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DISCERNMENT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
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We are to
Discern Spiritual Food
We are to
Discern Prophesy
We are to
Discern Spirits
1. the spirit of man
2. the Spirit of God
3. angelic spirits
4. demonic spirits
We are to
Discern Fruits
1. false apostles
2. ravening wolves
3. thorns & thistles
4. grapes & figs |
When we receive spiritual food, through any means, we are to
chew the good and spit out the bones. This happens when we
separate what is from the Lord, from the enemy and from
flesh. The following are 3 different translations of the
scripture about discerning spiritual food. Each are worth
reading to get a better understanding on discernment.
Heb 5:12-14 NLT
“You have been Christians a long time now, and you ought
to be teaching others. Instead, you need someone to teach
you again the basic things a beginner must learn about the
Scriptures. You are like babies who drink only milk and
cannot eat solid food. And a person who is living on milk
isn’t very far along in the Christian life and doesn’t know
much about doing what is right. Solid food is for those
who are mature, who have trained themselves to recognize the
difference between right and wrong and then do what is
right.”
“But solid food belongs to those who are of full age,
that is, those who by reason of use have their senses
exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb 5:14 NKJV)
“But solid food is for full-grown men, for those whose
senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to
discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good
and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or
human law.” (Hebrews 5:13,14 AMP)
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Numbers to the Greek words:
But solid [4731] food [5160] belongs to those who are of
full age, that is, those who by reason of use [1838] have
their senses [145] exercised [1128] to discern [1253] both
good [2570] and evil [2556].
As a baby grows, eventually he or she comes off pure milk
and needs solid food and meat to grow strong and healthy.
During the breakdown of food in the stomach the particles
separate. The good part is sent to the cells, the waste is
sent away.
Discerning spiritual food is similar to the process of
digesting various Words from the Lord, through an impure or
a mixed source, including our own distorted perceptions.
First we separate what we hear by pondering it in bite size
pieces. After we swallow, the food unravels or separates
mixture: nutrient vs. waste. The nutrient feeds our
relationship with the Lord, and the waste is unused and
discarded.
As an example of this lengthy discernment process, I went
through a long blind season when I couldn’t see what the
Lord was doing in my life. At first I questioned what was
happening, and the Lord told me it was a season of “winging
it on in.” Having little idea of what that meant, I
continued to plod through my days. The season stretched on
and on and I began to doubt if I heard the Lord about the
season and if I was in His will. I was at a loss and could
not discern the answer. Prior to this time, I had received
a little bird house for Christmas. The inscription said,
“Wing on in.” So when the Lord had said, “Wing on in” I
thought of that birdhouse. I interpreted it to be something
like, “Fly by the seat of your pants!” That didn’t sound
too great to me. It was solid food, (strong meat) and I
wasn’t sure I liked chewing it.
Later I began to complain about being so blind and without
understanding, and finally His 3-fold answer came to me.
One night I was watching Star Trek about Diana Troy who had
lost the gift of her unique intuition. She said it was as
though she had lost her sight and had become blind. (That
grabbed my attention because I had been complaining how
blind I was to the Lord.) They said her loss was an
opportunity to develop her other assets and make them
stronger. So my first answer was “OK, He has put me in a
blind season to help me develop other capabilities.”
That night as I was pondering this answer, I flipped through
some magazines and read two stories. The first one was
about a student who was painstakingly learning to write the
alphabet. The letters seemed almost perfect to the
student. He held his breath waiting for the instructor’s
feedback. “No, no, you are trying too hard!” the instructor
said in exasperation. “There is no feeling.” He took the
student down hal hall into a darkened classroom. “Now work
here in the dark” and closed the door. Stunned, the
student sat there fumbling with the pens. But gradually he
began to relax and let his feelings rather than his eyes
guide the pen. He began to let his creative side take over
and felt the freedom of expression. He was no longer
struggling to perfect his movements. He let the process
flow.
