ABOUT DISCERNING PEOPLE

DISCERNING THE GIFTED VESSEL

In learning to discern a vessel we must be very careful not to esteem man, his natural gifts or his supernatural gifts out of proportion, and think of the person or experiences more highly than we ought. There is a common misconception that giftedness means God’s approval of a vessel.  The Word says, “You have ascended on high, You have led captivity captive; You have received gifts among men, Even from the rebellious, That the LORD God might dwell there.”   (Psalms 68:18 NKJV)   For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. ( Romans 11:29 KJV)  “Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’  (Matthew 7:22 NKJV) The fact is, God honors His Word regardless of the vessel.   Think of the many vessels that fell into sin in the Bible, yet God still performed His Word. 

 On the other hand, God’s vessels need to be examples not only in what they say, but how they act when they are saying it.  This is being accountable in word and deed.  Consider the choices and communication skills of a wise parent:

1.   A wise parent realizes if he yells at his children frequently, they begin to ignore and “tune him out” unless he is yelling.  Soon they will become insensitive, deaf and hard of hearing even to the yelling. 

2.  A loving parent also realizes that controlling of pressure and coercion of his perspectives upon the child will only cause a wayward child to resist.

3.  A sensible parent knows the best time to say a correcting word is in a teachable moment.  When the child is striving, arguing, or defensive he is not teachable.

4.  The astute parent resists an argument, for he knows only a downhill spiral will occur. 

5.  A loving parent will provide an atmosphere of believing and uplifting the child, rather than tearing the child down with criticism.

Should a preacher, a teacher, a servant, a friend, be any different in sharing God’s message?  “God’s people must not be quarrelsome; they must be gentle, patient teachers of those who are wrong.  Be humble when you are trying to teach those who are mixed up concerning the truth.  For if you talk meekly and courteously to them they are more likely, with God’s help, to turn away from their wrong ideas and believe what is true.”  (2 Timothy 2:24,25 TLB)

As a delegate, the Lord’s messengers represent His  heart and message.  Purity of heart and motive are of extreme importance.  I am reminded of the time when Moses was rebuked and not able to enter the promised land.  (He struck the rock twice, and spoke a sentence of angry condemnation: “Hear now, you rebels!  Must we bring water for you out of this rock?”  (Numbers 20:10 NKJV)  “Then the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you did not believe me to hallow Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”  Numbers 20:12 NKJV)

The above word believe (KJ) is an important concept describing the Father’s character.  It means: to build up or  support, to foster as a parent or a nurse, render  faithful,  bring up, establish, be faithful of long continuance, nursing father, etc.  Gesenius says believe is {to support with an arm, to carry a child, one who carries or cares for a  child, who guards and  brings up.}  Hallow (sanctify KJ) means to pronounce clean. 

Moses’ action at the rock did not represent the Nursing Father, it represented Moses’ exasperation and anger.  It may appear as a small sin but because of his position, he was highly accountable.  He carried great weight and authority:  “...And from everyone who has been given much shall much be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”  (Luke 12:48 NASB)  Moses was chosen by God and led His people all the way to the door of their new beginning.  But he was not allowed to enter.  When representing the Lord today, it is important to remember Moses’s example; how the message is delivered is just as important as the message.

God uses ANYTHING as a vessel for His message.  (He even speaks through donkeys: Numbers 22:28)  Unfortunately, vessels sometimes cause us to stumble in our ability to receive the message.  We compare the vessel’s personality with the Lord’s, how the message is given, and then falter because of the weaknesses of the delivery of the message.  God uses vessels to communicate even though marred by sin.  It is good to discern the vessel because one needs to discriminate between the impurity of flesh and the quickening power of the Spirit, but it is not good to be critical of the vessel. 

Divisions can occur among Christians when they are learning to discern.  They happen when a threatened person says, “That person is hearing from satan, don’t listen to him, he is from the devil.”  People are quick to categorize rashly and point the finger when they are insecure about what they do not understand. Because supernatural happenings come from the Lord as well as from the enemy, many actually do not know which side is which.

