Have you ever heard someone say, ‘I have the gift of discernment’… but something about it didn’t quite sit right? The truth is, discernment and the discerning of spirits are not the same thing — and mixing them up can lead to confusion, missed warnings, and even spiritual danger.
Today, we’re going to clear the fog. I’ll show you what the Bible means by each of these,, why the difference matters, and how you can walk in both with wisdom. Let’s get into it.
By the way, I’m Pavielle and this is The Purpose Collective. Here’s where we’re going in this episode:
- We’ll start with evaluating what discernment is
- Then we’ll segway into exploring the gift of Discerning of Spirits
- I’ll intertwine some examples of discerning of spirits in action and an illustration of where the lack of discerning of spirits could have been catastrophic
Alright, let’s get into discernment.
Listen on Apple Podcast | Spotify | Google Podcast
Discernment
We’re gonna start with defining our term which is going to be a bit layered because there are quite a few Greek words that are used in scripture for the English word “discern.”
Let’s start with Diakrisis (dee-ak’-ree-sis) which is found in Hebrews 5:14 where it says, “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” It means distinguishing or judging between things.
The next Greek word I want to highlight that appears in the Bible for discern is Dokimazō (official: dok-im-ad’-zo; my version: dahki-madzo) which appears in Luke 12:56, NKJV. It says, “Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time?” This Greek word for discern means to test, examine, prove, scrutinise and to see whether a thing is genuine or not.
Another word used for discernment is Aisthesis (ah’-ee-sthay-sis) in Philippians 1:9, NKJV. The text says, “And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.” The Greek word used here for discernment means perception.
The last Greek word I want to highlight that is used in scripture for discernment is Anakrinō (an-ak-ree’-no) and it appears in 1 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV, which says, “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.” It means to examine or judge. It means to question through investigation and
Discernment in general, is the quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure—what is not easily seen. It is an ability to judge well. The world’s version of discernment is an intuition based on experience, but that isn’t the case for followers of Christ. Our discernment comes from the Holy Spirit. Someone once said something that speaks to this. They said:
“The spirit has no need to be intuitive because the spirit of God knows the mind of God.”
Discernment is something that A LOT of people have but choose to ignore. You know who else has really good discernment? Babies and kids. A lot of kids have superb discernment. They just are really good at detecting people they can trust versus people they want to stay away from.
I know this girl and the very first time I met her daughter, who I believe was two at the time, but within minutes of the first time I met her daughter, she reached for me. While in her mother’s arms, she reached for me to grab her. You know how babies and toddlers do that two-arm hold out so you can pick them up? She did that. The mom told me that her daughter does not like people. She doesn’t just go to strangers. But the little girl picked up on something in her spirit about me that I guess communicated to her that it was something she wanted to get a little closer to. IDK lol.
An example of the opposite of this is when one of my nieces was around 9 months old, there was a relative of hers that she simply did not like. Even when she got up to 3 years old, she still wanted nothing to do with that man.
A lot of kids are great judges of character and discern very well.
I do also want to talk about what discernment is not really quickly though.
● Being Critical
Discernment is not being critical. When someone is critical, they are inclined to criticize people severely. They find fault and point out the faults of others. Criticism is a form of judgment. I read a book a few years back that shows how criticism can be addicting. I honestly feel like it’s highly addictive behavior. And often, people don’t even realize they’re doing it. They just have this compulsion to critique every little thing they see. Critiquing everything about a person is not the same thing as having discernment because discernment is not fault finding. Discernment is being able to judge well.
● Suspicion
Discernment is also not suspicion. Suspicion is the act or an instance of suspecting something wrong without proof or with only slight evidence. Suspicion is really mistrust. Mistrust without any proof.
Think of discernment like a spiritual radar. It alerts you that something is off. Most, if not all, people have some level of discernment. Discernment is necessary. Because God is so good and so gracious, He gave us a superior, more accurate gift through his spirit. So let’s talk about it.
