[UntoHim]

Originally Posted by zeek

"Discerning spirits" is at best an art not a science.

I would say it's neither. It is a God-given ability to see and hear things that are spiritually realized, discerned and judged, and not readily apparent or visible to the human eye. I think this is what the apostle Paul was describing in 1 Corinthians 2:14:
The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.

Of course "the things of the Spirit" probably indicate something more in the positive realm, however I believe the same principle would apply to discerning or judging "spirits that are not from God". To put a practical spin on this, I would point us to the natural world where there are some creatures that can see and hear in different wavelengths and spectrums than humans can. Of course my example is not totally analogous in that these creatures have innate abilities, whereas the Christians' abilities are bestowed upon them from God supernaturally through and by the Spirit of God.
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