🎁 Spiritual Gifts | Week 7 — Prophecy & Discernment

Aug 23, 2026 • Chuck Tate

How do we know when God is speaking—and how do we recognize when something spiritual is not from Him?

In Week 7 of our Spiritual Gifts series, Pastor Chuck Tate continues unpacking the manifestation gifts found in 1 Corinthians 12, focusing on prophecy and discerning of spirits.

The Holy Spirit still speaks through people today, but Scripture also commands us to test what we hear. We don’t have to choose between being open to the supernatural and being grounded in the Bible.

We need both.

💡 Key Takeaways:

✅ Prophecy Is Meant to Build People Up – New Testament prophecy is given to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the Church.

✅ God Still Speaks Through People – The Holy Spirit can bring a Scripture, impression, phrase, or message to mind that someone else needs in a specific moment.

✅ Every Prophetic Word Must Be Tested – God will never contradict His written Word. Scripture remains our final authority.

✅ Humility Matters – God is perfect, but we are not. We can hear or interpret imperfectly, so prophetic ministry should always leave room for discernment.

✅ Not Everything Spiritual Is From the Holy Spirit – Discerning of spirits helps believers recognize the spiritual source behind what is happening.

✅ Discernment Is Not Suspicion – Cynicism, criticism, and distrust are not spiritual gifts. Biblical discernment recognizes whether something is from God, merely human, or spiritually wrong.

✅ Know the Word and Know His Voice – The more time we spend with Jesus and in Scripture, the more equipped we become to recognize what is truly from Him.

🙌 BOTTOM LINE:

Prophecy says:

“Here’s what I believe the Holy Spirit is saying.”

Discernment says:

“Let’s test it.”

We don’t need to chase spiritual experiences, personalities, or impressive gifts.

We chase Jesus.

Stay rooted in His Word.

Stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit.

Test everything.

Hold on to what is good.

And when God gives you something that will strengthen, encourage, comfort, and build someone up—be willing to obey.