The Gifts of the Spirit
Before we zoom in on the gift of Discerning of Spirits, I want to zoom out and talk about spiritual gifts more broadly. In the book of Acts, before he even talked about the gifts specifically, the Apostle Paul said listen I will not have you ignorant about spiritual gifts. He was committed to making sure those following Christ didn’t misunderstand them, and I get it. Spiritual gifts are important to God and we need them to truly live out this life here on earth in this age.
Paul outlines some of the gifts of the spirit in 1 Corinthians 12 which says:
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, NJKV
Paul is communicating a few things through these scriptures. We learn through these scriptures that all of us have access through the Holy Spirit to at least one spiritual gift. We also learn that these gifts are to be used for the benefit of all. It doesn’t say they are only to be used to benefit Christians. They are used for the benefit of everyone. This makes perfect sense because some people will not believe in Jesus unless they experience one of these gifts at work for their benefit. We also learn what these nine gifts are. These nine gifts can be separated into three categories: revelation gifts, power gifts, and vocal gifts.
- Revelation Gifts. The revelation gifts of Word of Wisdom, Word of Knowledge, Discerning of Spirits reveal something. God manifests his omniscience, which is his all-knowing, through these gifts.
- Power Gifts. God manifests his omnipotence, his all-powerfulness, through the power gifts that do something. Those gifts are: Special Faith, the Working of miracles, and the Gifts of healings.
- Vocal Gifts. God manifests his omnipresence, the truth that He is present in all places at all times, through the vocal gifts that say something. Supernatural speaking. Those gifts are Prophecy, Different kinds of tongues, and the Interpretation of tongues
God gave us these supernatural gifts through His Spirit and He expects us to use them to help each other. Let me know in the comments if you want me to dive deeper into the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.
I want to point out one difference between discernment and the discerning of spirits that we can already see is that discerning of spirits is a gift of the Holy Spirit and discernment is not a gift. Alright, now we can zoom in to the revelation gift of discerning of spirits.
What is the Discerning of Spirits
Discerning of spirits is the gift that gives us the supernatural ability to perceive what is going on in the spirit world. Discerning of spirits is seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, or touching in the spirit realm. This gift can also reveal the kind of spirit that is operating behind a supernatural manifestation. If discernment is like a spiritual radar, then I would say the discerning of spirits is like the full body scanner that reveals what’s hidden.
Discerning spirits is important because it is spirits who wage war for and against humans. They are constantly battling and warring over our souls and over the destinies of nations!
Absence of Discerning of Spirits
The primary reasons we need this gift is 1) to discern demonic spirits during deliverance, 2) to discern the condition of the human spirit, and 3) to discern the working of the Holy Spirit.
Before I get into the meat and potatoes of how this gift operates, I want to explore a situation where discerning of spirits would have been helpful and that is when Samuel was tasked to anoint the new king of Israel.
King Saul had been rejected by God as king of Israel after he completely disobeyed God. The prophet Samuel was given a directive from God. God told the prophet, “you are to anoint for me the one I indicate to you.” 1 Samuel 16:3. After that, God sends Samuel to a man named Jesse who was in Bethlehem. They meet up and Samuel invites Jesse and all of his sons to join him for a sacrifice… and they come.
After they arrive, Samuel locks eyes on Eliab, who is Jesse’s oldest son. To Samuel and probably everyone else who was looking, Eliab looked like a king. His appearance and his stature was very much giving “king.” So much so, that Samuel was like “surely, this is the Lord’s anointed.” He wasn’t though.
God said, no. Don’t look at his appearance and all of that because I have rejected him. While Samuel was busy looking at Eliab’s stature, God was looking at the man’s heart and spirit. God tells Samuel, “The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Samuel would have anointed the wrong person had God not checked him. I believe that had Samuel been able to discern Eliab’s human spirit, he would have immediately known that Eliab was not the right person for the job.
