The discerning of Spirits, also called distinguishing of Spirits, is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit working within the anointed believer.  Listed below are the nine spiritual gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12 All scripture quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise noted.:

04 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.

05 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord.

06 And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons.

07 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

08 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge

08 according to the same Spirit;

09 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,

10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing

10 of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues.

11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

The apostle Paul lists these gifts but does not explain how they operate.  Therefore, if a believer receives one of these gifts, it is up to the Holy Spirit to instruct the recipient in its function and use.  In a sense, the Spirit is the User’s Manual.  When the Spirit is in the driver’s seat, it may seem more like an instinct.

The discerning of spirits is one of the ways the Holy Spirit manifests Himself through the believer.  It is commonly called a gift, but this is not to be confused with the physical gifts that God gives to men in the natural.

The distinguishing of spirits is not psychological insight.  It has nothing to do with human intuition.  It is not the spirit of suspicion or the ability to discern faults in others.  Since it is a spiritual gift, “A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

As the name implies, the Holy Spirit enables the anointed believer to determine whether something is from God or the devil.  The Spirit does this by superimposing Himself on one of our senses – seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting.  Without the control of the Spirit, this gift will not operate properly and may fail completely.

The gift of discerning spirits is a gift you grow into.  There is a learning process where you learn to trust what the Spirit is trying to say.  Training takes commitment by the disciple.  As the Spirit begins to speak through a particular sense, you learn to differentiate the subtle variations of meaning.  As with any learning experience, mistakes occur.

The prophet in the Old Testament is considered infallible, but the New Testament prophet makes mistakes.  The prophet-in-training, like his counterpart in the other ministries, must learn the voice of His master.  Jesus warned that in the last days, “False Christs and false prophets will arise and will show great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).  So beware, the devil can counterfeit any spiritual gift or office.

The closer you come to the Lord and grow in the Spirit, the stronger this gift becomes.  It may lay dormant in many believers, waiting for them to mature.  We are told, “God has allotted to each a measure of faith” (Romans 12:3).  If each receives a measure of faith, some are given a greater portion according to the will and purpose of the Spirit.

The distinguishing of spirits is an integral part of the various ministries.  The prophet might need the ability to hear or see into the supernatural.  The person in the deliverance ministry would need the ability to detect the presence of unclean spirits.  The New Testament teacher would need to discern between truth and error.

The Lord wants us to produce the fruits of the Spirit, mature in him, and develop a personal relationship with Him.   Ministry comes from a personal relationship with the Lord.  [VOC]

The needs of one ministry may differ from the needs of another ministry.  One ministry might need the Spirit to manifest Himself through the seeing sense, while another ministry might need Him to work through another sense.  Therefore, the distinguishing of spirits may be tailored to fit the person and the ministry.

As the Holy Spirit tailors a ministry, one sense may be primary, and a second may be secondary.  The Spirit might superimpose Himself less frequently upon the other senses.  If you grouped the primary-secondary senses together, there would be 20 pairs, from hearing-seeing to tasting-smelling.

The believer with the discerning of spirits does have some control over this gift, but only as the Spirit permits.  If you were checking a home for unclean spirits, you might go from room to room ‘feeling’ for their presence.

The distinguishing of spirits may be a predecessor to other gifts.  If a person in the deliverance ministry is casting out an unclean spirit, when does he know that the spirit has left – the word of knowledge or the prophetic can tell him.  The apostle Paul said, “Earnestly desire the greater gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31).  Therefore, a person in one of the ministries may need more than the discerning of spirits.

I don’t rank gifts.   The Lord gives a gift to whoever he wants.  The gifts are given for the maturing of the saints.

Discerning in Action

How can the Spirit manifest Himself through the anointed believer?

HEARING:  At a meeting, a speaker might say something that does not ring true, not having a ring of truth.

