Discernings Of Spirits Series

Intro

In 1 Corinthians 12, Paul raises the subject of spiritual manifestations. He lists nine gifts or manifestations of the Spirit. We have examined the first six and now come to the seventh, discernings of spirits. I begin reading in verse 7. “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits….”i

This gift unveils the spiritual realm. When this gift is in operation God is granting the ability to perceive spiritual realities that our natural senses cannot discern. Discernings of spirits: Both words are plural in the Greek. I will sometimes use the plural of discerning and at other times the singular (as it is usually translated). Each time the gift operates, it is a discerning event, hence, "discernings" of spirits—each manifestation is a gift. The nine gifts of the Spirit are not something a person has and can use at will. These are events orchestrated by the Holy Spirit when He chooses to manifest Himself in a certain way. In this gift, God gives a believer the ability to recognize and distinguish between various kinds of spirits.

When Adam was in Eden, he enjoyed an unveiled interaction with God. He knew God face-to-face. He freely operated in the heavenly realm. But when he sinned, Genesis 3:23 says that God drove him from the garden. He no longer operated in that higher spiritual dimension. He could no longer see God face-to-face. Sin had brought a separation.ii He could no longer see the spiritual world. That is the state of fallen man. He is a natural being that must be born from aboveiii in order to know God and interact with him.

A restoration of paradise is in progress. Jesus dealt with the root problem 2000 years ago at the cross. The Holy Spirit is advancing history toward the day of full restoration. In Revelation 21:3, John foresaw the day when “the tabernacle of God is with men, and” He dwells with them in a closer relationship than even Adam knew. In the meantime, the heavenlies are mostly veiled to the eyes of natural man. But with the gift of discerning of spirits, the veil is pulled back, and we perceive the spiritual realm. The Holy Spirit enables a person to supernaturally perceive into the spiritual world at that moment.

All the gifts of the Spirit are for the occasion. First Corinthians 13 describes the current state of things (v. 9): “For we know in part and we prophesy in part.” The same principle applies to discernings of spirits. God gives us a glimpse of what we need to know. We don’t see it all. We see in part. We get a peek into the spiritual realm. If you could see it all, all the time, you would be too distracted to operate in this natural realm. For there is more going on in that realm than in the material realm.

In Ephesians 6, Paul tells us to put on the whole armor of God. Then in verse 12, he writes, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Where are the heavenly places? He is referring to the spiritual realm right around us. Jack Hayford says it is one foot above your head. It is not in some far-off, distant heaven above the clouds. It is another dimension right around you—a spiritual dimension that cannot be perceived with the natural senses. That realm of reality can be perceived when the Holy Spirit manifests discernings of spirits.iv

Discerning spirits enables us to not only perceive the presence of spirits but also to discern the nature of those spirits, whether they be good spirits or bad spirits. There are four categories of spirits discerned. (1) God (2) Angels (3) human spirits (4) evil spirits.

I. REVELATION OF GOD OR ANGELS is for our encouragement and guidance.

In 2 Kings 6, we have an example of this. Elisha, through words of knowledge, had been exposing the strategies of the King of Syria. Every time the King of Syria set a trap for the King of Israel, God would tell Elisha, and Elisha would tell the King of Israel, and the trap would fail. When the King of Syria learned this was happening through Elisha, he sent an army (the Bible says a great army) to the town, Dothan, where Elisha was staying. The army sneaked up during the night and surrounded the city with horses and chariots. That morning, Elisha’s assistant walked out of his tent and saw the Syrian army. In a panic, he cried out to Elisha, “Look, Master, what are we going to do?” Have you ever looked at your circumstances in that kind of panic? What are we going to do with this problem? The men of Dothan were no match for the Syrian army. The Syrians had obviously come to arrest Elisha. It’s an impossible situation. Then Elisha told him to relax, “for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." That statement made no sense based on what this assistant was seeing. Then, Elisha asked God to grant him a glimpse into the spiritual realm—a discerning of angelic spirits. Verse 17: “And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Seeing the angels of the Lord brought courage and strength. It changed the perspective altogether. There are only two ways we can see angels. Either the angel takes on human form so that we can see them with the natural eye (Heb. 13:2). Or the Holy Spirit opens our perception into their arena, and we see them through discerning of spirits.