I thought about how this applied to me. The words wing on
in, inner abilities and now creative side seemed to have
something in common. It still shouted fly by the seat of
your pants! But what for? I thought, like the student
writer, maybe I had been too uptight about discerning His
will in my life. Maybe He wanted me to learn to relax and
trust that He was leading me on the inside, in my
conscience.
The last story was about a young girl who landed a small
airplane because her father had a heart attack. Not
knowing specifically how, but being a passenger many times
in childhood, she operated the plane by a little knowledge
and memories. When she approached the runway she knew she
was going too fast to make the landing in a difficult cross
wind. She closed her eyes to all the dials and
buttons and listened to the motor. At first she would slow
down too much, then would readjust her speed. She finally
heard the right pitch to the motor and subconsciously knew
it was right and landed successfully.
Thinking through this second story, I again saw the
connection with “wing on in, inner abilities and creative
side” but literally added, “Fly by the seat of your
pants!” However this time I realized the girl wasn’t using
just her instinct to come up with guesswork. She was NOT
making uneducated choices. She had been trained and
educated in past experience, she just hadn’t realized it.
Finally the three stories came together and I realized He
wanted some hidden training I’d had in my past to come to
the surface and become stronger. That was enough for me!
Realizing I was in the Lord’s will, I was just going to have
to tough it out and hang in there. I needed to stop
struggling with this season, knowing He was silently with me
in this sightless place and I was to hang in there until it
was over.
When I went through this process to unravel the three
stories that night, (Diana Troy, the student writer, and the
pilot) a crimson thread of blindness tied them together:
lost insight, placed in a darkened room and flying with
closed eyes. They matched my situation (were
quickened)
and I knew (revelation) the Lord was trying to
answer my complaints.
But the process of how I figured out
WHAT He was saying was discernment. It was just like
digesting the good parts of the stories that were pertinent
to me, and discarding the rest. That process took effort on
my part to think it through.
Digestion, using the helpful and discarding the waste, takes
time. To run a long race you need the strength of muscle
which is built by protein. Protein or meat is not quickly
assimilated into the body. Meat takes longer to break apart
and be assimilated, in order to release energy. In
comparison to the quick burst of His quickening energy of
something sweet, God gives us something to discern (meat to
chew on) to give us strength to run the race.
When the Lord quickens solid foods, the energy received is
not a quick burst as from milk, but a gradual process of
increased strength. Therefore the quickening and
revelation of solid food is not easily identified as
milk. The quickening of spiritual mild is an instant, “OH
that fits!” and “OH, that’s Him!” Solid food doesn’t give
a quick OH! Rather, it’s an “OOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!” It’s the
same Holy Spirit, and the same quickening and revelation,
but one takes longer!
In the previous example of the three stories, there is a
difference between quickened “milk” Words from the Lord and
quickened solid food from Him. The night I received the
answer to my questions was milk - they were concepts, like
blindness and instinct, that were quickened right on the
spot. I knew (revelation) He was talking to me. Now that’s
the kind of Words we like to hear from Him all the time!
Quick and easy.
However, the original Word from Him was, “Wing on in,” and
that was not quickened at the time, rather it caused me to
question what it meant, and eventually whether it was
actually Him speaking. “Wing on in,” was solid food. I
didn’t like it. It took a long time of chewing (thinking
about it and questioning) before I was able to finally
“swallow” that Word from Him.
Solid food is sometimes a barrier to Christians. They are
used to receiving milk from the Lord and assimilating it
quickly. The fact that solid food requires time to chew and
time to digest, causes some to spit it out because it is not
a familiar process.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Numbers to the Greek words:
But solid [4731] food [5160] belongs to those who are of
full age, that is, those who by reason of use [1838] have
their senses [145] exercised [1128] to discern [1253] both
good [2570] and evil [2556].
This Greek word use [1838] is only used one time in the
Bible. In context, it means that our senses are
consistently trained until they become a habit. A habit
happens by doing something over and over again. It is
interesting that a foundation word [5157] for the word
meat in this scripture, means revolution or turning. It
is like a cow chewing its cud over and over again. Food
rolls around in the mouth and breaks down into parts.
