GROWING IN DISCERNMENT

When God Opens Your Eyes to Truth, Deception, and Spiritual Maturity

An Apostolic and Prophetic Teaching by Peter Nash

There comes a time in our walk with the Lord Jesus Christ when we must begin to recognize that spiritual maturity is not simply measured by how much Scripture we know, how long we have been Christians, how many spiritual experiences we have encountered, or even how powerfully we have ministered under the anointing of the Holy Spirit.

Spiritual maturity is also revealed in our ability to discern what is of God, what is of man, and what is contrary to the very nature and character of Jesus Christ.

I believe we are living in a time when discernment is no longer something the Church can afford to treat as optional. We are surrounded by voices, opinions, religious systems, prophetic declarations, impressive personalities, and teachings that often sound spiritual but are not necessarily grounded in the truth of God’s Word.

And I want to ask you something.

Have you noticed that things you once accepted without question now trouble your spirit? Have you found yourself listening to certain conversations, teachings, or spiritual declarations and sensing that something does not agree with what you understand of the Lord Jesus Christ?

Perhaps the things that once impressed you no longer carry the same influence. Perhaps titles no longer intimidate you. Perhaps you are beginning to recognize that spiritual authority and spiritual maturity are not necessarily the same thing.

Could it be that God is developing something within you that you did not previously possess in the same measure?

Could it be that the Holy Spirit is teaching you to distinguish between appearance and reality, between charisma and character, between human authority and divine authority, between religious tradition and biblical truth?

But I must establish something from the beginning.

Not every uncomfortable feeling is discernment. Not every suspicion is a revelation from heaven. Not every disagreement is spiritual warfare. And not every person who disappoints us is operating under a wrong spirit.

Sometimes our fears speak louder than our faith. Sometimes our past wounds influence our perceptions. Sometimes our pride convinces us that we understand a situation far better than we actually do.

True discernment does not begin with suspicion. It begins with submission to the truth of God.

And if our discernment is truly growing, we will become more humble, more careful, more loving, and more deeply anchored in Scripture—not more arrogant, suspicious, or impossible to correct.

Discernment Is the Evidence of Trained Spiritual Senses

Hebrews 5:14 declares:

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (KJV)

I want you to notice those words: “by reason of use.”

Discernment is developed through spiritual exercise.

It is not merely something we claim to possess. It is something that matures as we continually expose ourselves to the truth of God’s Word, surrender to the leadership of the Holy Spirit, and learn to distinguish between what is righteous and what only appears righteous.

There is a tremendous difference between possessing spiritual information and developing spiritual understanding.

A person can memorize Scripture and still misapply it. A person can preach with passion and still operate out of pride. A person can occupy a position of authority and still lack the humility necessary to exercise that authority in a godly manner.

I have come to understand that discernment is not simply the ability to recognize evil when it is obvious.

Sometimes the greatest challenge is recognizing something that appears good, sounds good, and even contains elements of truth, while nevertheless leading people away from the heart and purposes of God.

This is why Paul prayed in Philippians 1:9–10 that the believers’ love would abound in knowledge and judgment, so that they could approve things that are excellent.

Notice that Paul connected discernment with love.

He did not pray that believers would become suspicious of everyone around them. He prayed that their love would become increasingly intelligent, mature, and capable of recognizing what truly matters.

Love without discernment can become vulnerable to deception. Discernment without love can become harsh, proud, and destructive.

God desires both.

Solomon Understood What He Needed

When Solomon became king, the Lord appeared to him and invited him to ask what he desired.

Solomon could have requested wealth, personal advancement, military victory, or a long and prosperous life.

Instead, he asked for an understanding heart.

In 1 Kings 3:9, Solomon prayed that he might discern between good and evil so that he could govern God’s people properly.

What a remarkable request!

Solomon understood that leadership required something far greater than influence or position.

It required wisdom.

Shortly afterward, two women appeared before him, each claiming that the same living child belonged to her. There were no independent witnesses to resolve their conflicting testimony.

