Discernment of spirits

[K2K]

Many Christians don't think they need to discern which spirit is talking to you. They think that if they hear anything it must be from the Lord. If they read that Satan might show up as a spirit of light, they figure that does not apply to them. If they read to test the spirits, that does not apply to them. This thread is not for them! It is for those Christians who have realize that hearing with their spiritual ears mean that they can hear from good and evil, so they test the spirits and try to discern between good and evil. I wanted to discuss discernment of spirit, and not why some don't.

There are a number of ways and thing I consider for discerning of spirit that I can hear from.

I use my experience hearing. I use the test recorded at 1 Jn 4:1-3. I also you 1 Cor 12:3. I know a lot of people use their understanding of the fruit of the spirit, which I understand but see problems with it. Jesus said that if you ask for something good we are not going to get something bad, and I use that concept. Of course I do use my understanding of the Bible, but that more for deciding when to test the spirits. I use the fact that God said that He place before us good and evil and to choose good, so I must have some basic understanding of what is good and what is evil. I try to remember things that the Lord told me in the past and apply them, which is probably the most useful of the above mention things I use to discern good from evil. Then sometime I have to just put my trust in the Lord, that what is happening is going to work out for good even if per chance the devil is meaning something for evil. I don't like doing that, but sometimes it seems the only way to go.

Now I would love to exchange ideas, thoughts, and experiences with someone who also hears from the Lord and works at discerning between good and evil when they hear to make sure they are hearing from the Lord. If you have never caught evil spirts trying to approach you because you do discern between good and evil, I don't really want to hear from you at this time, because you are not using discernment of spirits. You need to start doing that, but do that first and I then would like to read what you have to say.

I will start with something I learned from the Lord which I found useful and interesting. He gave me an interesting teaching about the first words the snake said. The first four words the snake said were "Did God really say..." They are words meant to bring doubt that God speaks to us. So Satan's first attack against us is usually "doubt", and specifically doubt that God speaks to us. That is of course the exact opposite of the Holy Spirit who is about faith and specifically faith that you can hear from our Lord Jesus Christ.

So one way to discern between spirits is to consider whether the spirit you are hearing from is promoting the idea of believing and hearing Jesus Christ by faith or is causing you to doubt whether you can and have heard from the Lord.

For example: have you ever prayed and asked God to give you an answer and then thought you heard from the Lord only to later start doubting whether you actually did hear from the Lord? This is what I am talking about. We have to live by faith, so if you asked the Lord and believe you got an answer you probably did. Yet there will almost certainly come a thought to you about whether that was really the Lord, even though you had already concluded that it was the Lord. If that is the case, almost certainly the first thought was from the Lord and the second thought almost certainly was not yours but the snake trying to get you to doubt.

Now I wrote almost certainly, because the snake could have said something as if he was the Lord. If that was the case the Lord will come and correct the conclusion reach but He will not come and try to get you to doubt that you heard from the Lord. That is to say the Lord is not going to just pull out the tare (word from Satan) in you but rather the Lord will plant in the same area of thinking to correct the problem.

That is just one thing I picked up on discernment of spirits. Let me know something that you picked up. thanks

 

[Carl Emerson]

First off the discernment of Spirits is a gift and I don't think it is very common.

Here is an example of how it works for me...

I'm having lunch with my mum in a country town.

Half way through eating I feel a disturbance deep in my Spirit.

I stand up and say to my mum follow me somethings not right, I'm loosing my peace.

We walk outside and down the path - I sense exactly what direction it is coming from.

Sure enough I stop at the boundary and look and the neighbour is divining for water...

 

[Richard T]

I have a interesting story relating to 1 John 4:2 (KJV)
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
Anyway, I was playing in a worship band some years ago when God clearly pointed out to me a man in the audience and told me he had a demon. At the end of the service, I began to approach the man. Before I even got to him, or said anything, he blurted out "I do not have a demon." Of course, that just confirmed it. However, I let him talk me out of what God had told me to do because he could say "Jesus is Lord, and Jesus has come in the flesh." I prayed with this person but did not go into any deliverance. Later, I felt I had missed God. I should have addressed the demon directly. I do think those scriptures are helpful in discernment, but there can be other things going on even when a person can say the right things.

