Discernment

Psalm 119:125 “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your statutes.”

How many times have you found yourself in a situation wondering what the right thing was to do? Solomon declared how foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, only to be driven away by the rod of discipline. As God takes His people through discipline, they find themselves growing in wisdom and discernment.

Discernment is defined as perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding.

Hebrews 5:14 “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”

Discernment doesn’t come naturally, foolishness does. It takes effort and application to grow more discerning.

“Discernment is what enables us to have proper understanding and make wise judgements. Think of it as a heightened level of critical thinking. Discernment is similar to wisdom, but offers a more specific focus. The primary difference between the two lies in the distinction of discernment being able to help us to decipher right from wrong, truth from falsehood. The Bible makes it clear that discernment is something that we should all desire and that it is necessary to help us to grow in our faith and keep us from being deceived”

Compelling Truth

According to O. Chambers, “simplicity is the secret to seeing things clearly“. In other words, there are many spiritually confusing topics, but the longer you read the Bible the more you realize you don’t understand many parts of the Bible. You cannot just reason your way through spiritual confusion, spiritual understanding comes through the process of Obedience.

Discernment through Obedience

Even small matters of spiritual confusion can be misdirected if we use intellect to navigate our way through a spiritual dilemma. We are constantly bombarded by the false teachings of worldly wisdom. There is advice given at every juncture of life and many times the wisdom of the world is just feel good advice that leaves a person as empty and confused as when they started.

Phrases such as “follow your heart”, are commonly offered as solutions for direction in life. The very idea of following one’s heart can be muddled with past or present emotional trauma. Those emotions can be affected by hormones, fatigue, past hurts, or personality. Whether people are influenced by lust or from fear, hormones make us think there is a measure of truth in what we feel. The endless cycle of relationships often lead to misunderstanding a hormonal response due to an attraction. It’s easy to overlook someone’s character as to whether one should pursue a relationship when we lack the discernment for what godliness looks like in a person.

Psalm 111:110 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments. His praise endures forever.”

The lack of discernment has lead many into destructive relationships, down paths of falsehood, into decisions that have been dead ends, and into futures that at times seem hopeless.

Since discernment is gained through obedience, the next question is how are we to be obedient?

Job 28:28 “And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, And to depart from evil is understanding.’ ”

The Lord establishes honor.

People may not think they are evil, matter of fact they may have a pretty high opinion about themselves. If I open the car door for my wife, does that make me a good person? When we use simple common gestures of kindness as a means to justify ourselves, this is a form of worldly wisdom. Common courtesy was an expectation 100 years ago. As a man living in society, it was looked on as gentlemanly to escort a woman or let women go first through a door. Showing kindness to strangers was also conduct that was founded in principles of integrity.

As much as we might try to prove ourselves, we can never justify ourselves before God, our justification can only come from him. We are inherently evil people. Left to our own vices, we will always act contrary to God’s perfect will. Because of the nature of self-destruction, the Lord gave us a guide as to how we should live.

Psalm 19:7 “The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple”

If we try to justify ourselves by following God’s moral law, we will soon discover how impossible of a task it is, many have tried, all but Jesus have failed. The starting point of wisdom and discernment is with Jesus. The necessity of trusting Jesus with our lives is the foundation for growth and maturity. Those who do not know Christ, do not have the capacity for godly discernment.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

The growth that occurs in the hearts and minds of those ‘born again’, shows forth the Spirit of God who dwells in the hearts of His people.

Isaiah 11:2 “The Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, The Spirit of wisdom and understanding, The Spirit of counsel and might, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD.”

Everything we need for godliness, wisdom, understanding, discernment, strength, and knowledge originates from the Spirit of God. Jesus made the way for us to come before God as evil, reprobate, sinners. Without the blood of the Lamb, we are left helpless and powerless. Because of the grace Jesus showed, believers are made acceptable to God and His Spirit becomes the seal of His promise. The Spirit of the Lord begins to work in us and transform our lives into His image as we submit in humility to His leading.

The perfection of God’s moral law is the guide by which we must obey. When our lives are brought into submission to His will, the way we see life begins to change.

How is discernment applied in a newness of life?

*The ability to apply God’s moral law to the circumstances of our lives is a reflection of the discernment we receive from the Holy Spirit.

Psalm 119:33-37 “Teach me, O LORD, the way of Your statutes, and I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding that I may obey Your law, and follow it with all my heart. Direct me in the path of Your commandments, for there I find delight. Turn my heart to Your testimonies and not to covetous gain. Turn my eyes away from worthless things;revive me with Your word.”

As we practice discernment, we begin to see the reward of our efforts–

Psalm 37:4 “Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.”

Many have heard the prosperity gospel preachers who keep preaching the message that “God will bless you if you only ask for it” but they have left out some important facets for what truly brings reward.

1. How do we ask for God’s blessing? When we pray according to God’s purpose in our lives, we are praying according to the purposes of God. Obedience is the mechanism for walking with God.
2. What is expected of us? If we ask for blessing and yet live according to our own ambitions and rules, we really shouldn’t expect anything from God other than rebuke. As David declared, delight comes in the path of His commandments. Knowing what that path looks like and how to stay on it shows discernment.
3. How do we live for Christ with all our heart? The pathway of obedience is a total commitment. If we plan on only following part of God’s plan, we are divided in our sense of obedience. We make God out to be a liar if we think we know better and position ourselves as authoritative over God’s authority.

Does this begin to paint a picture for you?

If we only decide to be partly faithful, we have already fallen short. The patience God shows to us every day is demonstrated with each act of our disobedience.

If we continue to walk in a pattern of disobedience, we suffer great loss.

Job 12:20 “He deprives the trusted ones of speech,
And takes away the discernment of the elders.”

We lose the opportunity to be a light to others when we show a lack of understanding.

Job 17:4 “You have closed their minds to understanding; therefore You will not exalt them.”

There is shame upon the lives of unrepentant sinners.

Job 12:24 “He deprives the earth’s leaders of reason, and makes them wander a trackless wasteland.”

The decisions we make will lack common sense and our paths will only be a fruitless endeavor if we live only for ourselves.

God’s nature is defined by His Love. What may seem cruel is actually a revelation of His love. We may not like how God acts when we are faithless but it is necessary. The Lord continually acts in ways that are consistent with His nature…and that is love.

We can trust that whatever God does, He will always do good.

If we will remember the principles of God’s character when we are dealing with adversity, trials, or some form of godly rebuke, maybe we will be more patient in allowing the Lord to complete His work, rather than complaining about the circumstances.

Discernement is worth striving for, it is worth praying for, and as the Lord reveals His Truth, we must walk in it.