Description

Definition
The aptitude of discernment is the ability to identify the spirit of a person or situation, whether the spirit is divine, human, or satanic. This may include the ability to recognize the spiritual realm and how it affects or functions through a person, either for good or evil. At another level, discernment is the ability to distinguish between possibilities, such as good and evil, right and wrong, truth and error. It is the ability to accurately judge character, to identify deception or incorrect beliefs and practices, to see through phoniness or deceit. Having discerned a problem, you reveal the cause so it can be corrected, which can make you very confrontational. The purpose of discernment, however, is to identify and reveal. The aptitude of discernment in its purest form involves a direct revelation from God, an intuitive knowledge that is not dependent on human analysis or judgment.
You may be ethereal in your thinking, acutely aware of the influence the spiritual realm has over the physical. As a result, you may have little concern for anything related to observable facts and experiences. You may be intuitive in your thinking and behavior since your focus is on the nonphysical realm.
We find several examples of discernment in Scripture, such as an incident in Acts. Ananias had sold some property and kept part of the money for himself, then claimed the money he gave to the church was the full selling price of the land. “Then Peter said, ‘Ananias, how is it that Satan has so filled your heart that you have lied to the Holy Spirit and have kept for yourself some of the money you received for the land?’” (Acts 5:3). The problem was not that he kept part of the money. Rather, he chose to deceive the others and make himself appear more generous. Peter discerned that Satan had motivated the deception.
Consider an incident involving Jesus and His disciples.

“Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the leaders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
“Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. ‘Never, Lord!’ he said. ‘This shall never happen to you!’
“Jesus turned and said to Peter, ‘Out of my sight, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men’” (Matt. 16:21-23).

Peter expressed a typical human thought because he knew Jesus was the Messiah and would set up His kingdom. He was loyal to Jesus and was willing to fight for His kingdom. He probably experienced anger or fear that anyone would kill the Messiah. Yet Jesus didn’t rebuke Peter, who spoke the words. Jesus rebuked Satan, who planted the thought in Peter’s mind.
Jesus used discernment frequently when ministering to people’s needs. Someone would come to Him with a physical ailment and He would identify an evil spirit as the cause, and then command the spirit to leave (see Matt. 12:22; Mark 9:25; Luke 13:10-13). His followers also used discernment to identify the spirit or attitude motivating a person’s actions (see Acts 8:23; 16:16-18).
A revelation gift, such as discernment, can provoke strong reactions in people. Whenever you tell someone they are in error, deceived, motivated by sinful thinking, influenced by an evil spirit, or something similar, be prepared for them to react strongly. Even more so if you are right.
People often judge another’s motives by assuming the person had the same motive they would have in that situation. This is projection, not discernment. Discernment is not about making assumptions but about knowing the truth.

Typical Characteristics
● Able to recognize inconsistencies in the teachings, relationships, and motives of others.
● Quick to identify deception.
● Able to identify others’ incorrect beliefs and practices.
● Confront people you believe have wrong motives or are being deceptive.

Tendencies
● Priorities: spiritual. Discernment is a spiritual function and has a spiritual focus.
● Issue Perception
● May be objective if you view the spiritual world as dominant. Human feelings and relationships become much less important than spiritual realities and principles.
● May be subjective if you view feelings and emotions as the primary means of sensing the spiritual realm, or reflections of spiritual reality.

Misunderstandings
People may consider you arbitrary in your judgments, since the observable facts will not support your evaluation of the situation. People may accuse you of being faultfinding. Stating that a demon is influencing someone can be extremely offensive to them.

Vocations and Roles
Your insight and discernment of motives may make you effective at negotiations or anywhere you need to distinguish between motives. Because a person does not always know his motivation, giving them what they request is not always best.
You may be drawn to the positions of arbitrator or judge, due to your desire to distinguish between right and wrong, or good and evil.
You may be effective as a counselor, since you can distinguish between attitudes and spirits, and properly address them.

Perversions

Self-Centeredness
(Perverts your aptitude by focusing it on you, emphasizing the pleasure or fulfillment it gives you.)
You may have such confidence in your ability that you believe whatever pops into your mind. If a person denies your accusation, you might arrogantly believe your discernment makes your perception superior to their opinion, which allows you to reject their denial. Your self-confidence could make you unnecessarily confrontational.

