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What is the Manifestation of Discerning of Spirits?God or the Lord Jesus Christ revealing to you informationabout the presence or non-presence of spirits.Every Christianwill encounterdemons, whetherhe recognizesthem or not.What a greatblessing andcomfort to knowthat God hasequipped eachof us to deal withany demon thatcomes against us.The manifestation of discerning ofspirits is God or the Lord Jesus Christrevealing to you information aboutthe presence or non-presence of spirits(including both holy spirit or demons),and sometimes including the identity ofdemons present, whether or not you maycast them out, and providing the power todo it.Discerning of spirits is a“manifestation” of the gift ofholy spirit (1 Cor. 12:10 - KJV).Some people are by nature veryperceptive and discerning, but that isnot the “manifestation of discerningof spirits.” It is not a natural ability. Themanifestation of discerning of spiritsinvolves information and power thatflows from God or the Lord Jesus tothe believer via the gift of holy spirit inthat believer. No matter how naturallyperceptive a person is, he will not beable to accurately discern the presenceof a demon, and will certainly not beable to cast it out. It takes the revelationand power of God to do that.There are many “spirits” in thisworld, including angels, evil spirits, andthe gift of holy spirit within Christians.Via the manifestation of discerning ofspirits, God or the Lord Jesus is able toinform the Christian if a person is saved,unsaved, or under the influence of ademon. Because of the spiritual battlethat rages around all of us, the mostcommon aspect of discerning of spiritsis dealing with the demonic forces ofthis world.Entering into the battleOur Adversary, the Devil, walksabout as a roaring lion, seeking peopleto devour (1 Pet. 5:8). God has not leftus helpless, but has empowered us todeal with him. The manifestation ofdiscerning of spirits is more than justrecognizing them or distinguishingbetween them, even though “discerning”or “distinguishing” are the most commonways the Greek is translated. Themanifestation of discerning of spiritsinvolves more than just knowledge, itinvolves entering into battle againstthem and casting them out. The Greekword translated “discerning” (diakrisis)has several meanings. It can mean a“distinguishing” or “differentiation.”Also, it can mean to quarrel. 1 One of thedefinitions in Liddel and Scott’s Greeklexicon is “decision by battle, quarrel,dispute.” 2 In the context of dealing withdemons, “discerning,” (diakrisis) is muchmore than just mentally discerning andknowing, it has overtones of quarrelingor fighting, and involves our dealingwith them via the power of God.The manifestation of discerningof spirits is interwoven with the othermanifestations. For example, a believermanifesting discerning of spirits may besimultaneously aware of the presenceof the demon, know what to do aboutthe situation, and begin to command22 STFonline.org/sower | May/June 2008
To send this article to a friend, visit TruthOrTradition.com/spiritsJesus was the first person to regularly andeffectively use the power of God to recognizeand cast out demons (Matt. 8:16, 9:33, 10:1,etc.), and it is primarily from his example thatwe learn about discerning of spirits.FEATURED AUDIO TEACHINGTHETRANSFORMEDLIFEit to come out of the person. Receivingthe information about the demonand knowing what to do is similar to,and interwoven with, a message ofknowledge and a message of wisdom,while the casting out the demon canbe in the category of working a miracle(Mark 9:38 and 39), even as a healingcan be a miracle (Acts 4:16).Equipped for the jobEvery Christian will encounterdemons, whether he recognizes them ornot. What a great blessing and comfortto know that God has equipped each ofus to deal with any demon that comesagainst us. Ephesians 6:12, which sayswe wrestle with demonic powers, iswritten to every Christian. Jesus was thefirst person to regularly and effectivelyuse the power of God to recognize andcast out demons (Matt. 8:16, 9:33, 10:1,etc.), and it is primarily from his examplethat we learn about discerning ofspirits. He taught his disciples about thespiritual battle, and commanded themto cast out demons also (Matt. 10:8;Luke 10:17).Through the manifestation ofdiscerning of spirits Peter accuratelydiscerned that Satan filled the heart ofAnanias (Acts 5:3), and Paul knew thatElymas was a child of the Devil (Acts13:10). Via discerning of spirits Paulknew that the slave who was mockingthem was not just a disgruntled pagan,but someone under the influence of ademon, and he also knew the propertime to cast it out, after having put upwith her mocking “many days” (Acts16:16-18).Not a “feeling”The manifestation of discerningof spirits is necessary if Christiansare going to deal effectively with thespiritual realities of this fallen world. Aswith the manifestations of a message ofknowledge and a message of wisdom,discerning of spirits is revelation fromGod, not “guesswork” or “a feeling.” Itis wrong and harmful for any of us tosay that someone has a demon unlesswe get actual revelation about it andthe guidance to reveal it. Too manyChristians mistake their own feelings for“revelation” from God. When it comesto the manifestations of holy spirit, wedare not be like the false prophets whothought their own deep thoughts andfeelings were revelation from God (Jer.14:14). The manifestation of discerningof spirits is one that enables Christiansto set captives free. We must use it likeChrist did in his life, with love, humility,accuracy, and boldness.Notes:1. William Arndt and F. Wilbur Gingrich, AGreek-English Lexicon of the New Testamentand Other Early Christian Literature[sometimes called Bauer Lexicon]. (TheUniversity of Chicago Press, Chicago, 1979)p. 185.2. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon (Oxford University Press,NY, 1992), p. 399.QUESTIONS?Do you have a biblicalquestion that you would like tosee answered in The Sower oron our websites?Send it by email toSTF@STFonline.orgor mail to Spirit & TruthFellowship International2144 East 52nd Street,Indianapolis, IN 46205(April 2008)Available at STFonline.org/podcastEach of us knows what it is todecide to do something butthen not have the will powerto do it. The Bible makesa distinction between the“mind” and the “heart,” andwhen the two are conflicted,the heart wins.Therefore, if we are goingto live godly and powerfulChristian lives, the key ishaving a pure heart. The onlyway to transform the heartis to renew the mind, for themind is the gateway to theheart.This teaching discusses theimportance of transformingthe heart by renewing themind, which is to bring one’sthoughts up to a new level ofgodliness.Order online atSTFonline.org/storeor call us toll free at888.255.6189 or 317.255.6189M-F 8:30 to 5 (EST)Ask for the April 2008 audioteaching of the month byJohn Schoenheit.May/June 2008 | STFonline.org/sower 23
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