Proverbs 3:5-7
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek His Will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take. Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil."
Luke 6:45
"A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart."
[Emphasis added.]
In the past, I have talked about the fruit we produce being reflective of our heart posture and submission. The fruit we produce and observe in others is important because it partners with this awesome gift God equips Believers with called discernment. Biblical discernment is not only wisdom, but it is Godly wisdom; the ability to perceive and determine through the lens of God's Truth what is true and right vs. what is false and wrong. It is not psychic, mystical or worldly judgement, but a check from the Holy Spirit to guide, advise and lead us. For example, when I am presented with a business or ministry opportunity, however it appears on the surface, I submit my decision to the Holy Spirit through prayer by asking for wisdom and discernment on everyone and everything involved. And you know what happens? When I am still and listen, He clearly provides wisdom and discernment for my decision. When I don't sit still and listen? I'm often sorry that I didn't. After being burned several times, I quickly learned how to foster and lean into the discernment that the Holy Spirit provides, even when it is a bit unclear at first. This has saved me quite a bit of heartache, time and money, because it became clear to me that discernment was rooted in access. When I accessed the Holy Spirit through prayer, He told me who and what would have access to me.
There is a quote from poet and author Maya Angelou that has always resonated with me in its true simplicity and mirror of Biblical discernment, whether she intended it that way or not. The quote is, "When people show you who they are, believe them." Honestly, we could drop the mic right there. Simply put; people's actions, words and deeds are reflective of their true heart. At the end of the day what you do will reveal who you are even more so than what you say. And you know how I feel about people not doing what they say they will do! Why is this important? One of the reasons God gives us discernment is to be wise in who and what we allow to access our lives. Part of that is determining if this person, place or thing is of God. No one automatically deserves access to you, your thoughts, your body, your finances, etc. Period. First, trust must be built. And words, actions and deeds will reveal to you if this person bears good fruit or bad fruit and is from God or not. Ergo, when people show you who they are; believe them; might I add...the first time! As Believers, we extend the love of Christ, kindness and service to all people, but this does not translate to allowing others to infiltrate areas that are off limits or set apart by God. There are many examples in the Bible when discernment was used successfully or not used at all, and the outcome was either disaster avoided or ensuing chaos, respectively.
Wisdom and discernment will reveal who and what is part of your assignment and sphere of influence and who is not. I heard someone say once that the way to determine who is for you or against you is to see how they react when you tell them "No". I have said "No" and immediately had the words, actions and deeds of others soundly confirm what the Holy Spirit had allowed me to discern as an alliance or partnership that had run its course and needed to be severed. My peace and joy resounded in rest even if my heart and mind were initially disappointed at the outcome.
But take heart, discernment is also a wonderful gift that helps us pray for ourselves and others. When God reveals a need that someone can't or won't articulate, discernment can illuminate a way that you can be of service, whether through prayer, encouraging words or simply your presence. Discerning a food insecurity and putting a bag of groceries on your neighbor's doorstep could be just the thing that opens the door to you sharing the Gospel with them. So, discernment not only protects our hearts, minds and sometimes our bodies, but it also helps us be better stewards of our gifts, relationships and service. In extending the love of Christ to everyone we cannot and should not open ourselves up to the wiles of the Enemy or the fruitless machinations of the world, but we can walk in healthy and true service using our gift of Godly discernment.
Takeaways for you to remember.
#1 Biblical discernment is the wisdom and perception of the Holy Spirit working through us.
#2 Discernment will reveal what is true and right vs. what is false and wrong.
#3 Discernment will dictate who, what and how much has access to you.
Yours in Christ!
Dr. Quahana
Want to enjoy some of the Scriptures inspiring this entry?
[All referenced Scripture is NLT version unless otherwise noted.]
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