Such occasions of getting a word for deliverance are rare in my experience. I did once smell a demon, and a few other times I sensed demonic presence. I have never really seen many angels or demons though, so I do not think I operate in the gift discerning of spirits much, if any. I do think that one's gifts are related to how God will use you to deal with things. Looking forward to hearing others on this topic.

 

[Annner]

Many Christians don't think they need to discern which spirit is talking to you. They think that if they hear anything it must be from the Lord. If they read that Satan might show up as a spirit of light, they figure that does not apply to them. If they read to test the spirits, that does not apply to them. This thread is not for them! It is for those Christians who have realize that hearing with their spiritual ears mean that they can hear from good and evil, so they test the spirits and try to discern between good and evil. I wanted to discuss discernment of spirit, and not why some don't.

There are a number of ways and thing I consider for discerning of spirit that I can hear from.

I use my experience hearing. I use the test recorded at 1 Jn 4:1-3. I also you 1 Cor 12:3. I know a lot of people use their understanding of the fruit of the spirit, which I understand but see problems with it. Jesus said that if you ask for something good we are not going to get something bad, and I use that concept. Of course I do use my understanding of the Bible, but that more for deciding when to test the spirits. I use the fact that God said that He place before us good and evil and to choose good, so I must have some basic understanding of what is good and what is evil. I try to remember things that the Lord told me in the past and apply them, which is probably the most useful of the above mention things I use to discern good from evil. Then sometime I have to just put my trust in the Lord, that what is happening is going to work out for good even if per chance the devil is meaning something for evil. I don't like doing that, but sometimes it seems the only way to go.

Now I would love to exchange ideas, thoughts, and experiences with someone who also hears from the Lord and works at discerning between good and evil when they hear to make sure they are hearing from the Lord. If you have never caught evil spirts trying to approach you because you do discern between good and evil, I don't really want to hear from you at this time, because you are not using discernment of spirits. You need to start doing that, but do that first and I then would like to read what you have to say.

I will start with something I learned from the Lord which I found useful and interesting. He gave me an interesting teaching about the first words the snake said. The first four words the snake said were "Did God really say..." They are words meant to bring doubt that God speaks to us. So Satan's first attack against us is usually "doubt", and specifically doubt that God speaks to us. That is of course the exact opposite of the Holy Spirit who is about faith and specifically faith that you can hear from our Lord Jesus Christ.

So one way to discern between spirits is to consider whether the spirit you are hearing from is promoting the idea of believing and hearing Jesus Christ by faith or is causing you to doubt whether you can and have heard from the Lord.

For example: have you ever prayed and asked God to give you an answer and then thought you heard from the Lord only to later start doubting whether you actually did hear from the Lord? This is what I am talking about. We have to live by faith, so if you asked the Lord and believe you got an answer you probably did. Yet there will almost certainly come a thought to you about whether that was really the Lord, even though you had already concluded that it was the Lord. If that is the case, almost certainly the first thought was from the Lord and the second thought almost certainly was not yours but the snake trying to get you to doubt.

Now I wrote almost certainly, because the snake could have said something as if he was the Lord. If that was the case the Lord will come and correct the conclusion reach but He will not come and try to get you to doubt that you heard from the Lord. That is to say the Lord is not going to just pull out the tare (word from Satan) in you but rather the Lord will plant in the same area of thinking to correct the problem.

That is just one thing I picked up on discernment of spirits. Let me know something that you picked up. thanks

In my personal experience, there are many ways to tell, especially when the Holy Spirit reveals whats behind their words or actions. Some ways the Lord alerts me by.........

An uneasy feeling that something that appears to be of the Lord, but is just somehow off. Just something about it isnt right, then later i usually find out what it is, and its confirmed.

Testing things by the Word of God.

Anything that causes fear.

Any lie.

Things meant to harm or bring destruction

Something that sounds right and truthful such as quoting scripture, yet find theres an untruth sandwiched somewhere in it....a twist.

Any supernatural thing that doesnt match up with what God would do, or how he would act.

