Arming The Spiritual Warrior -- Spiritual Discernment

 1 Thessalonians 5:20, 21

Do not treat prophecies with contempt, but test all things. Hold fast to what is good.

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 4394

Prophecies: the gift of communicating and enforcing revealed truth; divinely-empowered forthtelling (asserting the mind of God) or foretelling (prediction)

Forthtelling is speaking what is current. Foretelling is speaking what is to come. 

Discernment Is Godly Wisdom

Isaiah 8:20

To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:7, 8

For God has not called us to impurity, but to holiness. Anyone, then, who rejects this command does not reject man but God, the very One who gives you His Holy Spirit.

The Benefit of Prophecies

1 Corinthians 14:3

But he who prophesies speaks to men for their edification, encouragement, and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:12

It is the same with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, strive to excel in gifts that build up the church. 

*Strong's Ex. Conc. No. 1381

Test:  I put to the test, prove, examine; I distinguish by testing, approve after testing; I am fit. By implication, to approve. To show something is acceptable (real, approved); put to the test to reveal what is good (genuine). Allow, examine, discern. 

If the word(s) being spoken lines up with the Word that is known and received by the Spirit as Truth, then that prophecy or prophecies is to be accepted as fact. What builds the church up spiritually and draws us closer to God in Christ is going to be prophecies. What tears the church down and apart is not always from God, but from the enemy of our souls, the devil, Satan. 

Test All Things (Spoken)

1 Corinthians 14:29

Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said. 

1 John 4:1

Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God. For many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

In order to know whether or not the word(s) being spoken is from God, we must first know the Word of God and be hungry for it. Therefore, we must read our Bibles every day and seek to know what the Word means. Praying and asking for the Author's disclosure to us of godly wisdom, godly discernment (more than just knowing right from wrong, but Good from Evil). Praying for retention of knowledge (what we learn) and allowing the Word to grow in us, that we may become ever more fruitful in our service to God.

Hold Fast To What Is Good

Romans 12:9

Love must be sincere. Detest what is evil; cling to what is good. 

1 Thessalonians 5:22

Abstain from every form of evil.

Proverbs 3 

My son, do not forget my teaching,

but let your heart keep my commandments;

for they will add length to your days,

years and peace to your life.

Never let loving devotion or faithfulness leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

Then you will find favor and high regard

in the sight of God and man.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge Him,

and He will make your paths straight.

Be not wise in your own eyes;

fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

This will bring healing to your body

and refreshment to your bones.

Honor the LORD with your wealth

and with the firstfruits of all your harvest;

then your barns will be filled with plenty,

and your vats will overflow with new wine.

My son, do not reject the discipline of the LORD,

and do not loathe His rebuke;

for the LORD disciplines the one He loves,

as does a father the son in whom he delights.

Blessed is the man who finds wisdom,

the man who acquires understanding,

for she is more profitable than silver,

and her gain is better than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies;

nothing you desire compares with her.

Long life is in her right hand;

in her left hand are riches and honor.

All her ways are pleasant,

and all her paths are peaceful.

She is a tree of life to those who embrace her,

and those who lay hold of her are blessed.

The LORD founded the earth by wisdom

and established the heavens by understanding.

By His knowledge the watery depths were broken open,

and the clouds dripped with dew.

My son, do not lose sight of this:

Preserve sound judgment and discernment.

They will be life to your soul

and adornment to your neck.

Then you will go on your way in safety,

and your foot will not stumble.

When you lie down, you will not be afraid;

when you rest, your sleep will be sweet.

Do not fear sudden danger

or the ruin that overtakes the wicked,

for the LORD will be your confidence

and will keep your foot from the snare.

Do not withhold good from the deserving

when it is within your power to act.

Do not tell your neighbor,

“Come back tomorrow and I will provide”—

when you already have the means.

Do not devise evil against your neighbor,

for he trustfully dwells beside you.

Do not accuse a man without cause,

when he has done you no harm.

Do not envy a violent man

or choose any of his ways;

for the LORD detests the perverse,

but He is a friend to the upright.

The curse of the LORD is on the house of the wicked,

but He blesses the home of the righteous.

He mocks the mockers,

but gives grace to the humble.

The wise will inherit honor,

but fools are held up to shame.

I'm Telling You Now

 

John 14:29

"And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe."

Matthew 24:23-27

"And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe. For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders that would deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See, I have told you in advance.

So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. For just as the lightning comes from the east and flashes as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man."

Out of the hundreds of prophecies in the Old Testament, most of them regard the first coming of Christ: His birth, His life, His death, His return. We know that most have come to pass. Because the Word of God Is Faithful and True, we can believe It. The Word does not contradict itself.

But as Jesus tells us in Matthew 24, the people who will be around to see those events happen need to be careful in what/who they listen to and guard their hearts.