In learning the discernment process, we need to understand that DISCERNING IS A PROCESS.  Not everyone is on the same level of perception.  May we receive this needed understanding and have greater patience with ourselves and fellow Christians in their hearing. We need to treat others as God treats us: with understanding, forgiveness and love.  Step by step He imprints His image upon our lives, and that takes time.  Meanwhile, He still needs vessels to impart His living Word.   In learning to discern the vessel, the most important thing is to discern with love.  He wants us to be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.  (Matthew 10:16) When we are patient with man, love becomes the harmless part, taking the sting out of the discernment of evil and of flesh.

Therefore in our hearing and knowing the Lord through His people, we look to HIM Who is the Author, the Provider, the Creator, the SOURCE of perfect gifts, and let go of the part that does not represent Him.  It is not that we let go of or turn our backs on humanity.  Rather, we simply separate the good gifts from the clutter, and gladly receive the good portion.  So in getting to know and hear the Lord through His people, we receive His good and perfect gifts. 

SEPARATING THE GRAY OF THE VESSEL

“But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”  (Hebrews 5:14 AMP)

The  process of discernment separates the words, receiving  life from the good and dumping the waste.  Identifying the source is the process of separation.  The source has one of three choices: purity and white which is God, black and dark which is satan, or a mixture of both black and white, called gray.  Distinguishing between the three begins by pondering the qualities of God.  If the message reflects these qualities, then He is the source.  If the message is opposing God’s character, the source is the enemy.  Most of the time if it is the enemy, it is black and easy  to  throw  out, unless the person is naive about God’s character.   The world is full of the mixture of white and black — GRAY, into which man has adapted.  The gray area is where we stagger in discerning what we hear and that gray area is found in people.  

The gray areas come through 1.) the flesh, or  2.)  giants within the soul or personality.  Giants are a term I use symbolically.  It is derived from the giants in Joshua’s promised land.  The people were warned about allowing the foreigners and giants to stay in the land.  When they entered into a forbidden marriage, they joined cultures, ideas, perspectives and beliefs.  Union with them would cause mutations, polluted worship and practices, and the corruption of God’s separated and chosen people.  Thus the term giants is a symbol of a forbidden intermarriage with the mixture of our flesh and the impurity of sin.

When one intermarries with a giant, its fruit causes a mutated life pattern.  These unions with sin, impure actions, thoughts, beliefs, motives or old wounds, are patterns or ruts of the personality that no matter how hard one tries, they just don’t measure up to Jesus’ image.  They are continually repeated and acted out through the body, soul and spirit in spite of much effort to change.  They are thorns and pricks left in the Christian’s life and torment his freedom.  

“And as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done?  Therefore I also said, ‘I will not drive them out before you; but they shall become as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare to you.’ And it came about when the angel of the LORD spoke these words to all the sons of Israel, that the people lifted up their voices and wept.”  (Judges 2:2-4 NASB)  The Christian feels remorse about their existence yet has not been able to overcome.  

Not everyone has the same giant patterns.  Each person has their own unique personality and one person’s hang-up may be another’s strongest place of overcoming.  Some of these giant “hang-ups” that do not glorify Jesus are listed below.  As you read them, you may find weaknesses that fit yourself and others.  If you have a weakness in one of these areas, it does not mean you have intermarried with a giant, but the weakness shows a vulnerability.  When one actually intermarries with something on this list, he or she becomes snared by it, and it becomes a part of the person’s makeup - namely personality, decision making process, actions, reactions and overall life pattern of how that person lives life.  It is the pattern of repeating weaknesses that exposes an intermarriage with a giant.