The Spirit of God directly revealing whats behind it.

Those who dont abide in the vine and obey Jesus.

The spirit of how something comes across. Was it meant to hurt, did it come with an “attitude”, and what fruit came of it.

False accusations.

The book of 1 John is filled with knowing the difference........
He that walks in darkness.

He that loves not the brethren.

Anyone who denies the Son has not the Father

Those who didnt continue on but went out from among us reveals they were never of us.

He that is of God, HEARS us. Those who dont hear us are not of Him.

Those who practice sin or do not righteousness.

The verse in 1 John about Jesus coming in the flesh I think may mean something different than what we understand? Not quite sure....because everyone mostly will be able to say, of course, Jesus was born in the flesh. I wonder if its saying that the person wont be able to confess that JESUS came in THE flesh, meaning THEIR flesh to indwell them. Example, if you ask WHO dwells IN you? Christians would say Jesus,,,Christ in you! But an unbeliever would not be able to confess that. Then it goes onto say,,,,because greater is HE THAT IS IN YOU, than he that is in the flesh.
(Just a thought there)

 

[Goodhuman]

First, it is not good if somebody is talking to you. Second, if you hear somebody evil you must do yourself exorcism.

 

[Noxot]

Spirit is the inner nature of a being. All around us there are countless spirits and whatever we adopt for ourselves is what Spirit we are of.

Sometimes the serpent uses "did God really say" and sometimes he uses "God said such and such", but his Spirit behind the words are unclean and Evil.

One day st. Francis was in a broken down Church. The Lord told him to repair his church. So st. Francis went about trying to fix the building. God had a little bit more in mind.

 

[Mantishand]

I hear as you do as you know. Right before I met Jesus I heard two deceiving spirits, trying to deceive me. God has let me hear them again recently. They were plotting evil against me. It answered a question I had about particular sin as well.

I can feel the evil in the spirits. It sounds stupid but it’s true. They are deceivers working for the evil one. One day I will judge them and I can’t wait.

 

[Noxot]

Every thought and affection we have is by some kind of spirit, even by a hierarchy of spirits. all kinds of impressions are built up in us and then they "fight" over what those things should be filled with. And of course we have our own spirit.

Many spirits are not even aware that they are around us. by simply being in the same spiritual location we are influenced by them and even in some way may influence them. what we are does not only affect this world our flesh is in, we effects spiritual realities. God is the father of spirits, his Providence organizes all spirits.

God will not be mocked, we reap what we sow. If we accept evil spirits they will rule over us until we hang out with better spirits. They want to tell us what God is and what he says and what the Bible means just like Angels do. But Angels want to bring us closer to God and demons want to hurt us and use us for their own pleasures.

The Holy Spirit cannot tolerate evils and will go away from us if we are being evil. Christ will not live in us if we do not want him to. Evil spirits cannot tolerate Heavenly atmospheres and Angelic Spirits cannot tolerate hellish atmospheres.

 

[K2K]

First, it is not good if somebody is talking to you. Second, if you hear somebody evil you must do yourself exorcism.

We need to know Jesus Christ. Christians are those who know Him and follow Him. What you are expressing is the way of this world. Jesus explained that His sheep hear His voice and that His words are spirit and are life. Now a new Christian, like a new baby, might not understand much of what is going on yet. Perhaps there was an altar call at their church and they just felt they needed to go up front where they were lead in a prayer. They didn't understand who was behind that feeling to go up front, or even who was behind them being at church that day, because they are just not aware of anything spiritual.

This section is call deeper fellowship, and some may not be ready for that yet. That is not meant to put them down. I love newer Christian and even those who don't fully understand what is going on around them. Still over and over we see it written about how with their ears they don't hear and with their eyes they don't see.

 

[K2K]

I hear as you do as you know. Right before I met Jesus I heard two deceiving spirits, trying to deceive me. God has let me hear them again recently. They were plotting evil against me. It answered a question I had about particular sin as well.

I can feel the evil in the spirits. It sounds stupid but it’s true. They are deceivers working for the evil one. One day I will judge them and I can’t wait.

