The Journey: Session Three

Discernment of Spirits

Part One

by Bob Van Cleef

Do Not Believe Every Spirit

Read 1 Kings 13

The story in 1 Kings 13 shows that you always must be on guard. You must determine the source of any teaching, doctrine, or instruction or any prophetic or spiritual manifestation or message. This was not an example of someone pretending to be a prophet. The old prophet in this story was truly a prophet of God, as is shown in verses 20-22. However, he was also a liar. For some reason, he faked a prophecy, leading to the death of the first prophet. We must always be on guard.

(1 John 4:1-3 NKJ) Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world. [2] By this you know the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is of God, [3] and every spirit that does not confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is not of God. And this is the spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming, and is now already in the world.

There is also the matter of spiritual growth. If you want to grow spiritually, you need to learn -discernment. In his letter to the Hebrews, St. Paul laments the lack of maturity in his readers and advised that maturity comes from learning to distinguish [discern] good from evil.

(Heb 5:12-14) For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the basic elements of the oracles of God. You need milk, not solid food; [13] for everyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is unskilled in the word of righteousness. [14] But solid food is for the mature, for those whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil.

Who's Spirit Is It?

As you begin to listen to the Spirit of God in your heart, you will discover that it is sometimes difficult to know the origin of the word, phrase or idea that you are meditating upon. The Holy Spirit is gentle and kind, and does not force His way into your consciousness. Like Elijah, we discover that He is not in the tumult but in the quiet.

(1 Ki 19:11-13b) Then He said, ``Go out, and stand on the mountain before the Lord.'' And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake; [12] and after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. [13] So it was, when Elijah heard it, that he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood in the entrance of the cave...

Like Elijah, we need to learn how to listen for that ``still small voice.''

Self

The thoughts and voices in our hearts can have one of three origins. The first and most obvious one is ``self''. Our hearts are troubled, agitated, and filled with the cares of this world, with our worries, plans, and ideas on how things should be.

The Enemy

The second possible source is a spirit of the enemy. However, don't fall into the trap of blaming every evil thought that comes into your mind on an evil spirit. We are really quite good at creating our own problems and the atmosphere that we live in today, through TV, radio, music, etc., is saturated with evil and sinful concepts. Most of the time the enemy simply lets things follow their natural course.

The Holy Spirit

The third source is the Holy Spirit. This is the one we need to learn to hear. This is the one we need to learn to listen to and this is the one we need to learn to obey. The Holy Spirit will not force you to do anything. He will never violate your free will. That is what makes it so difficult for us. If He would only ``take over,'' our problems will be solved. Unfortunately for us, it is only the human spirit and the spirits of the fallen angels that have a desire to dominate. God is looking for love and companionship. Jesus said the truth will make us free. The truth is that God desires lovers, not slaves.

(John 8:31-32) Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, ``If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. [32] And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.''

The enemy wants to ensnare you in your sins, to take away your freedom. Learning to hear God's Spirit is part of learning to walk in God's freedom.

(John 8:34-36) Jesus answered them, ``Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. [35] And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. [36] Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.''

By becoming voluntary slaves to righteousness, by learning to listen and obey the Spirit of God, our lives can become conduits for His Spirit, leading to holiness and life.

(Rom 6:20-23) For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. [21] What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. [22] But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. [23] For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The Journey: The Gifts of the Spirit

This is part of a collection of handouts designed for use as part of a series of teachings on The Gifts of the Holy Spirit, published by the Catholic Charismatic Center. Copyright (C) 1999 by the Catholic Charismatic Center.

Permission is granted for reproduction for use for non-commercial purposes, providing that you credit the author and the Catholic Charismatic Center.

Illustrations are Copyright (C) Highland Graphics, PO Box 118, Springville, UT 84633