[byHismercy]

Ok, I have something to say about discernment of spirits. I have followed this conversation with a lot of confusion....I don't fully understand where Evang. is coming from or why he is insisting on limiting us to the verses of his choosing....forgive me if I am misunderstanding, Evan...

But regarding actual experience of discernment of spirits, the first ( I know now) I had it was at the moment of my conversion, the first I prayed, confessed my sin, repented and invited Jesus to come to me, be my Savior. By the grace of God I happened to have this moment in a streaming crowd of humanity, about 5,000 people who were flowing around the stadium that night, heading for the bart subway in Oakland, CA. All of them, including myself, hopped up on drug of every sort. When I received Christ that night, He gave me the Holy Spirit....and the camraderie of deadheads, music and drug loving people, suddenly vanished. The same sweet crowd that I had wandered amongst all night turned. It was ugly. There was jeering, food thrown at us, it became so nasty so fast. The Lord Jesus showed me right then that the culture I was wrapped up in was a facade....friendly faces became hateful sneers and I knew that the truth is, drugs are the Enemies' realm. The peace, love, acceptance was a lie of Satan.

Shortly after this, He made His presence known to me through a miraculous help....He didn't just save me into His kingdom then, but He actually saved me from my earthly dilemma....I was physically lost and I became found. This immediately after the sweet christian witness, whom He sent out that night, who invited me to pray and receive Jesus as my Savior, asked for a resolution to my situation. Literally the second after she wrapped up her prayer for me and said Amen. The peace of Christ came over my whole being and I was saved, safe, and marveling!! believe me, I was in awe....Jesus is alive! He cares about me! He came out to fetch me in my debased, selfish, wasting sinful humanity. The fact of it still makes me marvel. He came in. He has never abandoned me.

Since that wonderful moment, I have had other experiences where I can see demons manifest in people right before my eyes, and I know this discernment was given to me by the Holy Spirit, just as the word says. And, also, the more I study His word, searching the answer to (you name it) the question, the more He reveals, the more my eyes are opened to deceptions, particularly. All scripture is God breathed! All of it good for instruction in righteousness! All of it living and operative in those who believe! Every word good for correction! And all of it leading to more discernment....discerning sin(personally speaking), spirits, Gods' wisdom...

Most recently, the devil pitched a little fit the day I burned all that Lee ministry material....the night of that day, a demon came at me snarling, trying to terrorize me in my bed. Does anybody else notice how amped up spiritual attack becomes when the Lord gives you His view through scrioture, or the prayer is so wonderful, the time spent with Jesus so precious and revealing of Himself, that you are just left in awe of Him, in reverence of Him? My experience is the devil really gets upset. Ok, thats' all....

Except, Evan, you just might try not telling God what His word is good for and what it's not....see if just trusting all of His Word for all things changes your mind. What if you looked at Christs' title...the Word of God....and receive scripture in humility. I think you will find man made limits looking like foolishness...God bless us in this conversation....