This doesn't sound stupid to me, and it shouldn't sound stupid to anyone, but who pays attention?

I have just two thoughts on what you wrote. One is whether you should look forward to a day to judge them? The other is; if you heard from two, could there be more, and even many more that you have come across and not heard?

Concerning the first thought: Jesus said He didn't judge anyone, but as He heard He judged. So could it be that we need to seek the Lord and hear what He has to say, even about spirits talking to us, and make right then a judgement about them according to what the Lord Jesus Christ tells us? Paul did say that he took all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ. Therefore, taking all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ is one excellent way for discernment, isn't it. And you are not fully unaware of this because you wrote, "God let me hear them...'

And taking all thoughts captive to Him, brings up my second thought. We battle with the dark forces of this world. It is not only two that make up the dark forces is it? Perhaps we are not taking all thoughts captive to Him?

 

[Goodhuman]

We need to know Jesus Christ. Christians are those who know Him and follow Him. What you are expressing is the way of this world. Jesus explained that His sheep hear His voice and that His words are spirit and are life. Now a new Christian, like a new baby, might not understand much of what is going on yet. Perhaps there was an altar call at their church and they just felt they needed to go up front where they were lead in a prayer. They didn't understand who was behind that feeling to go up front, or even who was behind them being at church that day, because they are just not aware of anything spiritual.

This section is call deeper fellowship, and some may not be ready for that yet. That is not meant to put them down. I love newer Christian and even those who don't fully understand what is going on around them. Still over and over we see it written about how with their ears they don't hear and with their eyes they don't see.

I will never allow somebody evil to talk to me. I believe it is everybody's personal choice.

 

[K2K]

In my personal experience, there are many ways to tell, especially when the Holy Spirit reveals whats behind their words or actions. Some ways the Lord alerts me by.........

An uneasy feeling that something that appears to be of the Lord, but is just somehow off. Just something about it isnt right, then later i usually find out what it is, and its confirmed.

Testing things by the Word of God.

Anything that causes fear.

Any lie.

Things meant to harm or bring destruction

Something that sounds right and truthful such as quoting scripture, yet find theres an untruth sandwiched somewhere in it....a twist.

Any supernatural thing that doesnt match up with what God would do, or how he would act.

The Spirit of God directly revealing whats behind it.

Those who dont abide in the vine and obey Jesus.

The spirit of how something comes across. Was it meant to hurt, did it come with an “attitude”, and what fruit came of it.

False accusations.

The book of 1 John is filled with knowing the difference........
He that walks in darkness.

He that loves not the brethren.

Anyone who denies the Son has not the Father

Those who didnt continue on but went out from among us reveals they were never of us.

He that is of God, HEARS us. Those who dont hear us are not of Him.

Those who practice sin or do not righteousness.

The verse in 1 John about Jesus coming in the flesh I think may mean something different than what we understand? Not quite sure....because everyone mostly will be able to say, of course, Jesus was born in the flesh. I wonder if its saying that the person wont be able to confess that JESUS came in THE flesh, meaning THEIR flesh to indwell them. Example, if you ask WHO dwells IN you? Christians would say Jesus,,,Christ in you! But an unbeliever would not be able to confess that. Then it goes onto say,,,,because greater is HE THAT IS IN YOU, than he that is in the flesh.
(Just a thought there)

I loved the post Annner. You are correct on so many things. From my experience this seems to be how most Christians do discern between good and evil spirits. Yet I believe it falls short and that because we often lean on our own understanding, as opposed to actually seeking the voice of the Lord to hear what He has to say. It is not to say that most Christian don't hear His voice, but rather that most Christian don't actually spend a lot of time trying to hear His voice. It is not only written that with their ears they don't hear but also with their ears they barely hear and something about being dull of hearing and something about with practice we have our senses trained to discern good from evil. (see Heb 5)

So I fully agree that there are many ways that we can and should use to discern between good and evil spirits!!

But are we really looking to use those many ways if we are finding ways not to use, and indeed put down, the specific test in 1 Jn 4:1-3?

