My blog post, ‘8 Signs You May Have the Spiritual Gift of Discernment’ is the most-visited article on Enliven Blog.
And one thing I have been asked a lot is:
Q: Does seeing demons mean that I have a spiritual gift of discernment?
This is a great question. I have even had people say, ‘If this is a gift, how do I stop it, because I don’t like it!’
How can I tell if my Discernment is a Spiritual Gift?
‘Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.’ (1 Cor 12:7)
Just because people have an ability to see into the spiritual realm, and see evil spirits, does not mean that they have a spiritual gift from the Holy Spirit. [1]
Here are some Hallmarks of a Spiritual Gift from God:
1. It is sourced in the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 12:4)
2. A spiritual gift builds the church community—it helps people and draws them closer to Jesus (1 Cor 12:7)
3. A spiritual gift bears good fruit. The outcome of exercising a spiritual gift is one of honor to God. (1 Cor 12:6)
4. A spiritual gift is based in God’s love. (1 Cor 13)
So the first question to ask is, ‘Does my ability to see in the spiritual realm have the characteristics of a spiritual gift—as outlined in the New Testament?’ ‘Is it producing good fruit (making a lasting difference) in my life and in others?’ (John 15:5, 16)
A Spiritual Gift of Discernment in the Early Stages
If you are a Spirit-filled Christian, and can’t immediately see some of the traits of a spiritual gift that I have mentioned above, it does not mean that you do not have a discernment gift.
Your spiritual gift may be in the early stages of development.
Just as a baby or child needs guidance to grow, a Christian believer with a newly emerging spiritual gift needs the wisdom of oversight to know how to use it. This is why the discussion of spiritual gifts in the NT is in the context of the church community. (1 Cor 12-14)
What we Need to Learn about our Gift of Discernment
Some of the things we need to learn when we are developing a gift of discernment and seeing into the spiritual realm are:
- The authority that we have as children of God over the demonic realm and that we do not need to be afraid
- Wisdom to know how to respond to what we see
- The power of prayer and how to pray effectively in times of spiritual warfare
- How to exercise our gift in the context of the church community
- Honouring oversight and responding to leadership in a Godly way
- How to keep our hearts free of judgments, suspicion, and fear
- How to focus primarily on what God is doing and respond to that, rather than on what the enemy is doing.
A spiritual gift of discernment needs to be teamed up with these things in order to be effective and grow to maturity.
When Discernment is not due to a Spiritual Gift
It is possible to have the capacity to see into the spiritual realm and to perceive demons, that is not sourced in a spiritual gift of discernment from the Holy Spirit.
For example, an ability to see into the spiritual realm may be due to
- An ‘open doorway’ (license) being created through occult involvement, New Age, or other means where there has been an intentional opening to demonic activity and influence,
- The leadership or abuse of others in this area, or
- Through a generational doorway that needs to be closed (i.e. ancestors’ involvement in the above)
When this is the case, the ‘fruit’ of such discernment and spiritual sight is usually negative, resulting in torment, fear, division, confusion, and so on.
I also believe that some people have an innate, natural ability to see in the spiritual realm.
From a young child, I was very aware of the spiritual realm—an ability that God later redeemed as a spiritual gift of discernment. Along the way, I allowed bad choices and fear to create a license for demonic oppression. I am grateful for the ministry in my church that led me through repentance, with the embracing of Biblical truth that brought me to freedom and purified the spiritual gift of discernment in my life. [3]
Your Heavenly Father gives Good gifts
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” (Luke 11:11-13)
Jesus has given us the assurance that a spiritual gift from our Heavenly Father is good, and that we do not need to fear being given something harmful when we are asking for the Holy Spirit. And that includes His gift of discernment.
Notes:
[1] For more information about the gift of discernment of spirits, see the post, ‘What is the Spiritual Gift of Discernment?’
[2] For further insights about the gift of discernment related to this, see the following:
8 Signs You May Have The Spiritual Gift of Discernment
8 Ways to Grow Your Gift Of Discernment
[3] If you are concerned about the possibility of demonic oppression for yourself and others, know that Jesus has made the pathway to freedom simple through His work on the cross. Through appropriate repentance and prayer, any license such as I mentioned can be revoked and doorways closed, in Jesus’ Name. See my article, ‘Prayer Ministry Ideas and Guidelines’ for important information about prayer ministry in this and other areas.
UNLOCKING THE GIFT OF DISCERNMENT E-BOOK
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Are you sensitive to what is taking place in the spiritual realm? Have you ever been adversely affected by a negative atmosphere?
You may have the spiritual gift of discernment.
The gift of discernment of spirits is a powerful weapon in times of spiritual warfare and can be of great assistance when ministering freedom to individuals.
And yet many who have the gift of discernment have difficulty knowing what to do with what they are feeling or sensing.
‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ incorporates articles from Enliven Blog and includes additional valuable material on how to be protected as a discerner in times of spiritual warfare.
