Discerning of Spirits.
Thanksgiving and Praise Brings the Presence of God.
(March 12, 2009)
Discerning of Spirits.
In the book of Acts, chapter 16, we read how Paul and Silas had been thrown into prison after Paul had cast a demon of divination out of a young lady who was telling them how wonderful their ministry was. Many ministers might have made her a charter member of the church for seemingly endorsing them, but Paul discerned the evil spirit that was in her life and cast it out.
What she was saying was actually true, in a way, but it was spoken in a lying spirit. This is something that most people would have missed. The reason Paul did not miss it was because he was yielding to the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits, which is promised to the believer in 1 Corinthians 12:10.
A person can speak the right words but still have the wrong spirit. This is a truth that goes deeper than mere words, to the world of the spirit. 1 John 4:1 says: Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God.
On the other hand, a person can have the right, believing heart and yet struggle in his or her mind. This is seen in the life of the man in Mark 9:24-27 who was crying out to Jesus for his son. Lord, I believe, help my unbelief. This man’s son was freed by Jesus, proving that the man did believe, although in his mind he was doubting.
We must try the spirits because things are not always as they seem to be. There is a spiritual reality and there is a mental reality, and the two do not always match. Maybe this is one of the greatest needs of the western church today, that is the gift of discerning of spirits from the Holy Spirit. How can right decisions be made without the prophetic ministry of God and without the spiritual gift of discerning of spirits. It is like a person boxing, beating the air and striking without an opponent (1 Corinthians 9:26).
Discerning of spirits, on the other hand, is like a radar in our hearts which alerts us when something is wrong, and that the enemy is at hand. It could also be the other way around, something is right because God's presence is at hand. The fact is that there will always be some kind of spiritual presence whether we discern or not.
The ministerial prophetic gift of God, and discerning of spirits often come together.
Thanksgiving and Praise Brings the Presence of God.
Paul and Silas were thrown into prison for their obedience to God, but they did not let the prison get into them. In their hearts, they had the presence of God, not the presence of the prison. They released the presence of God and defeated the darkness around them.
At midnight, Paul and Silas prayed and sang praises to God and the prisoners heard them. Suddenly there was a great earthquake so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's bands were loosed. (Acts 16:25-26)
As they begun to praise and thank God in the prison, the presence of God entered in and opened the doors, loosed every prisoner, and transformed it into a house of God with the jailor as the pastor of the first church in Philippi.
We also can play and sing praises to God with thanksgiving. This will bring more of the presence of God and it fills our spiritual environment with light instead of darkness.
**For our Swedish-speaking subscribers interested in a move of God's Spirit in Sweden, please see: Ett Profetiskt Ord.
Roger Wågsjö