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.
In Acts 27, an angel appeared to Paul when he was on a ship. The ship came into a terrible storm and was about to sink. The crew panicked and threw cargo overboard, hoping to survive. An angel appeared to Paul with a word of assurance. The ship would be lost, but their lives would be saved if they followed the instructions given. Nobody on that ship saw the angel except Paul. Nobody heard the angel except Paul. The discerning of spirits operated in conjunction with the word of wisdom and prophecy to let Paul know what to do and what would happen. It was a source of encouragement and guidance for Paul. We do not have time to look at all the angelic revelations in Scripture. But understand the discerning of spirits is for perceiving good spirits as well as evil spirits. Discerning of spirits is also active in revelations of God.
In Isaiah 6, Isaiah was worshipping at the temple when the veil was pulled back, and he was privileged to see the Lord. Isaiah 6:1: “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple.” Isaiah also saw seraphim, a high order of angels. What did that revelation of the Lord do for Isaiah? It showed him who is ultimately in charge. King Uzziah may be dead, but God is not dead. You can rest assured, Isaiah, that God is still on the throne. These kinds of revelations usually come when you really need them. Elisha’s assistant needed a revelation of God’s protection. Paul needed guidance from the angel. Isaiah needed assurance that God had everything in control. Not only that, but this experience defined Isaiah’s ministry. We don’t have time to go into that, but one glimpse of God can set the course of your life.
The most profound spiritual experience I ever had was seeing the Lord in a similar way. I was praying at an altar after a service. Others were praying around me. There were many people in the room. Suddenly, I was transported into a heavenly realm. My body was still lying at that altar, but my spirit was not there. My spirit was in a different realm.v I am not sure whether my spirit actually left my body or whether the vision was so vivid that I perceived it that way. I won’t share what I saw, but I will tell you this: That revelation of the Lord informs everything I do and every message I preach.
Perhaps the most important discernment is to discern the Lord. It does not always come in a profound way like that. But often, we are keenly aware of the Holy Spirit’s presence and activity. Sometimes we’re also supernaturally aware of angelic presence, even when we can’t see them.
Discerning of spirits occurs in different ways and at different levels. There are “differences of administrations … and there are diversities of operations” (1 Cor. 12:5-6). A spirit may be discerned by seeing it, smelling it, hearing it, or you may simply feel the presence in your spirit.vi The discernment may be unmistakably clear or it may be less clear. But it is always supernatural. At a purely human level, we all have some ability to discern things. Body language will tell you a lot about what is going on in someone’s mind. Voice tone and even words spoken can be powerful clues.vii But those natural abilities to discern are not the gift of discerning of spirits. Those natural clues can alert you to ask the Lord what is going on. He may answer by revealing the spirits at work or even the spirit of the person. But there is a difference between natural discernment and the manifestation of the Holy Spirit called discerning of spirits.
II. REVELATION OF THE CONDITION OF A HUMAN SPIRIT offers protection and guidance for ministry.
In John 1:47, Jesus saw Nathaniel walking toward Him. The moment He saw Nathaniel, he supernaturally discerned his spirit and said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" He knew the man’s spirit by the discerning of spirits. Nathanael then asked, "How do You know me?" Then Jesus shared with him a word of knowledge as well. Those supernatural manifestations were very impacting on Nathaniel’s life. He became one of the twelve apostles.
When Paul was preaching in Lystra, there was a man in the crowd who had been lame from birth. He had never walked. He caught Paul’s attention and by a discerning of spirits, Paul perceived that he had faith to be healed. Notice how this gift is operating in conjunction with a gift of healing. Paul saw in his spirit faith for healing. Acts 14:10 says Paul said to him in a loud voice, "Stand up straight on your feet!" He stood up, and then got so excited he went leaping and walking through the place. Discerning of spirits told Paul this man was ready to be healed.
Sometimes discerning of spirits reveals a negative condition in the human spirit. In Acts 8, Peter discerned the condition of Simon’s spirit. He saw that the man’s spirit was poisoned with bitterness. It was a supernatural insight given to Peter by the Spirit. That discernment was an important protection for the church in Samaria. Discerning of spirits can disclose the condition of a human spirit.
III. REVELATION OF EVIL SPIRITS protects us from deception or initiates a potential deliverance for the person in bondage.
