Janell Kremer

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Current Episode

Suspicion vs. Discernment

When the Flesh Pretends to Be the Spirit

Have you ever wondered what the difference is between suspicion and discernment? This question came up in a conversation with a friend, and although I knew the two were different, I wanted to dig deeper into what the Word of God had to say. As I continued seeking the Lord, He kept impressing this message on my heart, and I soon realized it was going to become a podcast episode.

As witnesses of Jesus Christ, we must understand this distinction because suspicion can be a reaction of the flesh, while biblical discernment is meant to be led by the Holy Spirit. Yet how often do we mistake suspicion for discernment simply because we feel strongly about something?

When Discernment Becomes an Excuse for Suspicion

The word discernment has become a buzzword in Christian circles. Countless podcasts and YouTube channels claim to warn the Body of Christ about false teachers, Christian authors, and pastors. While there are certainly times when error must be confronted, some of this content crosses the line into slander and gossip. We must ask ourselves: Is this biblical discernment, or have we simply given suspicion a spiritual-sounding name?

“Sometimes God reveals something so we will pray, not publicize it.”

In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul addresses a church that was tolerating serious sin within its fellowship. His instructions were intended to confront sin and ultimately pursue redemption, not to humiliate someone or establish his own spiritual authority. There is a profound difference between confronting sin with the hope of restoration and publicly exposing someone’s failures to gain attention or prove that we possess superior insight.

When we depend on online personalities to tell us whom to trust and what to believe, we can fail to develop discernment for ourselves. The Holy Spirit is able to lead us into truth as we grow in our understanding of God’s Word. We should be helping believers mature in their relationship with Him, not teaching them to depend on our interpretations of other people.

The First Test of Discernment Began in the Garden

To understand discernment, we need to return to Genesis. Adam and Eve were created to walk with God, trust His wisdom, and live within the boundaries He established. Yet in the garden, the serpent tempted them to take the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and determine good and evil for themselves. At its heart, this was an invitation to independence from God.

We face this same temptation today. We may believe that recognizing hidden motives or seeing what others cannot makes us spiritually mature. But if our conclusions are rooted in fear, pride, or insecurity, we must examine what is leading us. True discernment seeks God’s wisdom, while false discernment attempts to establish its own authority apart from Him. Discernment is not about proving that we can see what others cannot. It is about learning to see through the eyes of God.

The Paradox of Independence and Dependence

This message has become personal to me. After a serious car accident in 2020 left me with a traumatic brain injury, I could no longer do many of the things I had always taken for granted. I couldn’t even shower on my own. Although that season was incredibly difficult, it exposed something in my heart: my love of control.

Our culture often teaches us to view independence as the ultimate virtue, but we were not created to live independently of God. We were created to depend on Him. Recently, the Lord gave me a prophetic word that began, “My dependable [name] is becoming dependent on Me.” It was an invitation to become completely reliant on His love, strength, wisdom, discernment, Word, and faithfulness. As the word expressed it, “Reliant, yes. Not helpless. Vulnerable, yes. Not defenseless. Submitted, yes. Not inferior. You are a true branch of the True Vine.”

Psalm 62:8 invites us to trust God at all times and pour out our hearts before Him because He is our refuge. Jesus modeled this dependence on the Father, declaring in John 5:19 that He did nothing independently of Him. When Moses questioned his identity and calling, God’s answer was, “I will certainly be with you” (Exodus 3:12, NKJV). Moses needed to understand that his identity and calling were inseparable from God’s presence.

What would change if we learned to live from that same place of dependence? Instead of relying on our own understanding, experiences, and interpretations, we could seek the Holy Spirit’s direction and trust Him to lead us into truth. Rather than approaching prayer as though we must persuade an absent God to come near, we can acknowledge His presence and ask, “Holy Spirit, You are here. What do You want to do?”

Suspicion Assumes the Worst. Discernment Seeks the Truth.

Biblical discernment seeks truth, clarity, wisdom, and understanding. It is willing to wait, examine the facts, and remain humble before God. Suspicion, however, assumes the worst without sufficient evidence. It imagines destructive motives, interprets circumstances through fear, and presumes guilt before the truth has been established.

First Corinthians 13 gives us a standard by which to examine our responses. Love is patient and kind, is not proud or self-seeking, and does not rejoice in injustice but rejoices with the truth. Biblical love does not require us to ignore sin, but it does challenge us to examine the spirit in which we pursue truth. Are we seeking restoration, or are we simply eager to prove that we were right?

Discernment seeks truth without abandoning love. Suspicion sacrifices truth to the need to feel certain. When we believe the Holy Spirit is revealing something to us, we must allow Him to govern not only what we see but also how we respond.

The Weapon of Suspicion

A few months ago, as I was praying for someone who had experienced significant trauma, the Lord impressed something upon my heart about the weapon of suspicion. I pictured it as a projector that replayed familiar messages whenever the person encountered fear or insecurity: “This is why you cannot trust God. This is why you have to figure everything out on your own. God is not with you.”

I was struck by how easily painful experiences can shape the way we interpret new circumstances. When we have been hurt or betrayed, we may begin expecting the same outcome everywhere we turn. Fear becomes a lens through which we view other people and even God Himself.

The answer is to learn to take our thoughts captive and bring them into obedience to Christ, as Paul teaches in 2 Corinthians 10:5. This does not mean troubling thoughts will never return. It means learning to recognize thoughts that contradict God’s truth, reject the lies, and deliberately turn our attention toward His Word. As we allow the Holy Spirit to renew our minds, we can stop letting fear determine what we believe.

