July: How Do We Discern?
A question which is puzzling to most Christians, even most people is “How can I know what God is calling me to do?” or “Is this just me, or is this God?” Of course, I am talking about the topic of discernment. Much has been made regarding the topic of discernment and there is certainly no shortage of material available that seeks to parse how to engage in discernment. For me, it helps to start with a definition. When we say discernment, what do we mean? Perhaps the most practical definition comes by way of Charles Spurgeon, “discernment is not the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.” In short, when we begin to wonder how close we can get to the fence before getting zapped; our curiosity turns to misguided arrogance. Sadly, there are many who are willing to tell us what is “wrong”, but there are few who are offering up guidance on what is “right.” We can typically figure out the “almost right”, which isn’t terribly helpful. So, where do we go from here? There are a few pieces of Scripture which aid us in our discernment. In the first letter to the Corinthians, Paul mentions some gifts of the Spirit: (1 Cor. 12:4 -10)
There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.
The key takeaway is discernment comes from God’s glorious plan for our lives. At the same time discernment is also a habit formed in and through faith. We must be able to see how God works in our daily lives before we can understand his greater plan; that is formed in the crucible of habit building. Practices such as prayer, Scripture memorization, confession, and fasting can be helpful in forming those habits. Consider this, when we draw near to God, he will draw near to us, (James 4:8) Jesus Christ is the beginning and perfecter of the faith we inherit, and (Heb. 12:2) the Holy Spirit has been sent to us, so we can be reminded of these facts. (John 14:26) As we are forming these holy habits we shouldn’t grow discouraged in the process. It’s just that – a process. Each day we wake up and make a conscious decision to surrender to God, we are building a healthy habit of discernment. We must invite God into each decision we make, whether we are at the grocery store, getting new tires for our vehicle, or sitting at church on Sunday morning.
Discernment is not magic power meant to show us glimpses of the future. It’s a partnership with God. It’s a gift which allows us to move toward the life of abundant faithfulness. To sum it all up, discernment is a gift, habit of faith, as well as a process. When all these things come together, we will cultivate a life of sound decision making. It will never be perfect; yet the will of God becomes clearer, faster. May we continually draw nearer to him.
Peace to you,
Rev. Taylor Kibler