Extremes
(Perverts by exaggerating, taking your characteristics and tendencies to extremes.)
In the extreme, discernment could make you suspicious and frequently cause you to accuse people of improper motives. It could lead to presumption, causing you to form opinions about others’ motives without sufficient evidence, jumping to conclusions. You also might believe your intuitive perception, without regard for evidence or the person’s denial. If you are strongly ethereal in your thinking, you might incorrectly attribute sinful behavior to demons.

Control
(Self-centeredness makes you want to be in control, and you struggle for control in a way that is unique to your character.)
In a conflict, you are likely to become argumentative and insist you have correctly discerned. You also might struggle for control by trying to make the evidence fit your accusation. If you are strongly ethereal in your thinking or intrigued by occult power, you might try using the occult to gain control over other people or to excel with your other abilities.

Redemption

Putting on Important Traits
Certain godly character traits are especially important to you as a discerner. Consciously developing the following traits will help you accurately identify the spirit controlling the situation and respond appropriately.

● Humility (Considers self relatively unimportant compared to others; prevents using abilities for one’s own satisfaction.) You cannot assume your discernment is always correct; instead, you must humbly recognize your ability to make mistakes. Once you have informed someone of an improper spirit or motive, you can humbly allow them to respond however they choose, without demanding they believe you and respond as you think they should.
● Agape (Considers others’ welfare, needs, interests, and desires more important than your own; motivates you to act for others’ benefit regardless of personal impact.) By considering others’ welfare and needs more important than your own, you are willing to do what they need without concern for how it might affect you. Agape enables you to address sensitive areas involving others’ spirits and motives, without being arrogant, meddling, or insensitive.
● Goodness (Action on another’s behalf, whether pleasant or unpleasant to them; motivates you to do what is best for others.) This motivates you to do what is best for others by identifying the forces driving the situation and taking appropriate action, whether it seems pleasant or not. When combined with agape, this becomes “tough love.”
● Faith or faithfulness (Firm conviction regarding something for which there is no proof; action based on such conviction.) Because intellectual or physical proof for what you sense in your spirit usually doesn’t exist, you must accept it in faith.
● Self-control (Restraint; temperance; moderation in thought, action, or feeling.) Moderation in thought and action keeps you from being overly confrontational, especially when the person rejects what you have discerned.

Repentance, Renewing Your Mind
(The changes you need to make in the way you think, including your attitudes, standards, priorities, and perspective.)
Your role is to identify and reveal the motivating spirit or distinguish between possibilities. People often make poor choices because they cannot recognize misleading information or evil influences, for example, so you provide them an essential service. You also provide invaluable help by identifying evil spiritual forces hindering Christians in their work and preventing nonbelievers from hearing the truth of the gospel.

Denying and Humbling Yourself
(Rejecting your own desires and self-interests. Refusing to be motivated by desire for recognition or credit for the results.)
Revealing a hidden truth is power, and a sinful mindset motivates you to exercise power by rebuking or correcting forcefully; you must reject that inclination and offer your gift as a service. You usually believe your perception is correct; learn to test what you sense and be ready to admit your mistake rather than justify yourself. Another natural tendency is to use what you know about a situation immediately. Instead, you must humble yourself and wait until God clearly shows what you are to do, then do exactly what He shows you.

Taking up Your Cross
(Accepting that which has potential for great harm, threatens to break you down, or reveals your inadequacies.)
Every time you speak, you run the risk of being wrong since you speak intuitively. Also, when you discern a person’s spirit, they may consider that intensely personal and react strongly. They may be unwilling or unable to accept what you say and choose to reject you as a fraud, becoming defensive or even hostile.

Following Jesus
(How you uniquely imitate Jesus by doing what He would in your situation.)
Jesus always addressed the real issues, rather than judge by superficial evidence. Real discernment is a spiritual revelation, rather than judging from your perspective.

Becoming Like a Child
(Accepting what God gives you, believing what He tells you, trusting Him to take care of you, and simply doing what He says.)
Because discernment is intuitive revelation, you must accept what God shows you and do as He says. Wait until He shows you what to do with your knowledge of the person or situation, instead of trying to figure it out. He has a reason for revealing the information to you, and it often will not be obvious.