In Mark 16:17, Jesus said, “And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons….” Deliverance is an essential part of New Testament ministry. We don’t just inform people of sound doctrine, even though that is necessary if they are to follow the Lord. We don’t just benevolently meet natural needs either because the spiritual needs are even more important. We deliver the oppressed. Jesus’ ministry was significantly characterized by healing and delivering the oppressed. Acts 10:38 tells “how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.” That is the ministry He has passed on to us. And discerning of spirits is an important part of that.
When I lived in Dallas, I got my introduction to discerning of spirits and deliverance ministry. I was at Lakewood Assembly of God Church, and my pastor was E.M. Fjordbak. At the end of one evening service, he was praying deliverance for a man who had come to the service. The demons were not coming out, so he turned to me and told me to help him pray. I grabbed the man’s hand and started praying. Suddenly, I saw six demons leave the man, one after another. Once the first one left, the others were right behind him. The discernment was very clear and distinct, six dingy-white spirits, full of agitation fleeing the scene. I thought: This is really neat. I didn’t know it was possible to see them that way.
I was feeling excited when I went home that night. I lived in an apartment by myself. When I got in bed, I lay there on my back looking up. There circling over me were those same six spirits. I knew almost nothing about dealing with them. But Pastor had told them to go, so I did that. They didn’t go. Even when I got more emotional and told them to leave me alone, they still wouldn’t go. After a while, I had enough; I decided to get out of there and leave it with them. I got in my car and drove away. Finally, a little peace. But no, there they were right with me. I was driving all over Dallas trying to lose them. They were causing all kinds of manifestations. Cats were running in front of me doing flips. I was freaking out. I finally drove to my Pastor’s house. This was about midnight. I woke him up and told him what was going on. He prayed for me and put me to bed on his couch. I never had any more trouble with those demons. But one thing I learned: you can’t outrun them in car. Later, I learned to deal with them more effectively.
One time I was in a restaurant witnessing to a Bahai cultist. As we were talking, suddenly, a spirit rose up out of his being. The spirit was transparent so that I could clearly see him superimposed over the man. I was seeing both the spirit and the man. I rebuked it, and it retreated. The man had no intention of repenting. The spirit thought it would intimidate me, but by then, I was more experienced. When I visually discern a spirit, it is usually very clear. Sometimes, the Holy Spirit will empower us to smell the presence of an evil spirit. Unclean spirits have a putrid smell. Different spirits smell different. The most common way discerning of spirits works is a grieving in my spirit. It’s similar to a word of knowledge, but you’re discerning a spirit. You know in your spirit that an evil spirit is there. It may begin by simply discerning something is wrong, but as you look to the Lord for guidance, then you clearly know your spirit is clashing with an evil spirit. Your spirit is grieved by the presence of that spirit, and that spirit is disturbed by the presence of the Holy Spirit in you.
In Acts 16, Paul was ministering in Philippi. One day, on his way to prayer, he encountered a slave girl possessed by a spirit of divination. She could tell people’s fortune, which brought a lot of money to her masters. She started following Paul and Silas around, proclaiming, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation." In the natural, that sounds very good and very supportive. But the spirit that was controlling her wanted to confuse Paul’s message with her witchcraft. The Bible never says that Paul saw the evil spirit in her, but it is clear that he discerned its presence operating. Acts 16:18 says Paul was “grieved” (KJV). He was troubled in his spirit, striving with this thing.viii Then, as the Holy Spirit led him, he turned and commanded that evil spirit to leave the girl. At the moment the spirit left, she lost the ability to tell fortunes. The true nature of that spirit was exposed. In this case, the discernment seems to have come by the grief Paul felt in his spirit.
This gift, discerning of spirits, often operates in conjunction with other gifts. Discerning of spirits can expose the problem, but it is the gift of faith that casts out the spirit. Word of knowledge and word of wisdom may give additional information that is needed.
When I was working for a CPA firm in Dallas, I was sent to audit a modeling agency. When an auditor comes to a firm like that, the Controller or Chief Financial Officer takes the auditor around and introduces him to the department heads so they know to cooperate with him in the audit. So, understand this is a formal, professional setting. I met a couple of department heads, and everything went as planned. Then, I was brought to the woman in charge of managing the models and making sure the pictures looked good. She was the creative manager. The Financial Officer introduced us, and as our eyes met, she let out a horrifying scream as an evil spirit left her mouth. It sounded like a cat screaming when it left. To say the least, it was an awkward moment. I know the woman experienced a deliverance. I do not know why the Holy Spirit chose to do it that way at that moment. I had no idea it was going to happen. It taught me that deliverance is more about the Holy Spirit asserting Himself than it is about techniques. What is the key to operating in these gifts? Stay full of the Holy Spirit (Eph. 5:18). Then God can do what He wants to do when He wants to do it.
