By Adrian Ko

The Gift of Discerning of Spirits, which generally comes from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:8) is a valuable aid from the Holy Spirit to allow us to tell whether something is of the flesh (that is, human motivation), of the Holy Spirit, or of demonic influence.

This Gift of the Holy Spirit allows us to protect ourselves and our loved ones from deception from the enemy – which may come in the form of false doctrine, human manipulation, cults, bad influence, etc.!

We see it in the Bible in 1 Corinthians 12:10 (Amplified Version). “To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another [divers] kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:”

The Greek word for “discernment” here is “diakrisis” which, according to Vines’ Expository Dictionary (p. 171), means “a distinguishing, a clear discrimination, discerning, judging… of spirits, judging by evidence whether they are evil or of God.

The Scriptures are specific, however not very explicit, in its description of the operation of this gift of the spirit. If you feel these following scripture references are inaccurate interpretations, please ask the Lord for further guidance.

Let’s examine the following scripture passages:

Acts 16:16 – And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying:

17 – The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.

18 – And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

Here, this young had a spirit of divination, and her masters used her for fortune telling. She begain to harass Paul and his party. This is not an uncommon thing, for the ministry of God to be harassed. Her words about Paul and Silas were somewhat correct, but the motivation and origin and source was of a demonic spirit! (Keep this in mind, those of you who have friends or relatives who use Ouija Boards or Fortune Tellers). Paul is seen to have “turned and said to the spirit” in verse 18 to come out of her. The effectiveness of this is seen “And he came out the same hour.”

You see, “Divination” is the means of imitating the Divine – and we all know that only God is truly divine. Hence it is a counterfeit rather than the real deal.

Acts 5:1 – But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession,

2 – And kept back [part] of the price, his wife also being privy [to it], and brought a certain part, and laid [it] at the apostles’ feet.

3 – But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back [part] of the price of the land?

4 – Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God.

5 – And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost: and great fear came on all them that heard these things.

6 – And the young men arose, wound him up, and carried [him] out, and buried [him].

Ananias, and consequently his wife, attempted to lie to the apostles by laying down only a portion of their possessions. The Holy Spirit showed Peter their true motivation.

Mark 9:17 – And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;

18 – And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.

19 – He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

20 – And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.

21 – And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child.

22 – And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us.

23 – Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

24 – And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

25 – When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, [Thou] dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.

26 – And [the spirit] cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.

27 – But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.

28 – And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?

29 – And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting.

The father of the demon-afflicted child understood in the natural that there was a dumb spirit. Jesus was able to discern more, in verse 25. This was a dumb and deaf spirit. Remember that while Jesus is God, when He walked on this earth He depended on the Holy Spirit just as much as we need to, for he could do nothing of his own accord.

Tactical Summary

Practical Application Deliverance – Sometimes the Lord can show you exactly which demonic spirits are in force in a person’s life so that this person may be delivered of them. The Lord may also prompt you to fast and pray, because Jesus said “This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting” in Mark 9, when his disciples could not cast the spirit out.

Protection from Deception – In a College or High School campus environment, the Holy Spirit is very generous with this gift, as there are many cults and false doctrines rampant, not only propagated by students but by university professors as well! The Holy Spirit will allow you to discern if a person approaching you is sent of God, sent of the devil, or if he/she is speaking of his/her own accord.

Early Warning System – The Lord can use this gift to even warn you of the presence of cultists who are about to approach you. There may not be an visible signs to detect if someone approaching you belongs to a cult and aims to deceive you. There have been incidences where, 30 feet away for example, the Holy Spirit can forewarn you in order to prepare you.

Witnessing – The Holy Spirit can reveal how either a person is bound, influenced, or deceived. This can be a very insightful witnessing aide!

Defense – Often times cultists like preying on young Christians. The Holy Spirit may allow a Christian to discern the kinds of spirits hovering over the cultists attacking the Christian spiritually as the cultist attacks the Christian verbally. Then, by the authority of Jesus’ name, the Christian can take authority and bind the spirit, and more effectively stand for Christ and give a defense.

Insight – The Holy Spirit can even reveal to the Christian the nature of the attack he/she feels, e.g. spirit of depression, suicide, hatred, perversion, lust, etc.

Conclusion

The gift of discerning of spirits is given by the Holy Spirit as a result of having received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Read the section, “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” for more information. There are basically two kinds of “baptisms” of the Holy Spirit.

The baptism by the Spirit you receive when you are saved; you are baptized into the Body of Christ. “For you were baptized by one Spirit into one Body.” This is the Spirit baptism that makes us “one”. As a result, the Holy Spirit indwells us and we have this seal of redemption.

The baptism in the Holy Spirit, where the Holy Spirit comes upon you to fill you with power (Acts 1:8) and where the gifts of the spirit become available (1 Cor.12)  (This does not include baptism in water, which Romans describes as for the purpose of putting to death the body of sin, i.e. the tendency towards sin of the old sin nature!)

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Adrian Ko is a speaker and writer on the prophetic and the heart of the Father.  His focus is on helping provide believers with a developmental roadmap to hearing God and flowing in the prophetic.  In addition, he moves in the Word of Knowledge and Wisdom, and he is involved with both the renewal and prophetic steams of the Spirit. Used by permission.