Blog

SHARPEN YOUR DISCERNMENT

By: Bishop Roberts Liardon.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Roberts Liardon.

From a young age, Roberts Liardon was destined to become one of the most well known Christian authors and orators of the 20th century. He has, to date, sold over 15 million books worldwide that have been translated into more than 60 languages. Having ministered in over 125 countries to members of the public and world leaders, Liardon is recognized internationally and has experienced great success as an author, public speaker, spiritual leader, church historian, and humanitarian.

 

LEAD #1: 2+2=4

One thing you should know is this: The only way you can be confused and defenseless is when the devil robs you of your spiritual knowledge.

Never compromise with what your discerning spirit tells you because of a supposed relationship you’re enjoying.

Covering up and refusing to deal with a problem that God is showing you will eventually turn around and bite you.

It’s better to be right with God than to be found among the dumb and the blind.

Your wall of spiritual strength will be broken down by what you willfully accept or ignore. This is why, whenever you ignore error and stupidity, it won’t be long, you’ll be called by those same names.

Remember, if you work for God, your instructions must come from him, if not, you will end up getting bit.

Two plus two is four, NOT three.
Do not add an extra point just because you like a person. By doing this, you’re taking points away because you aren’t seeing the person by the spirit.

Never allow your personal preferences to rule over the ways of God. Allowing such, makes you deficient in some areas of your life. It’s like someone saying he’s only interested in carbohydrate meals, thereby lacking in his body system, other nutrients such as protein, vitamins etc.

The love of God is unconditional, but his blessings aren’t.
Mature discernment is a spiritual progression, and you must be willing to start at the first point.

 

LEAD #2: THE BASIS OF ACCURATE DISCERNMENT.

Do you know that your personal experience, godly counsel, and the word of God, each play a vital role in your discernment ability.

Discernment By Experience:

You must have heard parents say things like this: ‘I just want this child of mine to listen to me, so as not to learn things the hard way.

Wisdom is the best way to learn, but some learn by experience. This is why there is always a warning that comes with experience.

Some use their past experiences to better themselves.

You can tell if a past experience you’ve had is unhealed and dormant in your mind.
This is how to know: Do you run from the first indication of something that reminds you of the past? Sometimes some people do or say things that bring such reminders… If you blast them or withdraw in fear, then it means your past is still holding you.

Learn to carefully watch and hear. Don’t be quick to overreact. Relax and allow your past to work for you, not against you.

Remember, the Spirit of God knows how to walk you into total victory.

Notwithstanding, experience can bring strength and faith for a greater feat.

Behind every experience, it is the cause, the purpose or lack of it that makes a person better or bitter.

Experience is a great discerner, even if it was bad, turn it into the wisdom of God.

Discernment By Godly Counsel:

Proverbs 11:14 has something to say.

People lose their way without wise leadership, but a nation succeeds and stands in victory when it has many good counselors to guide it. (TPT)

Make sure your counselors are spiritually mature and alert. Such that they have an insight into your specific calling.

This is why the way you’d counsel one in business is different from the way you would, to one in the ministry.

Remember what happened to Job, he sought the wrong counsel and ended up blaming God for all his problems.

If you seek counsel for discernment, then find the person who is spiritually sensitive and experienced to the call of your life. They’ll counsel you from that purpose and direction. Then you’d be able to discern your way.

No man is an island of himself. Only a fool will hear divine counsel from heaven and throw it to the wind.

Discernment With The Word:

The word of God is the basis of all discernment.

This is how Discernment with the word of God works: When the word of God is inside your heart, the Holy Spirit will cause it to come to your consciousness when you need it.

Within the word of God are the principles and character of God. It is the word that will discern the situation we face.

You don’t need a vision, a spiritual feeling, or a spectacular event to discern with the word. When you agree with it, you’re not being judgemental or critical. You’re simply labeling what the word has already judged.

