Written by Emily Wagoner

Read: 1 Corinthians 12:10; 1 John 4:1-6; Acts 5:1-11

We had prepared, rehearsed, and prayed. Still, as I led worship from the platform, it felt as if my voice was being sucked into a void. I smiled, encouraging the congregation to sing out. The room felt hollow. Empty. I sensed a spiritual force trying to inhibit the praises of God’s people.

The first thing I did was check myself, asking the Lord if I had brought some of my baggage into the equation. As my husband began to lead the next song, I prayed quietly under my breath, away from the microphone, leaning into the words of the bridge and asking the Lord to break through whatever in the room was interfering with exalting the name of Jesus. “Chains, fall. Fear, bow. Here, now. Jesus, you change everything.” The atmosphere shifted as the Holy Spirit moved among His people. I came away from that worship set feeling grateful for God’s kindness.

Our series, “STAND,” covered Ephesians 6:10-20. Several pastors taught about the reality of spiritual warfare and the Armor of God. Paul mentions the topic in his letter to the Corinthian church as well, adding “distinguishing between spirits” to the list of gifts given by the Spirit for the common good. (1 Cor 12:10) In fact, many New Testament authors address the reality of spirits, both good and evil. John writes, “test the spirits to see whether they are from God.” (1 John 4:1)

Often, the gift we call “discernment of spirits” is simply a God-given sensitivity to truth, error, or evil. In the case of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11, Peter supernaturally discerned Ananias’s lie. The God-given sensitivity Peter displayed preserved the purity of the early church. It’s important to note that it was not Peter’s responsibility to judge the couple. That judgment came directly from God. The discernment, however, was given to Peter by the Holy Spirit for the good of the church and the display of God’s power.

Many people have experienced spiritual manipulation or abuse at the hands of someone claiming to have heard from the Lord. This is a tragic misuse (or sometimes an outright lie) attributed to the Holy Spirit, and it grieves Him greatly. (Eph 4:30) The Holy Spirit gives good gifts to build the church and destroy the works of the enemy. When God gives us the ability to sense the spiritual source of a situation, our responses should always be motivated by love because God is love.

As with all gifts, it is our responsibility to bring our impressions before the Lord first and ask Him, “What would you like me to do with this?” Most of the time, the answer is prayer, partnering with what God wants to do in a situation. Sometimes, it’s simply a reminder to put on the armor of God. On the rare occasion we feel prompted to speak up, approach a trusted leader humbly and privately, trusting their response will also be prompted by our living, loving God.