New Wine Christian Fellowship’s
“From the Pulpit” Series
July 2006
Increasing Your Ability to Perceive
Things in the Spirit (Part 2)
by Chris Simpson
Last month we looked at what happens when a believer lacks in spiritual perception. This month we are going to examine what needs to happen in order for an individual to grow in his or her ability to discern.
YOU MUST BE WILLING TO LOOK AT YOURSELF FIRST
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
James 1:22-25
This passage describes a person caught up in his or her own soul, full of self-deception and spiritually clueless. Let’s use our imaginations for a moment to try and grasp what James is saying. Let’s say that you get up one morning and begin preparing for the day. As you peer into the mirror, you notice something disturbing; there are these funny, multi-colored spots all over your face! They weren’t there last night, but this morning they’re all over. You have no idea what to do! Then, all of a sudden, it dawns on you... You realize that before you came to the mirror, you didn’t know that they were there. So, the answer is obvious! Just walk away from the mirror so that you won’t have to look at the disturbing spots.
This sounds silly doesn’t it? You’re not going to just forget about all those spots on your face! But, this is exactly what many people do with the Word of God. They go to church, and the preacher takes out the two-edged sword and begins to speak the truth. As he preaches, they begin to be aware of these spots in their souls; spots of rebellion, unbelief, pride, fear, self-pity, etc… The anointed Word of God causes them to become convicted of these areas of sin that before were hidden. Often, however, many people deal with these troubling areas by simply finding another Church. They blame the mirror, not the spots; the preacher, not their sin!
Many people to whom I have preached make a choice to “take a left into the hallway of deception.” Instead of dealing with their sin, they’ll go someplace where they will not have to face it. They didn’t like the spots and decided the solution was to quit looking in the mirror. But, no matter how much you ignore or turn away from what the mirror shows you, what’s there does not go away.
SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION CAN HELP YOU AVOID
UNHEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS
“Go from the presence of a foolish man, when you do not perceive in him the lips of knowledge.”
Proverbs 14:7
One area in which the Lord greatly desires to teach us discernment is in the area of relationships. A lack of perception in regard to people can cause a lot of problems in our lives. This lack of perception seems to be an area in which Christians are often more gullible than those in the world, and yet Christ admonished his followers to be as wise as serpents. (Matthew 10:16)
Proverbs 14:15 tells us, “The simple believes every word, but the prudent considers well his steps.” People are often not what they seem, and it can be naive to accept them at face value. Jesus told us to beware of those who would come as sheep, but were actually wolves. (Matthew 7:15) Discernment involves looking beneath the surface of situations to perceive what is really going on. Over and over again His relationships, Jesus operated in this type of discernment. One example of Jesus’ discernment is seen in His interaction with Nicodemus. He came to Him saying, “ We know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” Jesus looked right through him and said, “ You need to be born again .” (John 3:2-3) Jesus overlooked the surface reason Nicodemus gave for coming to Him and ministered to his real need. The ability to look past the superficial to discern true spiritual need characterized Jesus’ ministry to people. This is because He lived in the spirit and did not operate from His soul.
When we move in spiritual discernment, we are able to separate, or discern, between what is of the soul and what is of the spirit. This type of discernment is what allows us to love the sinner and not the sin; the person, but not the demon that is operating through their personality. Spiritual perception enables us to see that many times there is, indeed, a spiritual source influencing a person’s actions. The ability to so perceive is indicative of Christian maturity. When Peter came to Jesus to persuade Him that He did not need to go to the cross, Jesus did not even address Peter. He said, “Satan, get behind me!” (Matthew 16:23) Peter thought he was being loving, but there was a supernatural source driving this whole notion of Christ not needing to go to the cross. Satan was at work to discourage Jesus from what God had called Him to do!
The truth is that perception is absolutely required in dealing with and ministering to people. Lets look at another example from the book of Acts.
And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles' hands the Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money, saying, "Give me this power also, that anyone on whom I lay hands may receive the Holy Spirit." But Peter said to him, "Your money perish with you, because you thought that the gift of God could be purchased with money! You have neither part nor portion in this matter, for your heart is not right in the sight of God. Repent therefore of this your wickedness, and pray God if perhaps the thought of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity."
Acts 8:18-23
Simon was a sorcerer, and all that he understood was power; he did not understand the things of the spirit. In the occult, it is possible to buy power. Of course, this is not the case in the Kingdom of God! Peter, operating in the spirit, was able to discern what was at the root of Simon’s desire for power. Peter perceived that Simon’s heart, in spite of his acceptance of the gospel, was full of bitterness and jealousy because Jesus was now Lord in his town. Simon was no longer in control.
WE MUST MATURE IN DISCERNMENT
“For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Hebrews 5:13-14
Discernment is a learned skill. It is a product that is gained as you increase in maturity in your Christian walk. Discernment can be likened to a muscle because it takes continued effort to develop. There is and will always be a constant bombardment from the natural realm to keep us from being spiritually sharp. You must set your heart steadfastly on the things of the spirit. If you’re passive, you will not be sharp in the spirit. As you mature in your ability to discern, God will increase that ability. You must first be willing to look in the mirror of God’s Word to see yourself. Then, He will open your eyes in the spirit to be able to see things clearly in the lives of others.
John 16:13 tells us, “ When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” As you mature, God will begin to give you the ability to perceive and see that which you could not know otherwise. At this point you will truly be usable in people’s lives. It is our calling to set the captives free, but to do so we must be spiritually sharp.
HOW TO INCREASE IN PERCEPTION
“My son, if you receive my words, And treasure my commands within you, so that you incline your ear to wisdom, And apply your heart to understanding; yes, if you cry out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding, if you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures; then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly”
Proverbs 2:1-7
This passage from the Proverbs instructs us on how to grow in discernment and spiritual perception. The simple truth is that you have to want these things more than anything else! You must be willing to seek it like you are looking for silver or gold. You must be willing to lift up your voice and cry out for it! Real wisdom, real knowledge, real ability to see in the spirit, are for those who will go out on the edge, open their heart to God, and cry out for it. He will give it to you, and James 1:5 tells us it will be given liberally and without reproach to those who truly want it.
Jesus said, “blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness.” (Matthew 5:6) There must be a hunger and thirst inside of you. The deep things of the Kingdom are not cheap. God gives to the desperate, not to the satisfied. You must pay the price. I have never known anybody who was both passive and yet still able to move in any kind of spiritual power. “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him." (2 Chronicles 16:9)
To be willing to pay the price, we must know that there is nothing the world has to offer that can match the riches of wisdom and the ability to move in the spirit. Solomon said it, “ is more precious than rubies, And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.” (Proverbs 3:15) So, today, if you want to grow in spiritual perception and discernment, cry out to the Lord in your heart. He will be faithful to hear your cry and will be faithful to answer.
NEXT TIME… We will examine the difference between worldly and Godly repentance.
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