THE DELIVERANCE MINISTRY
SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT
1 Corinthians 12:10 “…To another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits…”
Spiritual discernment is one of nine “gifts” made available to believers by the Holy Spirit for the profit of all believers. In spiritual warfare our foes are spirits, our ability to discern who these spirits are and how they operate is crucial if we are to get the
upper hand in bringing deliverance to the believers who are oppressed by them.
Matthew 12:43-45 “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”
In the above verses Jesus gives us tremendous insight into the why and the how of unclean spirits and how they operate. Also how they gain access into the individual. A wicked generation opens the door for widespread demonic infestation.
The root of wickedness is idolatry, and idolatry produces iniquities.
Psalm 7:14 “Behold, the wicked brings forth iniquity.”
Exodus 20:4-5 “You shall not make for yourself a carved (idolatry) image — any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me.”
And the root of idolatry is hatred towards God.
According to Jesus there are seven different kinds of more wicked spirits who are able to interact with the less wicked spirit that claims the body that he was exorcised from as his own house. It will be interesting to know who this wicked spirit is who is able to summon help from more wicked spirits than himself in order to take back the house (body) from which he was kicked out.
Proverbs 26:24-26 “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself; when he speaks kindly, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart; though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly.”
Idolatry in its root form is wickedness that brings forth iniquity (inherited sin) which is deeply rooted in hate, hatred of God and of everything that belongs to God.
So that the primary but lesser unclean spirit that summons the seven more wicked spirits than himself after he is cast out, is the spirit of hate. He who hates harbors (summons) seven abominations in his heart (spirits) which revealed themselves as wickedness.
Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit (singular) of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (these eight are all manifestations of God’s love). Against such there is no law.”
Our born-again spirit is conceived in love (God so loved the world). That love manifests itself in the born-again person in eight different representations of God’s love, for a total of nine. The un-regenerated spirit still belongs to God though separated from Him, so hate which is the opposite of love manifests itself in seven different ways or levels of wickedness, for a total of eight unclean spirits. Satan, the head of the demons sums up to number nine. Every demonic infrastructure is a perverted copy of the heavenly pattern. God is love and manifests His love in eight fruit, singular as in one unit. Satan cannot possess the spirit-man for it belongs to God, so his hate can only manifest itself in seven different levels of itself (hate being number eight) within an individual.
These seven manifestations of hate are called abominations in the Word of God. Our ability to discern these abominably unclean spirits and their deeply rooted hatefulness is crucial in our ability to help people beset by them to be set free. This is what spiritual discernment is all about.
Seven abominations which are born out of hatred towards God.
1) Proverbs 16:5 “Everyone proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD; though they join forces, none will go unpunished.”
Number one is the spirit of Pride.
If hate is the root, clearly pride is the trunk of the tree. Pride is born out of a hateful heart. The spirit of hate masquerades itself so as not to be uncovered: Proverbs 26:24 “He who hates, disguises it with his lips, and lays up deceit within himself.” One sure way to know if hate is present in the heart of the person we are helping is through the discernment of the spirit of pride. If pride is present, hate is hiding behind it, they go together like a hand in glove, and it is this lethal combination of joining forces which enables these other six unclean spirits access.
2) Proverbs 15:8 “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.”
Number two is the spirit of Self-righteousness.
The proud in heart will pray (sacrifice) to God in self-righteousness instead of meekness, not even aware sometimes of his own conceit.
Luke 18:11-13 “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men — extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’.”
What is it that drives people to do what they do? If pride is behind it, nothing good will come out of it.
3) Proverbs 15:26 “The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to the LORD, but the words of the pure are pleasant.”
Number three is the spirit of Gossip and Slander.
Jesus told us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We have a saying that says, the down puts down, the mind set of this spirit is to tear down with words, gossip and slander are its characteristics.
4) Proverbs 11:20 “Those who are of a perverse heart are an abomination to the LORD, but the blameless in their ways are His delight.”
Number four is the spirit of Malice.
A perverse heart manifests itself through malice. It will actively seek and desire for evil things to befall others.
5) Proverbs 12:22 “Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who deal truthfully are His delight.”
Number five is the spirit of Bitter Envy and Self-seeking.
James 3:14 “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth.”
6) Proverbs 11:1 “Dishonest scales are an abomination to the LORD, but a just weight is His delight.”
Number six is the spirit of Betrayal and dishonesty.
Dishonesty, betrayal and untrustworthiness is the conduct that will expose this spirit.
7) Proverbs 3:32 “For the perverse person is an abomination to the LORD, but His secret counsel is with the upright.”
Number seven is the spirit of Perversion.
The person that is driven by the selfish desires of their heart (lust of the flesh), will desire to obtain the things which they see (lust of the eyes) as profitable for increasing their own status in the eyes of others (pride of life). Such a person becomes perverted, meaning a counterfeit copy of their real selves, which was originally created in the image of God.
The proud heart will sacrifice whatever it takes to realize the thoughts and desires of their perverse heart, they will lie and cheat to achieve their goals. In the process they lose their original personality, which was created in them by God, and become a perversion of what they were created to be.
Who would have thought that hate could produce so much evil. The sad thing is that it usually begins with hating oneself. Pride is what we use to compensate for the feelings of worthlessness, and the rest just follows.
Romans 5:5 “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
God put a price on the soul of man, a price so valuable that could only be measure by the intensity of the sufferings and passion of His only begotten Son for us. The precious and priceless blood that Jesus shed for us has once and for all separated the words “worthless” and “soul”. They are so far apart that they are not even in the same universe.
Love and self-acceptance in the unconditional love God has for us, which He demonstrated on the cross, is the key that unlocks and opens the perverse heart and releases that hateful bird called pride.
Humbly and grateful the restored heart rejoices in its new found love and acceptance, and the peace of God which passes all understanding rules and guides, faithfully comforting the emerging new person which is now being built in the image of Christ.
Romans 8:37-39 “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
True deliverance comes as we replace the spirit of hate with God’s love which is Spirit, and that’s the truth.
Isaiah 25:1 “O Lord, You are my God. I will exalt You, I will praise Your name, for You have done wonderful things; Your counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.”