BIBLICAL & SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT VI TEST EVERY SPIRIT

BIBLICAL & SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

VI

TEST EVERY SPIRIT

Dr. Kenneth W. Jones, Pastor, Practical Living Ministry

1

12/2/2015

copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

Spiritual Discernment

1st John 4:1: Beloved, believe not every

spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of

God: because many false prophets are gone

out into the world.

Hebrews 5:14: 14: But strong meat belongeth

to them that are of full age, even those who by

reason of use have their senses exercised to

discern both good and evil.

“senses trained” – Creating a sensitivity to the

workings and the movings of the Spirit of God12/2/2015

2

This is Not a Suggestion

This is a Requirement!

Testing the spirits means that one must know how

to “examine the Scriptures.” Rather than accept

every teaching, discerning Christians diligently

study the Scriptures.

Realize that there is a spirit behind every teaching.

A spirit that will either motivate and encourage you

to pursue an action or thought; a transfer of

knowledge; to strengthen, hinder, or destroy you

emotionally, spiritually, and physically12/2/2015

3

Believe Not Every Spirit

"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers,

transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no

marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of

light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be

transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end

shall be according to their works." (2 Corinthians 11:13-15

KJV)

12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

4

Can You Find the Wolf in

this Picture?

Don’t Tolerate Evil or False

Spirits

Revelation 2:20 - But I have this against you: that you

tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a

prophetess [claiming to be inspired], and who is teaching

and leading astray my servants and beguiling them into

practicing sexual vice and eating food sacrificed to idols.

"Because many false prophets have gone out into the

world." It is a huge problem and the undiscerning are

victimized

God has given us His indwelling Spirit but John now points

out that there are other "spirits" loose in the world. If we

have the Spirit, we ought to "test the Spirits."12/2/2015

5

To Discern: Be Careful to Do:

Don’t Judge

Christ’s purpose was to save, not tear down; Please allow the

scriptures and the power of the Spirit to tear down walls of

deception, unbelief, etc.

The judgmental carnal mind usually sees the image of oneself

in others (Matthew 7: 1-5) – Therefore keep the “beam”

removed from your eyes

Stay in an attitude of love: the Love of God is the work

of the Spirit of God

The spiritual gifts, which includes the gift of discernment

worketh by love

Guard your heart – It’s difficult to discern if we are bound by

sin 12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

6

To Discern

There should be a certain godly character and spiritual

fruit associated with our ability and maturity to discern

Never try to discern, teach , or recover anyone with a

sense of Pride

Pride taints our discernment which is why pride cometh

before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall (Prov

16:18)

1 Corinthians 10:12 - Wherefore let him that thinketh he

standeth take heed lest he fall.

Hopefully the final outcome is not to tear down but to discern in

order to recover yourself and others from false

teachings/spirits12/2/2015

7

How to Test a Spirit


8

Observing what a person does. In Matthew 7:15-20,

Jesus explains that false prophets are known by

their fruit - by their conduct and actions.

Observing whether or not a person exalts Jesus

Christ as the Son of God and as Lord and Saviour (I

Corinthians 12:3).

By listening to what a person says (I John 4:1-3).

Does their confession line up with the truth of God's

Word?

Testing the Spirit

1. Christology – What does the person say about Christ?

1. Number one test, the confession of the divine Lord. Let's call it

the confession of the divine Lord. Verse 2 again, "Every spirit

that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from

God."

2. There's one thing demons will inevitably deny in all their

demonic systems, and that is they will deny the deity of Jesus

Christ (1 John 4:3)

2. Before you accept any teaching, be sure of their view

of Christ, their view of salvation, and their view of

Scripture.

3. How do they operate in the Spirit? It is consistent with

scripture and not your interpretation?12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

9

Example


10

Prosperity without

accountability

“Ye are Gods!”

‘Super Grace”teachings

God doesn’t see your sin anymore


So, how does one increase spiritual

discernment?

First, recognizing that God is the only one who can

increase wisdom, pray for it (James 1:5; Philippians

1:9).

Then, knowing the wisdom to distinguish good from

evil comes by training and practice, go to the Bible to

learn the truth and, by meditation on the Word,

reinforce the truth.

Spiritual discernment is the ability to tell the difference

between truth and error. It is basic to having wisdom.12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

11

Knowing Their Thoughts

Matthew 9:4 - And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, "Why

are you thinking evil in your hearts?

In the earlier verse, Jesus saw a person’s faith

Matthew 9:2 - And they brought to Him a paralytic lying

on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic,

"Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven."

In the Book of Mark, it says, “Jesus perceived “in his

spirit” that they so reasoned.” The power of searching

the heart, and of knowing the thoughts of people,

belongs only to God

Spiritual discernment may allow you to see the spirit of

people, their motive, and to judge them according to the

Word of god12/2/2015

12


Some have mistakenly defined spiritual

discernment as a God-given awareness of evil

or good spiritual presences—the ability to tell if

a demon is in the room. While some people may

possess this capability, it is not the biblical

meaning of discernment.

Spiritual Discernment is not Suspicion Either,

Nor is it just being a good judge of character –

These are carnal abilities


13

How to Grow in Spiritual

Discernment

The only way to grow in spiritual discernment

is

Learn to rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit

who indwells every true Christian, and

Studying God’s Word, the Bible

Train your senses through practice and

sensitivity to the Holy Spirit

Relying on the discernment of others (not

always the best option, but a useful one) –

God has provided the five-fold ministry to

assist you

12/2/2015

14

The Inward Witness

Connected, Inspired, and Guided by the Holy

Spirit

Provides a way by which one may discern

things spiritually through the inward voice

The inward witness can be best defined as a

joint testimony, possessing a sense of

agreement, or knowing whether something is

true or not true. 12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

15

Reason or Imparted

Carnally minded believers respond to understanding

truth through their feelings, or through their physical

senses – Genesis 3:5

Mark 2:8 - Immediately Jesus, aware in His spirit that they

were reasoning that way within themselves, said to them,

"Why are you reasoning about these things in your hearts?

