HOW TO DISCERN THE SPIRITS

* Luke 11: 9-13

As time passes in our Christian growth it becomes more and more apparent that “discerning of spirits” is a most important gift of the Holy Ghost for us. Without this gift, how do we know from what source the other gifts are derived? We cannot. But the Spirit of Truth can reveal it to us: Take the numbers of “Bibles” on the market today. How, without discernment of spirits can anyone know which of the many is of God? We can’t. However, we can know the truth that makes us free, and that truth is the same Truth that Jesus identified as the Comforter, the Spirit of Truth that is sent from the Father: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.” (John 16:13 KJV) This Spirit of Truth, The Holy Ghost of God, is the same Spirit that authored God’s Word, the Holy Bible, for our guidance, growth and joy. If we have the gift of discernment from Him we can know assuredly which is God’s Word, and which is not.

Fortunately this, as with any of God’s gifts, cannot be learned, bought, or bartered. Only those few whom God has selected for these gifts are able to accommodate them. If church leaders had the gift of discerning of spirits there would be no problem with corruption in the word of God and the world’s publishers would have to depend upon worldly clients for their business. As it is, the worldly publishers have sold the church leaders on their wares and are making millions of dollars with the promise of more to come as the “translators” continue reshaping the Word of God to suit the delights of the world’s customers.

Those few who are gifted with Discerning of Spirits are scoffed at and labeled as fundamentalists, or worse, heretics. Spirit Baptized and filled Christians are even deceived without this important gift. *As with other gifts, this gift comes from our Lord to those who ask. seek and knock. How many Christians today are desirous of discernment? Not many. Most are quite satisfied with the other gifts, especially those of healing, word of knowledge, and faith. But without discernment, how do these spiritually oriented folks know where the gifts have originated and more importantly what is the immediate source?

Satan is having a hay-day with churches today, as he always has, however today with communications and other media being so far advanced, he is abounding in his spirit of deceit. We have learned that Satan is an imitator of the things of God; since the things of God are spiritual, and Satan is the spirit of the air around us, he is quite able to do his deceitful work unhindered except by the few gifted for the defense of the Faith of Christ by the gift of discerning of spirits. The sad account is that the sleeping church does not want to be awakened by a few concerned Saints crying in the wilderness to repent from their blindness and open their eyes and seek the truth.

Those sleeping “saints” believe without a doubt that they are serving the true God, faithfully. So did the Pharisees in Jesus’ day and Saul of Tarsus later, and so it is today. Church members think they are in an excellent relationship with God because of the good works they are doing and their faithful attendance in all the food and praise music activities scheduled by the church programmers, not to mention the prayer list that is reviewed for a few minutes on Wednesday evenings, if they have a meeting at all.

Where are the tears of remorse for the sins they claim are under the blood on a weekly basis? Where are the souls being saved and the baptisms that follow? Where is the preaching on the Rapture and the horrors of Hell? Where is the gift of Discerning of Spirits? Where is the Church of our Lord, Jesus Christ?

WTLMinistry 7/20/2002 http://www.wtlministry.org