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How Can I Develop Spiritual Discernment?

Tim Challies

The following is a transcribed Video Q&A, so the text may not read like an edited article would. Scroll to the bottom to view this video in its entirety. 

Spiritual discernment is really the way that God allows us to see the world, to see ourselves, through His eyes. And so, God gives us that privilege. He gives us the Bible as a lens to see the world the way He sees it. It is an amazing thing, through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to understand the Bible, to understand the Scripture, and through it to understand the world the way the world really works. And that is really what discernment is, to use the tools that God has given us to see things in His way so we can live lives that honor God.

So, every Christian needs to be discerning. And it is interesting when you look into spiritual discernment in the Bible it is always connected to spiritual maturity. So, if you want to be a discerning Christian then you need to be a mature Christian: one who is growing in his faith, one who is understanding the Bible, one who is growing in his knowledge of the Lord. And so, if you want to be discerning be mature. Just grow up as a Christian. Find Christians that you love and Christians who are mature and ask them “how can I be a growing mature faithful Christian”. And as you grow in maturity you’ll also grow in discernment, in your ability to distinguish what is right and wrong, what is good and what is evil.

Living in the world that we do today where there are so many messages pouring into our ears and our minds from so many different places (across the internet, through TV, radio, whatever it is) I think we need to be discerning. We need to understand that Satan is very actively opposed to us. He is very active in his opposition to the Christian message, to the gospel.

So, grow up as a Christian. You’ll also find as you grow up you’ll become more discerning and be able to understand how God wants us to live in this world in a way that honors him.

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