Consider King Saul. His jealousy and insecurity distorted his perception of David until he became convinced that David was a threat to his kingdom. Saul allowed suspicion to shape his actions rather than seeking God’s perspective. We can fall into the same pattern when we interpret someone’s behavior through our own wounds and assumptions. Feeling convinced does not mean we know another person’s motives.

What If You Have the Gift of Discerning of Spirits?

For those who believe they have the gift of discerning of spirits, maturity is essential. This is something I struggled with for years. When you become aware of things others may not see, it can be difficult to look at people with grace and mercy. But recognizing something does not automatically mean you understand what God wants you to do with it.

Every person is made in the image of God, even when their behavior is sinful. When the Lord reveals something about another person, we must not use that revelation as permission to accuse, despise, or attack them. Instead, we should ask Him how He wants us to respond. Is He inviting us to pray, intercede, have a loving conversation, or exercise wisdom? Not everything God reveals is meant to be shared publicly. Sometimes He shows us something simply so we can pray and entrust the situation to Him.

“Your goal is not simply to recognize what is wrong, but to respond in a way that faithfully represents Jesus.”

Ephesians 6:12 reminds us that our struggle is not against flesh and blood. People are not our ultimate enemy. Rather than aiming our arrows at people, we need to direct our spiritual warfare toward the real enemy and stand in prayer. Jesus taught us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44). If we are growing in discernment but becoming less compassionate, more accusatory, and increasingly eager to expose people, we need to allow the Lord to examine our hearts. The goal of spiritual maturity is not simply to see more. It is to become more like Jesus in what we do with what we see.

A Practical Checklist: Is It Discernment or Suspicion?

The next time you sense something about another person or find yourself questioning their motives, pause before responding. Rather than immediately accepting your thoughts as discernment, bring them before the Lord and ask Him to examine your heart. Here are a few questions to help you distinguish between Spirit-led discernment and suspicion rooted in fear.

• Am I responding to truth or making assumptions? What do I actually know, and what am I interpreting? Have I confused my feelings, past experiences, or impressions with established facts?
• Am I being led by the Holy Spirit or by fear? Is insecurity, jealousy, rejection, or a past wound influencing how I see this person? Am I expecting the worst because I have been hurt before?
• Does my interpretation align with the Word of God? The Holy Spirit will not lead me to embrace what contradicts God’s revealed truth. Am I examining this impression through Scripture, or am I using Scripture to justify what I already believe?
• Am I willing to wait for clarity? Do I feel pressured to expose someone, share a warning, or reach an immediate conclusion? Can I surrender the situation to God and allow Him to lead me rather than rushing to act?
• What is my motive? Do I genuinely desire truth, repentance, and restoration, or do I want to prove that I was right? Am I approaching this person with humility and love, or am I looking for evidence to support my suspicions?
• What is God actually asking me to do? Even if I believe the Lord has revealed something, does He want me to speak, ask a question, establish a boundary, or simply pray? Have I assumed that seeing something means I am supposed to announce it?
• Am I seeing this person as an image-bearer of God? Can I recognize that someone’s behavior may be wrong without reducing that person to their sin or treating them as my enemy? Am I directing my prayers toward God’s purposes rather than using my perceptions as weapons against people?
• Am I willing to be corrected? Have I left room for the possibility that I misunderstood what I perceived? True humility allows us to bring our conclusions before God, examine the facts, listen to wise counsel, and change our minds when necessary.

Remember, not every uncomfortable feeling is discernment, and not every concern should be dismissed as suspicion. Sometimes wisdom requires us to recognize genuine danger, confront sin, or establish appropriate boundaries. The key is to respond to what is true rather than allowing fear to dictate our conclusions.

When you are uncertain, you do not have to act immediately. Pray, examine your thoughts through Scripture, seek wise counsel when appropriate, and ask the Holy Spirit to lead you. The goal is not simply to recognize what is wrong, but to respond in a way that faithfully represents Jesus.

You Are God’s Witness, Not the Accuser

As I reflect on all of this, I keep coming back to our identity as witnesses of Jesus Christ. We are called to represent Him faithfully, bear witness to the truth, and reflect His character to a world that desperately needs to see Him. We are not called to be suspicious. We are called to be discerning.

Before accepting a thought about another person, ask yourself: Is this discernment, or is suspicion speaking? Before repeating something you have heard about a Christian leader, ask whether you know it to be true and whether sharing it honors God. Before assuming someone has evil intentions, consider whether you are seeing that person through the eyes of Jesus or allowing your own wounds, fears, and insecurities to shape your perception.

If you are prophetic, remember that God may show you something not so you can expose it, but so you can pray about it. We do not have to reveal someone’s failures to prove that we are spiritually discerning, nor do we need to take control of every situation simply because we have become aware of something troubling. We can depend on the Holy Spirit, seek wisdom, wait for His direction, and speak truth with courage and love when it needs to be spoken.

“We are not called to be suspicious accusers. We are called to be faithful witnesses of Jesus Christ.”

The world does not need more believers who are suspicious of one another. It needs witnesses who faithfully represent Jesus Christ. May we learn to discern clearly without losing compassion, recognize evil without becoming consumed by it, and pursue truth without abandoning love. That is the kind of witness the world needs.

✨ Coming October 12, 2026! ✨

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