Proverbs is a wonderful book for describing or defining the character of every man or woman. This is because, when you notice someone acting in a certain way to you, open the Book of Proverbs to read what it says about that type of behavior, including the outcome of such behavior.

If you don’t know the word, you’ll never be able to discern accurately.
For instance, the Bible talked about a fool; How they behave, what they say, their rewards… Having noted this, when you meet one, you’ll know.

 

LEAD #3: DAILY DISCERNING OF SPIRITS.

As the heading says, ‘discerning of spirits’ ( there’s an ‘s’ ) symbolizing plurality. This tells us that there are several spirits to discern: demons, angels, the human spirit and the spirit of God.

This is why this gift is given to discern good and evil.

One of the outward manifestations of a strong inner man comes in the form of the most common way of daily discernment.

Daily discernment is the ability to meet someone, and from the spirit know more about them than they know themselves.
Your ability to know the difference between good and evil just by sensing the environment should be normal to a born again believer.

You can develop your discernment into everyday manifestation such that it must be trusted and lived by. This can be done by cultivating your relationship with God.

This is why your human spirit is the center of communion and communication with the spirit of God.

Daily discernment is for every believer, not just for certain people.

Before you can have the deeper things of God, you must first know what to do with what you’ve got.

 

LEAD #4: DEVELOPING THE HUMAN SPIRIT.

The human spirit is the primary seat of our being. Having a human spirit means you can operate in the spirit realm. There are two sides to the spirit realm: the demonic power realm whose core is Satan and the Almighty power of the Most High God.

That’s why you see psychics, necromancers, occultists and some native ritualists demonstrate in the spirit realm.

Your regenerated spirit gives you direct access to the throne of God by the blood of Jesus. What the Holy Spirit hears from the throne, he communicates with your recreated, born again, human spirit. This enables you to discern the situation at hand.

Accurate discernment is learned gradually and it only comes by exercising it.

Remember, the strength of your spirit is determined by the degree you submit to God. While inner strength comes by feeding on and nurturing yourself in the word of God.

God’s intention is to build a habitation within your spirit man. Hunger for God creates a purpose and a cause within you.
This kind of godly purpose causes you to be swift and discerning.

Your spirit is the authority, not the calamity surrounding you.

Suspicion is the voice of the soul; Discernment is the voice of the spirit.
Discernment is not a feeling, it’s a KNOWING.
In fact, all spiritual things are knowings. Most soulish things are, ‘I feel, I sense, or I don’t know’.

 

LEAD #5: MAKING PERSONAL ADJUSTMENTS.

Do you know that sometimes an adjustment from your part will be all the discernment that you need for a situation.

In cooperation with discernment, it’s wise to know that fellowshipping with the Holy Spirit isn’t all about receiving blessing, some times God just want to purify you and adjust your outlook by correcting you
and allowing him to cut out what shouldn’t be there.

The Holy Spirit loves to take care of minor things while they’re still at that stage before it grows and becomes a major stronghold.

Everything we do comes from either a judgemental or life-giving point of view.

As you develop discernment, make sure that no soulish hardness is on you when you pray.

Learning to hold your soul is simply keeping it in check and in submission to your spirit.

Discernment is not limited to a word for others or to the reading of atmospheres, Discernment is also personal.

Discernment is a ministering facet of the Holy Spirit to replace discouragement with peace.

Inability to discern accurately will force you to compare yourself to others.

If you don’t have faith and hope for change, or the love and mercy of God, then your discernment will become a murdering scalpel. It will not be the helping hand of divine surgery.

 

LEAD #6: KNOWING PEOPLE AFTER THE SPIRIT.

Let’s see what 2 Corinthians 5:16 has to say:

Wherefore henceforth, know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. (KJV)

This scriptural verse is simply telling us that we must view people according to discernment. Don’t be so quick to cut people off, remember God don’t look at the natural.

You must learn how to stay hooked up with people by the Spirit of God and not allow the natural things to affect you.

