The Discernment of Spirits Explained-A Charism of Revelation will help you identify the move of God and the move of evil in your lives. Host Patti Brunner shares teaching on Discernment of Spirits from the Lord and others as she provides training in this charism of the Holy Spirit on Truth of the Spirit. For audio player, video link and script please continue reading.
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My favorite author in learning about the Gifts of the Holy Spirit is Fr. Robert DeGrandis, S.S.J.; I have many of his books. I was blessed to attend numerous workshops and conferences where he taught before his death in 2018. In his book “Charisms”, written in 1997, he described Discernment of Spirits by saying, “Discernment of Spirits: The gift of the Holy Spirit whereby one intuitively and instantaneously senses what spirits are present and operative within a word, action, situation, or person (holy, evil, human, or any mixture of these). He also gave these examples: Coming into a place instantly sensing that it is peaceful. Meeting someone and sensing that there is something not right. Entering into a conversation and knowing just to suddenly stop speaking because you can sense a change in the other person or yourself. Being in conversation with someone and knowing they are not speaking the truth but being unable to pinpoint why.
Welcome to Truth of the Spirit. I am your host Patti Brunner. Today’s episode, we will share some things the Lord taught me about Discernment of Spirits Explained-A Charism of Revelation and we will look at Church teaching, scriptures, and prayers. At the end I will share a personal story of an encounter with evil and the results.
St. Luke shares in Acts Chapter 2 that the Holy Spirit pours out various gifts. St. Paul in 1st Corinthians chapter 12: 8-10, “To one the Spirit gives wisdom in discourse, to another the power to express knowledge. Through the Spirit one receives faith; by the same Spirit another is given the gift of healing, and, still another, miraculous powers. Prophecy is given to one; to another power to distinguish one spirit from another. One receives the gift of tongues, another that of interpreting the tongues”.
Power to distinguish one spirit from another is also known as the gift of Discernment of Spirits. It fits in the category with Word of Knowledge and Word of Wisdom. It is considered to be a charism of revelation. Here is how the Lord explained it to me: “My child, the gift is simply this: You shall recognize good and evil. You will recognize the need for healing sources. When inner healing is needed for areas of stress and distress, my Holy Spirit reveals the course of prayer. When evil attaches to sin and causes distress My Holy Spirit brings the course of repentance. When serious choices are made towards evil my Holy Spirit provides the help to break loose the grips of evil and thus allows deliverance to take place. Each of my Bishops is given the charism of deliverance.” The Lord said, “The Charism of Discernment of Spirits gives the support of identifying their presence and the spiritual treatment—like a medical diagnostician who identifies then applies the proper course of action. When the treatment is prayer, repentance or deliverance my people can bring the solution to the surface where the Light of Christ heals all wounds.”
One manifestation of Discernment of Spirits that happens quite often to me is the awareness of the presence of God in a situation or ministry. This anointing is a rushing, tingling sensation from head to toe—or toe to head! Often I can ask the person receiving ministry, “Did you feel that?” and usually they respond, “Yes!” This charism often works with the charism of Healing by providing the sensation of heat or energy. It is not required yet it builds faith and awareness that God’s healing has taken place.
Another way the Lord reveals Discernment of Spirits is when I am praying in Tongues in a prayer team for someone and there is a marked ‘change’ in the dialect of my prayer language that identifies the need for binding and loosing prayer. It seems to identify an interfering spirit. My prayer partner says that the “Tongue” begins to sound oriental. I agree. The first time I recognized it happening was when I was praying in Tongues as I drove through a particular neighborhood. The next day I drove through the same neighborhood and gang insignia and graffiti appeared on the wooden fence right where my dialect had changed the day before. The next few weeks I made a point to pray in Tongues anytime I drove through this area. The graffiti was painted over several times and reappeared, but now it no longer returns. It is not unusual for my tongue dialect to change but when it gets that ‘oriental sound’ I know that a special treatment is needed.