Reason – trying to resolve in your minds; debated within

oneself

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and all of

you know the truth. 1 JOHN 2:20


16

“You Know All Things”

Ye know all things - Every truth Of God necessary to

your salvation, deliverance, healing, and prosperity

As believers, we are divinely taught – Either by men and

women inspired and filled by the Spirit or through the

unction of the Spirit

And you know all things: Because of the anointing of

the Holy Spirit given to all believers, they possess the

resources for knowing the truth and validating God’s

principles

This does not mean waiting at home while the Holy Spirit

teaches you. Why did God provide the five-fold ministry?12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

17

Discerning of Spirits – The Gift

Discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability given by

the Holy Spirit to perceive the source of a spiritual

manifestation and determine whether it is of God (Acts

10:30-35), of the devil (Acts 16:16-18), of man (Acts

8:18-23), or of the world.

It is not mind reading, psychic phenomena, or the ability

to criticize and find fault.

Discerning of spirits must be done by the power of the

Holy Spirit; He bears witness with our spirit when

something is or is not of God.


18

Paul and the Woman of

Divination

Acts 16:16-18: It happened that as we were going to the

place of prayer, a slave-girl having a spirit of divination met

us, who was bringing her masters much profit by fortune-

telling.

17 Following after Paul and us, she kept crying out, saying,

"These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who

are proclaiming to you the way of salvation."

18 She continued doing this for many days. But Paul was

greatly annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I

command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of

her!" And it came out at that very moment.


19

http://www.studylight.org/desk/?q=ac 16:17&t1=en_nas&sr=1

http://www.studylight.org/desk/?q=ac 16:18&t1=en_nas&sr=1

The Woman with Spirit of

Divination

It actually says, She had a spirit of Pythona. That does

not mean much to most of us, which is why it is not

translated literally. But pythona was a certain kind of

snake – a python. It is used here because the python

was associated with the god Apollonot far from Philippi,

in this very area of Europe, there was a shrine to the

Pythian Apollo. (Boice)

The demon-possessed slave girl preached for Paul,

giving a demonic testimony to their divine credentials

and their message

Paul recognized by discernment (gift of discernment) a

spirit in the woman 12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

20

Why We Shouldn’t be Mingling with

Occult and Spirits

One of the only named spirits in the Bible, the python spirit is a

coiling spirit that works to squeeze out the breathe of life (the Holy

Spirit) and cut off your lifeline to God (prayer).

To accomplish its deadly agenda, this spirit will remind you of

wounds from your past, surround you with ungodly influences that

tempt you to compromise the Word of God—or just barrage you

with circumstances that knock the wind out of you

Symptoms of a python attack may include weariness, a loss of

passion to worship and pray, feeling pressured, overwhelmed,

helpless and even hopeless. The severity of those symptoms

depends on how long this enemy has been coiling itself around you

and how much pressure it has applied12/2/2015copyright@PLM TEACHINGS

21

Spirit of Divination

The word divination comes from the Latin divinare, meaning

“to foresee” or “to be inspired by a god.” To practice

divination is to uncover hidden knowledge by supernatural

means. It is associated with the occult and involves fortune-

telling or soothsaying, as it used to be called.

"There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or

his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or

a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who

conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the

dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD,

and because of these abominations the LORD your God drives them

out from before you" (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)


22

Paul Was Annoyed By This

Spirit

It could be said that Paul was grieved by the condition

the maid was in, being possessed with such a spirit: and

that the people were so imposed upon and deluded by

it.

Why did the woman profess that they were servants of

God?

Could be as the demon who ran to Jesus and called him “Son

of God.” (Matthew 8:29)

Why did Paul wait three days? Possibly to give people

time to see that this woman was possessed so that a

demonstration of the Power of God would be

acknowledged by all

12/2/2015

23

Spiritual Deception is Inevitable

1 Corinthians 11:19 - For there must be also heresies

among you, that they which are approved may be made

manifest among you.

There must also be factions: We usually think of

factions and divisions among Christians as nothing but

a problem. But Paul reveals a purpose God has in

allowing factions: that those who are approved may

be recognized among you. God allows factions so

that, over time, those who really belong to God would be

made evident.


24

What To Do?

You discern a false spirit/teaching or an evil spirit. What

should you do?

As you discern the spirit of someone or some thing, you must

discern and consider your actions

You can ignore it – (Not recommended) – Develop a mentality

that it won’t affect you

You can confront it – Ensure you are led and empowered by

the Spirit

Be Wise as Serpents, Harmless as Doves


25

Practical Living Ministry

Practical Living Ministry exists to assist individuals, groups, and

organizations to operate to their full God-given ability by sharing

life changing principles for spiritual growth and development.

If this message touched you, please let me hear from you.

If you would like to encourage us financially to keep sharing these kind

of messages, please go to our donation section on our website at

www.practicallivingministry.org

If you would like to contact Dr. Jones for a speaking engagement at

your church or event concerning biblical leadership, mentoring,

and Christian culture. Please contact Pastor Kenneth Jones at

[email protected]

26

http://www.practicallivingministry.org/

Documents

BIBLICAL & SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT VI TEST EVERY SPIRIT