Discerning of spirits can let us know whether a sickness is purely biological or whether an evil spirit is causing the problem. Often it is both. Evil spirits are opportunists. They may come in where there is trauma or disease. If an evil spirit is causing a sickness, we need to discern it and cast it out in order to get the person healed.
In Luke 13:10-13 ,Jesus delivered a woman who had been bent over and unable to straighten her body for 18 years. The cause of her affliction was a spirit, a spirit of infirmity. In Mark 9:25, Jesus cast a deaf and dumb spirit out of a father’s son. Notice the association of healing and deliverance in Matthew12:22: “Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute; and He healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw.” So, this gift can be an important factor in healing the sick because sometimes the affliction is directly caused by the presence of a demon.
In 1953, Kenneth Hagin was ministering in Tyler, Texas. The pastor’s niece had lung cancer. It had spread to both lungs and was inoperable. She had wasted away to skin and bones and was bedfast. Hagin was holding healing services in that church every Tuesday and Friday night. They brought this woman to be prayed for on both nights for the first week and both nights the second week of his services. Hagin prayed for her, but nothing happened. On the Tuesday of the third week, they brought her again. She was first in the line. This time, when Hagin laid his hand on her, the spiritual realm opened up. He saw a demon hanging onto her left lung. He knew that was the cause of her affliction. He commanded the spirit to leave her. When he did that, the spirit fell off her body on the floor and said back to Hagin, “I don’t want to leave her, but if you tell me to I have to leave her.” Hagin then commanded, “You not only leave her, but you leave these premises.” Then, the spirit ran down the aisle and out the door. She was instantly healed.
Her body didn’t look different; but when the doctors took x-rays, they confirmed that all the cancer was gone. And in time, she gained her weight back and recovered her strength.ix I am sharing this story because it affords a lot of teaching about this gift.
(1) Hagin could not make that happen by his own will. He prayed for her and prayed for her, and nothing happened. Then the Holy Spirit manifested Himself by exposing the demon and empowering Bro. Hagin to cast it out. We can position ourselves to be used by God, and we need to do that. But only the Holy Spirit can manifest and make these things happen.
(2) The demonic was directly responsible for the affliction. The healing did not come until that spirit was exposed and cast out. In general, all sickness is of the devil. There was no sickness until the Serpent deceived Eve. That doesn’t mean every sickness is caused by personal sin or a demon. Sometimes, it’s there because the person is simply part of the human race. But if sin is involved or if the demonic is involved, we can’t just sweep those things under the rug. We must deal with them.
3) When she was delivered and healed, she looked no different. The cancer was gone, but it took time for her body to recover and gain the weight back. We have to be very careful not to throw in the towel just because our natural eyes see no change. “… faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1).
I have not had time to talk about the ways this gift can protect us from error and deception. Satan can masquerade as an angel of light. The Holy Spirit can unmask him. His servants can appear as ministers of righteousness (2 Cor. 11:14-15). This gift can protect us from their deceptions. Bottom line: We must have discerning of spirits in operation if we are to fulfill our ministries effectively. Do you want God to use you in this gift? Are you available?
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii Commenting on Gen 3:22-24, Matthew Henry said, “This signified the exclusion of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God which was the bliss and glory of paradise.” (from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible, PC Study Bible Formatted Electronic Database Copyright © 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All Rights reserved.)
iii John 3:3
iv In regard to spiritual warfare, discerning of spirits is like have night-vision goggles in which you can see what you otherwise could not see.
v In Rev. 4:1-2 John was caught up, and in 2 Cor. 12:2, Paul talks about a similar experience. This only happened to me once in a lifetime, but it had a profound impact on me. Of course, subjective personal experiences must be tested by and in agreement with scriptural revelation.
vi It’s my opinion that the human spirit has capacities comparable to the five natural senses.
vii Matth. 12:34-35
viii NT:1278: (from Thayer's Greek Lexicon, Electronic Database. Copyright © 2000, 2003, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
ix As told by Kenneth Hagin in his teaching entitled “The Revelation Gifts of the Spirit.”