“The Holy Spirit thus prays perfectly for the needs of others. Some exorcists ask for you to not pray in tongues during deliverance prayer because the ‘infested’ person must choose to set aside diabolic choices when possession had taken place.”
The Lord told me, “Ask the Holy Spirit to help you know how to minister to those who have evil spirits attached to their mind, heart, or body. Often a good sacrament of Reconciliation is needed. .” The Lord told me, “Often healing of the past—or healing of memories—is needed for inner healing so that spirits of oppression will be released.” The Lord told me, “Sometimes a spirit of infirmity is attached to a need for ‘natural’ healing that interferes with the healing from taking place due to word curses, beliefs, or familiar tendencies or even the environments of diet or nature. Discernment of spirits addresses all these.”
The Lord also told me, “Sometimes this gift manifests by the ability to ‘see’ in your mind’s eye the presence of spirits both those assigned by God as protection and those with evil intent.” Years ago Michael Robinson, a minister who used to visit Arkansas from Washington, D.C., to pray for the speakers during conferences, received the Gift of Discernment of Spirits which allowed him to see spirits in his mind’s eye. He told me it was difficult for him to go into certain restaurants, especially those open late at night, because he could see the spirits attached to people. These spirits were not pleasant for him to see.
The Lord told me, “Spirits of evil intent can be attracted by sin but also as a means of temptation to those weak or strong in faith.” The Lord told me, “These are set apart through the Armor of God and other daily protection prayers such as “Michael the Archangel”. They are also dissipated by prayer, holy water, Holy Communion, and other sacraments and sacramentals.” The Lord told me, “They hover seeking access. They are easily removed.” Prayer teams in our diocese are encouraged to pray “cleansing prayers” after ministry. My husband and I pray one after our nightly intercessory prayer and rosary.
At mass last week, Msgr. Scott Marczuk talked about the Pharisee leader Gamaliel having a gift of discernment when he talked to the Sanhedrin leaders into giving the followers of Jesus time to either be proven or to fall apart. Msgr. said that the truth will win out in time. That sounds very hopeful in the times in which we live as we are surrounded by so much deceit and intensified marketing of immorality and lies. Did Gamaliel’s discernment come from his wisdom, education, or prayer? Or did it come as a gift from the Holy Spirit? At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit gave us a gift to use to stand against deceit and evil; it is the Gift of Discernment of Spirits.
Father Stephen Barham taught Discernment of Spirits is “Recognizing when it is the Holy Spirit, recognizing genuine manifestations of the Spirit, recognizing if the presence of demons causing problems.” That is an easy way to describe this gift! Let me go over them again: “Recognizing when it is the Holy Spirit, recognizing genuine manifestations of the Spirit, and recognizing if presence of demons causing problems.”
One very easy source to look for training on the gifts of the Holy Spirit is the diocesan website of Lafayette, Louisiana. It says, “The gift of “Discernment of Spirits is a supernatural ability to recognize whether a person or situation is being motivated by the Holy Spirit, or their human spirit, an evil spirit or a combination of these spirits.” “This revelation can come through a vision, a sense, or a specific word similar to a word of knowledge.” “Discernment of Spirits and Wisdom help judge and validate Healings and Miracles as well as Prophecy and Words of Knowledge. As with the other gifts, a Word of Wisdom should be sought through quiet prayer before bringing forth what is being revealed. Discretion and compassion to insure the dignity of the person receiving ministry are required.” This gift is used to discern if infirmity is caused by physical, emotional and spiritual boundaries or by demonic activity. This gift clears the way for binding and loosing. “In the Name of Jesus” the evil spirits are then overcome. It labels Discernment of Spirits as a Revelation Gift, a Supernatural Gift of the Holy Spirit, and explains that it is “divine insight into the spiritual”. “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” 1 Corinthians 12:7 – “There are different members, but ONE BODY – all function together. These gifts are free and are dispensed sovereignly by God upon His people for the good of others. These gifts are supernatural abilities bestowed upon individuals by the Holy Spirit. They are not natural abilities. These manifestations are for the common good of the Church and are not to be used to promote the importance of the person bearing the gift. We do not ‘possess’ the manifestation gifts. We are the vehicles the Lord uses for the outpouring of His blessings upon His people. We are the ‘gift bearers’ and must function “with humility, willingness to take risks, trust in God, and love for our brothers and sisters in Christ.” (The Catechism of the Catholic Church is the one that taught me that.) Christians open to the manifestation gifts of the Holy Spirit, to use them for their own building up and then for the building up of the Church, should know what the gifts are and pray for the gift of discernment in when and how to use certain gifts. The Manifestation Gifts consist of gifts of Insight / Revelation, gifts of Communication / Utterance, and Power / Dynamic gifts.”
