The Gift of Discerning of Spirits

We now look at another gift of the Holy Spirit, the gift of discerning of spirits. Below are two versions of the Bible which shed some light on what this gift is:

1 Corinthians 12:10 (NKJV)
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:10 (GNB) The Spirit gives one person the power to work miracles; to another, the gift of speaking God’s message; and to yet another, the ability to tell the difference between gifts that come from the Spirit and those that do not. To one person he gives the ability to speak in strange tongues, and to another he gives the ability to explain what is said.

Here is what Matthew Henry says about the gift:

To another the discerning of Spirits, power to distinguish between true and false prophets, or to discern the real and internal qualifications of any person for an office, or to discover the inward workings of the mind by the Holy Ghost, as Peter did those of Ananias, Acts 5:3.

This gift of discerning of spirits is one of the gifts that is needed most today with all the false gifts that can be found. We see above in the different texts that this gift could be to distinguish between true and false gifts, true and false prophets and true and false Christians. It can also be a gift to warn you what to stay away from. Today there are so many games, TV shows, movies, etc. that are evil but are wrapped in beautiful packaging. A lot of people don’t see the harm behind some of these things but there is evil behind them.

If you have this gift, and God may give it to you for a certain time and purpose, you may have a physical sensation or it may just be a feeling. You might just have a sense that this needs to be left alone.

No matter what the situation, if you feel the Lord giving you a sense that what you are seeing is false or evil, follow the lead of the Holy Spirit and let it be known. This is the gift of discerning of spirits.

by Dean W. Masters