Discernment: How to Avoid Deception

Was that spiritual experience really from God? Was that healing from God? Is that ‘prophetic word’ spoken into your life from the Holy Spirit? What is really happening in a church when there is deep disagreement among leaders or with a certain individual? Can you ever question a person with a ‘heavy anointing’? What is ‘true spirituality’? What is the spiritual gift of discernment and do possibly have that gift? These are important questions. To the degree that you cannot answer them, you are vulnerable to spiritual confusion or ruin, broken relationships, deep regrets and often emotional pain. Sometimes, deception is part of spiritual abuse.

In the Great Commission Jesus expects his disciples to obey everything He commanded, which includes practicing spiritual discernment so that we are not deceived (Matt. 28:20; 7:15-23; 24:24; 2 Pet. 2:1; Jer. 23:16). If we ever think we cannot be deceived, we are already deceived. The enemy of our souls is far more subtle and devious than we realize, with a few thousand years (or more!) of practice. However, he is no match for the Holy Spirit and the Presence of Jesus in our lives. I invite you to listen to my message on discernment from Matt. 7:15-23 where I begin with several examples of the need for discernment and end with ten Biblical principles of spiritual discernment so that with God’s grace and empowering you can avoid deception.

Author: Dieter K Mulitze, PhD

Dieter has written three books on the ministry of transforming and healing prayer. One of Dieter’s main roles in this ministry is teaching the seminar series and speaking at conferences. Dieter’s three books serve to articulate and strengthen the theology and practice of the ministry of transforming prayer for the whole person. Dieter graduated from the U. of Guelph (BSc) and holds a PhD in quantitative genetics from the U. of Saskatchewan. Dieter was an associate professor with the University of Nebraska, and has co-authored scientific papers in several professional journals. He is a graduate of Regent College, Vancouver, B.C., with the Master of Christian Studies (MCS) degree, concentrating in spiritual theology. Dieter has served as an elder in a number of churches. Dieter is bi-vocational, serving as the Chief Scientific Officer for Agronomix Software, a software development company which develops, distributes and supports a software application for plant breeders and agronomists worldwide. With his experience in the corporate world, Dieter has also taught on the theology of work. Dieter is no stranger to international travel – having lived in Syria and Morocco for a total of 6 years and travelling to over 50 countries worldwide for business or ministry. Dieter and his wife Ellen live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. They have one daughter, Karissa, who lives in France with her husband and children.