In this case it is our senses that are turning over and
over again, becoming practiced and trained in the
process of turning. It is similar to “gears” turning
round and round in someone’s brain while he is thinking!
The word senses [145] implies using our cognitive
abilities to understand. Sometimes when the original
Greek or Hebrew words do not give us ll ull
understanding of a meaning, we can look at other
scriptures that use the same original word and see the
context of how they were used. In this instance the
only other place this Greek word is used is where Jesus
had just told his disciples that He was going to be
betrayed. “But they did not understand this saying,
and it was hidden from them so that they did not
perceive [145] it; and they were afraid to ask Him about
this saying.” (Luke 9:45 NKJV)
The word exercised [1128] comes from a word having to do
with training. It is our perceptions that are to become
transparent, laid bare, naked or have nothing hidden or
cloaking our understanding. This comes through a
training process of doing something repeatedly over and
over again. It is like stripping our thought process
bare until we finally come to the naked truth.
This word discern [1253] perfectly describes the process
of discerning between good and evil. When one perceives
something that opposes the Holy Spirit, he will
naturally withdraw, oppose, hesitate, doubt, waver,
stagger, even if he does not have the words to
understand why he feels this way. It is like an inner
wrestling contest to try and distinguish between the
real truth and the false.
This wrestling happens while what is being wrestled with
turns over and over in the mind, like the cow chewing
his cud. The mind might weigh the pros and cons, it
might compare with the scriptures, might compare with
the nature of God or the testimony of Jesus, it might
test it to see if it is quickened by the Holy Spirit.
The scripture says, “Do not stifle the Holy Spirit. Do not
scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said.
Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of
evil.” (1 Thess 5:19-22 NLT) Notice that this Greek word
test is also translated discern.
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance Numbers to the Greek words:
Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove
[1381] all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain
from the appearance of evil. (1 Thess 5:19-22)
Prove
NT:1381
dokimazo (dok-im-ad’-zo); from NT:1384; to test (literally
or figuratively); by implication, to approve:
KJV - allow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-) prove, try.
NT:1384
dokimos (dok’-ee-mos); from NT:1380; properly, acceptable
(current after assayal), i.e. approved:
KJV - approved, tried.
NT:1380
dokeo (dok-eh’-o); a prolonged form of a primary verb, doko
(dok’-o) (used only in an alternate in certain tenses;
compare the base of NT:1166) of the same meaning; to think;
by implication, to seem (truthfully or uncertainly):
KJV - be accounted, (of own) please (-ure), be of
reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow.
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The purpose of
discernment is to separate. By
discerning we examine, prove or try it
as though closely observing under a
microscope, or taking it through a test
of questions and answers or pros and
cons. |
“But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one
for the profit of all… to another discerning of spirits… (1
Cor 12:7-8, 10) The more acquainted we are with the HOLY
Spirit, the easier it will be to recognize the unholy ones.
1 Cor 12:7-11 NKJV
“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.”
Spirits
NT:4151
pneuma (pnyoo’-mah); from NT:4154; a current of air, i.e.
breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a
spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication)
vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman)
an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy
Spirit:
KJV - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare
NT:5590.
There are four types of spirits in the above Greek word:
man’s spirit, God’s Spirit, angelic spirits and evil
spirits. The gift of discerning of spirits is the ability to
discriminate these four types of spirits. In discerning
spirits, this is the same word “discerning” already
discussed in the strong meat scripture. It is the same
gift, the same process, only this is the ability to discern
spirits.
Samuel went through the process of discerning the spirit of
man, in choosing David to be king. God told him not to look
on the outward appearance when going through the selection
process. He discerned the brothers who stood before him,
refusing each as the choice to be king over Israel. God
allowed Samuel to go through this process until David stood
before him. The Lord then spoke and said, “This is he.”
