Updated: March 9, 2024
July 5, 2023
September 9, 2021—For the past few weeks, I have been writing about the spiritual gifts manifested through the Holy Spirit and then to you (1 Corinthians 12). To date (July 5, 2023), I now have articles for the following spiritual gifts:
Today, I am continuing this journey, and I want you to know the spiritual gift of discerning spirits. When I first started going to church with my husband, I was asked to pray. However, I was led by the Holy Spirit to preach. I told the church that there is a spiritual world that overlays upon ours and that they needed to be aware of this, as you do. How did I know this? I have the Holy Spirit, who helps me wherever I go and whatever I do. Everyone has access to all the spiritual gifts. Some choose one over the other. If you have not experienced the discernment of spirits, let's jump right in.
What are Spirits?
The Holy Bible says, "But there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the Almighty gives him understanding." (Job 32:8). This was spoken by Elihu in contradiction to Job's friends. In addition, Elisha asks Elijah for a double portion of Elijah's spirit on him (2 Kings 2:9). Finally, Paul tells us that the body (flesh) "is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body." (1 Corinthians 15:44).
Your spirit is described as “the lamp of the LORD, searching all the inner depths of his heart.” (Proverbs 20:27). If you curse your parents, your “lamp will be put out in deep darkness.” (Proverbs 20:20). This stems from one of the ten commandments where God said to honor your parents so that you’ll have a prolonged life (Exodus 20:12, and Deuteronomy 5:16).
What do these verse in Proverbs tell us? Your spirit knows good and evil. The Holy Spirit talks to you through your spirit. If you are spiritually broken, you cannot expect your day to start or end with God. Why? Because you are missing a relationship with Him by sinning! Nothing breaks your spirit more than sinning.
You now understand that your spirit is a lamp of God. It is not a demon or an angel, and it is not a soul either.
What is the Soul?
1 Thessalonians 5:23 says, "May the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." Just like God is three-in-one (God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit), so are you. Your soul, spirit, and body are all a part of you. Souls belong to God and cannot be killed by mankind. The Holy Bible says, "Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die." (Ezekiel 18:4). Now consider what Jesus said in the Gospel of Matthew 10:28, "do not fear those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy your soul and body in hell." (NKJV). Jesus was reiterating Ezekial 18:4. By destroying the soul, God and Jesus were both talking about condemnation to hell. That is how precious your soul is to God, and only He can destroy it.
To put this in perspective, Jesus said that every hair on your head is numbered (Matthew 10:30). If every hair on your head is numbered, and yes, even bald people have hair follicles, imagine how precious your soul is to God.
What About Spirits?
As mentioned earlier, you have a spirit, a soul, and a body. In addition, I also discussed how there is a spiritual world that exists over our world. The Holy Bible mentions many different types of spirits outside of you and me. I have listed some of them below, but be aware that this is only what I came across, and there could be more:
Holy Spirit
Spirit of Truth
Spirit of Error
Spirit of the Antichrist
Evil or unclean spirits
Distressing spirit
lying spirit
Spirit of wisdom
Spirit of jealousy
Spirit of ill will
Spirits in emotional states, like sorrow
God sends these spirits. Why does He send them? Let's look at some examples from the Holy Bible. In the case of the spirit of wisdom and God's Spirit, we see that God sent these to the craftsmen and artisans during Moses's time. The craftsmen would then work on the Tabernacle, and the artisans would work on the clothes for Aaron (Moses's brother who would minister to God as a priest). This can be found in Exodus, chapters 28 through 31.
In the book of 2 Chronicles 21, we see that God stirs the spirits of the Arabians and the Philistines against King Jehoram of Judah to invade Judah because he did evil in the sight of the Lord. The prophet Elijah sent a letter to him, prophesying what would happen to him. The Arabians and the Philistines invaded Judah, took possessions from the king's house, and slaughtered all but one of Jehoram’s sons. Then, the Lord struck him with an incurable disease in his intestines, and he died two years later in agony.
Regarding unclean spirits, Jesus gave authority to His disciples over them to cast them out and heal illnesses (Matthew 10:1). Jesus instructed His disciples to heal the sick and cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, and cast out demons (Matthew 10:8).
The Spiritual Gift of Discerning of Spirits
Now that you understand the difference between your soul and spirit let us examine the spiritual gift of discerning spirits. Without this gift, many people will be (and have been) misled.
I want you to picture something. When you are busy, eventually, you will get thirsty. Imagine going to the nearest drinking water supply. You drink the water, and you walk away thinking nothing of it. However, a few hours later or a few days later, you start to get sick, a fever develops, and you are in pain. Later, you discover that the water was contaminated by something you could not sense through taste or smell. In a way, you have become contaminated. What if you bottled that water and gave it to your friends and family? Now imagine the contamination to you if you are listening to false prophets and false preachers.
If you read the Holy Bible, you know that it speaks to false prophets that are in our world. John tells us, "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world." (1 John 4:1). How do you test them? You point them to Jesus Christ. John further tells us that every spirit that declares Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, but those that do not are of the spirit of the Antichrist. The world will listen to the world, but it will not listen to those of us who are of God. John concludes these statements simply by saying, "By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error." (1 John 4:6).
Discerning of Spirits Gift Prayer
This spiritual gift is essential for the reasons and examples described above. If you are reading this article and make it to the end, I believe God would like to bless you with the spiritual gift of discerning spirits. If this is the case, I would like to pray for you:
In the name of Jesus, may my brothers and sisters who read this article receive the spiritual gift of discerning spirits as described by Paul in the Holy Bible. May you stir their spirits to follow You, and may You pour a double blessing over them with the spirit of wisdom. Hallelujah! Amen!
Also, if you have not accepted Jesus Christ as your savior, I invite you to receive Him. It only takes a moment, and it is freely given. If you are ready, say this prayer aloud:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your Ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name, I pray, amen!
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