 This list not only contains giants but is also a list of the fruit of the flesh.  The degree the flesh is nurtured in these areas determines whether one intermarries with such and thus causes a giant pattern and eventually a cankered wound.  The choice of most words comes from King James.  Scriptures are included as references to the general concept.  Synonyms are listed to help identify the words.

GIANT AND FLESH LIST

 

Abuse............. Misuse, mistreat, maltreat.  (2 Corinthians 11:25)

Accuse .......... Charge, blame, incriminate. (Luke 23:10)

Adultery.......... Infidelity, fornication.  (Matt 15:19)

Ambition......... Overly enterprising, stepping on others, determined, goal oriented.  (Acts 8:19)

Angry.............. Violent passion, indignant, exasperated.  (Colossians 3:8)

Anxious.......... Exaggerated and distracted concern, apprehensive, uneasy, worried, dread and fear.  (Philippians 4:6)

Apathetic........ Indifferent, dull of feeling, passive. (Revelation 3:16)

Argumentative Disputing, contending, hair splitting.    (2 Timothy 2:24)

Betrayer......... Double cross, trick.  (Matthew 26:25)

Bitter............... Resentful.  (Acts 8:23)

Blasphemer... Irreverent, reviling.  (Matthew 15:19)

Boast.............. Brag, proud, arrogant.  (2 Timothy 3:2)

Co-dependent .Leaning on someone other than God.  (Deuteronomy 6:5)

Compete........ Ambitious, aggressive, contest, oppose.  (Mark 10:37) 

Complain........ Grumble.   (Jude 16)

Compromise.. Bargain with evil.  (Genesis 19:8)

Compulsive ... Obsessive, driving passion. (Matthew 12:45)

Condemnation ..False guilt.   (Romans 8:1)

Control........... Dominate, push, restrain.   (Acts 21:12)

Covet ............. Desiring something that belongs to someone else, envy.  (Exodus 20:17)

Coward ......... Fearful, lacking courage.  (Revelation 21:8)

Critical............ Disapprove, faultfinding.   (Galatians 5:15)

Curse............. To curse, doom, condemn evil upon.  (Matthew 26:74)

Cursing.......... Swearing, profanity, filthy communication.  (Colossians 3:18)

Deceive.......... Defraud, delude, dupe, mislead.  (Mark 7:22)

Defensive....... Justifying, guarding, shielding. (Isaiah 45:9)

Depressed..... Despondent, downhearted, downcast, desolate.  (Proverbs 15:13)

Desiring praise ..Desiring esteem, admiration. (John 12:43)

Despise.......... Little regard for others, low opinion of, arrogant.   (2 Timothy 3:3)

Discontent ..... Disgruntled, unsatisfied.  (Philippians 4:11)

Disobedient ... No submission or conformity.  (2 Timothy 3:2)

Divination ...... Witchcraft.   (Leviticus 20:27)

Double‑minded ..Vacillate between two opinions.  (James 1:8)

Double‑minded ..Vacillate between two opinions.  (James 1:8)

Double‑tongued ..Two stories. Saying a thing with the intent to deceive.  (1 Timothy 3:8)

Doubter.......... Skeptic, unbeliever, mistrust, suspicion.   (Hebrews 11:6)

Downcast....... Low in spirit, depressed, joy withered away.  (Joel 1:12)

Drunkard........ Intoxication, insobriety.  (Luke 21:34)

Emulation....... Envious and contentious rivalry, competition, challenge. Galatians 5:20)

Envy............... Jealousy, rivalry, competition.   (Galatians 5:21)

Extortion......... Acquire deceitfully, defraud, blackmail.  (Leviticus 19:13)

Evil thoughts.. Unkind, tear down the person.  (2 Corinthians 10:5)

False witness. False, deceitful testimony.  (Matthew 15:19)

Fearful............ Timid, scared, lose courage.  (Revelation 21:8)

Fierce............. Brutal, rough, savage, violent, wild.   (2 Timothy 3:3)

Filthy speech.. Foul speaking, low and obscene speech, vulgar language.  (Colossians 3:8)