I have learned that if we discern an evil spirit, we are not to automatically cast out demons. Often the demons are attached to a particular sin or woundedness. And if cast out would return with others as in Matthew 12:43. The person may need long term prayer ministry and reconciliation so that the demon will just let go. And our authority is for ourselves and our family. The priest has the authority over others. Fr. DeGrandis taught to bind spirits of addiction mute, in Jesus’ Name. I guess that would keep it from barraging with evil suggestions and temptations. He also talked about the need for forgiveness; he talked about forgiveness a lot, and inner healing ministry. Father Phillip Scott, who has served as an exorcist, says that one good Sacrament of Reconciliation is more powerful than 100 exorcisms! Other times a word curse or judgment against the person receiving prayer can be broken and the person receive immediate relief. As I said earlier, sometimes my prayer language will be a tip off that there is some demonic activity causing problems. I have come to recognize that. Other times, the charism makes it clear that we are dealing with a non-physical cause of infirmity. Unforgiveness or inner healing becomes obvious and so guides us in our prayer tactics. We also discern how to proceed when there is a demonic activity. Sometimes it is necessary to recommend a visit to a priest. Priests, by the power of their ordination, have authority over demonic activity, especially Bishops and those he authorizes as exorcists. Sometimes we can lead people in an unbound prayer where they themselves take authority over the spirits that are bothering them. Other times we realized that inner healing will remove the ‘feeding frenzy’ of the demonic activity.
Jesus used the gift of faith to rebuke and quiet the storm and to walk on the water. Using the Charism of Miracles, of Mighty Deeds, Jesus healed the withered hand (Luke 6:6-10), created an eye for a man who was blind from birth, and multiplied the loaves and fishes. Jesus used the Charism of Prophecy to reveal the coming of his passion, death and resurrection and also to communicate with God. Using Discernment of Spirits he identified when demonic activity was causing infirmity and He cast out demons. Jesus groaned in the Spirit –the gift of Tongues—in Mark 7:34 before healing the deaf mute. He uttered mysteries to his Father as he set himself apart and prayed with the Spirit. By all this he taught us how to use these charisms.
St. Paul wrote in Romans 8:28 “We know that all things work for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” He wrote in Romans 12: 2 “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
In the Gospel of John 8:32 Jesus said, “Once you know the truth, the truth does indeed set you free.” Jesus said in John 10:10 “A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it more abundantly.”
Join me in a prayer from Fr. DeGrandis: “O Lord, open my heart to your Holy Spirit and let me be an instrument of Your love. I desire to be guided, directed, nourished, and led by Your Holy Spirit. O, come Spirit of the Living God, melt me, mold me, fill me, use me. Amen.”
Let me tell you now my personal experience with evil spirits. When my husband and I first started living a life in the Spirit and ministering to others with witness and the charisms, we had an encounter with evil spirits within our home. We both had nightmares at the exact same time of being attacked. I woke up that night screaming because I was being violently attacked by a huge male demon. My husband said that at the very same time he had a dream that he was being seduced by a female demon. What are the odds of that happening randomly? Not only did it make clear that the enemy was interested in trying to worry us it also illustrated the variety of spiritual warfare he uses. But instead of disrupting our ministry it caused us to dig deeper into prayer, which may be why the Lord allowed them to attack us. Have you noticed the enemy stepping up his game against you? Count it blessing; it’s because you are growing closer to the Lord and the enemy is recognizing your potential for the building up of the Kingdom of God. Our spiritual mentors explained that these were definitely evil spirits trying to bother us. They taught us how to do protection prayers and cleansing prayers and suggested wearing a Benedictine medal and crucifix to bed. I still do. We have never been attacked again in that way.
