A Prayer for Discernment in a Dark World - Your Daily Prayer - October 19
A Prayer for Discernment in a Dark World
By Lynette Kittle
Bible Reading:
“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.” - Ephesians 5:11
Listen or Read Below:
Sadly, and tragically for humankind, people love darkness. Just look around at the popular influences in our culture and world to see how millions are drawn to it.
As John 3:19 explains, “This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil.”
Even some Christians laugh it off, but darkness and the evil in the world are real. Since the fall of mankind, people have been getting caught up in it, deceived by it, and drawn to it in droves.
As a child, I loved singing the kids’ church song “1-2-3 The Devil’s After Me,” not because I liked the message but because it was catchy and fun to sing. Now, as an adult, I realize the truth explained in that simple sing-along song.
Since Adam’s fall, the devil has been after us, and we need God to give us discernment to be able to tell the difference between light and darkness. We can’t rely on our own understanding discerning between good and evil because, like Eve, we can be deceived, even if we think we’re too educated or too spiritual for that to happen.
5 Ways to Cultivate Discernment in Our Lives
Because we aren’t reliable in our own understanding to distinguish darkness from light, we need the Holy Spirit to help us. The following are four ways we can cultivate discernment in our lives:
1. Ask God for Discernment. In 1 Kings 3:9, King Solomon asked God for discernment, and so can we. “So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?”
2. Feed on God’s Word. Reading, studying, and putting God’s word into practice in our lives helps us gain discernment, so that we can distinguish between good and evil.
As Hebrews 5:14 describes, “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.”
Paul mentions in Acts 17:11 how the people knew to compare what was being preached to God’s word. “Now the Berean Jews were of more noble character than those in Thessalonica, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.”
3. Test the Spirits. Nowadays, and throughout history, there are false prophets, led by demonic spirits, deceiving and drawing people into darkness.
1 John 4:1 urges, “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
A major red flag that reveals false spirits is the absence of Jesus’ death and resurrection. 2 John 1:7 warns, “I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist.”
As well, 1 Timothy 4:1 points out, “The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.”
Galatians 1:8 clarifies even more, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse!”
4. Stay in God’s Light. We can choose to stay in God’s light. 1 John 1:5-7 explains it better:
“This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you: God is light; in Him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin.”
Let’s Pray:
Dear Father,
Thank you for calling us out of darkness into Your glorious light, for sending Your Son, Jesus, to save us, and for Your Holy Spirit to help us discern between light and darkness.
Lead us, O Lord, today and every day, to ask You for discernment, to study Your word, to test the spirits, and to daily choose to stay and walk in Your light.
Help us to be able to discern between good and evil and to recognize and resist the darkness when it seeks to entice and overtake us.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Severin Höin
Lynette Kittle is married with four daughters. She enjoys writing about faith, marriage, parenting, relationships, and life. Her writing has been published by Focus on the Family, Decision, Today’s Christian Woman, kirkcameron.com, Ungrind.org, StartMarriageRight.com, and more. She has a M.A. in Communication from Regent University and serves as associate producer for Soul Check TV.
Related Resource: Starting 2026 with Intention: Confidence, Diligence, and God’s Direction
As we begin a brand-new year, I want to help you slow down and listen for God’s invitation in your life. In this episode, we kick off our One Word 2026 series — a simple, prayerful way to reflect on where you’ve been and discern how God may be inviting you to grow in the year ahead.
I introduce the heart behind choosing a spiritual “one word,” not as a goal to achieve, but as a posture to receive. We explore two of the six words I’ll be offering this month — confidence and diligence — and look at how Scripture invites us to grow, not by relying on our own strength, but by trusting God’s faithfulness over time.
This episode is part of our How to Study the Bible Podcast, a show that brings life back to reading the Bible and helps you understand even the hardest parts of Scripture. If this episode helps you know and love God more, be sure to subscribe to the How to Study the Bible Podcast on Apple or Spotify so you never miss an episode!
