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Discernment As A Spiritual Gift

I've been stuck on the topic of discernment. At first, I thought it was just an obsession with wanting to hear the voice of God, however, I've come to find that as far as spiritual gifts go it is something I greatly desire to have. So, what did I do? Of course, I did two things. One, get out my bible and start reading. Actually, that isn't how it started I actually got on Pinterest to find scriptures to help me out, and I came across this meme...
Now I'm not one to just go posting stuff all willy-nilly, so I got out my trusted bible and looked up the referencing scripture. Numbers 23:19 What exactly does this particular scripture have to do with discernment? Nothing. However, in chapters 22, 23, and 24 we learn of Balaam an oracle who sought to discern the will of God. Balak the king of Moab wanted Balaam to curse Israel. Balaam sought after God and was told three times not to curse them. He actually ended up blessing them those three times he consulted with God. (I encourage you to read those chapters). Now, as you can already tell from the beginning of this blog post, I have a habit of jumping from one thing to the next. How did this particular passage lead me on my journey into the wonderful world of spiritual gifts and discernment? Easy. Coming across that one word sent me on my journey. I just had to know. What is discernment?

 Helen Calder "8 Signs You May Have The Spiritual Gift Of Discernment," describes it best "It is the Spirit-given ability to distinguish whether Divine, human, or demonic origins are the source of what is presented."
The entire time I was reading the article it dawned on me that although I had an idea of the spiritual gifts this was one I never considered myself having. Yet, as I read through and scrolled down the page I saw more and more of myself. Seven out of eight signs I can distinctly say for sure I've had in my lifetime. The last one is the only one that I can't say I've had for sure. Although I have been around many leaders in my lifetime I can't recall any one of them saying they saw the gift of discernment within me. 

 The 8 signs aforementioned above are:

  • A desire for the gift
  • Love for God's presence
  • Sensitivity to the spiritual atmosphere
  • Feeling different from other people
  • Unusual Signs
  • Childhood or pre-salvation signs  
  • Ability to know what lies behind a person's words or actions
  • Confirmation by others or leaders
The spiritual gifts sometimes are hard to get a good comprehensive idea of. What do I do with this gift, is the question that is often asked. I have found the only way to know for sure is to speak with and listen to God. Open your heart and test the spirit of your confirmations. Confirmations from God will be confirmed multiple times. 

This journey into the spirit of discernment is not done by far. Stick with me as I study and delve deeper into Christ word and the gift of discernment. 
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