The Discernment Program

Dear friends in Christ,
We run a Discernment Program to help people increase their supernatural gift of discernment. 

The Discernment Program is a free, email‑based journey designed to help believers grow in spiritual sensitivity and deepen their relationship with God. People who participate in the Program will learn to listen to the Holy Spirit, recognise God’s presence, and understand His movements in both the natural and spiritual realms.

Rooted in Biblical foundations and enriched with stories, teachings, and practical examples, the Program cultivates silence, prayer, and spiritual clarity to help you discern truth from deception, navigate life’s decisions, and experience God’s transforming love.

Participants will receive regular Bible scriptures, study notes, reflective questions, and guided discernment exercises to prompt and guide them to discern with the Holy Spirit. We may include some events, articles and stories (case studies) for them to discern also.

The Program in 2027 contains three 12-week courses, each run via emails sent out at regular intervals to registered participants of each course:

• Discernment Foundation – from 1-February until 26-April in 2027 – is the starting point in this discernment journey; to lead you to be closer to God, to sit in silence and seek His voice, and to let the Holy Spirit enter all of your mind, body and soul as you travel through the emails we will send you every few days.
• Discernment for the Spheres of Influence – from 3-May until 26-July in 2027 – weekly emails will challenge and equip you to discern the intentions, dialog and activities of people and organisations in and across the spheres (or mountains) of influence in our communities and nations.
• Discernment in Leadership – from 2-August until 25-October in 2027 – through Scripture, reflection, and practical formation, this course aims to develop leaders who embody Christ’s character, discern His voice, and serve His purposes in every context.

Note that this Program is not live on Zoom, it is only via email, and there is no charge – all is free!

Please also be assured that your identity will remain fully confidential – nothing that identifies you will be shared with others without your permission (you may wish to check our Privacy Policy).

We encourage you to seek the Lord (Matthew 6:33) as you consider joining this life‑shaping journey. If you want to register for these courses or find out any further information please contact us.

Below is a brief introduction to the gift of discernment and the discernment courses – more information will be sent in due time to participants.

What Is the Gift of Discernment?

The gift of Discernment, often referred to as the discernment of spirits, is one of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible, particularly in 1 Corinthians 12:10, where Paul lists it as the ability of “distinguishing between spirits.”

Here’s a deeper look at what it means:

• Spiritual Sensitivity: It’s the God-given ability to recognize whether a spiritual influence, teaching, or prompting is truly from God or from deceptive sources.
• Biblical Foundation: In 1 John 4:1, believers are urged to “test the spirits to see whether they are from God,” highlighting the importance of discernment in avoiding false prophets and teachings.
• Moral and Doctrinal Clarity: Discernment helps Christians distinguish between truth and error, righteousness and sin, and divine guidance versus human or demonic influence or deception.

How Does It Function?

Biblical discernment is rooted in a deep understanding of Scripture and in spiritual maturity.

• Protection from Deception: It guards believers against manipulation, false doctrines, and spiritual traps.
• Practical Wisdom: It enables wise decision-making in everyday life, especially in complex moral or relational situations.

The Bible uses several Greek words to describe aspects of discernment:

• Anakrino – To examine or investigate (Acts 17:11)
• Dokimazo – To test or prove authenticity (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
• Krino – To judge or condemn (Matthew 7:1-2)

In a world filled with conflicting messages and non-visible spiritual influences, discernment is crucial for:

• Navigating cultural and religious ideas.
• Identifying false teachings.
• Making Godly choices in relationships, leadership, and doctrine.

Some Biblical Examples of Discernment

• Solomon’s Wisdom (1 Kings 3:9): Solomon asked God for “an understanding heart to judge Your people and to discern between good and evil.” (BSB) His discernment helped him rule wisely, including the famous case of the two women claiming the same child.
• Jesus Testing Spirits (Matthew 4:1-11): During His temptation in the wilderness, Jesus discerned Satan’s deceptive use of Scripture and responded with truth, showing spiritual clarity and resistance.
• Paul and the Slave Girl (Acts 16:16-18): Paul discerned that the girl’s fortune-telling was driven by a demonic spirit, even though she spoke truth. He cast the spirit out, showing that discernment goes beyond surface appearances.

Everyday Examples of Discernment

• Choosing Between Good Options: A Christian might be offered two job opportunities—both ethical and promising. Through prayer, Scripture, and wise counsel, they discern which aligns best with their calling and God’s purpose.
• Spotting False Teaching: A believer hears a sermon that sounds inspiring but contradicts biblical truth. Discernment helps them recognize the error and seek sound doctrine.
• Navigating Relationships: Someone may feel drawn to a new friendship or romantic relationship. Discernment helps them evaluate whether this connection is spiritually healthy and aligned with God’s will.
• Responding to Conflict: In a tense situation, discernment guides a believer to respond with grace and truth rather than anger or avoidance—choosing the path that reflects Christ.

