What is the Spiritual Gift of Discernment?

I had a keen interest in spiritual gifts growing up. When I was a little girl, spiritual gifts sounded like magical powers God gave to especially wise and mature believers. As one who ran around her yard pretending the knotted stick she found was a magical wand, I deeply desired to have my own spiritual gifts. 

One that caught my attention was the discernment of spirits. I heard adults talk about this gift like it was a mystical knowledge God endowed to certain believers. “She gets this sense when someone isn’t being truthful,” or, “She gets this foreboding vibe when someone is a wolf in disguise,” or “She can tell when someone’s spirit isn’t in God’s will.” It was like they had a glimpse into the spiritual world, like Frodo when he put the ring on his finger. It felt a bit spooky.

The spiritual gift of discernment shows up twice in Scripture and with very little for a working definition. This has left a lot of room for people to interpret and put their own experiences into what this gift could be.

May I offer you a different definition than the ones above? While I don’t believe I have all the right answers, based on my own study of Scripture and convictions I think the meaning of the gift of discernment about which the apostles wrote is more about the deep study of God’s revealed Word rather than a spooky sixth sense.

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