Spiritual Discernment

QUESTION: Spiritual Discernment – God’s Wisdom

ANSWER:

Spiritual Discernment – Insights from God’s Word
Oh, what a wonderful God we have! How great are His riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his methods! For who can know what the Lord is thinking? Who knows enough to be his counselor? And who could ever give Him so much that He would have to pay it back? For everything comes from Him; everything exists by His power and is intended for His glory. To Him be glory evermore. Amen. - Romans 11:33–36

Spiritual Discernment – Recognizing Motives
Prayer: Lord, I am grateful this morning for Your truths which are helping me more and more -- every day -- to discern the true from the false. I am so grateful that as Satan picks up the intensity of His attacks, You are giving Your children the tools they need to defeat him at every turn. You are always available to us -- willing to listen and to guide us into a deeper understanding of Your truths, so we can take our stand against evil.

You are also training us now as we learn to grow in wisdom and discernment so we will be prepared for the waves of change that are about to hit the earth. Nothing and no one can stand against You, and nothing and no one can be a substitute for the reality of Your Truth. I am in awe this morning, Lord, that You knew there would be many distractions set along my path in an attempt to alter my focus from Your face, as I sought to fulfill my own needs. You made provisions all along my path by sending me people who could help me in my journey. Your provisions have proven to be complete -- even though at the time I didn’t understand it at all.

As you take us deeper into Your nature and Your character, You keep reminding me that I will be as close to You as I want to be. Over and over again this comes up. Today, I see that it is the closeness I have with You that is helping me to recognize the counterfeits Satan puts in my path. You shine Your light of wisdom on those deceits and You then use them to grow me stronger in the truths of Your Gospel.

My King, I pray today for my brothers and sisters, asking You to fill the empty lamps they are carrying with Your oil. I ask You to increase their discernment and wisdom so they will not be held back any longer from accomplishing Your will in their lives. Thank You that You have shown me all of us are in danger of being fooled by Satan’s deceptions -- even the apostle Paul admitted to being foiled by Satan. There is a great danger to the Body of Christ when we get fooled into thinking that Satan cannot "foil" us. We all need to be digging down deeper than we ever have before so we can tell the difference between truths and lies -- between false motivations and pure.

We need You, Lord Jesus. We need Your grace and Your mercy. We need Your wisdom so we can see ourselves honestly, admit when we make mistakes, and turn to You in genuine repentance, seeking Your forgiveness. You want us to be free, and You want us to be walking in greater and greater power and wisdom. Ignorance is Satan’s tool, and we can no longer afford to be ignorant of Your truth and Your ways.

I also pray, Jesus, that You would help us all with a practical application of Your truths. Help us when our paths seem unclear and muddied to discern a clear way out. You may be a God who is beyond our complete understanding in this life, as You are so diverse in Your nature, but You are also the God who has proven to me over and over again that if I ask You, You will give me exactly what I need -- when I need it

Thank You that You want to give Your kids the desires of their hearts. Thank You that we have brothers and sisters who walk the walk You have called them to walk as witnesses of Your power and Your truth.

Continue, Lord I pray, to teach us about the necessity for obedience so we can live committed lives dedicated to You and Your purposes. Remind us as often as we need it that we "will reap if we faint not". Grow us in our faith, and like the Apostles, teach us to work together as a well oiled team (Philippians 2:25).

Spiritual Discernment – Making it Personal
Reflect: Your Word tells us that wisdom, understanding, and knowledge are three cords that cannot easily be broken. We need all three of these tools to be effective soldiers for Christ. Today, I would encourage You to ask God to give You the spiritual gift of a "word of wisdom" so you will have all you need to grow in understanding and knowledge. We need to ask God for His help – which is a very good reason to develop your prayer life.