Discernment: Spiritual Gifts Definitions, Scriptures, and Ways to Serve

[If you have not already done so, please take a moment now to take this free spiritual gifts assessment. Once you have your results, come back to this and the corresponding 22 blog posts for a detailed description of each of the gifts, focusing on your own as well as becoming familiar with all of them so you can spot and call them out in others.]

Discernment

The spiritual gift of Discernment is the God-given ability, through His Holy Spirit, to distinguish between good and evil, truth and error, right and wrong, in a way that is helpful to the Body of Christ. People with the gift of discernment, as with the other gifts, are essential to the church’s life and ministry. These people provide much-needed insight, point out inconsistencies in the teaching of God’s Word, challenge deceitfulness in others, and help sort out impure motives from pure ones. This gift can be an intuitive sense that something is not right either in the words or actions of others. It can help others sift through healthy versus unhealthy relationships and commitments, identify spiritual warfare and the activity of the enemy, and point out deceit.

Scriptures that reference Discernment or show someone exhibiting this gift:

Genesis 41 (Joseph);1 Kings 3 (Solomon);2 Chronicles 2 (Solomon); Acts 5 (Peter); 1 Corinthians 12.

Questions on the assessment that pertain to Discernment:

• When I hear somebody claim to be teaching from the Bible, I can usually tell whether the teaching is sound or unsound.

• I can tell when there is spiritual evil in a situation.

• Others have told me that I have a strong intuitive sense, seeing dangers or opportunities that others miss.

Some words that describe people with this gift:

• Intuitive

• Perceptive

• Insightful

• Observant

• Aware

• Sensitive

Potential negatives to this gift:

• Can be seen as being judgmental when pointing out what others fail to see.

• Can be inclined to be prideful in knowing right from wrong before others do.

• Can sometimes discern something that God simply wants to bring to their prayerful attention, but feel inclined to share it prematurely.

Some possible ways to serve using this gift:

• Needed in all ministries and on all teams!

• Counseling ministry/conflict resolution/mediation/mentor/life coach/spiritual gifts advisor

• Adult Education teacher/Sunday School teacher/assistant

• Elder/deacon/personnel committee

• Bible Study leader/assistant/worship leader

• Prayer team

Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with hundreds of faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and executive leaders in a diversity of fields for four decades. She currently serves as Catalyst for Equipping and overseer of Local Missions at her church.

Photo © Shirley Giles Davis.

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