The Need for Spiritual Discernment in the Church

Ever since Jesus rose from the dead and established HIS Church satan has gone into his fallback position from which he seeks to make the Church ineffective and impotent.

To accomplish this (and, sadly he has) he has saturated Jesus’ Church with worldly systems. These include business practices, congregations, membership rolls, competition between congregations for business, fund raising campaigns, purpose and vision statements, ad campaigns. They also include things which are co-opted from the Western educational and entertainment systems such as campuses, pep rallies, stages, light shows, smoke machines and drama of all sorts.

While the Church Jesus established STILL exists, it is often overlaid with all this extra worldly stuff which has built up over 1700 years of institutionalism. It takes revelation to see we are carrying that; as well as discipline and awareness to cast it down when we see it.

Burdened as it is by worldly programs and systems, the Church still accomplishes a lot of good things in the name of Jesus…along with a LOT of things which exist solely to keep up appearances or keep the businesses going or to make people feel good.

One of the downsides is that it has lowered the bar…to attract members. Think terms like “seeker sensitive church” and you’ll see it too. Instead of teaching prime rib and well-rounded spiritual meals…it serves up baby food so no one feels left out.

Another downside is that, because discernment is lost when people are encouraged to go deep spiritually and to grow up, there are always people planted in places by the devil to disrupt the local body of Christ.

These are, generally, never seen as what they are…until it’s too late and people are hurt and, maybe,

congregations fail.

The devil LOVES this because he hates people. He equips the really ambitious ones with two things: hatred…and the ability to hide it.

“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.” (Proverb 26:24-26)

I don’t enjoy topics like this…but these verses ARE in the Bible and the Lord DID put this on my heart today. So, I will be faithful to share what He has given me.

There is a lot here; so, let’s unpack it.

As I said earlier, when satan infiltrates a person who, as a believer, is supposed to personify the love of God, he equips them with hatred and the ability to hide it. This is necessary to the hateful person because, sadly, church isn’t always the safest place to share our problems.

The BEST thing would be to confess it and seek prayer and ministry. But this is near impossible for those who aspire to squirm their way up the corporate ladder into leadership.

For these, Jesus is not enough. These need the admiration and attention of other people in order to feel complete.

That hatred burns within these people. Maybe it’s toward people of the opposite sex or co-workers or people of other races or congregations or styles of Christendom. But it’s there…and it’s well hidden.

“He…disguises it with his lips”. This means that he SAYS things which look loving and those words are his disguise. The word “disguises” means to pretend and to know you are pretending. It’s pre-meditated.

The thing about when satan tempts someone to sin is that no one goes unscathed. The one who hates “lays up deceit within himself”. This means he literally places a pattern of being a fraud and intentionally misleading others into his own soul.

He helps the devil hurt himself and others.

And, due to there being no discernment in the Body of Christ…hardly anyone ever sees it. They are blinded by the person’s man-made titles and roles in the church.

The Writer (ultimately, Holy Spirit) tells us to “not believe him”. The word “believe” there means to not build the person up or support him. In other words, this is a call for us to withdraw from that sort of person.

“But we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you withdraw from every brother who walks disorderly and not according to the tradition which he received from us.” (2 Thessalonians 3:6)

One reason that people quietly stop coming to some of these churches is because they DO have discernment. They can spiritually discern the hatred. So they go somewhere else.

The reason we aren’t supposed to believe this person when he speaks kindly is because of a horrible spiritual reality: “there are seven abominations in his heart”. Rather than meaning that there is hatred and deceit and FIVE other evil things in there the reference to “seven” most likely has to do with him being COMPLETELY overrun with hatred and deceit.

This is a heavy teaching. I know it is.

There IS, though, some good news. What is hidden is ALWAYS eventually revealed. And when this is revealed the entire assembly sees it.

I was once part of a fellowship and there were three men lobbying to be leaders. The Lord revealed to me, my wife and to two other couples that one of them had a severe anger problem. He hid it fairly well. Satan never wants his work exposed; otherwise, he can’t use it to cause the damage he so loves.

We had a congregation meeting and my friend stood up to speak to the issue. He did so with some anger in his voice and that was easily dismissed. Then I stood up and made the same points gently and with grace and the spirit of anger in that would-be leader manifested. He EXPLODED with anger and screamed at me to sit down and shut up.

He was seen by the assembly.

And guess what, soon thereafter the assembly (except for us 6) voted him in as a leader. So, we withdrew to another congregation – not because we had sour grapes for not getting our way. Our concern had to do with innocent souls who, as the voting proved, had no discernment.

Satan got his way and they were subject to that angry leader for a good while. They chose that. We, however, didn’t want that influence in our souls so we asked the Lord what to do and He guided us elsewhere.

What is our takeaway here?

Ultimately, we are not responsible to cause people to repent who knowingly give place to the enemy in their hearts. We are responsible for our own souls.

As I read today’s Proverb I asked the Lord to reveal to me anything inside me which satan intends to use to harm others. I'm not responsible for fixing everything I think is out of order; I'm simply responsible for my life in Christ.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23-24 - KJV)

If He reveals anything I intend to ask Him to remove those from my soul.

I was also reminded to encourage us all to seek true discernment. The Apostle Paul included it in a list of spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7-11) but he also wrote this to all the believers in Philippi:

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

May we all seek discernment from the Lord so we might see what He would have us see and the courage to follow Him in all things.

Amen!

Pastor Mike McInerney

Mike McInerney Ministries, Inc.

(for use with permission)

"Draw near to God - Put your trust in Him - Declare His works" (Psalm 73:28)

MIKE MCINERNEY MINISTRIES

The Need for Spiritual Discernment in the Church