Equipped with Spiritual Discernment by Rose McCormick Brandon

In his letter to Timothy, Paul warned of seducing spirits that would cause some to deny faith in Christ (I Tim. 4:1). Paul stressed the ever-increasing need for spiritual discernment as dark powers multiply their efforts to sidetrack the faithful in these last days (2 Thess. 2:9).

            In Being the Body, Charles Colson writes of “widespread apostasy within the church, indeed within whole denominations, which any Christian should challenge.” The Spirit equips us with the ability to discern and the courage to challenge. 

He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. (I Corinthians 12:10 NLT)

Do we shy away from exercising discernment for fear of appearing judgmental? There is a difference between discerning and judging. When Jesus said, "Do not judge, or you too will be judged,” (Matt. 7:1) he meant we should not condemn with intent to destroy or base our judgments on hearsay and evidence taken out of context. The crucial difference between a judgmental attitude and godly discernment is that the first is rooted in pride and the latter is rooted in love.

  A discerner examines, evaluates and checks the accuracy of a teaching or activity by comparing it to scripture. The discerner depends on scripture for instruction and the Holy Spirit for guidance and understanding. Jesus said that anyone who desires to discern between God-sent messengers and false prophets would receive the ability to tell the difference. (John 7:17, Matt. 7:15-23).

Discerning is an act of love – love for God, His Word and His people. The goal of a discerner is not to be right but to be faithful.

Knowing that doctrinal error has the potential to divide Christ’s church, John urged believers to test spirits to discover if they come from God (I John 4:1). Human imagination can manufacture the appearance of the divine. Donald Gee, who wrote about the Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts, believed the human spirit is the source of most deception and disruption. In Concerning Spiritual Gifts, Gee wrote “When it (the human spirit) becomes self-assertive rather than self-effacing, the only cure is at the cross.” 

The Bible, our manual on discernment (2 Tim. 3:16), teaches that anything that exalts man’s work belittles Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (Eph. 2:8). 

A Jesus-follower is careful not to condone or condemn anything that is not first condoned or condemned by God. He is able to guide His followers today as surely as He did when He led the Israelites through the desert by flame and cloud. He is the One who filled the tabernacle and anointed Jesus with wisdom, knowledge and power  (Isa. 11:2,3).  

A discerner knows that crowd sizes, excitement levels, affluence and success are not always evidence of God’s blessing. What is evidence? A life transformed. At the cross. Everything true is rooted in the cross.

The discerner's heart longs for the Spirit and is not satisfied with temporary blessings. Discerners strive for deep, lasting, consistent faith. 

Prayer: Father, make me like the Bereans who “received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true" (Act 17:11).

***

Rose McCormick Brandon is an award-winning inspirational writer who contributes to denominational publications and devotionals. She writes and teaches Bible Studies, authors biblical essays and is the author of the Canadian history book, Promises of Home – Stories of Canada’s British Home Children. Her book, One Good Word Makes all the Difference, contains stories of her personal journey with God from prodigal to passionate follower of Jesus. Rose is married to Doug, the mother of three adult children and grandmother of four.