Solomon had to determine the truth beneath competing claims.

And I want to make something very clear.

In the Kingdom of God, the loudest voice is not necessarily the truthful voice. The most confident leader is not necessarily the wisest leader. The person making the strongest spiritual declaration is not necessarily speaking for God.

Two people can describe the same situation entirely differently. Two leaders can claim biblical authority. Two teachers can quote Scripture while reaching radically different conclusions.

This is why I believe we must continually return to the Word of God.

The truth is not established by how forcefully someone declares it. The truth must be examined according to what God has revealed.

Even Solomon, despite receiving extraordinary wisdom, later demonstrated through his own disobedience that wisdom must remain joined to obedience.

Discernment is not a spiritual trophy. It is a responsibility that requires continued surrender.

Stop Being Impressed by Appearance and Begin Examining Fruit

Jesus gave us an unmistakable warning in Matthew 7:15–16 concerning false prophets.

He warned that they would come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly would be ravening wolves. Then He declared:

“Ye shall know them by their fruits.”

I find this profoundly important.

Jesus did not tell us to evaluate spiritual leaders merely by their eloquence, their influence, the size of their ministry, or the titles placed before their names.

He directed our attention toward fruit.

And fruit requires time to become evident.

Anyone can make an impressive presentation. Anyone can speak passionately about love, humility, holiness, or obedience.

But what happens when that person is challenged? What happens when someone asks a legitimate question? What happens when their interpretation of Scripture is examined? What happens when their authority is questioned?

Does humility emerge, or does intimidation begin?

Does truth prevail, or does the preservation of personal influence become the overriding concern?

I am not suggesting that every mistake reveals a false teacher. All of us can fail, misunderstand, and require correction.

But repeated patterns must never be ignored.

When someone consistently demands from others what they refuse to practice themselves, that deserves examination.

When spiritual leadership becomes dependent upon fear, manipulation, secrecy, or unquestioning loyalty, that deserves examination.

When the personality of a leader becomes more important than the person of Jesus Christ, something has gone seriously wrong.

And when religious tradition is elevated above the clear teaching of Scripture, I believe we must have the courage to ask whether we are following Christ or merely protecting a human system.

Jesus Himself confronted this very problem in Mark 7:8–13, where human traditions were being used in ways that undermined the commandments of God.

Let me state this plainly.

No denomination, institution, church government, apostolic leader, prophet, pastor, or teacher possesses authority to overturn the Word of God.

And that includes me.

If I teach something that contradicts Scripture, I must be willing to receive correction. I cannot demand biblical accountability from others while exempting myself from it.

That is not weakness. That is submission to Christ.

Spiritual Language Must Never Escape Biblical Examination

One of the most dangerous mistakes believers can make is assuming that something must be from God simply because someone attaches His name to it.

“God told me.”

“The Holy Spirit revealed this.”

“The Lord has spoken.”

These are serious declarations.

And I believe we should treat them with reverence rather than accepting them automatically.

First John 4:1 instructs believers not to believe every spirit but to test the spirits, because false prophets have gone out into the world.

John was addressing the need to evaluate spiritual claims and teachings, especially concerning the truth about Jesus Christ.

Likewise, 1 Thessalonians 5:20–21 teaches believers not to despise prophesying, but to test everything and hold fast to what is good.

Notice the balance.

We are not instructed to reject everything supernatural, nor are we instructed to accept every spiritual declaration without examination.

We are commanded to test.

And Acts 17:11 gives us the beautiful example of the Bereans, who received the apostolic message eagerly while searching the Scriptures daily to determine whether those things were true.

Even Paul’s preaching was examined against Scripture!

How much more should our contemporary teachings and declarations be examined?

I believe in the continuing work and gifts of the Holy Spirit, including the discerning of spirits mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:10.

But I also understand that the particular spiritual gift of discerning spirits is not identical to the broader biblical responsibility every believer has to grow in wisdom and test spiritual claims.

And neither gives us permission to pretend we know everything hidden within another person’s heart.