Seven Dimensions of Discerning
Gif revealed to Demontae Edmonds seven dimensions in which this gift operates. The way he discovered them was humbling to say the least. He had been teaching that there were four dimensions. One day, Jesus appeared to him and told him that he had been teaching them wrong. Jesus shared with Demonate that there are seven dimensions that he wanted him to teach.
These are things we already knew, we just didn
1. Discerning the Angelic.
This is the ability to perceive the activity of angels. Angels appear in different forms, shapes, and appearances. Some people may not even see them at all, but hear them. Their appearance depends on the activity and function of the angel and how the Holy Spirit decides that they should appear to us. Some may allow us to discern their presence and operation but not their true spirit form. Apostle Chazdon Strickland had an angel appear to him but he could only hear the angel. He could not see the angel. If God is allowing us to discern and experience angels it is for a specific purpose. They are usually revealing God’s will and His activity in an area or they have a specific assignment.
Mary discerned angels. On the first day of the week after Jesus was crucified, Mary Magdalene went to Jesus’ tomb early in the morning while it was still dark. When she arrived, she saw that the stone that had been blocking the front of the tomb had been rolled away. She runs to tell Peter and John that Jesus had been taken. Peter and John ran to the tomb. John made it to the tomb first and peeked in but he didn’t go inside. Once Peter caught up, he went in and saw the cloths that Jesus had been wrapped in, but no Jesus. Later, Mary stepped into the same tomb but she saw something they didn’t see. She saw angels. We don’t know this for sure, but those angels were likely there when John and Peter went in, but the gift of discerning of spirits was not operating in them at that time, so they could not see the angels. Only Mary could discern them. John 20.
Still with me? Ok good!
2. Discerning the Demonic.
Discerning the demonic is when we are able to discern the presence and activity of demonic spirits. This happens during ground level encounters. If you operate in deliverance, then this is a gift you want to be in operation as you minister.
I want to highlight something really quickly before I move on. It’s really important that we remember that at the point where we are able to recognize that a spirit behind a statement or action is not from God, we should also bear in mind that we are no longer dealing with the person we know or love in that moment. So we shouldn’t hold whatever the statement or action is against the person.
Paul encounters spirit. Now let’s look at an example of discerning an evil spirit. See Acts 16:18 where Paul was with his team going back and forth in Philippi for a prayer meeting. There was a girl who had a spirit of divination in her, which is a fortune telling spirit, and every time Paul would walk by she would say, “these men are the servants of the most high God who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” She would literally say this day after day after day. “These men are the servants of the most high God who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
One day as Paul was walking by her she said it again, but this time was different. This time, Paul’s spirit was so grieved and so annoyed that he turned to the girl and spoke directly to the spirit inside of her saying, “you spirit in the name of Jesus I command you to come out of her” and the spirit came out.
Here’s the thing I want to highlight. What the girl was saying was true! She was literally telling the truth. But the spirit was trying to counterfeit and camouflage in there like it was the spirit of God.
That is why this gift is so important. God does not want us to be deceived simply because something seems accurate. We need to know the motive and spirit behind things, because guess what? The devil has access to supernatural information too! Soooo many things can seem right when they are actually wrong
I have my own experience with this a few years ago. I was in a heated discussion with someone and they were basically asking me flat out to engage in sin. Like begging me to and I said no repeatedly, then out of nowhere I was the face of a demon underneath their skin. It’s hard to describe but it was basically this dark, almost black face that surfaced to the forefront of the person’s face, just underneath the surface.
3. Discerning the Human Spirit.
Discerning the human spirit is to discern into the condition and motivation of the human spirit. The condition of a spirit is very closely connected to the condition of their soul. Sometimes people want deliverance because they engage in sinful behavior, but the desire to sin and the engagement in sin is not absolutely indicative of a demonic spirit inside of a person. Sometimes, it is just the desires of your spirit. This is important to remember because you cannot cast out a human spirit. It requires healing.
If the Holy Spirit allows you to discern the true nature of a human spirit, please know that this requires a high level of discernment regarding how to handle what God allows you to see or hear. You may see something very troubling in their spirit and think it calls for a rebuke, but what God really wants you to do is encourage them.
