Just as God gave you natural abilities, He can also give you supernatural ones. “Now there are distinctive varieties and distributions of endowments (gifts, extraordinary powers)… To one is given through the [Holy] Spirit … discernment of spirits [the ability to distinguish sound, godly doctrine from the deceptive doctrine of man-made religions and cults]…” (1 Corinthians 12:4,8,10 AMP).
Every person has some level of natural discernment in order that they can make choices in their life. We can discern between fresh meat and spoiled meat by our natural sense of smell. Natural discernment is good in the natural but useless in spiritual matters.
You cannot go mining for spiritual truth using the tools of your natural mind. Intellectualism is the obstacle to spiritual understanding. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV).
A person who is not spiritual will always try to explain spiritual gifts in a natural way, such that they can comfortably fit these things into their own natural understanding. A spiritual person will understand spiritual gifts through the instruction from the Spirit of God.
You can never understand a spiritual truth with natural reasoning because you’re operating in the wrong realm. “And we speak about these things, not with words taught us by human wisdom but with words taught us by the Spirit. And so we explain spiritual truths to spiritual people” (1 Corinthians 2:13 NCV).
The simple truth is that a spiritual gift cannot be a natural ability. The gift is given by the Holy Spirit, and we can never take credit for this gift He puts in us. If you can explain an ability naturally, then it is not a spiritual gift.
Spiritual discernment doesn’t come by the natural reasoning of man but by the Spirit of God. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God…because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV).
The gift of spiritual discernment is nothing less than the Holy Spirit giving you the supernatural ability to see right through the deceptions of man and the distortions of the devil. It is the power to discern between the truth and the lie.
If you don’t discern the lie, then you just might think it’s the truth. “Woe (judgment is coming) to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20 AMP).
We don’t need a supernatural power of discernment to recognize the obvious distortions of truth peddled by those who walk in darkness. There is some evil that is so blatant we can readily see it for what it is.
The great danger in our faith is not that we would be overtaken by something blatantly evil, but by something that appears to be good when it is not. “For such are false apostles [messengers], deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles [messengers] of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:13-14 NKJV). Nobody believes that their teacher could be of Satan, and that is exactly what he is counting on.
Where we need spiritual discernment the most is where there is the most mixture. This mixture is where the lie is mixed in with the truth. The more the truth hides the lie, the more easily we can be deceived into thinking the lie is the truth.
We must discern when a lie has a sprinkling of truth lest we be deceived by the lie that is hidden within. “For the time will come when people will not tolerate sound doctrine and accurate instruction [that challenges them with God’s truth]; but wanting to have their ears tickled [with something pleasing], they will accumulate for themselves [many] teachers [one after another, chosen] to satisfy their own desires and to support the errors they hold, and will turn their ears away from the truth and will wander off into myths and man-made fictions [and will accept the unacceptable]” (2 Timothy 4:3-4 AMP).
God’s Word is the truth, but man’s commentary often masks the lie. The natural mind can be easily deceived, but by the Spirit of God, the spirit of your mind can be enlightened. Jesus said the Holy Spirit can teach you all things, not that man can teach you all things.
If you want to be inspired by God, you must put down the materials of man. Jesus promised, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you” (John 14:26 NASB).
A great danger exists for those who seek truth from sources outside the Word of God. They will quote from a so-called lost book or a wisdom book of man and think themselves quite the enlightened ones, but they are mining for light in the darkness of their minds.
If you cannot discern the lie, then how will you know what is truth? A false prophet always gives the people what they want. “The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own power; and My people love to have it so. But what will you do in the end?” (Jeremiah 5:31 NKJV). If you are not standing on God’s Word, then you are on dangerous ground.
We can all pray for and be given spiritual discernment for our lives. But there are a chosen few who the Holy Spirit pours into them a dominant gift of spiritual discernment. It is these chosen few that we need to help us divide the truth from the lie.
Spiritual gifts are not for you, but to be through you. “Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel” (1 Corinthians 14:12 NKJV).
The gift of discernment is crucial in our day, as the ever-changing moral compass of the world tries to infiltrate the thinking we have in the church. The worldly ones carry the flag called inclusion, but what it really stands for is the exclusion of God.
