When we lose or fail to catch God’s voice in the midst of the noise or chaos of this world
When we wait patiently for God to direct us or to follow the leading of God. Discernment is one of the gifts of God which we can use. The spirit of God in our lives, upon our lives, activates this gift; the spirit of discernment.
- It nudges us towards God’s will.
- Discernment is to be able to sense the kind of spirit dominant in an individual’s life; every life is controlled by a spirit. When you know this, you know for sure who and what influences the person’s decisions.
- Discernment is knowing when to go to war or when to hold your peace.
- Discernment is knowing when to respond or when to just keep shut.
- Discernment is knowing when to be an observer or when to take action.
- Discernment is when our senses are fully functional. That is we can see, smell, taste, hear trouble or a fortune from a distance.
- Discernment is identifying God or the devil in a voice, life or situation.
Jesus Christ, our role model had different reactions to people, situations because He utilized His sense of discernment. He knew when to be quiet, for example when He was brought to the high priest and accused of all sorts. That was the best reaction to that situation for the greatest good of giving His life for ours.
He sensed that the Pharisees were trying to trap Him when they asked for a miracle and His reaction was a louder and probably more fierce reaction to them. Mark 8:11-13
When some teachers of the law came saying that Jesus performed miracles by the power or spirit of Beelzebul living inside of Him. Jesus probably sensed their ignorance and He took the time to explain things to them. Mark 3:20-28
And when it came to the accusers of the adulterous woman, Jesus probably sensed their “self-righteousness” and He didn’t as much as stress Himself in explanation, He just asked them a wise question that convicted the woman’s accusers.- John 8:3-11
First, we must understand that we are highly blessed with spiritual gifts by God- Ephesians 1:3 the earlier we are aware and start to use and walk in this light, the best for us.
The whole Christian race will do a lot better if we all are actively using the power of discernment coupled with other weapons in our arsenal as Christians
Imagine if you sensed that there was going to be a car crash, you could take authority & control of the situation and avert the incident.
Imagine if you could sense that the drink you were offered at a party was poisoned.
Imagine if you could sense the new friend you just met would help your life a great deal or not.
Imagine if you could sense it in your spirit that the decision you just took is the best even if it does not look like it.
As children of God, how do we use this gift?
Stay in God’s Presence! This does not mean staying in the church, it means daily living our lives for God with Him as our focus. When we stay in His presence, it is easy for Him to keep breathing upon us and rubbing off on us. And this way, our spiritual blessings including the spirit of discernment becomes more active.
Pray in the spirit daily! But you, my friends, keep on building yourselves up on your most sacred faith. Pray in the power of the Holy Spirit. Jude 1:20
Need I say more, praying in the spirit builds up our faith, sets our lives on fire and our area of focus this week- it keeps our gift of discernment alive.
Check! Check if the word, the behavior, gesture conforms with the word of God.
Use it! Don’t just have the gift, use it. Using it will help save the world one way or the other, it also makes you better Christian overall. Certain things you can avoid when you continually use it, many opportunities you can seize. Many decisions you can be firm about when you take them.