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In today's world, it's so important for us to know the truth about God's word, to really study the Bible, and to seek guidance from Christ in everything that we do.
A few episodes ago, I went over what Christian Spiritual discernment is, and that it's different than the gift of discerning between Spirits. That episode, if you didn't catch it, it was episode 39. In that episode, I go over 3 ways that you can practice Christian Spiritual discernment and why it's important.
Today, we're going to be going over the gift of discernment of spirits or distinguishing between spirits. I'm going to go over what discerning between spirits is, if it's important, if we should be testing the spirits, and the truth of God's words through scripture.
So what is the gift of distinguishing between spirits? According to pilotonline.com, it's "the ability to know if a spirit spiritual gift or teaching is false and evil or from God."
Another definition I've found is "the gift to recognize whether or not something is truly from God or in accordance with righteousness."
I'm going to go over some verses with you guys here because the Holy Spirit gives this gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, satan, and the world.
1 "Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." - 1 Corinthians 12: 1-11
So whenever we're saved and we have the Holy Spirit within us, we have these spiritual gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us. Each person has different gifts from the Holy Spirit. Of course, like I always say, we can pray and ask for knowledge and wisdom and pray and ask for these different things from God and from the Holy Spirit, but the Holy Spirit decides which gifts he gives to different people.
I highly recommend you to read the rest of chapter 12, but I'm just going to briefly go over what it talks about. It goes over how we're one body with many parts. Just as the body is made up of many parts, but it forms one body with Christ; we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body. We were all given the one Spirit to drink. Even though one body has many parts, you can't say that the nose is more important than the eyes, or the arms are more important than the legs because they all have a certain purpose and they all work together for one body to function properly. That's the same thing for all of us that were baptized into Christ. We were baptized into one Spirit, but we all have different gifts. So you can't say that one gift is more important than the other, because we all should be working for Christ and for the goodness of others.
Some people may have the gift of prophecy. Some people may have the gift of tongues. Some people may have the gift of wisdom. Some people may have the gift of discerning between spirits or distinguishing between spirits. The Holy Spirit gives different gifts to each person, but it's the same Spirit that's giving each gift.
I just wanted to make that very clear before I go further into the gift of distinguishing between spirits. You can still practice this gift and you can still ask the Holy Spirit for this gift. It's very important, especially during this time in the world, to test the Spirits and know which Spirits are good and from God, and what Spirits are evil and from satan. So for some people, the Holy Spirit just gives them that gift of discernment of spirits so they can easily distinguish between spirits and know what's from God and what's from satan. We can all find the truth of God's words through the Bible and test the spirits according to what the Bible tells us.
1 "Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 But every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." - 1 John 4: 1-3
These verses above are super important to remember because there are so many false prophets out there preaching so many different things, and it's really hard for us to discern between what's true and what's good, and also what's evil because there are so many evil and corrupt things in this world. There are so many false prophets that seem to be so great and that people look up to, that are from evil and not from God. So this says here in the verses above, that you can recognize the spirit of God because every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God. Every Spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. We know that when we receive Jesus Christ and we ask him to come into our hearts and forgive us of our sins, we have the Holy Spirit within us. If people don't believe in Jesus Christ and don't believe that he walked on this earth, lived a sinless life, he died on the cross for our sins, rose three days later, and that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life; those people are not from God and don't have the Holy Spirit within them. You can only gain the Holy Spirit by receiving Jesus Christ.
Jesus says "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14: 6
So when you're testing a spirit, and you're seeing someone that doesn't even acknowledge Jesus Christ or doesn't believe in Jesus Christ, yet they're prophesizing and they're telling other people about God, that's not a spirit that's from God. So you want to test the spirits to see if they're from God and if they're consistent with the New Testament revelation. There can be false prophets or the antichrist preaching about God and all the things in the old Testament, but if they're not preaching about Jesus Christ, how he walked on the earth, how he is our savior, and he is the way the truth and the life, that's not a spirit of God. So we have to test those spirits and see if they're true, or if they're false, and see if they're evil, or if they're from God.
21 "Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil."
-1 Thessalonians 5: 21-22
We have to test the spirits and know if a spirit is from God or if it's from evil. It's so important to fill ourselves with scripture, to pray, and to have a close relationship with Christ. In today's world, if you don't have a close relationship with Christ and you're not studying the Bible and understanding the truth of God's word, it's going to be very easy to be deceived because there are so many false prophets, false idols, evil, and corruption this world. We have to make sure that we are distinguishing between these spirits, we're testing these spirits, we're praying to God, we're studying our Bible, and we're having that close relationship with him and learning as much as we can about these things.
I love you guys so much.
I'm going to say a quick prayer for you. Lord, I pray that you are with every single person reading this right now. Lord, I pray that you help them to discern the truth between what's good and what's evil. I pray that you give them the knowledge and understanding and that they seek that through your word. I pray that they pray to you, they have that close relationship with you, and that they know that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and nothing can come to the Father except through him. I pray that they let every single person know about the truth of your words and that they test the spirits and that they stand firm in their faith and they don't get deceived by these false prophets and these lies and corruption in this world. I love you so much, Lord. In Jesus' name, Amen.
Never forget to choose faith over fear.
-Lorena Camille (Faith Fuels My Fire)
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