Solid food is for the mature who, because of practice, have their
senses trained to discern good and evil (Hebrews 5:14).

In many counseling cases I am able to sense in my spirit that
something is wrong or that the real issue has not surfaced. Sometimes I
seem to know what it is, but instead of blurting it out, I test it. For
example, if I discern that the counselee may be in bondage to
homosexuality, I don’t say, "You’re a homosexual, aren’t you?"
Rather, I test the impression at the appropriate time by asking
something like, "Have you ever struggled with homosexual thoughts
or tendencies?" If the Spirit’s discernment in me is matched by His
conviction in the counselee, usually the problem surfaces and we can
deal with it.

Have you ever "known" that someone was a Christian before
he or she even said anything about it? Have you ever sensed a compatible
spirit with other believers? There is nothing magical about that; it’s
just the presence of the Holy Spirit bearing witness with your spirit.
At other times the Holy Spirit warns you that the spirit controlling
another person is not a compatible spirit.

If we would learn to be more spiritually aware in our churches and
homes, God could keep us from plowing head-on into so many disasters. In
the Western world our cognitive, left-brain orientation all but excludes
discernment as our essential guide for navigating through the spiritual
world. But the writer of Hebrews identified discernment as a mark of
maturity: "Solid food is for the mature who, because of practice,
have their senses trained to discern good and evil" (5:14).

A good systematic theology is the essential foundation upon which we
build our lives. It is like the skeleton of our body. But dead orthodoxy
is just that: dead! It is the Holy Spirit who gives life to the body.
The church is in desperate need of biblically orthodox people who have
also learned to be spiritually discerning.

Increase my sensitivity to the spiritual world, Lord, and keep me
from the dangers of viewing life only from a human perspective.

This daily devotional is published and distributed by
http://www.GOSHEN.net/ . It is written by Neil Anderson at
http://www.freedominchrist.com/ .