(1 Samuel 16:6-13)
The Lord discerned Saul’s heart when He said to Samuel: “I
greatly regret that I have set up Saul as king, for he has
turned back from following Me, and has not performed My
commandments.” (1 Sam 15:11 NKJV)
Achish discerned David’s spirit to be like an angel: “And
Achish answered and said to David, I know that thou art good
in my sight, as an angel of God: notwithstanding the princes
of the Philistines have said, He shall not go up with us to
the battle.” (1 Sam 29:9 KJV)
When we discern the spirit of man, it is more like
discerning their motives. Motives are the intent or reasons
for ones choices and behaviors. We can discern evil motives
like ambition, jealousy, compromise, lust, competition,
anger, unforgiveness, rebellion, unteachableness, pride,
etc. These evil motives are like seeds within man’s heart
that eventually lead man into making sinful choices. (If we
do not repent of these things, they are nurtured and come to
sinful fruition within our lives.) When we have the gift of
discernment, we will be able to easily tell when people say
things, why they are saying them and from what “motive” it
is coming from. Most of the time this will be quite obvious
and be an instant knowledge.
Eli discerned God’s Spirit was talking to the boy Samuel,
when Samuel could not:
“So now the LORD called a third time, and once more Samuel
jumped up and ran to Eli. “Here I am,” he said. “What do you
need?” Then Eli realized it was the LORD who was calling the
boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if
someone calls again, say, `Yes, LORD, your servant is
listening.’ “ So Samuel went back to bed. And the LORD came
and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied,
“Yes, your servant is listening.” (1 Sam 3:7-10 NLT)
The easiest way to discern God’s Spirit, outside of
comparing it with the scriptures is to check whether it is
quickened to your own spirit. “It is the spirit that
quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I
speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John
6:63 KJV) God’s Spirit gives life. He can give only good
gifts. (James 1:17)
Hebrews 13:1 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers,
for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.”
(NKJV) The Lord’s angels are not always obvious in their
appearance. Sometimes we need to discern that they are
angels.
Every one of us who are Christians have seen angels in our
dreams! They appear as people that we do not know
personally. They have personalities, appearances,
countenances, voices, and within our dreams they are our
helpers and encouragers. “Are they not all ministering
spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit
salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14 NKJV) They may speak to us
in our dreams and because they appear human, we do not know
they are angels.
We can also see pictures, which are quick flash visions of
angels. I have seen many, many pictures of angels.
Sometimes they appear as flashes of light, sometimes
lightning, sometimes in human attire, sometimes with gold or
bronze skin with powerful muscles, sometimes dressed in
battle armor, sometimes smiling faces.
We can also hear angels. I have heard conversations of
angels where they are talking to one another and not to me.
I have heard them sing. I have heard them talk to God. I
have heard them talk to me. Many have felt the literal and
physical touch of an angel.
Angels play an important role in our life, for they serve us
as a gift from God. One of the reasons they do not make a
habit of openly declaring themselves is because they are
created to glorify Jesus and to serve, not to publish their
own identity and find followers.
In this day and time there is much renewed interest in
angels. Unfortunately, the new age movement has also
incorporated this. So beware when you listen to angel
stories. Be on guard for any enticing story that would
encourage a long time relationship with a guardian angel or
even a friendship. The Bible says the enemy can be
camouflaged as an angel of light, and the new age movement
encourages having spirit guides who can appear in the form
of an angel. They say each person should get in touch with
these beings and have a relationship with them.
The difference is subtle, for angels are active in our
lives, and they do love and encourage us, and sometimes talk
to us, as the Bible says. I have read many stories of
people who were delivered by angels, and I believe in times
of intense long term trauma, an angel can have a temporary
relationship with that person. However, the Lord wants us
to seek Him and have a relationship with Him. He doesn’t
want our faith displaced towards angels being our source, HE
wants to be our source.