How to Apply Discernment

Discernment involves:

• Prayer and listening to God.
• Studying Scripture.
• Seeking wise counsel.
• Observing spiritual “fruits” (outcomes).
• Testing inner impulses and external influences.

Discernment Foundation

The Mystery of God’s Transforming Love:

“Because you are precious… and I love you” (Isaiah 43:4 ESV)

The call to be united with God, “An encounter with God,” is included in the grace of Baptism of the Holy Spirit. The mystery of Christ is a mystery of love; through prayer we experience and the reading of the Bible we feel the love of Christ and His presence. When we pray, we allow the reality of God’s unconditional love to embrace us.

God birthed us, He treasures us with infinite tenderness, He listens to us with infinite patience, and He reaches out to us in every moment of our existence.

The Discernment Program leads us to be closer to God and understand His ways. It will help us to sit in silence alone with Him and be open to listen, to seek His voice, to let the Holy Spirit enter all of our mind, body and soul.

Guiding Scriptures

1. “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10 ESV)
2. “Speak Lord your servant is listening” (cf. 1 Samuel 3:9-10 NIV)
3. “In the morning long before dawn, he got up and left the house and went off to a lonely place and prayed there” (Mark 1:35 NJB)

Listening

“God is the friend of silence.” “If we really want to pray, we must first learn to listen, for in the silence of the heart God speaks” (Mother Teresa)

Silence helps us to listen, and once we start to listen, we start be able to discern and hear clearly from God.

Once we are able to discern by hearing the Holy Spirit speaking to us, He will enable us to understand others and listen to them with clarity; not just their words and actions in the temporal world, but what else is present and is being said and done in the spiritual world will start to be revealed to us.

Listening is key in the area of Discernment. 

Feeling

Doing this program will help us to understand the feelings of God, and our feelings toward Him and toward others in prayer.

We discover what has to be:

• Faced
• Interpreted
• Decided
• Acted upon in the light of our identity in God

Sometimes we ask the question: “Is God real? How can we experience his presence?” This experience will give us conviction to know God and be with Him face to face; it is US AND HIM. In our silence in prayer and in our daily time with Him we are coming to the reality of the existence of God.

“No one can come to Me unless drawn by the Father who sent me” (John 6:44 NJV)

Discernment for the Spheres of Influence

This course follows on from the Discernment Foundation course and is designed for those who are learning how to discern and pray for the people and institutions in the Spheres of Influence in their communities and nations.

People are impacted by bases of power in our societies, often called mountains or spheres of influence. Each of these spheres have gatekeepers who exert control over guiding “truths” that the population see and follow. The spiritual forces of the enemy of God, as well as human desires, pull people away from God’s perfect plans for our communities and natural environments. To intercede effectively against spiritual strongholds, principalities and powers, to clear blockages to the gospel of Christ (sometimes by a change of gatekeepers), and to grow the governance of Christ in every sphere in our society, we need to discern with Him what, where and how to defeat His enemies.

Participants will receive one prompt each week for 12 weeks, covering the following spheres (or mountains) of influence:

• Family
• Church (Ecclesia)
• Government and the Military
• Trade and Finance (Business)
• Law and Justice
• Religion and Philosophy
• Arts
• Education
• Charity and Not‑for‑Profit Welfare
• Health and Science
• Media and Entertainment
• Sport and Recreation

Feel free to look around the Prayer Strategy website – there are many articles by different authors. Also have a look at Praying for Transformation of a City or Region.

Discernment in Leadership

The Discernment in Leadership course is built on the foundation of Christian leadership and the essential role of discernment in shaping leaders who reflect Christ.

Christian leadership is a Spirit‑formed calling, defined not by position, age, or status, but by the God‑given capacity and responsibility to influence others toward His purposes. Influence in churches, prayer houses and movements, and all ministry-focussed gatherings, appears in many forms, from small‑group discipleship to organisational leadership, from youth and children to men and women across every sphere of society. True leadership flows from Christ‑likeness, listening to God, modelling His ways, stewarding responsibility with integrity, and participating in His mission to bring the whole gospel to the whole world.

This course seeks to equip believers to lead with wisdom, humility, love, and Spirit‑empowered effectiveness. It challenges narrow definitions of leadership and affirms that anyone who shapes how others think, feel, or act can lead others toward Christ. Through Scripture, reflection, and practical formation, this course aims to develop leaders who embody Christ’s character, discern His voice, and serve His purposes in every context.

To ensure they have a solid foundation and some experience of discernment, participants should complete the Discernment Foundation course before attempting this course. Completing the Discernment for the Spheres of Influence course is also recommended prior to this course.

Ask Yourself

• How can you improve your discernment?
• Would you like to explore how to strengthen your discernment?
• How is discernment practiced in different Christian traditions?
• How can you explain discernment in different Christian traditions?
• What are some more examples of discernment in Christian life?

If you would like to explore some answers to these questions, then this Program will help you find them.