Discerning of Spirits: God’s Wonderful Gift and Overcoming Hypersensitivity
Discerning of spirits is God’s wonderful gift. It is a wonderful gift that lets you pick up on things others might miss. However, it shouldn’t be crushing you. Do you find yourself picking up on every little thing around you? Are you overwhelmed by the spirit around others or locations? One powerful supernatural weapon against the devil is having the supernatural ability to discern spiritual things such as demons, angels, truth, error, seasons and times, divine, demonic, the presence of God, and the presence of evil.
Understanding the Nature of Discernment
To be victorious in this unseen warfare, we must have the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit to understand, engage, and examine what is happening beyond the realm of natural sight. What does the Bible say about the word “discern”? Researching this word from a biblical perspective shows that it means “properly, to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, determine.” To discern is the ability to properly examine, hold investigation, to discriminate or make determinations. It is closely related to wisdom that a believer must have in times of crisis, warfare, and in your spirituality.
The following table illustrates the biblical meaning of discernment based on Strong’s G350:
| Term | Biblical Actions and Definitions |
|---|---|
| Discern (Strong's G350) | Properly: to scrutinize, investigate, interrogate, determine. |
| Key Synonyms | To ask, question, examine, judge, search. |
Addressing Discerning of Spirits Hypersensitivity
Is discerning of spirits hypersensitivity affecting your life beyond the moment you encounter it and causing a struggle in everyday life? While it’s not always the case, this may be a sign of an open door within yourself. It’s a subtle but important truth that’s often overlooked. Sometimes, it may be more about you when you “absorb” things around me or become hypersensitive to the point it affects you beyond the moment or prayer. If God allows you to discern a spirit, prayer can help lift that heaviness. If it doesn’t lift, then there are likely other underlying reasons that need to be explored.
The Principle of Common Ground
Sometimes the problem is that the spirit you encountered has “something in common” (aka common ground) with you. When this happens, it could mean you have “something in common” with a spirit through a wound or sin. Let’s talk about where this idea comes from Biblically. In John 14:30 (AMP), Jesus says: “I will not talk with you much more, for the prince (evil genius, ruler) of the world is coming. And he has no claim on Me. [He has nothing in common with Me; there is nothing in Me that belongs to him, and he has no power over Me.]”
Jesus was perfect and sinless, so Satan nor his minions could have any claim (ground) in Him to oppress or harass. But we can because we are human. We sin. We have bitterness, offense, judgment, wounds, trauma, etc. We have gaps in our souls that can open doors to the enemy. For example, if you encounter a spirit of fear, it may recognize familiar ground in you and use that open door to overwhelm you.
Questions for Spiritual Revelation
If you can’t shake it through prayer, start asking Holy Spirit these questions. They may lead to revelations you never considered before:
- What do I have in common with the spirit?
- What wound or sin is it exploiting?
- Are there any gaps in my intimacy with Holy Spirit?
- Did I come into agreement with the spirit?
The Word of God as a Discerner
For us to win the spiritual battle against the works of the devil, we have to discern by judging, examining, investigating, searching out, and inquiring of the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, which is the sword of the Spirit. Hebrews 4:12 says this about a discerner: “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges [the “discerner” of] the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Discerning is not assuming; it is properly assessing and examining the facts. If a person doesn’t study and know the Word of God (the Bible), they will fall victim to walking in error and susceptible to becoming double-minded or unstable. Possessing the power of a discerning heart and mind displays the divine insight, intelligence, and wisdom of God that transcends beyond what is seen and heard in the natural. The power of discerning spirits is the power and ability to think, perceive, comprehend things of God against what’s not of Him and distinguish and judge what they are righteously and accurately.