4. Discerning the Holy Spirit.
- This is the most important dimension because the Holy Spirit is the spirit of God which means he is the most powerful spirit. In addition to that, it is he who reveals truth. He is our teacher. He is our guide. We should desire to perceive what it is the Holy Spirit wants to do in an environment or what He is doing. The Holy Spirit is always present and he is waiting for us to discern what he wants to do and partner with him by following his instructions. So do we position ourselves to discern the Holy Spirit? Glad you asked. We position ourselves by:
- Living holy and righteous. We don’t have much need
- Pursuing God. God tells us in Proverbs 25:2 that “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.” He also tells us that
- Faith. There are 4 components of faith.
- Hear the word
- Believe even when what you heard doesn’t match my circumstances or my feelings
- Confess what I believe out of my mouth. When I am walking by faith, I cannot stay silent—even when it isn’t confirmed in my circumstances.
- Action. You must align your actions with its what you believe.
- Prayers and confession which I think go hand in hand.
5. Discerning the Kingdom of Darkness
This is when we are able to see and hear into the second heaven and other underworld realms. This is very different from simply discerning demonic spirits, as that usually happens at the ground level. When you are discerning the kingdom of darkness, you are allowed to see into the plans and activities of Satan’s kingdom.
These are the ruling spirits and superior demonic realms that control the ground level demonic activity.
There is a lot of wickedness that takes place in these realms, so for the most part, God shields most people from this. But there are some people who were specifically put on this earth by God to wage war against this part of Satan’s kingdom. If this applies to you, then 1) you already know or 2) God will tell you. This isn’t an area to guess about.
Contrary to popular belief, this is work that you must be led by the Holy Spirit to do, graced for it, and commissioned by God with His permission.
I’ve many stories about people who engaged in second heaven warfare unauthorized or who batted above their rank by going after high ranking demonic spirits and it didn’t end well for them. Demontae even shared his experience with it. He had been listening to Christian TV, reading books, and going to church and his faith was pumped up. So one day during his prayer time, he started issuing challenges to spiritual powers in the kingdom of darkness.
He specifically called out certain high ranking demonic powers that he had read about in books. Suddenly, the atmosphere in his room started to change and a sense of evil forbidding filled the room. A sharp pain shot through his side and he fell to the ground. The pain intensified. He described it as feeling like someone had his side in a vice grip and was slowly turning it. He cried out to Jesus and repented for his haughty actions. The pain stopped and he was able to get up from the ground. What he thought was Faith was really ego and presumption.
6. Discerning the Kingdom of Heaven.
This is…
We see this dimension of the discerning of spirits in scripture in a few places. I’m going to share three.
The first example that popped into my mind is in 2 Chronicles 5. King Solomon had just finished building the Lord’s Temple and was dedicating it to the Lord. He brought over the consecrated things of his father King David, like silver and gold, and he put them in the treasuries of the temple. Then he assembled all of the elders of Israel. This included all of the tribal heads and ancestral chiefs of the Israelites and they brought over the ark of the covenant.
Then they all gathered around King Solomon in front of the ark and made sacrifices to God, so much so, that the amount of animals they sacrificed couldn’t even be counted. Then the 120 priests who had consecrated themselves, along with the Levitical singers dressed in fine linen were singing and blowing trumpets and playing other musical instruments all in praise to the Lord.
Then the temple was filled with a cloud. And because of the cloud, the priests were not able to continue ministering, for the glory of the Lord filled God’s temple. I know we talk about God’s glory a lot and sometimes, that word gets lost in translation. It’s one of those church words that we hear but don’t understand. But the glory first, is the breath, essence, and atmosphere of heaven. The atmosphere on earth is air. That is what we breathe. Well, in heaven, the atmosphere is God’s glory. They were discerning the atmosphere of heaven.