Hearing an audible voice happens on occasion.   While on the island of Patmos, the apostle John heard a loud voice saying, “Write in a book what you see” (Revelation 1:11).  Not so audible, but nonetheless life changing, Jesus can also speak in a dream.  Hearing the voice of God serves His purpose and may not indicate the discerning of spirits in operation.

The author was at the bank and could hear someone talking behind a partition.  The Spirit indicated the person speaking was a Christian.

The “echo” is an awareness of another believer when you are near or may pass by him.  I found that when meeting people, there is a divine knowledge received by the Lord/Spirit that they are believers, which is not a sense but a “knowing,” and this does not happen often.

When you hear something out of place, investigate and expect the normal first, then the paranormal.  An unclean spirit may make its presence known by making a noise.

SEEING:  The Spirit may give a glimpse of something spiritual.

There was a man in the deliverance ministry who fasted and prayed that he might be able to see the unclean spirits.  God granted his request, but he was disturbed by what he saw.

I’m sure you heard of believers asking the Lord to take a gift back.

A vision is a manifestation of the gift of discerning of spirits in operation. [1]

FEELING:   This author was at a meeting where everyone was a Christian.  The speaker was a young evangelist who was beginning his ministry.  As he spoke, I felt like I was having kittens.  I looked around to see if anyone else felt something was wrong, but all attention was on him.  The Spirit was stirring up my spirit.

There is a spiritual dynamic which a speaker has over a group, causing one to feel drawn into the crowd.  The author was visiting a church for the first time.  As the pastor began to speak, I felt my feet start to leave the ground.   Not trusting what was happening, I had to fight to get my feet back on the ground.

When the author was praying for salvation, an unseen Spirit entered and stood in front of me.  Although I was afraid, the Spirit allowed me to feelNoteworthy: As an unsaved person, this gift began to operate when I encountered the Spirit. inside Him.  There was motion inside Him like eddy currents.  It reminded me of bubbles that form in a glass of ginger ale and float to the surface.

I volunteered to work with a Christian youth group, and one of the leaders was interviewing me.  This man was looking inside me, probing me spiritually.

The ability to look inside someone else’s heart is dangerous.  I received a vivid picture from the Lord – an individual took their hands, spread the flesh away, and looked into someone else’s heart.  When I sense someone may have that ability, I immediately ask the Lord to cover my heart with His hand.  My wife and I were at a service, and I asked the Lord to cover our hearts, then a minister prophesied over everyone there except us.  I have done this several times, especially if I feel uneasy, not just in services.

Has your child even said, ‘There is a monster under my bed?’  Investigation revealed that there was an unclean spirit bothering the child.  Commanding the spirit to leave would only result in it returning later.  This spirit, once establishing Satan’s foothold in the child, might remain with the child throughout his life, becoming what is known as a familiar spirit.

A young believer may be used to rebuke a spirit if their heart is right and they are aware of the dangers involved.  As they advance, the Lord will lead, giving an impression and knowledge of what to do.  It is like traveling in the dark of night with a lantern giving enough light for the believer to see where they are walking.

The believer must know what they are getting into.  A parent or leader may decide for a believer to go ahead and clean the house/individual.

The author had some doubts about women in the ministry.  My wife has a cousin who is a pastor in one of the denominations.  She came to visit my wife, and before she left, she came into the garage where I was working to say goodbye.  She was indeed a pastor since I felt the anointing on her.

SMELLING:  Spiritual scents are very confusing.  The author was visiting a household and could smell something coming off a man.  Later, I asked a person with the word of knowledge, what was it that I had sensed?  The answer was that there were unclean spirits present – obscenity, lust, and perversion.

The beginning of discerning is asking the Lord: What is this?  I then put it on a shelf and ask the Lord to teach me what I’ve sensed.

There are a lot of spiritual scents coming from people.  Perfumes can confuse by masking a spiritual scent.

TASTING:  God is a dynamic God and will not be put in a box.  He can even use the sense of taste.

A bitter taste in my mouth indicated a spirit of bitterness.