I personally believe that angels are dispatched with
assignment, at the moment we pray. “Bless the Lord, you
mighty angels of his who carry out his orders, listening for
each of his commands. Yes, bless the Lord, you armies of his
angels who serve h instanstantly” (Ps 103:20-21 TLB) I
also believe an intercessor’s faith can actually strengthen
the angel’s ability to fight through enemy territory as well
as dispatch immediate help to people in need. (Daniel 10:
12,13) However the angels do not want the glory for this,
as they are here to serve the Heavenly Father and us who are
heirs of salvation. Stories about angels can be very
encouraging, just keep your priorities straight and love our
Father more for sending them to help us. (Colossians 2:18)
I had a funny experience having to do with angels. The Lord
was trying to teach me that angels are my helpers, and they
are dispatched with assignment the moment I pray. They are
actually waiting for us to understand our authority, so they
can get busy and do what they do best. Often we have the
resources available to help many people, but they are not
dispatched via the angels because we do not pray.
Anyway, I had been thinking about angels, and wondering
about my guardian angel. Because I hear so much from the
Lord at night, I often get enemy opposition. So I have
learned to take authority over such until I hear Him
clearly. One night I was wondering what giant, husky,
warring angel the Lord had posted beside me and feeling kind
of cradled by the thought. Then bam, I heard the enemy, so
I rebuked it in Jesus Name, then prayed the blood of Jesus
over our door posts and then asked for a nice giant warring
angel to stand guard.
I heard the enemy say, “I think they want us to leave!” As
I heard that, I realized the enemy was talking about the
angel standing guard as well as myself and I was
encouraged. Then I saw a picture vision of the face of a
very pretty girl angel. Her smile was so loving and
precious and it was kind of a tongue in cheek smile. I saw
her eyes literally twinkle, and then she winked at me! I
was so astonished and then immediately I thought, “THIS is
my husky, giant, warring angel?????” My faith went to about
zero. Then I remembered the subtle ploy of trusting in
angels, instead of the Lord, and also the authority He’s
given me. It was very funny and I instinctively knew that
the reason she winked was to say, “I guess we showed them!”
I learned something that day. Number one, I was a
chauvinist! Number two, the Lord wanted my faith in Him and
in the authority He’s given me, not my faith in the angel
standing guard. Number three, my authority must be more
than I thought, or else with so much opposition, I would
certainly need a nice, burly angel to protect me - at least
one with a sword! [Sorry Lord, I just had to put that in!]
The whole thing was very funny to me and we all had a good
laugh.
Paul opposed the evil spirit that was actually saying
something good: “These men are the servants of the Most
High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
Paul discerned the spirit to be one of divination, and
rebuked it. (Acts 16:16-18 NKJV)
Demons also appear in our dreams. They appear as wicked
people opposing us and all that is good and righteous in our
dreams. Often they will have weapons to try and wound us,
or perhaps we will be fighting them. The scripture also
says that the enemy can be disguised as an angel of light,
therefore we must discern whether the angel serves the Lord
or the enemy. (2 Corinthians 11:14)
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world.” (1 John 4:1 KJV)
Beloved, believe [4100] not every spirit [4151], but try
[1381] the spirits whether they are of God: because many
false prophets are gone out into the world.
Believe
NT:4100
pisteuo (pist-yoo’-o); from NT:4102; to have faith (in,
upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit;
by implication, to entrust (especially one’s spiritual
well-being to Christ):
KJV - believe (-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
Spirit
NT:4151
pneuma (pnyoo’-mah); from NT:4154; a current of air, i.e.
breath (blast) or a breeze; by analogy or figuratively, a
spirit, i.e. (human) the rational soul, (by implication)
vital principle, mental disposition, etc., or (superhuman)
an angel, demon, or (divine) God, Christ’s spirit, the Holy
Spirit:
KJV - ghost, life, spirit (-ual, -ually), mind. Compare
NT:5590.
Try
NT:1381
dokimazo (dok-im-ad’-zo); from NT:1384; to test (literally
or figuratively); by implication, to approve:
KJV - allow, discern, examine, X like, (ap-) prove, try.
