Gifted By The Spirit

28 Jan

Susan Merritt, PhD Christian Living, Weekly Devotional 0

We are the Body of Christ and the gifts of the Holy Spirit that are divided out to each of us are for the efficient functioning of the body, directed by the Holy Spirit. According to Merrill Unger, “A gift implies a settled and continual abilities to do something again and again” (from The Gift of Seeing Angels and Demons: A Handbook for Discerners of Spirits, pp 15-16). There are several Bible passages that, between them, build the list of gifts (1 Cor 12,13,14; Eph4;1 Pet4; Rom12). Ephesians 4:12 says they are “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.”

There is one gift we don’t talk about much, and when we do it is in a very limited way because it is so misunderstood. It is the “discerning of spirits” found in 1 Corinthians 12:10. We usually hear about that gift in light of the recognition of false prophets and teachers. But it is not the “gift of recognizing false prophets and teachers”; there is much more to this gift and the existence of false prophets and teachers is only a symptom of the Spiritual warfare that the discerner of spirits deals with:

“The gift of discerning of spirits is the ability to perceive beyond the physical/temporal world and to be aware of activity in the spiritual (invisible) realm, recognizing angelic and demonic interaction with each other and with the world of men. The purpose of this insight is to advance the Kingdom of God, according to God’s will, and to provide protective information and help to His Church on earth…Many Christians think that the gift of discerning of spirits denotes only the recognition of false teachers and their doctrines. However, the gift of discerning of spirits also involves the detection of spiritual activity leading to processes analogous to radar for spiritual warfare” (from The Gift of Seeing Angels and Demons: A Handbook for Discerners of Spirits, pp 18-19).

The function of the discerner of spirits is that of “gatekeeper” for the Church, recognizing spiritual activity against God’s people and standing in the gap against the powers of darkness across all spiritual warfare activities. This includes, but is not limited to, the recognition of false prophets and teachers among us.

While Christians might experience activities outside their own giftedness, that does not mean they are particularly gifted in those areas. For instance, each Christian has been empowered by the Holy Spirit for particular functions in the service of our Lord, but we are all called to

Love one another (1 John 3:18 – “My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.)
Evangelism (2 Tim. 4:2 – “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”)
Discerning of Spirits, in terms of the wisdom to perceive false prophets and teachers ( 1 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.”)

The work of false prophets and teachers can be very subtle, beginning with something that looks very close to the truth and moving ever so slowly towards fully accepted heresy. They commercialize their message and eventually bring Christianity into disrepute. The Bible foreshadowed this. As 2 Peter 2:1-3a says:

“…There were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways, by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you…”

As with all Spiritual Warfare, the only way to guard against this is in your daily close walk with God. 1 John 4:1-3 tells us to “…believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesses not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God.”

How do we recognize when we are not being fed the whole truth and nothing but the truth? I have written before about Ephesians 6:11-17 which gives us the metaphor of protective armor. The discernment remedy is in proactive measures:

We have to know Scripture very well through reading, memorizing, and meditating daily on the Bible
We have to walk and talk daily with God. As 1 Thessalonians 5:16-17 says, “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks…”
We have to actively look for His presence with us.

2 Timothy 2:15-16 gives us the two sides of maintaining Scriptural integrity in our lives:

First, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

And Second, “…shun profane and vain babblings [i.e., from the constant jangling of News, Internet, Radio, Gossip, and the latest woke guru] for they will increase unto more ungodliness.”

Ultimately it comes down to James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”