The Holy Spirit will never authorize us to violate the truth of the Scriptures He inspired.

If someone claims divine approval for deception, immorality, manipulation, revenge, or spiritual exploitation, we are not obligated to accept that claim.

We are obligated to reject whatever contradicts God’s revealed truth.

Growing Discernment Recognizes Patterns

One of the clearest signs of growing maturity is that we stop allowing one emotional moment to erase an established pattern.

One apology may be sincere.

But repeated apologies without corresponding change require wisdom.

One failure does not necessarily define a person’s character.

But repeated conduct can reveal something significant about the direction of their life.

Proverbs 14:15 declares:

“The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.”

I believe there are believers who have endured unnecessary suffering because they continually ignored what repeated patterns were showing them.

They excused manipulation as leadership. They confused intimidation with spiritual authority. They interpreted flattery as friendship and emotional intensity as genuine love.

And sometimes they continued doing so because they did not want to believe that something they trusted might be unhealthy.

But discernment does not require us to abandon love.

It requires us to stop confusing love with blindness.

We can forgive someone and still recognize that trust must be rebuilt. We can honour a person’s dignity without surrendering ourselves to harmful behaviour.

Yet there is another dimension I cannot ignore.

Discernment must first be willing to expose the patterns within my own heart.

What happens when I am criticized?

Do I immediately defend myself?

What happens when someone disagrees with my interpretation?

Do I become angry?

What happens when I feel rejected?

Do I attempt to regain control?

What happens when God asks me to surrender something precious?

Do I obey, or do I begin searching for a theological justification to retain it?

I believe some of the greatest breakthroughs in discernment occur when the Holy Spirit reveals that the problem is not always outside us.

Sometimes it is within us.

And spiritual maturity begins when we stop asking God only to expose everybody else and invite Him to examine us.

David prayed in Psalm 139:23–24 that God would search his heart, know his thoughts, and lead him in the everlasting way.

That must become our prayer as well.

Discernment Teaches Us to Respond Rather Than React

There is something powerful about a believer who no longer feels compelled to respond immediately to every provocation.

James 1:19 instructs us to be swift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath.

I have learned that urgency does not automatically mean divine direction.

An opportunity can appear exciting and still be unwise. A person can pressure us to make an immediate decision without that pressure coming from God.

Sometimes our strongest emotional reactions are revealing something about ourselves rather than something about the other person.

We become offended, and suddenly we believe offence proves we are right.

We become frightened, and suddenly we assume fear must be a warning from heaven.

We become excited, and suddenly we believe enthusiasm confirms God’s approval.

But emotions, although important, are not infallible spiritual authorities.

I do not want to be governed by my emotions. I want to be governed by the Holy Spirit in submission to God’s Word.

Jesus was never controlled by the expectations of the crowds.

In John 6:15, when the people intended to take Him by force and make Him king, He withdrew.

In John 7, when His brothers urged Him toward a particular public appearance, He refused to allow their expectations to dictate His timing.

Jesus was perfectly submitted to the Father.

And I believe that growing discernment teaches us something of that same dependence.

Sometimes wisdom requires immediate obedience.

Sometimes wisdom requires patience.

But neither fear nor pressure should replace prayerful judgment.

The question is not simply whether a door is open. The question is whether walking through that door agrees with the will and character of God.

Discernment Distinguishes Conviction from Condemnation

There is an important difference between the Holy Spirit bringing us to repentance and a destructive message persuading us that repentance is hopeless.

Romans 8:1 declares that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

That does not mean believers are beyond correction.

Far from it.

The Holy Spirit confronts sin. Scripture exposes our disobedience. God disciplines those He loves.

But godly conviction points us toward repentance, forgiveness, transformation, and restored obedience.

Second Corinthians 7:10 teaches that godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, while worldly sorrow produces death.

Condemnation that insists there can be no forgiveness and no return to Christ contradicts the hope of the gospel.

I may have failed, but I am not beyond the mercy of God.

