The Gift of Discernment

The Gift of Discernment has many different facets that work with the other Gifts of the Holy Spirit which are talked about in 1 Corinthians 12. A few of its functions are the ability to distinguish truth from error and discover the root of a problem not through self-taught methods but spiritual insight given by the Holy Spirit. Sometimes it is by a word of knowledge or a picture that shows you what is happening.

A person with this gift may ask the following questions. “How are you looking at this God? What is the root problem? What is the whole true?”

Kris Vallotton, from Bethel Church in Redding California says: “The gift of discernment triggers an alert that something is wrong. It is like a check in the spirit that something is off or doesn’t smell right. That is the Holy Spirit wanting you to tap into the gift of discernment.”

Tapping into the Wrong Power Source!

An example of using your gifts and talents without God is how a psychic can know things about people. They have a gift of discernment, but it is rooted in the world’s systems of self-reliance and demonic influences. Because of the wrong source of power, it brings a curse instead of God’s blessing. Many times, it is used to manipulate you to become dependent on them. The psychic is trapped in a cycle of obeying the wrong source. Tapping into the wrong power source can cause an unending cycle of confusion, survival, fear, and anger.

You see this with the women who followed Paul and Silas, proclaiming they were servants of the “most high God.” She used the term “most high God” to show she was serving a lower god. Paul allowed her to follow them for days until he cast a spirit of divination out of her. The reason God had Paul wait to do this act, was to get enough of the Word of God in her to keep her free. Paul and Silas got into trouble with the religious rulers and the governmental rulers for setting this one lady free. This act, of setting one person free, shifted the culture of the whole city.

Tapping into God’s Power Source!

Jesus partnered and honored Holy Spirit. This allowed him to operate with strong discernment. Discernment caused him to know peoples’ thoughts, struggles, evil spiritual influences, and revealed manipulation of others.

The gift of discernment allows us to tap into God’s wisdom and view of the situation. Past misuses of discernment caused people to tap into their own wisdom and experiences which opens the door to jealousy, distrust, and manipulation. It is important to lay aside our own understanding and hurts which allows us to know God’s heart of love. Even when it is used to correct, discernment operates in love and will create a pathway to wholeness. Even when a corrective word may hurt emotionally, did it shift a person’s path and bring deliverance (Matthew 16:23)? Asking God to reveal the way He is seeing the situation is putting on your God’s glasses. This allows you to by-pass your view and taps into God’s view. This keeps your motives pure. True discernment is rooted in love (1 John 4:18).

Most people are unaware of the cultural atmospheres which are affecting them. They pick up their surroundings by sight, taste, smell, feelings, and touch. Once people become aware of this gift of discerning, it opens a new way of understanding what they are picking up. The subtle shifts in their mood have them tune into their surroundings. No longer are they told they are just a moody person but now they have an understanding and language to be used to shift their environment. I remember walking into a room and all of a sudden, I felt frustrated and angered. Everyone seems to be smiling. People have learned to mask their feelings. Later I learned a couple just had a big fight before I came into the room.

Another way discernment works is through our internal voices. Thoughts that are unfamiliar or out of character could be you are picking up someone else’s thoughts. Check with God on if these are your thoughts or other people’s thoughts. This will help you to know how to handle this environment around you.

God uses our many different senses to discern the spiritual atmosphere. That is why the gift of discernment works in many ways. Sometimes smells reveal the presence of God and other times bad orders can reveal demonic activity. You might feel a wind in a closed room which is what happened in the Bible on the day of Pentecost. This wind represents the Holy Spirit and his power to help us in our walk. Have you ever walked into a room and felt the hairs on the back of your neck rise? You are picking up a spirit of fear that is occupying the room. This is to let you know to not join in the fear this spirit is trying to get you to accept as your feelings.

Submitting to Holy Spirit and asking God what you are sensing will protect you by discerning between good and evil. It is always good to check with others in your group to see if they are having the same thoughts or feelings. It takes practice to learn how to read the atmosphere and distinguish between your own feelings, other’s feelings and the spiritual temperature of the room.

Usually, the Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom work with the Gift of Discernment. Many times, it will be like a download of information or a light bulb of what to do will be revealed to you.

Prayer

Father God,

I want all the gifts you have for me, but I need your wisdom and understanding to operate these gifts. I need to know your timing and have a heart filled with your love for people. Jesus, you sent the apostles out and the other seventy believers out to operate in the gifts of Holy Spirit. Thank you for providing a way to release God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. Teach me Holy Spirit and empower me to overcome any fear, lies, or hurts that might hinder me from walking in God’s best. Amen!

References

Shifting Atmospheres by Dawna De Silva, @ Copyright 2017—Dawna De Silva, Destiny Image® Publishers, Inc.

Discernment of Spirits 3/10/24 Kris Vallotton available on YouTube.