writer of Hebrews
tells us that it is impossible for us to know the thoughts and intentions of
another person, except by revelation from the Holy Spirit. This is the
Discerning of Spirits. The Holy Spirit can reveal to us the spirit that is at
work in another person, good or bad.
Acts
16:16-18 (ESV) 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.
Someone told me years ago
while I was serving as a worship leader in my church. He said, “The only thing
worse than criticism is a complement. You should never listen to either one.”
This young woman was following Paul, Luke (the writer of Acts), and others as
they were ministering for the Lord. What she said was true. These men were
“servants of the Most High God.” Paul, however, knew by the Spirit that she was
not operating by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, but that of another spirit
that intended to disrupt the work of the ministry.
This Gift of the Spirit
called Discerning of Spirits will lead us into “all truth” which is one of the
primary reason ministries of the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus had to say
about this work of the Holy Spirit.
John
16:12-15 (ESV) “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear
them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth,
for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will
speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify
me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father
has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to
you.
All truth. Not just the
truth that we can perceive with our physical senses, but all truth. Some of
this “truth” can only come by the Spirit. As we become more mature Believers we
will be able to hear the voice of the Spirit as He directs our steps. Revealing
our own thoughts and intents, but that of others we encounter, will give us
clear vision in how to approach situations so we can more clearly convey the
love of God, and accomplish the purposes of God in our life. Learn to listen to
Him.
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