Home  Articles  Site map

A woman I was counselling said that she was a spiritual person because she got up early to read the Bible and pray, and she always tried to do the right thing. But she did not recognise as wrong the hatred she had towards someone! Isn't this to live according to our natural understanding rather than being led by the Spirit of God? Paul wrote to the Corinthians that they were still immature and he could not talk to them on deeper issues (1Co.3:1,2). There are deeper things in life than what are seen on the outside, and that is why we need spiritual discernment (1Co.2:14). When we operate at the natural level, we rely merely on what we see and hear or according to the letter of what it says in the Bible.

There are two conditions for receiving spiritual discernment. One is that when God reveals something to us, then we should be willing to obey it (Jn.7:17). Why should God show us something if even after God tells us we are still going to decide whether we are going to follow it or not? Secondly, God will test us to see if we will trust Him and obey even when we are not able to understand it (Pr.3:5-7). This was what He did with Abraham when He asked him to go to a place which He would only show later.

If we remain as natural people, we can still become Bible scholars who know Hebrew and Greek and bring out ideas that no one has thought of before. But then we cannot also be godly people who manifest the fruit of the Spirit in an increasing manner. We will all admit that these fruit are more valuable in the kingdom of God than academic degrees and accolades from people.

Even in dealing with other people, don't we need to be discerning and going deeper than what they are saying or doing? If a man says he is a believer in Jesus, should we take it at face value or should we discern if God is at work in him even if he is at an infant level, spiritually speaking? Of course, our aim is not to sit in judgment and see where each man stands, but to be able to relate to each one in an appropriate manner and perhaps be able to help him.

There are different levels of spiritual discernment. Some who have a ministry of casting out demons need a way of discerning for their work the presence or activity of demons. But we all need to be growing in discernment, whichever ministry we have been entrusted with. For example, a Bible teacher who can speak to the need of the people he is addressing can be more effective than another who is doing a verse by verse exposition. The latter is good at one level, but we are exhorted to seek for the gift of prophecy, when we can bring forth from the word what the Lord would have us to share with the particular people we have before us (1Co.14:1)?

"And this I pray, that your love may overflow still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment" (Php.1:9). "But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to distinguish between good and evil" (He.5:14).

Tweet