Filthy............... Defiling, dishonorable, dirty, wicked, vile, pornography, smut.  (James 1:21)

Foolish........... Senseless, folly, reckless.  (Mark 7:22)

Fornication..... Sexual immorality.  (Colossians 3:5)

Gossip............ Spreading rumor, scuttlebutt, hearsay.  (1 Timothy 5:13)

Greed............. Covet, hoard, grasp, possessive.  (Acts 5:2)

Grievous......... Weighty, load, burdensome. (1 John 5:3)

Guilt................ Blame, fault, error, shame.  (1 John 2:1)

Hatred............ Strife, detest, abhor, loathe.  (Proverbs 10:12)

Heresy............ Disunion, dissension.  (Galatians 5:20)

High-minded... Conceited, inflated.  (2 Timothy 3:4)

Hopeless........ Despair, past hope.  (John 11:32)

Homosexuality ..Vile affections against nature.  (Romans 1:26)

Hypocrite........ Masquerades, faker.   (Matthew 23:15)

Idolatry............ Infatuation, inordinately fond of.  (1 Corinthians 10:14)

Impatient........ Restless, intolerant, resistant towards long suffering.  (Numbers 20:10 - 11)

Impulsiveness No self control, unpremeditated, rash, impetuous, spontaneous.  (Proverbs 29:20)

Inconsistent.... Erratic, discrepancy.  (James 1:6)

Indifferent....... Unresponsive, detached, apathy, unconcern.  (Revelation 3:16)

Jest................ Banter, wit, joke.  (Ephesians 5:4)

Jealous........... Possessive, monopolize, envious.  (Proverbs 6:34)

Knowledge lust.. Passion for knowledge for wrong motive.  (2 Timothy 4:3)

Lazy............... Idle, slothful, indolent.  (Matthew 25:24-27)

Liar................. Telling falsehoods, untruth.  (Revelation 21:8)

Lewd.............. Unbridled lust, shameless, indecent, sensual.  (Galatians 5:19)

Love of pleasure ..Preferring pleasure to the things of God.  (2 Timothy 3:4)

Lust................ Craving, an absorbing longing for, hunger, desire.  (1 John 2:16)

Malice............. Desire to injure, animosity, spite.  (Colossians 3:8)

Mock............... Scoff, ridicule, deride.  (Jude 18)

Murder............ Kill with ones words as well as literally kill.  (Matthew 15:19)

Murmuring...... One who discontentedly complains against God, grumble, mutter.  (Jude 16)

Perverse........ Without natural affection.  (Romans 1:24)

Phobias.......... Irrational fear, avoidance, aversion.  (2 Timothy 1:7)

Poverty........... Unproductive, insufficiency, shortage.  (Proverbs 15:19) (Romans 12:11)

Possessive.... Controlling, grasping, selfish, cling.  (2 Samuel Chapter 11)

Proud............. Arrogant, vain, self love.  (Proverbs 16:18)

Procrastinate. Delay needlessly, put off.   (Proverbs 6:9-11)

Presumptuous            Boldly arrogant, offensive, foolhardy. (Psalm 19:13)

Quarrelsome.. Contentious, ignites strife.  (Galatians 5:20)

Regret............ Looking to past life or sins, not accepting the Lord’s plan and His forgiveness.  (Luke 9:62)

Reckless........ Heady, heedless, careless, rash.  (2 Timothy 3:4) 

Rejection........ Feeling discarded.  (Genesis 29:30-32)

Resentment... Offense, umbrage, embittered, hostile.  (Genesis 4:4-8)

Reveling......... Drunken carousing, rioting.  (Galatians 5:21)

Revenge......... Taking things into ones’ own hands instead of waiting for God, retaliate.  (Romans 12:19)

Revile............. Slander, rail.  (1 Corinthians 5:11)

Sanctimonious..Hypocritically devout.  (Matthew 23:14)