I may require correction, but correction is not rejection.

I may need to repent deeply, but genuine repentance is not evidence that Christ has abandoned me.

And I want to challenge something else.

We must not confuse genuine biblical correction with persecution merely because correction makes us uncomfortable.

Sometimes the person who loves us most will tell us something we do not want to hear.

Proverbs 27:6 reminds us that the wounds of a friend are faithful.

A spiritually discerning person becomes increasingly willing to hear truth, even when truth confronts personal pride.

Discernment Must Never Become Another Form of Control

This is something I feel strongly about.

There is a dangerous possibility that a person can become so convinced of their own spiritual discernment that they begin using it to control other people.

They claim to know what everyone is thinking.

They announce hidden motives without evidence.

They label disagreement as rebellion.

They suggest that questioning their leadership is equivalent to questioning God.

And they use spiritual language to create dependency upon themselves.

I must say this with all the conviction of my heart:

That is not the fruit of mature discernment. That is spiritual pride operating under a religious covering.

Biblical spiritual authority is never a licence for manipulation.

Jesus declared in Mark 10:42–45 that Kingdom leadership must not imitate rulers who exercise dominion over others. Greatness in His Kingdom is expressed through servanthood.

Peter likewise instructed elders in 1 Peter 5:2–3 not to dominate those entrusted to their care, but to become examples to the flock.

Spiritual leaders are called to shepherd people toward Christ, not imprison them within personal systems of dependency.

And I believe the Church desperately needs to recover this distinction.

A person may possess genuine spiritual gifts and still need correction in character.

A ministry may be powerful and still require accountability.

A leader may be sincerely called by God and still make serious mistakes.

The presence of anointing does not make human beings infallible.

And true discernment does not make someone unteachable.

James 3:17 describes wisdom from above as pure, peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.

Notice those words: open to reason.

If I have become impossible to correct, unwilling to listen, and determined to interpret every disagreement as rebellion, I must question the maturity of my own discernment.

God’s truth does not need my arrogance to defend it.

It requires my faithfulness.

Discernment Must Remain Rooted in Love

I am deeply concerned when discernment becomes little more than a ministry of identifying everything that is wrong.

Everything becomes suspicious.

Every church is corrupt.

Every leader is compromised.

Every disagreement is demonic.

Every relationship is dangerous.

But that is not the purpose of biblical discernment.

Discernment is not simply the ability to reject what is false. It is also the ability to recognize and embrace what is excellent.

We must never become so preoccupied with deception that we lose our capacity to recognize genuine goodness, faithfulness, kindness, and the beautiful work of the Holy Spirit in other people’s lives.

There are sincere pastors. There are faithful prophets. There are humble apostles, evangelists, and teachers who genuinely love the people of God.

There are leaders who quietly sacrifice without seeking recognition.

There are believers who make mistakes but sincerely desire to walk in righteousness.

And we must have the maturity to recognize those things too.

I do not want discernment that causes me to stop loving people.

I want discernment that teaches me how to love them truthfully.

I want the courage to confront error without becoming cruel.

I want the wisdom to establish boundaries without becoming bitter.

I want the humility to acknowledge when I have misunderstood someone.

And I want my heart to remain tender before the Lord.

Because if my so-called discernment has made me harsh, cynical, proud, and incapable of mercy, then something within me requires the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.

The goal is not to become more suspicious of people. The goal is to become more faithful to Christ.

Growing in Discernment Is a Call to Greater Maturity

I want to speak directly to those who sense that God is bringing them into a deeper season of spiritual maturity.

Perhaps you are beginning to recognize patterns you once ignored.

Perhaps teachings you previously accepted without question now compel you to open your Bible and examine their meaning.

Perhaps you have learned that not every open door should be entered, not every attractive opportunity should be pursued, and not every confident voice should be followed.

Perhaps you are discovering that the Holy Spirit is not simply teaching you how to recognize deception in others, but how to surrender the hidden areas of your own life that still resist His authority.

Do not despise that process.

