Discernment!
This week I want to share about this Word. When I look at everything that is going on, I sometimes wonder what happened with discernment?
We all know about the young people eating Tide pods. Where is the discernment that it might cause you harm? Sometimes just plain logic is so far removed from people that I wish stupid was painful.
That is not nice!
I know that one of the gifts of the Spirit is the Gift of Discerning of spirits. But, do we ever need that gift in our days? Absolutely!!!! Suspicion is not this gift.
Why do we need discernment?
Discernment is that gift that keeps you from being deceived. The more discerning you are, the less chance the enemy has to catch you in sin. It also can keep you from making a quick judgment that you regret later. Unfortunately, we all made that mistake. I love what scripture teaches us on discernment.
Phil. 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment.
Paul is trying to make us understand that we need discernment in more than one area. So, for example, you might be an expert on finances; you know how to invest well and discern where to invest for the best financial gain, but how are you doing when it comes to listening to what your wife is saying? Are you determining what her need is?
We need to be able to discern in both the natural and the spiritual realm. But, naturally, we already know how to discern. A tomato is a fruit, but nobody wants it in a fruit salad. Staying away from a poisonous snake is not hard to do. Your discernment kicks in, and you run away from it. But what about spiritual discernment?
1Cor. 2:12-16 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
To discern by the Spirit, we must understand that it does not mean understanding with your mind but your heart. This is hard for most people because we have not trained our senses to be activated in the Spirit. We must also understand the mind of Christ. How does God see things?
The best way to learn how to discern in the Spirit is to know His Word. If you know His Word, you will know His will. But, more than that, God chose His Word to help us discern between the soul and the spirit. If we know His Word, we will know His voice.
Heb. 4:12 For the Word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Every time we face a crisis, we have the opportunity to discern what would be the best thing to do. Every problem comes with two things: a chance to interrupt or a chance to advance and learn.
I love what Jesus modeled.
Lazarus is dead. He was a friend of Jesus. What a crisis to experience the loss of someone dear to you. What does Jesus do?
At his grave, Jesus looked up into heaven and thanked God that He always hears him when he prays – John 11:41. Jesus is not looking at the interruption. He is looking at the solution to the crisis.
In Matt 14, they bring five loaves of bread and two fish to Jesus to feed five thousand people. What does Jesus do?
Again he looked up into heaven and blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples to feed the people. So again, we see Jesus not looking at the problem but discerning that there is an answer if you look for it in the right place.
We need discernment more than ever. In this day, we will need it to stay focused and not be distracted from our call and our purpose. Allow God to bring some crisis your way so that you can learn to discern
In closing, I see what the Word says:
Heb. 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
