So you see how gifts work together, and we'll get onto the word of wisdom shortly - so the gift of word of knowledge, and discerning of spirits, they work very closely together. One gives you some information you couldn't have known, the other gives you discernment to see right through to the problem. So discerning of spirits is not natural figuring things out by studying a person's body or body language and so on. It's not a natural gift, it's supernatural, where God just reveals to you: that's what the problem is. So again, with all of these gifts, we need to learn how to listen and receive from God. Another thing that it is not, so it's not natural, but there's another thing it's not. It's not judging. I want to show you another scripture in Matthew, Chapter 7 - it's not mentioned in there, I don't think, but in Matthew, Chapter 7 and the first few verses. Discerning of spirits is not the same as judging, in the worst sense of judging. Let's read a few verses.
In Verse 1, judge not, that you be not judged. For with the same judgement you judge, you will be judged; and whatever measure you measure to others, it will be measured back to you again. So why do you look at the small speck that's in your brother's eye, and you do not consider the beam is in your own eye? How will you say to your brother: let me pull out the speck from your eye, and behold, there's a beam in your own? Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your own eye, then you'll see clearly to cast the speck out of your brother's eye. Don't give that which is holy to dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and render you.
Right then, now let me just go into that scripture. Jesus is speaking about a principle that's very important. He's talking about a principle of judging. This word judge means literally, to make a decision against someone, because of what you see, or think you see, or whatever, and virtually to pass a sentence on them. You are guilty according to the way I've judged you, therefore you need to pay the price. So He's talking about having a judgemental attitude, and what He's saying is that if you judge others, you unlock against yourself a spirit of judgement. The very thing you've judged will come back to you. Okay, let me just give you an example of that. I had to pray for a woman one time last year in Taiwan, and they sent her in for ministry. I asked what the problem is, and she said well, I've got this young man interested in marrying me. I said okay, so what's the deal? She said well, we were going out before, and then our relationship broke up, and I got involved with someone else, had a baby to him, and now I've got the baby, now this guy's come back, and he wants to marry me, so what do you think?
Now people only give you the sanitised version. It makes them look really good, you know? So I said is he Christian? No, he's not a Christian. I said well, alarm bells go off for her straight away, and I say, what about this other guy? She said well, he really would like to marry me too, he's the father of the child. I said what do you feel in your heart? No, not for that person. I said well, now tell me then, why did your relationship break up? She said well, while I was going out with him, he was unfaithful to me, he had other girls on the side. So I said well, is there any evidence that that has changed in his life? Is there any reason why he would be different - and he hasn't become a Christian, he hasn't changed in his heart. You're in for more of the same, and so why would you want to marry him? She said, I really feel he's right for me.
I said tell me about your father - so why would I ask about the father, when it's an issue of marriage? Because the Lord dropped in there's an issue with her dad - so she said oh, well I don't talk to my dad. I said why is that? She said well mum and dad broke up. They divorced when I was in early teens. I said really? Do you have any contact with him? No, no, almost no contact whatsoever, and I said is that right? I said tell me what was the reason that the marriage broke up, and she said very simply, he was unfaithful to my mother. I said how many times? Three times he was unfaithful to my mother. I said isn't this extraordinary. You've got a conflict in your heart with your dad, and you have judged him. Now it's replaying in your life again. You actually - the judgement you gave out about him, now it's being replayed back in your life again. Do you not see the connection that what you're struggling with currently, actually is an overflow of what's been going on in your path? She couldn't see it. I said I don't think I can help you then, because you're going to go down that route, and play this thing right out until you've actually experienced all the consequences of what you've got in your heart towards your father.