According to Catechism Paragraph #414 “Satan or the devil and the other demons are fallen angels who have freely refused to serve God and his plan. Their choice against God is definitive. They try to associate man in their revolt against God.”
There is a saying “misery loves company”. The demons desire our company not for reasons of love but in hate of the special relationship we have with God through Jesus.
Catechism Paragraph #407 explains the power of the devil against mankind. “The doctrine of original sin, closely connected with that of redemption by Christ, provides lucid discernment of man’s situation and activity in the world. By our first parents’ sin, the devil has acquired a certain domination over man, even though man remains free. Original sin entails “captivity under the power of him who thenceforth had the power of death, that is, the devil.” Ignorance of the fact that man has a wounded nature inclined to evil gives rise to serious errors in the areas of education, politics, social action, and morals.”
But don’t worry! Catechism Paragraph #395 affirms that “The power of Satan is, nonetheless, not infinite. He is only a creature, powerful from the fact that he is pure spirit, but still a creature. He cannot prevent the building up of God’s reign. Although Satan may act in the world of hatred for God and his kingdom in Christ Jesus, and although his action may cause great injuries-of a spiritual nature and, indirectly, even of a physical nature-to each man into society, the action is permitted by divine providence which with strength and gentleness guides human and cosmic history. It is a great mystery that providence should permit diabolic activity, but “we know that in everything God works for good with those who love him.” [Romans 8:28]
We invite you to the podcast “Trapping the Good Feelings and Expelling the Bad”. It is #8 of our Stepping Stones to the Fullness of Christ series on how spiritual battle affects our lives. You can read the script of that episode at PatriarchMinistries.com/186. We will go ahead and list several suggestions of our podcasts that cover spiritual battle in the description below.
We will also now share with you the Cleansing Prayer. It was originally written by Francis McNutt to pray following healing and prayer ministry. It is easy to pray any time you feel a temptation towards anger, impatience or negativity.
Pray with me in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen
Cleansing Following Ministry
Lord Jesus, thank You for sharing with me Your wonderful ministry of healing and deliverance. Thank You for being present today as I prayed for others. I realize that the sickness and evil we encounter is more than our humanity can bear. So cleanse me of any sadness, negativity, or despair that I may have picked up.
If my ministry has tempted me to anger, impatience, or lust, cleanse me of those temptations and replace them with love, joy, and peace. Strengthen me where I have felt weak and clothe me with Your light.
If any evil spirits, powers, or forces, have attached themselves to me or oppress me in any way, in the name of Jesus Christ, I command them to leave right now and not return. Now come, Holy Spirit, fill all the void areas in me with Your presence and renew me with Your life, Your love, and Your strength.
And, Lord Jesus, please send Your holy angels to guard me and protect me from all harm, accidents, or illness. In Your precious name, I pray. Amen.
You’ve been listening to Truth of the Spirit and Discernment of Spirits Explained—A Charism of Revelation. We invite you to subscribe and come back for more. With the Holy Spirit, there’s always more! Amen.
Suggested Truth of the Spirit episodes:
www.PatriarchMinistries.com/210 [Script of this episode]
www.PatriarchMinistries.com/186 Trapping the Good Feelings and Expelling the Bad
The Armor of God – YouTube Playlist [8 videos]
Inner Healing of Your Mind and Heart – YouTube Playlist [7 videos]
www.PatriarchMinistries.com/64 Lenten Logos IV – Light vs Dark
www.PatriarchMinistries.com/77 Overcoming Demonic Barriers to Healing Part 6
www.PatriarchMinistries.com/174 God’s Blueprint for Rescue