When you get close to someone and you see their weakness, speak to yourself and still say: ‘ this person is anointed, he’s a man of God, I will not disconnect from him, I will be grateful for what he has impacted in my life’. Honour God for them, bless them, support them and pray for them.

Strong spiritual people take vacations, go sightseeing, and dress in casual clothes.
Being spiritual is learning how to enjoy both the natural and the spiritual. it’s realizing God has given you a natural earth to enjoy, while being surrounded by godly relationships.

Becoming dead to your flesh means your spirit will govern you, not your wants, desires and emotions.

A full progressive life comes by advancing into spiritual force and power. It comes by decisions based on discernment.

To move in the strength of God, you must discern the character differences between the Spirit of God, godly Angels, demon powers, human motivation, and spiritual mixtures. Then you must know how to handle what you’ve discerned.

If you’re in a situation and something pops up in your spirit, don’t be swayed by how things look in the natural realm, heed the discernment. By trusting your equipment, you may be surprised at how differently things will look.

Satan’s offerings have no permanent value, everything connected to his realm will perish.

 

LEAD #7: THE ROLE OF ANGELS IN DISCERNMENT.

First thing first, know that The Bible is always your foundation for discerning which spirits are of God and which aren’t.

Angels are to be admired for their loyalty to God, but not to be worshiped.
Whenever you give more credit to angels than you do to God, then you’re worshiping angels.

The word ‘angel’ means ‘messenger’. In that capacity, angels are servants, warriors and messengers representing the Living God. All created beings were made to serve and worship the Lord.

Warring angels stand for the gospel of God and oppose the demonic evil that is trying to hinder the plan of God.

God’s special messenger angel, the leader of that rank of angel is Gabriel, They deliver messages and provide protection as God directs.

Angels ministers to the saint in various
ways.

The highest rank of heavenly beings are the Cherubim ( They are not angels, they are heavenly beings ), they protect the Glory of God.

Another rank of heavenly being are the Seraphim, they protect and show the holiness of God by hovering above and on the side of Jehovah on the throne.

There Is A Difference Between You And An Angel:

As much as angels worship God as we do, Jesus shed his blood for us, by receiving his atonement, he gave us the divine birthright to be called the children of God. An angel will never be called a child of God.

We are made holy through the blood of Jesus, but angels were created as Holy beings.

 

LEAD #8: DISCERNMENT AND DEMONIC POWER.

If the enemy can keep you in ignorance, then he is free to pursue and conquer you without being noticed. And not discerning this, makes you a prey to him.

The bible is not ashamed to expose the devil, we shouldn’t either. It’s our job to develop ourselves through the word, prayer, and the leading of the Holy Spirit to undo his evil schemes.
Warfare is as pertinent to the believer as faith.

Faith is the heartbeat of God. You must always put the devil under your feet and that is a principle that will never change.
You don’t ever stop warring, or standing in faith.

One part of discernment is recognising what is good and what is evil.
This is why 2nd Corinthians 4:4 in summary addresses that Satan is the God of the people who love the world, who believe not, so he keeps them blinded to the truth.

When Satan and his demons who are intruders come close to you, teach him a lesson through the name he fears most—- The Name of Jesus.

Remember, any manifestation contrary to the word of God, and the life of God is a devil or uncontrolled flesh.

Demonic activities are all about them; Hindering the purpose of God:
Since they can’t get to God, they tend to destroy his creation. They love to accuse the brethren and God. This is why whenever you see someone accusing God of something, know that the devil has come to blind and deceive.

Causing various illnesses and physical afflictions:
God gives life, Satan is the instigator of sin, which brings sicknesses and diseases.
Until you a believer, know and stand on the word of God concerning healing, demons and the devil will have power to make you sick.

Twisting God’s word to conceal a lie:
They work undercover in the shadows through temptation and wiles. This is why people misinterpret spiritual things because they’ve not learned the difference between the character of God and the wiles of the devil.
A wile is a scheme with a motive to deceive. It entices your interest and causes you to follow it. It always covers its true intentions. Every form of deception has a wile in it.
Truth is the only antidote to deception.
Demons twist the word of God by preaching their own gospel.
They want to be worshiped etc.