Yeah, we can reason that anyone can say Jesus Christ came in the flesh so that test must not work like it is written. Yet do we know more that John who wrote the test? Didn't John actually get that test from God? So if God says that test works and that is how we are to test the spirits, who are we to not use it exactly like it is written?

Look - I thought about what you wrote long ago, and came to the conclusion that I should use the test simply because God had it written to use that test to test the spirits! I reasoned that to do otherwise was in fact just leaning on my understanding as opposed to following the instructions from the Lord, and that would be the case if I didn't use it. After all, if God say to do something I should at least give it a try, shouldn't I? So I did. I tried it over and over and considered what happened.

I find it useful, but I do not believe it alone is not the answer. There are several problems I have found with using the type of things you are using:

One is that God's thoughts are not our thoughts!! So just because something I pick up in the spirit makes be feel uncomfortable does not mean it is not from God!! That was huge for me to understand!! The Lord has had me do lots of things which made be feel uncomfortable and even caused be to fear, but it was from Him, to be sure! He once asked me to quite my job, just because He told me to. He did give me some incredible sign, like putting out a fleece, but it was still uncomfortable and scary. Then after I decided to commit to that, He then told me to open up a Christian bookstore for Him. Wow, didn't check all the boxes that you might use to discern that it was not from God?

I find that too many Christians rule out things from the Lord because they ' it seems off to them'. I would say that if it feels off to you, that is the time to test the spirits like commanded to do. You might be right. You might even get confirmation that you were right most of the time, but since the Lord's thought are not your thoughts and His ways are not your ways, it is very likely that you just don't fully understand what He is up too.

For example, if you were with Jesus like Peter, when He was heading to the cross, wouldn't you also have thought He didn't need to? Could it have been that like Peter Jesus might turn to you and say "Satan get behind me"? Jesus going to the cross didn't seem right and didn't make sense to Peter. I can be like Peter and indeed a lot of us are Peters, but John explained that we need to test the spirits and gave us a specific test to us. It is not up to us to judge the test or even make sure it works, but I would suggest we do obey the Lord, like we says we are doing, and actually use that test if we are not feeling right about something.

Still, I loved your post Annner.

 

[K2K]

I will never allow somebody evil to talk to me. I believe it is everybody's personal choice.

Yeah - that is a great idea, but if you don't test the spirit how do you know they are not talking to you?

And if you are not listening how to you not know that God is not trying to talk to you?

The fact is that God is trying to talk to us and God is spirit. You do however have a choice to believe or not. Yet like with most of our choices, they have consequences.

 

[K2K]

Every thought and affection we have is by some kind of spirit, even by a hierarchy of spirits. all kinds of impressions are built up in us and then they "fight" over what those things should be filled with. And of course we have our own spirit.

Many spirits are not even aware that they are around us. by simply being in the same spiritual location we are influenced by them and even in some way may influence them. what we are does not only affect this world our flesh is in, we effects spiritual realities. God is the father of spirits, his Providence organizes all spirits.

God will not be mocked, we reap what we sow. If we accept evil spirits they will rule over us until we hang out with better spirits. They want to tell us what God is and what he says and what the Bible means just like Angels do. But Angels want to bring us closer to God and demons want to hurt us and use us for their own pleasures.

The Holy Spirit cannot tolerate evils and will go away from us if we are being evil. Christ will not live in us if we do not want him to. Evil spirits cannot tolerate Heavenly atmospheres and Angelic Spirits cannot tolerate hellish atmospheres.

I like the post Noxot

I don't think every thought we have is by some spirit unless we are including ourselves in that. We have thoughts that are ours! But spirits, both good and evil, do influence our thoughts. We live with that whether we care to believe it or not.

There are more with us than against us. The Scriptures explain that and that the Kingdom of God is in our midst, but the Scriptures also point to there being many evil spirits and that our battle is with the dark forces, evil of this world. Also that we find the presence of evil in us. So the battle is inside, and we are smart not to come into agreement with them and give them authority in our lives - thus we need to use discernment.

