From “Discernment: Reading the Signs of Daily Life” by Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird
Discernment is not about judging other people’s motives. It’s about distinguishing good guidance from harmful messages, and the Holy Spirit from evil spirits. This essential sorting, known as discernment of spirits, is intended for our protection and not for our judgment.
Discernment ( Gr. diakriseis, spiritual judgment, understanding, assessment, estimation, or separation) is both a gift and a spiritual discipline. The New Testament concept is found in Romans 12:2, 1 Corinthians 1:19; 4:4; 11:29; 11:31; 12:10. And Hebrews 4:12 The phrase discernment of spirits occurs in three New Testament texts: in 1 Corinthians 12:10 as one of the gifts of the Spirit; in Hebrews 5:14 as an exercise of the spiritually mature “whose faculties have been trained by practice to distinguish good from evil;” and in Romans 14:1 as a reminder to “accept the one who is weak in faith, but not for the purpose of passing judgment on his opinions.” Taken together, discernment is a spiritual capacity for distinguishing or discriminating between opposing forces. “For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please” (Gal, 5:17, NASB.)
The one who practices discernment is able to distinguish whether a particular action or message is from the Spirit of God and to assess whether someone is speaking truth or falsehood. Though it is presented by Saint Paul as an individual spiritual gift, as with all gifts, it is to be practiced in community.
Discernment of spirits is a lifelong task. I can see no other path to discernment than to be committed to a life of unceasing prayer and contemplation, a life of deep communion with the Spirit of God. Such a life will slowly develop in us an inner sensitivity, enabling us to distinguish between the law of the flesh and the law of the Spirit.