Applications

Suppose you recognize that the gift of distinguishing of spirits is operating in your life.  What does this mean?

“God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues” (1 Corinthians 12: 28).  The apostle Paul was one of those who laid the foundation for the New Testament church, Jesus being the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).  The foundation is determined, we can only build upon it (1 Corinthians 3:10-11).

Paul of Tarsus could stand in all the offices below the apostle, but only as needed.  Paul “was appointed a preacher and an apostle and a teacher” (2 Timothy 1:11).   Paul did not immediately stand in the office of the apostle but grew into that office.  We know he spoke in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:18), and the church at Antioch recognized him as a teacher or prophet (Acts 13:1).  Noteworthy: consider how quicklyA quick study is possible under the anointing of
the Holy Spirit, with no long training period. Paul went from being filled with the Holy Spirit to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues (Acts 9:17-20).

The Prophet:  According to Kenneth E. HaginKenneth E. Hagin (1917-2003) was a preacher, teacher, and author. He founded the Rhema Bible Training College near Tulsa, Oklahoma., specific requirements are necessary for one to be called a prophet.  To set forth these requirements, he breaks the spiritual gifts down into three groups:

Revelation or Knowing Gifts

• Word of Knowledge

• Word of Wisdom

• Discerning of Spirits

Speaking or Utterance Gifts

• Tongues

• Interpretation of Tongues

• Prophecy

Doing Gifts

• Gifts of Healing

• Working of Miracles

• Special Faith

This word is the plural of the Greek word κυβέρνησις, which means a governing or government.  The root word for this word is κυβερνάω, which means to steer.  A similar Greek word with the same root word is κυβερνήτης, which is a nautical term translated as a helmsman or sailing master (Acts 27:11, Revelation 18:17).  Therefore, this term may refer to the pastor who steers or directs the local church.

Consider the verse, “He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, as some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers” (Ephesians 4:11).  The positioning of the pastors and teachers together in this verse has caused some to believe they are two equal ministries.  The pastor and the teacher are two different offices with two different anointings.  A pastor may also be a teacher, but not necessarily.

The restoration of the fivefold ministres has proceeded toward the glory it had in the early church, but as you look at the verse in 1 Corinthians 12:28, you might wonder, where is the evangelist?  When the Philip went to the city of Samaria, “The multitudes with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing.  For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed” (Acts 8:6-7).  When Philip the evangelist (Acts 21:8) proclaimed Christ, miracles and gifts of healings occurred.  Perhaps the ministry of the evangelist will soon reach its full potential.

In the early church, some claimed to be apostles but were found to be false (Revelation 2:2).  Consider this test of an apostle, “The signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by signs and wonders and miracles” (2 Corinthians 12:12).  It is unwise to claim to be an apostle, or any office for that matter before it is apparent in your life, and even then let your deeds speak for themselves.

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Therefore, the prophet must possess at least two of the revelation gifts plus the gift of prophecy. [1]  The gift of distinguishing spirits is an essential part of the prophet’s ministry, as well as the ministry of the apostle and the New Testament teacher.

There may be times when the Holy Spirit reveals something about an individual or a spoken message that seems like a judgment of that person or the thing spoken.  The Christian is told not to judge (Matthew 7:1-2), but when the Holy Spirit superimposes Himself upon your senses, it may seem like you are making the judgment.  When the apostle Paul set the standard for the framework within the church, he said, “Let two or three prophets speak, and let the othersThis would be beneficial to a budding prophet since he would be able to check himself against a mature prophet. pass judgment” (1 Corinthians 14:29).  He said this as a check since “The spirit of prophets are subject to prophets” (1 Corinthians 14:32).

The prophet may also have the word of wisdom operating in his life, which may make itself known in one of two ways.

Caution

There are spiritual tests and questionnaires in circulation that enable you to determine what your spiritual gifts are.  These tests are only as spiritual as the men who wrote them.  There are also a lot of flawed teachings and misunderstandings about the gifts found in books, magazines, and online.  Faulty conventional wisdom describes a spiritual gift which those who also do not understand then share among themselves.