But neither should you assume that every strong impression is a revelation from heaven.

Stay in the Word.

Remain prayerful.

Seek wise counsel.

Be willing to examine evidence.

Be slow to accuse and quick to repent when you are wrong.

And never place your personal perception above the authority of Scripture.

The more we mature in Christ, the less we should need to prove that we are spiritually superior to someone else.

I believe true discernment will make us harder to deceive and easier to correct.

It will make us less impressed by titles and more attentive to character.

Less dependent upon emotional reactions and more surrendered to the Holy Spirit.

Less vulnerable to flattery and more willing to receive truthful correction.

Less interested in controlling others and more determined to submit ourselves completely to Jesus Christ.

And that is where I want to bring this teaching to its conclusion.

A Final Apostolic and Prophetic Challenge: Are Your Eyes Truly Open?

Church, I believe this is a critical hour to recover biblical discernment.

We cannot afford to build our lives upon personalities, traditions, spiritual excitement, or the untested declarations of men.

We must return to the Word of God.

We must know the voice of our Shepherd, who declared in John 10:27:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.”

But hearing the Shepherd must never become an excuse for refusing to test what we believe we have heard.

The true voice of Jesus will never lead us away from His truth, His character, or His commandments.

I am not interested in a Christianity that merely teaches people to follow religious personalities.

I want to see believers mature into sons and daughters of God who know their Father, love His truth, recognize His ways, and walk in obedience to His Spirit.

I want to see a Church that is neither gullible nor cynical, neither spiritually naïve nor arrogantly suspicious.

A Church that can recognize false teaching without rejecting genuine ministry.

A Church that can honour leadership without worshipping leaders.

A Church that can receive prophetic ministry without abandoning biblical examination.

A Church courageous enough to confront deception and humble enough to acknowledge its own failures.

And above everything else, a Church that belongs completely to Jesus Christ.

So I ask you—and I ask myself:

Are we truly growing in discernment, or merely becoming stronger in our personal opinions?

Are we learning to recognize God’s truth, or simply looking for confirmation of what we already believe?

Are we willing to surrender our traditions when they contradict Scripture?

Are we willing to receive correction when the Holy Spirit exposes something within us?

Are we willing to love people while refusing to compromise the truth?

And are we willing to stand for what God has spoken, even when obedience costs us approval, position, recognition, or personal comfort?

Because growing in discernment is not ultimately about how many things we can expose in others.

It is about how completely the truth of God has been allowed to transform us.

I believe the Holy Spirit is calling the Church beyond surface-level Christianity, beyond religious performance, beyond the intimidation of human authority, and beyond spiritual immaturity.

He is calling us into the fullness of Christ.

And my prayer is that we will possess the understanding heart Solomon requested, the tested maturity described in Hebrews, the biblical diligence of the Bereans, the love Paul prayed for in Philippians, and the humility of Jesus Christ Himself.

May our eyes be opened—not to suspect everything, but to recognize truth.

May our ears become sensitive—not to every voice claiming divine authority, but to the voice of the Good Shepherd.

May our hearts become established—not in fear, pride, or religious control, but in the unchanging Word of the living God.

And may we never forget this: the greatest evidence that our discernment is growing is not that we suddenly know everything. It is that we have learned to stop believing everything without testing it against the truth.

For when truth becomes our foundation, deception begins to lose its power.

When Christ becomes our focus, personalities begin to lose their control.

And when the Holy Spirit is truly governing our lives, we no longer need to be ruled by fear, appearances, or the opinions of men.

So let me leave you with one final question:

Are you allowing the Holy Spirit to develop genuine biblical discernment within you—or are you still allowing people, emotions, traditions, and appearances to determine what you believe?

The time has come for the Church to grow up.

The time has come to discern.

And above all, the time has come to follow Jesus Christ with our eyes open, our hearts surrendered, and our lives firmly established upon His eternal truth.

Let him that hath ears to hear, hear.

Peter Nash

Fresh Oil and Fire Ministries