 

LEAD #9: DISCERNMENT AND HUMAN MOTIVATION.

True spiritual leading comes from the Holy Spirit while a human motivation is motivated by human emotions, fear, hurt, wound, bitterness.

It is the undiscerning that becomes the victims of those who operate out of human motivation. This makes them pour their prayer, time, money into a person who has no intention of changing or allowing God to deal with the root problem.

When you don’t develop a strong spirit, you’ll have a codependent personality.

Human motivation operates out of the soul with a little of the Spirit thrown in to spice it up. It operates more from logic and emotions than spiritual laws. It can look strong but actually feels helpless in the spiritual world.

A person who operates from their emotions wants spiritual success, but they don’t want to labor in the effort. They want someone else to clear the path for them.

These motives differ from one who has a Jezebel spirit. One with a Jezebel spirit can kill to take the lead, while a codependent person just rides.

Govern your words and commitments, do only what God has told you to do, don’t ever feel obligated under soulish requests.

 

LEAD #10: DISCERNMENT AND SPIRITUAL MIXTURES.

Let’s see what Ezekiel 44:23 says:

And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.

Mixtures blend good and evil, truth and lies, clean and unclean— and then call it holy.

Mixture is a gathering where the flesh, demons and a little of the Spirit manifest and people call it revival.

There is this attitude that has crept into the church, and it’s such that, If a person’s action goes against the word of God, but feels right in the particular circumstances, then the person feels it’s okay. WRONG!

It’s unfortunate that New Agers romance with whatever gives them peace, no matter how temporary that peace may be. And they believe there are many roads to heaven.

New Agers call believers the ‘Antichrist’ because we believe Jesus is the only way to heaven.

They think it’s intellectually and spiritually superior to believe in many gods, but isolate and illiterate to believe in only one God. In their words, ‘more is better’.

There are Christians who think that barking like a dog is perfectly acceptable in a church service. They believe that any kind of spiritual manifestation is acceptable with the Holy Spirit. This belief of theirs is linked to the Gnostic belief that the world is evil, so anything spiritual is good and acceptable.

Another example of mixtures is ‘user friendly’ churches. But there’s nothing friendly about them. They base their strength on an ability to attract a certain age group, or adapt their structures to draw families with a certain financial status.

They see their ministry as big business and resort to the world’s system to keep the finances flowing.
Never forget that: clout and compassion do not easily mix.

For every new mixture that tries to creep in, you must meet it with the spiritual strength of present truth.

God is truth, and he is a God of the now.

 

LEAD #11: SHARPENING YOUR DISCERNMENT.

It takes several aspects to create a whole picture of accurate discernment.

2 Peter 1:1-9 made known to us that if your character is underdeveloped, you will be spiritually blind.
The word of God is the only book of promises that if believed and acted upon, will produce life.

Faith is the channel God pours into. Belief and faith are what holds the walls together until God comes.
Remember that God is the SOURCE of all blessings, he DIDN’T create the force of faith to take his place. This is why faith is simply the power to believe in him, and the rest is up to God.

Many ways to sharpen your discernment are:

Discernment with Virtue/ Inner strength:

Virtue means inner strength.
The opposite of Inner strength is being led by your head, by weakness, by people’s opinions etc.

Inner strength has learned the Word of God, the character of God, and how to hear from God.
We must add to our faith, the inner strength to act upon it.

Discernment with Knowledge/ Knowing:

First thing first, know that knowledge is a spiritual know-how.
When you know something, no one can take it away from you. But if you’re confused, you’ll go with every opinion that comes along.

For effectiveness, Knowledge must be added to Inner strength.
When we have inner, spiritual strength, then spiritual knowledge will come strongly. With it will come the know-how and the know-when.

Keep your Knowledge of the word sharp, then apply what you’ve learned to develop your spirit. That’s how dullness leaves and knowing comes.