Seduce........... Entice, decoy, lure.  (1 Timothy 4:1)

Sedition.......... Dissension, divisions, sects.  (Galatians 5:20)

Self willed....... Arrogant, stubborn.  (2 Peter 2:10)

Sensuality...... Sensory pleasures.  (Jude 18)

Self pity.......... Self sympathy.  (Jonah 4:8)

Skeptic........... Doubter, unbeliever, cynic.  (John 20:25)

Slander........... Defame, dishonor.  (Proverbs 10:18)

Sodomy.......... Sexual perversion.  (Genesis 19:4-5)

Strife............... Bitter conflict, selfish or self promoting which causes quarrels, division and dissension.  (Galatians 5:20)

Striving........... Disputing, contending, arguing.  (Romans 9:20)

Talebearer...... Telling secrets, spreading gossip or rumor.  (Proverbs 11:13 )

Theft............... Steal, rob.  (Matthew 15:19)

Traitor............. A betrayer, treacherous.  (2 Timothy 3:4)

Truce breaker Irreconcilable, impossible to appease.   (2 Timothy 3:3)

Unbelief.......... No faith.  (Matthew 17:17)

Uncleanness.. Impurity of thought, motive or deed.  (Colossians 3:5)

Unforgiveness ..Refusing to pardon.  (Matthew 6:14)

Unholy............ Sacrilegious, blasphemous, irreverent, ungodly, profane.  (Leviticus 10:10)

Unjust............. Wrongful, dishonest, unfair.  (Proverbs 22:16)

Unmerciful...... Without leniency, unsparing.   (Matthew 18:33)

Unstable......... Unbalanced, uncertain, fluctuating, fickle, changeable.  (Ephesians 4:14)

Unthankful...... Without gratefulness.  (2 Timothy 3:2)

Violent............ Cruel, fierce, vehement.  (Psalm 7:16)

Wavering........ Vacillating, doubting, hesitating, fluctuating, instability.   (James 1:6)

Wickedness... Depravity, malice, iniquity.  (Mark 7:22)

Witchcraft...... The use of drugs - see Strong’s #5331, medications, magic, sorcery, witchcraft.  (Galatians 5:20)

Wantonness.. Self indulgence, self gratification.  (James 5:5)

Wrath............. Fury.  (Colossians 3:8)

Giants influence how we hear the Lord.  Their influence is like a wound in a tree.  The rings of the tree become warped and twisted as it wraps around the wounded area.   In time, the circled areas may eventually even out, but when in close proximity to that wound, the rings are twisted, warped, perverted and bent out of shape.  This analogy is the same with people who have giant wounds.  When God’s Word comes close to their wound, there is a crooked emotional reaction that is blown out of proportion.  What is heard is twisted, misunderstood, taken out of context, or interpreted completely backwards.

Learning to identify giants is helpful in the discernment process.  Sometimes one will struggle with a rhema “Word or message” and be unable to discern whether it is from the Lord, because of his own giants.  What may be happening is the message is from Him, but the receiver’s inner self wrestles because he is intermarried with a giant pattern and is not free of its warped perspective.  For instance if one is suffering under a giant of condemnation, it is very difficult to receive God’s praise for a job well done.  If the giant is rejection the person finds it very difficult to receive God’s love.  If one was wounded by abuse in the past he may perceive the Lord as an angry God.

It is also possible to hear a message given through another  who has a giant of decay and thus you will doubt and stagger over what is shared.  If you become aware of the potential for giants and understand them, you will quickly be able to recognize the impurity of messages and motives spoken through another.  I heard a preacher who was a dynamic speaker.  He exalted Jesus Christ with the Holy Spirit evident in his meeting.  Yet he had a mutated giant of control from a wound in his past, and the Holy Spirit within me became deeply grieved at something he said, as well as the attitude behind it.  I struggled with it and took it to the Lord.  Without my asking, three people came to me, mentioning how this man “ran” his church.  It became very obvious he was bound by the giant of control and this did not glorify Jesus’ image.   I was then able to separate God’s pure message from the controlling statement.  As a result, the man’s ministry, his giftedness and his impurities no longer were a stumbling block to me.  I was able to hear the Lord through him in spite of his wounded flesh.