I wanted to paint that picture so that you can see all of the supernatural activity the Israelites were doing in the natural that led to God allowing them to discern the Kingdom of Heaven. They had erected an altar by making all of the sacrifices they
We see the Kingdom of Heaven discerned again in the New Testament with Stephen, The first Christian martyr. His recount of seeing into the Kingdom of Heaven is in Acts 7:55-56, CSB. It says, “Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven. He saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. He said, “Look, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!”
The next dimension of
7. Discerning the Living Word.
Jesus told Demontae that “at times when discerning of spirits is in operation, my servants will be able to discern my word!” This didn’t make any sense to him, but there are special instances where the word of God could be perceived, understood, and discerned by the gift of discerning of spirits. God’s words are life and they are spirit. That is what Jesus says in John 6:63. So in essence, God’s word is alive and they are spirits. So how does this work exactly?! “The word of God when spoken by God himself, His spirit, or in faith by an anointed believer becomes living words. The Spirit of God breathes life upon the logos (the written word) and makes it Ramah, a living word.” This happens because not only is the word alive but it is what?? It is SPIRIT. In the beginning was the word, and the word WAS GOD and the word was WITH GOD. This is how you can be taken into the scripture.
We see God share that His word is alive in Hebrews 4:12 as well. It says…
So not only can we discern God’s living word but the word discerns our heart. Mary K. Baxter in her book, A Divine Revelation of Heaven, shared about an experience she had that brings this to life for us. (Listen at 2hr 7 min mark
She saw a man prophesying and the Holy Spirit opened her eyes so that she could also see what was happening in the spiritual realm. She saw an angel over the minister’s head pouring what looked like oil mixed with fire. Then she saw the man’s heart in a vision and his heart was full of the Bible, the Word of God. The words the man was speaking and prophesying seemed to come up from his heart into his throat, and out of his mouth. She could see the word as it came out of his mouth, and as it hit the air it seemed to turn into a two-edged sword.
Another angel was present and he was recording what the man of God said. Then she saw one of the angels holding the Holy Scriptures. As the man went from prophesying to preaching God’s Word, the words appeared to leap off of the pages of the Bible and go into his heart and then out of his mouth. As the words exited his mouth, they again turned into a two-edged sword. People were healed, delivered, and set by the power of the living Word being spoken.
I also know people who can read passages of scripture and have encounters where they appear in that passage and see it as it is happening.
God gives us revelation into these realms so that we can do His will in certain areas. God does not want us ignorant of what is going on around us.
The Spirits of Dead People
Real quick, I want to talk about seeing spirits that resemble dead people you know. A lot of people see dead people. They see them in their dreams and sometimes while they are awake. Let me be clear, these are NOT the people as you knew them. 99% of the time these are familiar demonic spirits so do not engage with them.
The Bible is crystal clear about God’s position on the dead, about communicating with the dead, and inquiring of the dead. Ecclesiastes 9:5-6 tells us that “…the dead know nothing. They have no further reward, nor are they remembered. Whatever they did in their lifetime—loving, hating, envying—is all long gone. They no longer play a part in anything here on earth.”
- God’s instructions for those who seek to communicate with the dead
- Leviticus 19:31: “Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God. A necromancer is one who calls forth or conjures the spirits of the dead.
- Leviticus 20:6: If a person turns to mediums and necromancers, whoring after them, I will set my face against that person and will cut him off from among his people.
- A medium is channel of communication between the earthly world and a world of spirits
- Necromancers are people who conjure the spirits of the dead for the purpose of revealing the future or influencing the course of events
- God’s position on those who serve as mediums
- “A man or a woman who is a medium or a necromancer shall surely be put to death. They shall be stoned with stones; their blood shall be upon them.” Leviticus 20:27
Rebuke those spirits in the name of Jesus. That’s all I feel led to share about that.
So here’s the bottom line — discernment helps you make godly choices in everyday life, but the discerning of spirits pulls back the curtain so you can see what’s influencing the scene in the spiritual realm.
One is developed through spiritual maturity in the Word. The other is given in a moment by the Holy Spirit.