When Jesus ministered, He had to wait for the moving of the Spirit.  “And it came about one day that He was teaching; and there were some Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem; and the power of the Lord was present for Him to perform healing” (Luke 5:17).  Just as Jesus had to wait for the moving of the Holy Spirit, so do His disciples.

What happens when you begin to minister and do not wait for the moving of the Spirit?  You have opened a door for the devil, who then takes advantage of the situation.  The same thing can happen to someone who thinks he has a spiritual gift and tries to operate with a gift he does not have.  Therefore, endeavor to be sure of your salvation, calling, and standing in the Lord.

I stress doing these things with the Lord guiding the stops, He will make it easier, safer, with less drama.

There is a negative side to spiritual gifts, being used for gain and manipulation.  A noteworthy example is Balaam in the Old Testament, a prophet hired to curse Israel (Numbers 22:5-6).  There can be a disjointedness between the spiritual gift and the person possessing the gift.  A man who accurately preaches the word of God is validated by his message rather than by his gifts.  Therefore, beware of anyone who seeks his glory, is money-minded, or deviates from the word of God.

The gifts of the Spirit are to assist in the maturity of the believer, for the perfecting of the body, and to press into the love of the Lord, which transforms us from a carnal life to a Spiritual life.  Unfortunately, people misuse and take the gifts as toysThe apostle Paul warned of the confusion when the church gathered, and all spoke in tongues (1 Cor. 14:23). Speaking in tongues is not a toy, brought out and played with., whereas they should take them as tools, works, and helps.  These gifts also include the five gifts of ministry.  The having of a gift is not a sign of maturity.

The church acknowledges Satanic activity found in the Bible but does not know how to deal with it when it occurs within its gates.  The result is all kinds of unchecked demonic activity.  To complicate things, a born-again Christian can have an unclean spirit and need deliverance.  These are the challenges we face.

Conclusion

In chapter thirteen of the book of Matthew, Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed:

31 The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field;

32 and this is smaller than all other seeds; but when it is full grown, it is larger than the garden plants,

32 and becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nest in its branches.

Later when His disciples were unable to heal an epileptic boy, Jesus said, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it shall move; and nothing shall be impossible to you” (Matthew 17:20).

The mustard seed is 1-2 millimeters in diameter, and yet it has the potential to grow exponentially.  It is hard to believe that a tiny seed could move a mountain, but a seed planted and nourished by the Holy Spirit has the potential for such growth.  The mustard seed characterizes the mystery contained in the spiritual gifts.

The Lord has secrets locked up and mysteries of the faith hidden to non-believers.  The Lord, by the Spirit, opens the hidden treasures to believers.

As the Lord gives us things, small at first, to see how we will treat them, these gold nuggets, life-giving gifts, he gives us more.

Children are born with a physical gifts, but the possibilities are not apparent until later.  A child may have the potential for intellectual, athletic, or musical ability, but until the child matures, they are not evident, so also the spiritual gifts.  The Lord may be liberal in giving gifts, but they lie dormant, waiting for the nurturing of the Holy Spirit.

Consider the verse, “When He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13).   True for all believers, the Holy Spirit will lead you into the truth and away from error.  This guidance is also one of the functions of the distinguishing spirits, so do not be too quick to accept what you hear or read, but rather let the Spirit witness the truth (Acts 17:11).

The Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth, is given to draw us to Him, developing depth and personal relationship with Him.  We often get quickenings or revelations when reading the scriptures, walking with God, and praying.  The Lord may speak directly to the beloved believer.

The Scribe

V.O. Crying

References

1.  Hagin, Kenneth E. (1992).  He Gave Gifts Unto Men: A Biblical Perspective of Apostles, Prophets, and Pastors.  Faith Library Publications.  Pages 108-109.  ISBN 9780892765171.

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