Ecclesia Global Missions

Is this discernment or a trigger?

I started researching the topic of discernment again in the last couple of months. I was asking the Lord why two different people with the same Holy Spirit could react differently to different things. I did not get an answer right away, however, I continued to pray and seek scriptures for answers.

Recently, I accidentally came across a teaching on the topic of discernment and felt I just got the answer I was looking for. Sometimes when we think we have discerned something but instead a memory may have only been triggered by what we saw. A trigger is something that can affect your emotional state.

When we discern things, the filter (our spirit or our soul) that we see things through may be based on past experiences instead of the gift of discernment through the Holy Spirit. Let me explain.

If you were abused by a teacher who had a certain accent when speaking to you, any memories of that teacher can cause a reaction within your soul. So if you find yourself exposed to that same teacher years later, of course, your soul or memory is going to tell you to be cautious around this person. This is because there is still a memory and wound connected to this teacher.

So now imagine you are in the presence of a person with a similar accent that your abusive teacher had, it would not be a surprise that the memories of those horrible abusive events would be triggered as soon as you hear a similar accent. This can easily be mistaken as discernment. When this happens, it will cause you to think negative thoughts about this person you do not know, causing you to be cautious around him/her.

When this happens a lot, it can be very draining on you. Ask the Holy Spirit why you are thinking negatively about this person. You have to search your heart and ask the Holy Spirit if what you thought you felt was from ‘Him or your soul’. I would often ask myself if God does warn us about other people and my conclusion is yes He will warn us about wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Matthew 7:15-16 NKJV

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits

So when you are discerning a person, ask the Holy Spirit if He is showing you something about this person, or if this is coming from your soul. If your prayers are sincere and without thinking you already know the answer, then believe that the Holy Spirit will guide you into all truth.

John 16:13 NKJV

However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.

You need to know, was this discernment or a trigger?

If you realize you have been triggered, ask someone to pray with you. You may need to forgive someone or you may need a soul healing.

If you are reacting to many things the same way, then your filter system has been affected by an experience you had in life and it is interfering with your spiritual gift of discernment.

Let’s look at another example. When in different churches, if you keep discerning the pastor is controlling, the worship leader is controlling, and the ushers are controlling. This may be a trigger and not discernment. It may be that you yourself do not feel in control because of past wounds and it’s making you see all people in authority as controlling. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you to examine your heart and help you to understand why you are feeling this way. A Soul healing appointment would help to heal any past trauma you have gone through. If you want to be a true watchman on the wall for God, then please seek help for past wounds so that you are not deceived.

If what you are seeing is not a trigger but it is true discernment from God, you will still need to pray and ask the Holy Spirit what you are to do about what you discerned. He will show you through scripture what he is warning you about and tell you how to pray for that person. Prayer is always the right way to handle what you are discerning.

Warning: Do not ever dismiss what you are discerning because watchmen must take their calling seriously.

Some good steps to follow when you are discerning something:

Look for scriptures to help you to understand what God may be telling you. Many times the Holy Spirit is warning you about something. If you spend time in prayer you will figure out what God is saying and you could stop many attacks from the enemy through your prayers. Always ask the Holy Spirit if you should let the leaders know what you are discerning. Sometimes sharing with leaders can prevent a major catastrophe in a church. Do not use discernment to gossip. God is entrusting many of you with the gift because it is a call to prayer. Prayer is how God builds strong foundations and walls in many churches and ministries. What an honor to serve God.