To view ‘Unlocking The Gift Of Discernment’ in our e-Store, click here
© Helen Calder Enliven Blog – Prophetic Teaching
Enliven Ministries: Prophetic Ministry in a Revival Generation
Helen Calder is a prophetic minister and writer, and founder of Enliven Ministries. Helen has a unique gift of equipping in prophetic ministry and prayer. She is known for Enliven Blog (est. 2009), an online resource that reaches thousands of people globally.
Hi Hannah, it does seem that you have a discernment ability and potential spiritual gift. I believe that as you continue to hunger for God, surrender that ability to Him, ask Him to use it as a gift, learn to nurture it and use it for good, it can grow.
The thing about spiritual gifts is that they can grow from small beginnings, so this is a time for you to steward the ability that God has given to you. May you be richly blessed in the journey.
I talk about stages of spiritual gift development here (prophecy, but it also relates to discernment) https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2009/10/30/how-to-develop-your-prophetic-gift-pt-2-understand-your-season/
I have been seeing “things” and hearing things since I was little. Me and my sister shared a room growing up and we both saw things that I haven’t been able to talk to other people about. We saw doorknobs turn, saw apparitions of people even in daylight. I saw orbs, 3 at once outside and these weren’t those dusty particles you see in pics. The ones I saw were solid balls of light that would get very bright and fade out and disappear. I saw a dark shadow dart from one room to another one time, heard voices, footsteps, even a horse neigh one time and was held down in bed once and couldn’t move my legs. Most of this happened when I was a teen but every now and then throughout my adult life I would see or hear something or “feel” something was there, I’m 41 now. Now I am a Christian and am always asking God for guidance and wisdom. A few months ago I was at work and in a corner of a room where I was cleaning I felt a very strong presence that all the hairs on my arms stood up and my bosses dog came to me and she stopped and started growling and her hair was standing on her back and she took off and yelped. That dog has never done that! Not long after that, I felt that presence again in a different area and that time I rebuked it and told it to never come back there again. I haven’t felt anything since. Today, while at someones house, we were talking and she asked me to come inside and see if I “felt” anything in there, cause she sounds just like me…as soon as I came in I felt something a little but when I got to the hallway and looked at a door I felt a very strong presence and the hair on my arms stood up and I pointed to the place and told her what I was feeling. She said she felt the night before someone was watching her from that spot. I told her she might want to have her home blessed. I have been having dreams a lot lately but they make no sense at all, very strange. And I can tell what kind of a person is by the first time I meet them. I am confused to what this is I have. I’m afraid of accidently inviting something into my home. I don’t go and look for it, it just happens out of the blue but it all kinda scares me a little. I don’t watch scary movies or anything cause I kinda feel I’m sensitive to things.
Hi Ginger, thanks for leaving the note and questions. As to being confused as to whether you have a gift or not, discernment (and spiritual gifts) are a journey of discovery with God, it’s ok not to know all at once what is going on, but the main thing is to stay in a position of faith and trust in Jesus. I’ve just written an article about banishing fear, so the checklist I have will be helpful to you as you navigate what is going on: https://www.enlivenpublishing.com/blog/2014/11/11/discernment-9-ways-to-banish-fear-of-evil/
I started experience the gift of discernment at a pretty young age, maybe you ng teen. It frightened me for a long time to the point I would avoid certain people, or avoid certain places that I saw spirits in peoples eyes or felt bad spirits in certain places. I thought I was a freak or a weirdo or something was wrong with me like I was going crazy. But after gpinf through cleansing stream that help me remove allot of foot holds in my life. I decided to ask my pastor what this was I told her i think I have some special gifts but I dont know if its something good or something bad it freaks me out. I told her I have the ability to reconize bad spirits even evil spirits on people through there eyes and through a feeling I get when I enter a room. My pastor said to me shawna that’s a very powerful gift of discernment and its one god gives us, but you need to become a mentor before you can understand what it is. Sne said it can be very powerful gift its not really common gift but its something you need to be educated on to make sure you are understanding it and be sure its coming from a good place. I never again talked about it with her. I eventually fell out of church wasn’t putting god first in my life so my gifts didn’t lay prominent as before every once and while id feel or see and here recently I gave my life back over to christ and now im having my gifts come out full force again. I first felt a little fearful because its a powerful gift, but I finally didn’t let it fear me. I took knowledgement of the gifts and asked god to reveal why I have then. He put it in my heart that this gift is something ill need and will use for my purpose in life. I always knew I had a greater purpose which was revealed to me but I didn’t want or accept what I was chosen to do because I feared I couldn’t handle the responsibility or face failer, but many years later here I am again confronted with these gifts and its something I battle with because I dont want to misuse them or misconstrued what I think is a gift from god to something thats not godly so my fear kept me from developing fully . Now im at the stage in my life. Im ready to fight for god and be his warrior and tool the break down all demonic forces and deliver those who want god in there lives to be free from the bondage the enemy has over them. I know that im not suppose to use these gifts until permitted by god to do so through his will and guidance and hes to prepare me for a spirituaL warfare thats where I will become a full armor for god and rebuke these spirits from non believers and bring them to christ.