NT:1384
dokimos (dok’-ee-mos); from NT:1380; properly, acceptable
(current after assayal), i.e. approved:
KJV - approved, tried.
NT:1380
dokeo (dok-eh’-o); a prolonged form of a primary verb, doko
(dok’-o) (used only in an alternate in certain tenses;
compare the base of NT:1166) of the same meaning; to think;
by implication, to seem (truthfully or uncertainly):
KJV - be accounted, (of own) please (-ure), be of
reputation, seem (good), suppose, think, trow.
As I was reading the following scripture one day I noticed
something I had not seen before: “Most assuredly, I say to
you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but
climbs up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
But he who enters by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.
To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice;
and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. And
when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and
the sheep follow him, for they know [1492] his voice. Yet
they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from
him, for they do not know [1492] the voice of strangers.”
Jesus used this illustration, but they did not understand
the things which He spoke to them.” (John 10:1-6 NKJV)
I realized that in this scripture it does not say that the
sheep will not hear the voice of a stranger, rather it says
it will not follow the voice of a stranger. The word “to
know”, both in knowing the Lord and not the stranger means
to see, perceive, to understand, to know. As sheep, we
follow Jesus, becoming more like Him, and recognizing Him
the more we know Him and follow Him. We resist following
the stranger because he is not like Jesus and we have the
eyes of our heart set upon Him.
Know
NT:1492
eido (i’-do); a primary verb; used only in certain past
tenses, the others being borrowed from the equivalent
NT:3700 and NT:3708; properly, to see (literally or
figuratively); by implication (in the perf. only) to know:
KJV - be aware, behold, X can (+not tell), consider, (have)
know (-ledge), look (on), perceive, see, be sure, tell,
understand, wish, wot. Compare NT:3700.
I had a false visitation that shows how subtle the enemy can
be. I heard a voice say that I needed to make myself
available and receive this visitation of the Lord Jesus.
Then I saw a light on the corner of our property, shining in
the darkness. I had the impression that something baring
light was approaching our property. Then I saw cloven
tongues of fire.
The speaker had spoken the words, “Lord Jesus.” Whoever was
approaching had light, and the tongues of fire was
Biblical. I had been visited by the Lord before, and in
those times my soul and spirit leaped at His approaching
because His Presence was so near. When the Lord approaches,
we know His Presence, even if we can not recognize His
voice.
In this instance, I had no feelings at all as I watched this
light walk closer to the corner of our property. I could
not see who was bearing the light because our hedge was
covering the view. I could only see a dim light coming
closer and growing brighter and larger as it approached. I
prayed, “Lord it has been a long time since You have visited
me. I would love for You to come in a visitation! However,
if this is not You, I bind the forces of the evil one
and command you to leave right now in Jesus Name!”
Immediately I saw an evil face and heard yucky things and
understood the enemy was trying to deceive me with this
visitation!
As a background to this, Wayne & I have always prayed a
hedge of protection around our property lines. We have
consistently told the enemy he can not cross our borders. It
was interesting to me that the voice was saying I needed to
make myself available to receive the visitation, all the
while approaching our property line. It was saying without
admitting this, that it needed permission to come to me.
I was then taken up and wrestled with a bald headed
principality. He had a very powerful grip and we tumbled in
circles and we wrestled. I bound and rebuked and called on
the name of the Lord Jesus as we fought. Finally I came out
of the vision and prayed and warred in my cognizant state.
When I fell back asleep and had a vivid vision, this time
from the Lord: It was starting to rain. The rain was not
drops, but like falling mist that was glistening in the sun
beams. I ran outside saying, “Oh this is the kind of rain
that brings rainbows!” I searched for a rainbow and saw the
tail end of the left hand side of a rainbow. Only instead
of it being rainbow colors, it had three distinct color
stripes that were red, white and blue. As I noticed the
American colors, the view changed into a panoramic vision
where I realized that the arch I had seen was just a small
portion of the side of a huge, red, white & blue gigantic
crossbow that literally filled the sky. It looked like the
scroll thing } that is placed on a musical staff, only it
was a giant bow. I heard the Lord say, “Do not fear. The
captain of the Lord of hosts is with you.”
