Life in itself is a reoccurrence of decisions to make that will determine the result and path of the journey. As Christians we seek God for the best and correct path, but how can we draw a conclusion as to what He is really saying? This is where discernment is not only key, it is necessary to make the cognitive choice after proper discernment for the journey ahead.
It is not a rare occurrence to hear someone say that they felt an event, a word, or something out of the norm was, “a sign” or “a God wink” but it is discernment that will help test such to ensure His green light. It says in John 14 that the Holy Spirit is the, “counselor of truth” and in so it is seeking His truth for events that we are taken through the method of proper discernment.
A Prayer for Discernment
Father God,
We thank You for this day. Father, You are the same today as You were yesterday, and as You are tomorrow. Since the beginning of mankind, You sought to have a relationship with Your creation, to instruct us in the way that we ought to go. Father, today we pray for discernment. We pray that the Holy Spirit that indwells within us with give us a peace beyond understanding to know precisely when something is You, and when something is not. Father, we want to be obedient to Your call in our lives. We pray for such discernment to not only make wise choices, but in the course of it all to know we can trust Your guiding hand.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
How to Seek Discernment
From the Garden of Eden, the Lord sought to have relationship with His creation. He instructed Adam and Eve on what to eat, and what to avoid. The kindness and love of God is shown that even in their disobedience to God, He still chose to have relationship with mankind. Even from the first sin where Adam and Eve go against God and choose to discern that the Serpent was correct, there is the heart of the Lord in that all of mankind was not forgotten. God knew even then that He would work in the hearts and souls to come to guide and instruct.
David was a man after God’s own heart, and though he was not perfect, he sought God’s heart on matters. David also relied on trusted advisors such as the Prophet Samuel, for he knew Samuel knew God. It even says in 1 Samuel 3 that, “not one of Samuel’s words would fall” which means that Samuel had such heightened discernment and alignment with God that not a single thing he said would prove false. Proper discernment can come in various forms, but prayer with God can be a great help at all times.
Testing and discerning through the Word of God is most important. The living and active Word of God is the tangible heart of the Lord. John 1 shares that, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” Resting assured that the Word of the Lord will never counteract the Spirit of the Lord, we can use the Bible for proper discernment in matters. 1 John 4 shares to “test the spirits” and testing and discerning through the Word of God will provide the refining fire spoken about in 1 Corinthians 3:13-14.
Another name for the Holy Spirit is the Counselor of Truth referenced by Jesus in John 14. The Holy Spirit indwells in the hearts of believers. Ask the Holy Spirit to grant you discernment sharper than a sword, for sincere discernment is authentic truth. Through His gentle urging in our hearts, we can discern what is His truth, and what is rubbish. He grants a peace beyond understanding, even when what is discerned as truth does not always make sense. Trust in the Holy Spirit of the Lord, for it is in and through Him that the truth is revealed.
12 Bible Verses for Discernment
John 14:16-18
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.
1 Corinthians 3:13
“his workmanship will be evident, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will prove the quality of each man’s work. If what he has built survives, he will receive a reward.”
Philippians 1:9-10
"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ;"
1 Samuel 16:7
“But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart."
1 Kings 3:9
"So, give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?"
Romans 12:2
“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.”
1 John 4
"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. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.“
John 16:13
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”
Hebrews 5:14
“But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.”
Psalm 119:66
“Teach me good discernment and knowledge, For I believe in Your commandments.”
James 1:5
“If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.”
Proverbs 3:5-6
“Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, but in all ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight”
Discernment is key for making wise and godly decisions, but it takes time to mature and cultivate. Like Paul mentioned in Hebrews 5:14 (above) it is like solid food for a child verses spiritual milk. Rely and press into the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Word of God, and seek counsel from those who know the Lord well when striving to discern holy truth. The Lord is ever seeking to guide us for His best, and it is through discernment that we can be embraced into such a path.
Cally Logan is a writer and teacher from Richmond, Virginia. She graduated from Regent University. Currently, she is a writer for Dear Sparrows Ministry site, and the Podcast, "Dear Sparrows." In her free time, she enjoys leading a high school girls’ small group, cooking, and spending time in tree houses. Her latest books, Dear Young Sparrow and Unveiled are available everywhere or at DearSparrows.com.
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