At a young age I could see things that happened in the past and future. Also, I could see dark shadows lingering. As, I got older I started noticing peoples eyes some of them were black dolid black snd some had distorted faces at times. I ve always known god. It seems as I got older and older the gifts I had got stronger. I could sense good and evil, sickness,and health etc. I never told snyone until one day I was working and dropped 20 glasses of drink. Something I had never fone as a waitress I became physically ill and something took over me and I started telling this woman who was a stranger some info.about her mother a message at that instant her phone rang it was the nursing home saying het mother had just past away.also, my baby was murdered in utero wjile I wad still pregnant 6 months my ex husband, I felt her spirit leave and saw it begore the nurse came to me and said your baby just died.many many more things have happened to me. I finally explained these things to my mother and children and of coursethe lafy that day eho was the mayors wife of all people.I thought they were spiritual gifts from god and have always used them accordingly. But all the while I’ve kept these things to myself as much as possible for fear someone would think I was crazy or lying.now internet was not of my age but now it is and in looking up to see what this gift might be my mind was blown to see and hear all these comments from so many people. I know now that what I’ve always had are gifts from god. Thank you god for these special gifts for without them I may have led an different life.amen and thank u for claryifying that I am not crazy. Just blessed. I eill continue my good works in the name of god, jesus chrrist,and the holy spirit amen.
My daughter is 14. She has been seeing demonic spirits for a while now. She used to be very fearful of them but has since learnt she has authority over them by speaking the name of Jesus. Now she ignores them as just another one and rolls over and goes back to sleep. I used to play in the new age before coming to Christ so we prayed over that to break any holds that may have had on her including ancestral. She had an encounter with God where she saw His hand touch her. Since then she has been seeing things God wants her to see. She is confused though as sometimes she is seeing family members that have passed and she wants to know is that of God. She can also feel other peoples moods as if they were her own. What are the best resources I can direct her to to learn more about this gift and understanding everything that comes with it and grow her gift for God. She has been prayed over a couple of times and been told she has this gift before she really realised it herself. I want to make sure she learns to use it as God intends and for her to discern what she is seeing. Is she being deceived by satan showing her family members or is that God showing her something in way she’ll understand?
Hi Andrea, growing in the gift of discernment, and purifying it, is a journey. I think with your daughter, given her age, the main thing is take it gently, only as she is ready, and always from a position of faith. the chief enemy to guard against is fear. And it sounds as though you are doing that brilliantly. She’s so blessed to have you there to guide her. As far as your question about seeing family members – as with any form of revelation or discernment, the key is to go back to the Scripture as the standard of truth and then weigh up against what the Bible says. For example – Christian family members who have passed away – the bible says, ‘absent from the body, present with the Lord.’ So they are with Jesus, not here on earth. Pray further into this. Is your daughter seeing into the Heavenly realms, or seeing the person as present right here and now? Weigh whether truth or deceiving spirit from the Scripture… that’s my thoughts and it’s a journey for you to go on carefully and full of love and grace. :-) May you and your family be richly blessed this Christmas and New Year, Andrea.
My sister says she is a Christian, but she is deeply involved in the teachings of Yoga, Ayurvedic medicine, reiki, gemology, and other New Age practices. She has been very sick lately to the point that she went to Mayo Clinic. They found no specific illness, but suggested that her personality is the root of her physical ailments. She claims to be very sensitive to “things that other people aren’t aware of”, yet she seems to lack the awareness of the effect of her involvement in un-Christlike activities. I think God has given me discernment of spirits and I suspect that she is oppressed by several demonic entities. I have wanted to approach the subject with her for a long time, but she sets up situations with me in which she feels disappointed because I don’t meet her expectations. She says I am irresponsible and other things that aren’t true, keeping me on edge most of the time. I would greatly appreciate any advice about whether I should bring up the subject of demonic oppression with her. At the very least, I believe she needs to quit the aforementioned practices and seek God wholeheartedly, although I’m pretty sure she would be very offended and react defensively, saying she is totally relying on God.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment. I am on vacation until 12th January, so check back here for my reply after this date. Happy New Year 2015!
Hi Alicia, thanks for leaving the message and I’m sorry it’s taken me a while to get back to you.
Yes it sounds as though you have Godly insight as to what is taking place with your sister. As you say, it is difficult to approach someone when all the defenses are up.
I believe in the power of prayer in these situations. Pray and bind deception and the philosophies that you mention, pray for the Spirit of God to give her discernment and impress the thoughts and heart of God upon her heart.
It looks difficult right now from where you are standing, but God has put you in her life and the Holy Spirit is at work in her… keep an attitude of faith that He’s at work, and pray for the opening you need, and that she herself will ask the questions.
Thank you for the excellent advice. I will follow those steps and stand firm in faith that God is at work. Alicia