We need both — discernment to navigate life wisely, and the discerning of spirits to detect and confront what the natural eye can’t see. Together, they keep us grounded in truth, protected from deception, and aligned with God’s will.
Alright, until next time.
Want More?
If you enjoyed this episode the difference between discernment and the discerning of spirits, then you may also enjoy the episode of the show about overcoming satanic deception or this episode detailing what to expect when operating in your purpose.
Resources Mentioned
Discerning Of Spirits: Seven Dimensions Of Revelation by Demontae Edmonds
- A Divine Revelation of Heaven by Mary K. Baxter
Rate, Review, and Follow on Apple Podcasts
“I love The Purpose Collective podcast.” <– If that sounds like you, please consider rating and reviewing my show! This helps me support more people — just like you — move toward the online life and business that they desire. Click here, scroll to the bottom, tap to rate with five stars, and select “Write a Review.” Then be sure to let me know what you loved most about the episode!
Also, if you haven’t done so already, follow the podcast. Follow on Apple Podcasts now!
Subscribe on Google Podcasts.
Follow the show on Spotify.
Follow the show on Audible.
Have Amazon Music? Follow the show over there!
Want to Support the Show?
If you would like to support the show, I discovered a super cool way for you to get in on the action, and that is by “buying me a coffee.” I don’t actually drink coffee, but the idea behind the site is for supporters of Content Creators (that’s you) to be able to help the Creator (that’s me) with expenses required to produce the content they create (that’s the show).
Click the button below to donate.
Connect With Me
Instagram is where I like to hang on social media. You can follow me at @pavielle.esq and you can follow the show over at @thepurposecollectivepodcast.
If you want to connect with other purpose-driven movers and shakers, then join The Purpose Collective Community on Facebook. It’s exclusive and FREE.
If you have any questions you can always email me at podcast@pavielle.com or join my Purpose Diary newsletter below and my tips, experiences, and advice about navigating a life of purpose are all yours, every week!
Disclaimer: If you happen to purchase anything I recommend in this or any of my communications, it’s likely I’ll receive some kind of affiliate compensation. Still, I only recommend things that I truly believe in and have personally experienced. If you ever have an issue with anything I recommend, please let me know. My goal is to help you thrive in your purpose. — Pavielle
I thank you for making that so easy to understand. Your ministry is unique where you have a podcast and a blog! I found you via blog and have never seen anyone incorporate other options as you have. I pray you’re well, healthy, and strong. I would love to work with you one day. I also have a podcast called “serene sales” found on Spotify. It’s new but I pray to do what you’re doing full time one day soon.
God bless you <3
I woke up this morning looking for the difference of discernment and Discerning of spirits because I’ve always felt that I have both. When you said “It’s really important that we remember that at the point where we are able to recognize that a spirit behind a statement or action is not from God, we should also bear in mind that we are no longer dealing with the person we know or love in that moment. So we shouldn’t hold whatever the statement or action is against the person.” I was like WOW… I oftentimes don’t think about the spirit itself not being from God. I may get caught up in the moment of what was just said. However, reading this definitely put a pause in my steps to get me to understand more about spirits behind a person. God bless you for your understanding of his word.
Thank you
It’s so good to hear that this was helpful in some way! God is the BEST teacher. I need to do an update now that God has shown me even more about this.
Thank you for this podcast. I have been impressed by the Holy Spirit to equip and enhance the body of Christ in this area. I continuously hear my brothers and sisters saying they have the gift of discernment which is unbiblical so Holy Spirit is revealing to me and teaching me and for me to continue to study. May God continue to use you for His glory. This podcast is on point and I also believe this is why it may have been or was challenging to record it . Blessings from New Jersey. Melba Colon-Suazo
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
Wow I woke up at midnight and while praying, I heard a voice that said: pray for the spirit of discernment. And then waking up in the morning, I decided to make more research concerning the spirit of discernment and came across this page, indeed it was really helpful. Thank you
Wow!
Isso é interessante