Discernment with Temperance/ Soul-Taming:

Soul-Taming also means self control. When your spiritual knowledge is working, your soul will be harnessed to follow it.

The soul constantly tries to confront and challenge you into not sticking with what you’ve discerned.

You can only overcome the soul with Faith, Inner strength and Knowledge.
Spiritual discernment is a fact that comes from heaven and can stand by itself without any natural support.

Discernment with Patience/ Timing:

Patience has a lot to do with timing.
The spirit man operates on the timing of eternity, not the soul’s time limit.

The spirit man never reacts in haste, it moves with the timing of God. But the soul wants everything done NOW, due to its impatience.

There are times and seasons of God, the spirit man can discern that timing and prepare for it, no matter what things look like around him.

Patience is a spiritual force that can keep you from jumping out ahead of God.
God is a good steward over his timing. He’s investing in your training for the appointed day.

Discernment with Godliness:

Godliness is walking in the understanding of righteousness. It’s operating in your godly authority and with the blood of Jesus. This means we should think like thin, act like him, and operate like him here on earth.

A person who walks in true godliness understands that revival begins personally with themselves.

Discernment and Brotherly Kindness/ Forgiveness:

Offenses are the number one silent killers of discernment and Spirit life.
God doesn’t operate in the past. With God, the moment is new and fresh.

Don’t be guilty of mismanaging your equipment by discerning out of a personal offense or problem.

Learn to master offenses; then go on with your destiny.

Discernment and Charity:

God’s love is unconditional, but his blessings are not. He will never compromise his word to give you a blessing.

Knowing the character of God and the laws of heaven, will give you an understanding on how the love of God operates.

You cannot have unity if you sacrifice truth. This is because spiritual unity can’t compromise.

True spiritual unity is when common destinies bring you and another person or ministry together.

This is why there are peacekeepers and peacemakers. The former compromise the truth for a temporal unity, while the latter stand for truth and create unity.

 

 

KEY INSIGHTS FROM THE BOOK .

✍ If the devil rob you of your spiritual knowings, you’ll be left confused and defenseless.

✍ It’s better to be right with God than to be found among the dumb and the blind.

✍ If you hold to discernment, you will come out on top, if you disregard it, you’ll be a playground for the devil.

✍Never allow your personal preferences to rule over the ways of God.

✍The love of God is unconditional, but his blessings aren’t.

✍ Mature discernment is a spiritual progression, and you must be willing to start at the first point.

✍ Your personal experience, godly counsel, and the word of gold, each play a vital role in your discernment ability.

✍ Wisdom is the best way to learn, but some learn by experience.

✍ Experience is a great discerner.

✍ No man is an island of himself. Only a fool will hear divine counsel from heaven and throw it to the wind.

✍ You don’t need a vision, a spiritual feeling, or a spectacular event to discern with the word.

✍Proverbs is a wonderful book for describing or defining the character of every man or woman.

✍If you don’t know the word, you’ll never be able to discern accurately.

✍ Daily discernment is for every believer, not just for certain people.

✍???? Your spirit is the authority, not the calamity surrounding you.

✍ Suspicion is the voice of the soul; Discernment is the voice of the spirit.

✍ Discernment is not a feeling, it’s a knowing.

✍Learning to hold your soul is simply keeping it in check and in submission to your spirit.

✍Discernment is a ministering facet of the Holy Spirit.

✍ Strong spiritual people take vacations.

✍ A full progressive life comes by advancing into spiritual force and power.

✍Angels are to be admired for their loyalty to God, but not to be worshiped.

✍We are made holy through the blood of Jesus, but angels were created as Holy beings.

✍ Faith is the heartbeat of God.

✍ Truth is the only antidote to deception.

✍ clout and compassion do not easily mix.

✍ The bible is the only book in the world that is alive.

✍ Patience is a spiritual force that can keep you from jumping out ahead of God.

✍God is a good steward over his timing.

✍You cannot have unity if you sacrifice truth.