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Discernment of Spirits
Know Your Position And Be Unafraid
Helen Calder
The gift of discernment of spirits is
the Holy Spirit-empowered ability to determine the spiritual source of
something — whether it is an atmosphere, something spoken or something
presenting through a person r wider group.
Those of us who are gifted in
discernment tend to be very sensitive to what is occurring in the spiritual
realm, often being alerted ahead of time to what is taking place.
There will be times
when we are confronted with something that is demonic in origin, or
spiritual warfare is taking place.
When this happens, it helps to
remember not only who we are, but also where we are.
We need to be able to step back
and recognise our spiritual position.
It is only from our position in
Christ that we are protected, and can confidently respond in a way that
honours Him.
‘And having disarmed the powers
and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by
the cross.’ (Colossians 2:15)
Your 2-Fold
Position of Discernment
1. You are in Christ.
‘Therefore, if anyone is in
Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!’ (2 Corinthians 5:17)
‘For you died, and your life is
now hidden with Christ in God.’ (Ephesians 3:3)
What a wonderful truth — the
power of the cross. The enemy cannot touch you because you are hidden in
Christ! See it, believe it, and confess it.
There will be contention for
that truth and so you need to guard your heart.
‘The name of the Lord is a
fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.’ (Proverbs 18:10)
When you have a revelation of Who
your God is, and your righteousness in Christ, you can be secure in Him — no
matter what is taking place around you, and no matter what you are discerning
or perceiving.
When the enemy looks at you, he sees
Christ.
When fear
or discouragement arises from something we are discerning, this is a sign
that we need to recognise our spiritual address — our location.
The Bible is our GPS and
Scripture says we are hidden in Jesus. We are seated in Heavenly Places.
2. You are Seated in Heavenly Places
‘Since, then, you have been
raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at
the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who
is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.’ (Colossians 3:1-4)
‘And God raised us up with
Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.’ (Ephesians 2:6)
When we understand that our
spiritual position is in heavenly places, then our focus is on what is
happening in the Throne Room.
We want to hear what the Father
is saying and see what He is up to. The highest use of the gift of discernment
is to perceive what the Holy Spirit is doing.
There will be times we need to
be reminded of this. We need to be intentional about our focus, because the
enemy will try and distract us.
‘Christ redeemed us from the
curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is
everyone who is hung on a pole.” He redeemed us in order that the blessing
given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by
faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.’ (Galatians 3:13-14)
You are blessed in Christ! You
are ‘the head and not the tail’, ‘above and not beneath.’ (Deuteronomy 28:13)
Your location and address is
that you are seated in heavenly places.
This is your Kingdom perspective.
When you wage spiritual
warfare, you are not beneath the enemy, trying to fight your way up.
You may be wrestling and
contending (Ephesians 6:12) but your position is one of strength and authority.
You reside at the Throne and
the enemy must bow to the name of Jesus.
Stay Hidden in
Christ
We are located in
Christ. This is our permanent address! This is something we can
celebrate and be confident in.
However, when we value this, we
will not take it for granted. It is vital that we stay under cover.
Jesus said in John
14:30, ‘the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in
Me.’ He was referring to His sinlessness.
The Apostle Paul
said, ‘In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while
you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.’ (Ephesians 4:26-27)
‘Not giving the devil a foothold’ does not mean that we will always be perfect; it
means that we are trusting in the only Perfect One.
It means walking in repentance and in
the light—not fighting battles with sin in secret, but being open and
accountable. (Ephesians 5:8-13)
We need to deal with issues
quickly, and not ‘give the devil a foothold’ because our inheritance is
righteousness.
You can be conscious of
your righteousness in Christ every moment of every day. Through the cross,
you are cleansed, justified (‘just-as-if-I-have-never-sinned’) and
made holy. (Romans 3:24 Heb 10:10),
You can walk every day knowing that
your location is that you are at home in Jesus. You are hidden in Christ and
seated in heavenly places.
And when you perceive through
discernment that something is amiss, you can have complete security from
your spiritual position.
Enliven Blog is authored
by Helen Calder of Enliven Ministries.
We are a prophetic ministry
based in Melbourne, Australia and a part of the David McCracken
Ministries family.
Helen Calder began writing
blog posts in July 2009. Today Enliven Blog is helping to empower, inspire and
mentor thousands of people globally.
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