One might ask why I had this wonderful vision back to back
on the same night as the demonic visitation. The scripture
says the following back to back: “Therefore submit to
God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near
to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7-8 NKJV)
When Bobby Conner was given his Shepherd’s Rod visitation
2000, he was told by the Lord to expect a visitation on the
night of the Day of the Atonement. He had set aside all for
seeking the Lord and had been preparing himself for this.
When the time came, he saw a warrior-being fly into his
window and look around the room for Bobby. When he saw
Bobby, he immediately flew to him and Bobby felt his head
become dizzy so Bobby cursed the thing in Jesus’ Name and
rebuked it. He watched it melt and shrivel onto the floor
before his eyes. Then Bobby was excited and ready to get
down to business! The point is that when the Lord sends us
visitations, the enemy knows this and sends opposition along
the way!
Paul opposed the evil spirit that was actually saying
something good: “These men are the servants of the Most
High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.” Paul
discerned the spirit to be one of divination, and rebuked
it. (Acts 16:16-18 NKJV)
Remember some of the Greek definitions for discerning have
negative connotations: dispute, oppose, hesitate, contend,
differ, doubt, be partial, stagger, waver. These words also
happen to describe the process the receiver of discernment
goes through. The enemy is a liar and deceiver. He tries
to camouflage his works by attempting to look good. When
the receiver of discernment is confronted with something
that appears good on the outside, but isn’t, it becomes a
stumbling block to his spirit. His flesh sees and hears
that it is good, but his spirit is disputing, opposing,
hesitating, contending, differing, doubting, staggering, and
wavering against the outward appearance.
I had an occurrence where I heard a spirit say to me that
there would be a break through in a meeting that I was
attending that day. It was a good message, and even said
something about the Lord. But my spirit hesitated even
though it was a good message and then suddenly I knew that
this was a religious spirit. I rebuked it in Jesus’ Name,
and it gave me all kinds of clack, being very angry because
the Lord had made it manifest. It was a lesson that not all
things heard, even though they sound like the Lord’s voice,
are truly His voice. Christians need discernment,
especially when it comes to the supernatural.
“Beware of false prophets who come disguised as
harmless sheep, but are really wolves that will tear you
apart. You can detect them by the way they act, just as
you can identify a tree by its fruit. You don’t pick
grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles. A
healthy tree produces good fruit, and an unhealthy tree
produces bad fruit.” (Matt 7:15-18 NLT)
“Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men
gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” (Matt
7:15-16 KJV)
Beware of false prophets [5578], which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening [727]
wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits [2590]. Do
men gather grapes [4718] of thorns [173], or figs [4810]
of thistles [5176]?
In looking up these words I thought it most interesting that
the words ravening and fruits had identical foundation
words. One is speaking of the evil wolf and the other is
speaking about good fruit. These identical words are:
to seize, catch, pluck, pull, take by force, to take for
oneself, to choose, to lift up, to take up or away, to
raise, keep in suspense, to sail away, away with, bear,
carry, lift up, loose, make to doubt, put away, remove,
take.
It is also interesting that Jesus connected false prophets,
wolves, thorns and thistles together in context. Ravening
wolves have sharp teeth in which to seize, catch, pluck,
pull, take by force, to take for oneself, etc. Thorns and
thistles are sharp and can catch prey.
These are a very good description of false prophets! A wolf
may dress like a sheep, but when it bares its mouth, there
is no disguise. Likewise, we shall know a false prophet by
his mouth. Is he biting and devouring others? Does he
slander, gossip, criticize, judge? Does he seize the sheep
for his own ambitious purposes? Does he pluck them for his
own use?
False prophets
NT:5578
pseudoprophetes (psyoo-dop-rof-ay’-tace); from NT:5571 and
NT:4396; a spurious prophet, i.e. pretended foreteller or
religious impostor:
KJV - false prophet.