And it is a smart and wise thing to understand that evil has trouble tolerating a heavenly atmosphere. There is something about what does darkness and light have in common. That is an interesting phrase because light is something that makes you aware of your surroundings and darkness is something that hides your surroundings. So it is that the Lord seems to want to make me aware that there is darkness, those who want you unaware! It is not the devil who wants you to discern good from evil, that in itself is from God. We get some discernment just by understanding that.

 

[sea5763]

nvm

 

[K2K]

I've had so many weird experiences with dreams and hearing voices and hallucinating. I spent a long time thinking when I was starting to hear voices that God was talking to me. I was so wrong. It was an evil spirit but I never tested it. I have to take meds to make it stop. Even on meds a year ago I heard it again after about 4 years of silence. It didn't even try to hide that it was a demon and wanted to drag me into hell. It was awful.

I still sometimes rarely hear stuff even on meds. I was watching a show on sid roth its supernatural, and it was about a couple saying that you can talk to God and see the future too if you learn from them. Near the end of the show they were trying to explain a concept. They said to think of your name in your head. Then I heard the number 24 in my head instead of my name. Then I saw this wrapper on my desk start shaking back and forth for at least a solid 2 minutes quickly and with nothing touching it. Then after the pause they said now for the next 24 hours meditate on your name in order to start on your journey towards talking to God. Then I heard a spirit within me say "be careful". The show eventually finished and the wrapper eventually stopped shaking. The wrapper shaking unprovoked reminded me of ghost stories and I've never seen something like in person although I've watched a lot of ghost stories on tv.

It made me think that whatever spirit I heard and the spirit that they got their power from were at war with each other. What bothers me is my discernment of spirits is garbage so I dont know which one belongs to who. I sometimes think that in dreams sometimes God will talk to me, sometimes demons, and sometimes my dreams happen in the future or even in real time. I cant control when God decides to talk to me or really know which dreams will happen later until they do. My discernment of spirits I'd garbage so I read the whole Bible so I wouldn't be as easily duped by evil spirits again if they tell me lies that contradict the Bible.

I like the testimony. So what do you feel like you got from the Bible? And have you heard anything since then; if so how did you handle it?

 

[sea5763]

nvm

 

[sea5763]

Nvm

 

[Goodhuman]

We need to know Jesus Christ. Christians are those who know Him and follow Him. What you are expressing is the way of this world. Jesus explained that His sheep hear His voice and that His words are spirit and are life. Now a new Christian, like a new baby, might not understand much of what is going on yet. Perhaps there was an altar call at their church and they just felt they needed to go up front where they were lead in a prayer. They didn't understand who was behind that feeling to go up front, or even who was behind them being at church that day, because they are just not aware of anything spiritual.

This section is call deeper fellowship, and some may not be ready for that yet. That is not meant to put them down. I love newer Christian and even those who don't fully understand what is going on around them. Still over and over we see it written about how with their ears they don't hear and with their eyes they don't see.

I didn't say I don't listen. Just nobody evil never talked to me, because I don't allow.

 

[Mantishand]

This doesn't sound stupid to me, and it shouldn't sound stupid to anyone, but who pays attention?

I have just two thoughts on what you wrote. One is whether you should look forward to a day to judge them? The other is; if you heard from two, could there be more, and even many more that you have come across and not heard?

Concerning the first thought: Jesus said He didn't judge anyone, but as He heard He judged. So could it be that we need to seek the Lord and hear what He has to say, even about spirits talking to us, and make right then a judgement about them according to what the Lord Jesus Christ tells us? Paul did say that he took all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ. Therefore, taking all thoughts captive to Jesus Christ is one excellent way for discernment, isn't it. And you are not fully unaware of this because you wrote, "God let me hear them...'

And taking all thoughts captive to Him, brings up my second thought. We battle with the dark forces of this world. It is not only two that make up the dark forces is it? Perhaps we are not taking all thoughts captive to Him?

I do look forward to the days that I judge them. Because I was let known that they influenced me to want to indulge in sin to my demise. I heard them recently say "I wish we could do this to him again or that to him again" which confirmed that they did influence my behavior. It was like He let me hear them.

It angers me that their whole existence is to ruin our lives. How pathetic and evil. I do look forward to them getting their deserved reward.