Just because it’s not a crime in the eyes of men doesn’t mean it’s not a crime in the eyes of God. “Stop imitating the ideals and opinions of the culture around you, but be inwardly transformed by the Holy Spirit through a total reformation of how you think. This will empower you to discern God’s will as you live a beautiful life, satisfying and perfect in his eyes” (Romans 12:2 TPT).
The gift of discernment has an even greater battle to win as it must discern between the natural and the spiritual taught in the church of our day. Intellectualism is the disease that attempts to dismantle the spiritual power God has for His children.
Cessationism [the teaching that spiritual gifts are no longer] is the Devil’s doctrine meant to castrate the Church, that the sons of God would not be born in this generation. If the Devil cannot win by darkness, all he needs to do is remove the fire, and then the light will dim. “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God” (Romans 8:14 NKJV). Stop preaching safe theology, and preach truth.
If you’re not spiritual, my intention is not to discourage you with where you are at, but to encourage you with where God wants to take you. If you want the Holy Spirit to help you become spiritual, all you have to do is ask.
You cannot be spiritual without the Spirit. “If you then, evil as you are, know how to give good gifts [gifts that are to their advantage] to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask and continue to ask Him!” (Luke 11:13 AMPC).
If you have been given this blessed gift of discernment by the Holy Spirit, then God wants you to use it. The world will turn against you, but God in heaven will go before you. Let the Spirit of God use you like you never imagined that He would.
The greatest work in ministry is learning that God doesn’t need our help; we need His help. “Only fear the Lord [with awe and profound reverence] and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you” (1 Samuel 12:24 AMP).
Blessings to you always,
Paul Balius
Amen. 🙏♥️
Your devotionals are so timely. I will be leading a Bible study on Spiritual Gifts and your God inspired devotionals about the gifts of the Spirit are great to utilize. They go into depth and have such insight. Thank you Brother Paul for allowing God to use you to bless others. May God continue to bless your ministry.
Hi Katherine! Oh, what a wonderful thing you are doing for the kingdom, to be encouraging people in this Bible Study about Spiritual Gifts. There are too many who preach against them using their tired intellectual arguments born out of the powerlessness of their half-baked faith. The Church needs believers who believe and then are willing to be used of God for the benefit of all the Church. May the Holy Spirit fill you with His power to pour out onto the group His truths.
Blessings, Brother Paul!
AMEN! What a powerful Word! I love how you said, “If you are not standing on God’s Word, then you are on dangerous ground.” Absolutely true! That’s exactly where the enemy wants us so he can attack but God, rich in mercy, has given us the gift of discernment!
And this part “Stop preaching safe theology and preach truth”, whew, that hit deep. Yes, Brother, we preach truth! 🙌🔥
I think that discernment is something every Christian must press into with greater intensity as the deceptions are getting more deceptive all the time. Blessings to you!
We are so blessed when we are rich in the Word, filled with the Spirit of God, and bold with the resolve of the life of Christ being formed in us! God’s great blessings to you!
Of all the subjects that grasp my attention and deep concern it is this subject of spiritual discernment. Hosea wrote ‘ My people are destroyed because they dont know me’ ‘ Hosea 4:6 NLT. Full vessels can not be filled. May I suggest that these full vessels are full of themselves, such as pride, confidence in themselves and the like. Such vessels must first be empty to be filled with the presence and giftings of the Holy Spirit. The process will only be discovered along the path that leads to life, the path has many signposts, one is called humility, humility is the opposite of pride. God resists the proud. A humble heart empty of pride He indeed will communicate with. Intimacy with the God of all creation is not achieved amidst the noise of self, nor the noise of the world. God desires intimacy with all of His creation , especially those who are born again by His Spirit. This is the very foundation of discernment and wisdom. Discernment is inseparable from wisdom and wisdom is inseparable from discernment. Both are birthed and nurtured by intimacy with God through His presence. May our hearts cry out to God continually ‘Oh to know you’ not about you, to really know you. His heart is crying out to know us!
Roger, your words are filled with the Spirit of God, I am so blessed to see all that you right, and I get an amen in my spirit by the Holy Spirit with all that you have written here!
I think there is too little teaching on the great importance of spiritual discernment, that discernment that cannot be accomplished by the abilities within a man or a woman, but the discernment that can only be accomplished by the Spirit of God! Oh what lies in store for that foolish and weak man or woman who falls helplessly before the Lord and seeks the discernment that flows down freely from heaven!