NT:5571
pseudes (psyoo-dace’); from NT:5574; untrue, i.e. erroneous,
deceitful, wicked:
KJV - false, liar.
Ravening
NT:727
harpax (har’-pax); from NT:726; rapacious:
KJV - extortion, ravening.
NT:726
harpazo (har-pad’-zo); from a derivative of NT:138; to sieze
(in various applications):
KJV - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
NT:138
haireomai (hahee-reh’-om-ahee); probably akin to NT:142; to
take for oneself, i.e. to prefer:
KJV - choose. Some of the forms are borrowed from a cognate
hellomai (hel’-lom-ahee); which is otherwise obsolete.
NT:142
airo (ah’-ee-ro); a primary root; to lift up; by
implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the
voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away
(i.e. weigh anchor); by Hebraism [compare NT:5375] to
expiate sin:
KJV - away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to
doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).
Know
NT:1921
epiginosko (ep-ig-in-oce’-ko); from NT:1909 and NT:1097; to
know upon some mark, i.e. recognize; by implication, to
become fully acquainted with, to acknowledge:
KJV - (ac-, have, take) know (-ledge, well), perceive.
NT:1097
ginosko (ghin-oce’-ko); a prolonged form of a primary verb;
to “know” (absolutely) in a great variety of applications
and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus
clearly expressed):
KJV - allow, be aware (of), feel, (have) know (-ledge),
perceived, be resolved, can speak, be sure, understand.
Fruit
NT:2590
karpos (kar-pos’); probably from the base of NT:726; fruit
(as plucked), literally or figuratively:
KJV - fruit.
NT:726
harpazo (har-pad’-zo); from a derivative of NT:138; to sieze
(in various applications):
KJV - catch (away, up), pluck, pull, take (by force).
NT:138
haireomai (hahee-reh’-om-ahee); probably akin to NT:142; to
take for oneself, i.e. to prefer:
KJV - choose. Some of the forms are borrowed from a cognate
hellomai (hel’-lom-ahee); whisois otherwise obsolete.
NT:142
airo (ah’-ee-ro); a primary root; to lift up; by
implication, to take up or away; figuratively, to raise (the
voice), keep in suspense (the mind), specially, to sail away
(i.e. weigh anchor); by Hebraism [compare NT:5375] to
expiate sin:
KJV - away with, bear (up), carry, lift up, loose, make to
doubt, put away, remove, take (away, up).
Thorns
NT:173
akantha (ak’-an-thah); probably from the same as NT:188; a
thorn:
KJV - thorn.
Thistles
NT:5146
tribolos (trib’-ol-os); from NT:5140 and NT:956; properly, a
crow-foot (three-pronged obstruction in war), i.e. (by
analogy) a thorny plant (caltrop):
KJV - brier, thistle.
NT:956
belos (bel’-os); from NT:906; a missile, i.e. spear or
arrow:
KJV - dart.
NT:906
ballo (bal’-lo); a primary verb; to throw (in various
applications, more or less violent or intense):
KJV - arise, cast (out), X dung, lay, lie, pour, put (up),
send, strike, throw (down), thrust. Compare NT:4496.
Grapes
NT:4718
staphule (staf-oo-lay’); probably from the base of NT:4735;
a cluster of grapes (as if intertwined):
KJV - grapes.
NT:4735
stephanos (stef’-an-os); from an apparently primary stepho
(to twine or wreathe); a chaplet (as a badge of royalty, a
prize in the public games or a symbol of honor generally;
but more conspicuous and elaborate than the simple fillet,
NT:1238), literally or figuratively:
KJV - crown.
NT:1238
diadema (dee-ad’-ay-mah); from a compound of NT:1223 and
NT:1210; a “diadem” (as bound about the head):
KJV - crown. Compare NT:4735.
Figs
NT:4810
sukon (soo’-kon); apparently a primary word; a fig:
KJV - fig.
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