The common definition of what it means to discern is to perceive or recognize something. This definition assumes the one that is discerning possesses some level of background information on the two or more things they are attempting to discern. For instance, it isn’t too difficult for most people to discern the difference between a cat and a dog, because most people know a little bit about both of them. We’ve gotten so well at discerning things these days that even when a knock-off looks exactly like the designer brand, most of us have enough information about the designer brand that we can discern the fake from the real thing. But what about discerning things that we’ve never encountered? What if we don’t have pertinent information in our arsenals, and we can’t discern whether this thing will help us or turn our worlds as we know them completely and devastatingly upside down?
As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we must consider the reality that sometimes the fake has been so cleverly disguised that we might make the mistake of thinking the fake is the real thing and the real thing is a fake. The major reason for making these kinds of missteps in judgement is a lack of spiritual discernment. Jesus Christ taught in John 4:24(KJV), “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” Our Heavenly Father sees all, and He knows all. He knows what we need before we need it, and He knows what is going to happen in our lives before it takes place. Absolutely and unequivocally, nothing slips by our Heavenly Father, and we should be overwhelmingly thankful for this truth and aspect of His being. If we are walking with Him and honoring Him with our lives, He will keep our feet from falling, and He does this by Spirit to spirit warnings and communication.
Proverbs 30:5(NLT) declares, “Every word of God proves true. He is a shield to all who come to him for protection.” How comforting it is to know that we can count on our Heavenly Father in this way. He will place a hedge of protection around us, but discernment is a very necessary and useful aspect of the Christian walk. We can’t afford to overlook it. 1John 4:1(ESV) instructs, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.” This sharp wisdom from God allows us to know two very important truths. The first is that every person that identifies themselves as a prophet or a mouthpiece for God isn’t always who they say they are. The second is that we need a higher knowledge that can only be obtained from the mind of God to know exactly what we’re dealing with.
False prophets always have an agenda, and it is to attempt to increase their level of power and influence by diminishing yours. The prophet said of our Heavenly Father in Isaiah 26:3(NLT), “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you!” This verse is not only supremely beautiful and comforting, but it is incredibly practical. God is the only one that can give us perfect peace or perfect anything else. Also, this verse makes it very plain that we have the responsibility of setting the atmosphere and environment that partners with His blessing. The atmosphere for the amazing is produced when our thoughts are fixed on God.
There are more false prophets than there are true ones, and we are very apt to follow them. We listen to them on social media. We open our ears and give them our head space continually, then, when we need to hear the voice of God more than ever, we complain that we can’t hear His voice or don’t know how to recognize it. God holds you and me responsible for keeping the highways and byways of our mind holy. Spiritual discernment requires that we spend time with God by meditating on His goodness and on His Word. When our thoughts are fixed on Him, our supernatural senses are heightened because they are tuned in to Heavenly Father.
Renewing our minds to God’s Word and meditating on His goodness should be a habit pattern in our lives. It will produce a familiarity with how the Spirit moves within us. We will begin to pick up quite easily when he’s directing us and warning us. This is the result of focusing our attention on what the indwelling Holy Spirit is doing, and keeping negativity out of our minds.
Most of us spend more time in the world, dealing with worldly matters than we do on the things of God. Somehow, we’ve got to change this, because spiritual discernment is greatly needed. Many single women that are looking to cross paths with their future husbands are not strong in spiritual discernment. They are not yet able to recognize the difference between a trick from satan and a blessing from God. This may be one of the reasons that they’re having challenges with meeting the right person. To be the courageous, spiritually strong wives and mothers that Heavenly Father desire us to be, we must have sharp discernment under our belt. We must be in a position to help our husbands and families steer clear of evil traps. We should understand that God can and will sound the alarm through us when we are walking with Him and trusting Him as we should.
Ephesians 1:3(NLT) states, “All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.” The manifestation of Spiritual discernment isn’t just for a few believers, it is for any believer that wants to increase in the things of God. He has blessed us with all spiritual blessings because of our union with Christ, and He wants us to have the highest confidence in what He has provided.
It’s true that sometimes our own thoughts can get in the way. They can take us out of God’s peace, and we can sometimes feel insecure about our ability to discern. “Is it God’s voice or is it my own thoughts?” we might ask. In these moments, meditate on the goodness of God, because this is how you invite the Holy Spirit’s help. The reality is that God knows our thoughts even before we think them. He knows the words we are going to speak before we speak them, and He knows what we are going to do before we do it. We must remember Romans 8:28(NLT) which assures us that no matter what we do, think, or say, “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.” When our confidence is firmly anchored in the reality that He will keep our feet from falling, and when our will is to surrender to His Will, the indwelling Holy Spirit will help us discern. When our heart is to be obedient to God, we will hear His voice because we are His sheep, and He will help us to discern the best decisions and choices for our lives. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Sharp Discernment” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!