Discernment of Spirits
"Draw your strength from the Lord and from His mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens" (Ephesians 6:10-12).
Often it is easy to forget that there are other forces at work in the world besides ourselves. While Christians understand that God is active in our lives, it is sometimes easy to forget that angels and demons are also present and active. Angels protect us from evil and assist us in doing good. Demons try to deceive us into believing falsehoods, and tempt us to sin. At times, demonic activity can get very intense, but we know that God is always more powerful and can save us. It can be hard to know what is really going on sometimes, and the Bible tells us that, "Satan masquerades as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). To help us understand the bigger picture, the Lord gives the gift called Discernment of Spirits.
Discerning spirits is a gift in which the Holy Spirit helps a person know what they are dealing with. Our natural reason alone is incapable of detecting all that which comes our way and is beyond our control. The Holy Spirit informs us if an issue is due to demonic activity, or is a test from God, or could be a result of a choice we made ourselves.
It is very important to be prayerful when using this gift, and let God direct everything. St. Theresa of Avila, a Doctor of the Church, gives some guidance on how to tell if a message is from God:
"The Lord impresses His words upon the memory so that it is impossible to forget them, whereas words that come from our own understanding are like the first movements of thought, which passes and is forgotten."
"The Divine words resemble something of which with the lapse of time a part may be forgotten but not so completely that one loses the memory of its having been said."
"A further indication, which is surer than any other, is that these false locutions effect nothing, whereas, when the Lord speaks, the words are accompanied by effects, and although the words may be, not of devotion, but rather of reproof, they prepare the soul and make it ready and move it to affection -- give it light and make it happy and tranquil."
"I may listen for many days, and, although I may desire to hear them, I shall be unable to do so; and then, at other times, when I have no desire to hear them, I am compelled to."
When a locution comes from the devil the soul "suffers a disquiet" and is left in a state of "great aridity." When something is supernatural and from God, the words "are understood much more clearly than if they were so heard, and, however determined one's resistance, it is impossible to fail to hear them."
What to do when the source of something has been discerned
If the Lord shows that something is from Him, we should cooperate with whatever purification or lesson the Lord is giving. If the Lord shows something is from a choice we made, we should repent, learn from it and change our lives to protect us from making the same mistake again. But if something is from demons, we must follow the instrutions of the Bible, "draw your strength from the Lord and from his mighty power" (Ephesians 6:10).
"Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil. For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens. Therefore, put on the armor of God, that you may be able to resist on the evil day and, having done everything, to hold your ground. So stand fast with your loins girded in truth, clothed with righteousness as a breastplate, and your feet shod in readiness for the gospel of peace. In all circumstances, hold faith as a shield, to quench all (the) flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and supplication, pray at every opportunity in the Spirit." - Ephesians 6:11-18
If we discern demonic activity, we should ask God to save us by asking God to bind the demons and deliver us from them. We should also repent of our sins, and ask the Lord to show us if there was a particular sin that invited the demons which caused the problem. One way demons enter people's lives is by taking sin as an invitation, especially sin that involves the occult. But, if we remove sin from our lives, it is like closing that doro so the demons cannot enter our lives through it. Jesus spoke of the importance of repentance for effective deliverance saying, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a person it roams through arid regions searching for rest but finds none. Then it says, 'I will return to my home from which I came.' But upon returning, it finds it empty, swept clean, and put in order. Then it goes and brings back with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they move in and dwell there; and the last condition of that person is worse than the first" (Matthew 12:43-45).
The Holy Spirit can also help us understand the severity of demonic activity. Demons afflict people in various stages, including temptation, obsession, and posession. It is very important to discern if something is due to natural causes such as mental, emotional, or physical health issues, in order to apply the correct remedy to the correct cause. Healing and deliverance prayer can resolve problems, and the gift of discerning spirits is important to make sure that treating the whole person is not neglected if the problem is not only spiritual. In more severe cases of demonic activity, an exorcism may be necessary, and since it is so serious one must be closely protected by the authority of the Church by turning to a priest.
While this may be a frightening subject, it is also important to keep in mind that Jesus has the final victory. With prayer and humility at the foundation of discernment, we know that the power of God can overcome and remove demons. Even though demons are powerful, only God is Almighty. Demons are intelligent, but only God is omniscient. Demons may be crafty, but God alone is even more creative and powerful. God's plan is always trustworthy and safe. Discernment of Spirits is a tool that helps in the spiritual battle, but we must also remain humble and in prayer, because the power to wage the spiritual battle comes from God, and the victory is His.