Giants and their wounds disfigure the purity of God and canker perspectives.  They will always distort the character of God.  Giants affect our thought life, our understanding of God’s message, and our ability to receive His Words in that area.  Examples of how they influence us are coming up in following sections. 

GIANTS, THOUGHTS AND THE ENEMY

Scientists tell us we need to think about something a number of times, before it becomes “grooved” in our brains via the axons, dendrites and synaptic junctions, thus forming new brain patterns.  The process of thinking about something repeatedly, plants seeds and nurtures them to grow in our “heart.”  This process happens good unto good, and evil unto evil. 

Christian warfare begins in the thought life.  Jesus said, “ But I say to you, that everyone who looks on a woman to lust for her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.”  (Matthew 5:28 NASB) The lust in the heart begins as a thought and is nurtured instead of resisted.  Through a process of nurturing thoughts, the seed of lust is allowed to grow until it becomes a weed.  Thus a mere sight or thought triggers the weed response.

People who are vulnerable to the giants of self pity, resentment, anger, lust, unforgiveness, etc., are easy prey to suggestive thoughts the enemy puts in their mind. Just the mere suggestion of a random thought causes a giant pattern to be stroked.  Then old patterns pursue the direction of the wandering mind.  The enemy quickly binds the thoughts and emotions, and the person becomes a victim captivated within that particular thought and its emotion, resulting in unrest. 

Take for example someone who has intermarried with unforgiveness.  The union took place because somewhere in the past this person was offended many times.  In the process, the person never forgave the offenders.  Throughout the years, issues built up that would not have been so difficult to deal with in the normal set of events.  But because of this unforgiving pattern, a giant of unforgiveness was finally set in place in the heart.  So now the enemy comes along and “inspires” a random thought about a person.  Immediately the mind wrestles with all kinds of issues, perhaps critical feelings or feelings of disapproval of what the person is doing, or any other number of feelings.  These issues may not be emotional issues in themselves, but because of the giant of unforgiveness, now they become blown out of proportion. Thus the enemy has succeeded in bringing the person’s thoughts into captivity and there is a loss of peace.

Thoughts are also susceptible to wounds that crave to be healed.  When wounded, one is inclined to grasp at things to survive.  And receiving thoughts that stroke one’s pain is an instinctive part of that survival of flesh.  In the example of unforgiveness, nursing old grudges or offenses are a perverted way of self comfort.  

There are two ways man is vulnerable to enemy thoughts: through our thoughts and to our thoughts.  Through our thoughts happens subjectively with the involvement of the personality and giants.  The way the enemy battles us through our thoughts is to “inspire” them.  Thoughts that stroke giant patterns have “drawing” power and inspire the thought life to center around issues that exalt the giant to be number one in perspective.   We are a  of  of the involvement by “nurturing” these thoughts.   We hold onto them for false comfort.  But in reality, giant thoughts will always find a way to distort the purity and character of God, feeding unrest and anxiety.

Giant patterns also make us vulnerable in hearing the enemy.  We can become entrapped into hearing the wrong source when we do not recognize our own giants.   We need to know our weaknesses — the enemy does, and he is adept at using them against us.  Examples would be hearing something that sounds Biblically correct by way of principles etc., and yet it feeds pride, or lust, or ambition, or greed or desiring man’s approval, or self pity, or fear, etc.  Since he cannot create a good and perfect gift, he will try to make one as close as possible.  One way of doing that is to stroke the giants in our personalities, causing the wounds in our life to “feel” good or identify with what we heard.  It’s the idea of misery loving comfort.