Discernment
James 4:11-12 11 Do not speak evil against one another, brothers.
The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?
The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law.
But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
12 There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.
But who are you to judge your neighbor?
What is discernment?
1 Thessalonians 5:21-22 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
22 Abstain from every form of evil.
Anything you come up against, anything that feels kind of “off”, any decision you have to make. We’ve all had moments in our lives where it’s kind of like, “I got to take this path or this path, and something feels a little off here.” That’s why Paul says to test everything. Use your brain to figure out if it’s a good thing or a bad thing, and where is the God thing?
We can take a good thing and try to make it into a God thing, and then it becomes a bad thing. So there are good decisions, Godly decisions, and bad decisions. Paul says to test everything and then HOLD ON TIGHT, white-knuckle the good things! That’s like an 85-year-old driving 120 mph down the road and you’re in the passenger seat freaking out!! You’re putting your imprints in the dash and armrest! Hold fast to what is good!
But don’t just stop there, it also says abstain from most forms of evil. Right? Well that’s how we live. We don’t live like it says “every.” We live like it says “most” or “some,” and we try to manage our sin. Paul says to abstain from every form of evil. That is difficult! That’s why you have to have discernment.
We can take a good thing and try to make it into a God thing, and then it becomes a bad thing. So there are good decisions, Godly decisions, and bad decisions. Paul says to test everything and then HOLD ON TIGHT, white-knuckle the good things! That’s like an 85-year-old driving 120 mph down the road and you’re in the passenger seat freaking out!! You’re putting your imprints in the dash and armrest! Hold fast to what is good!
But don’t just stop there, it also says abstain from most forms of evil. Right? Well that’s how we live. We don’t live like it says “every.” We live like it says “most” or “some,” and we try to manage our sin. Paul says to abstain from every form of evil. That is difficult! That’s why you have to have discernment.
1 John 4:1-6 1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God,
for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them,
for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;
whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God:
every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God,
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you heard was coming and now is in the world already.
4 Little children, you are from God and have overcome them,
for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us;
whoever is not from God does not listen to us.
By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
There’s good spirit and a bad spirit around you, there’s a battle going on constantly and we don’t have a clue about it, don’t consider it most of the time. Many people will go out saying they love God and are doing these things for him, but their actions and teaching don’t correlate with what they just said. That’s a false prophet, and they’re going to lead you away from God and away from the Word. Test everything! Jesus in you is greater than Satan who’s trying to run the world!
What do we do with that? When we’re faced with decisions, we have to ask for wisdom, we have to seek wisdom to make the right choice. What does that look like? It looks like this, “Lord, I have a huge decision in front of me and I don’t know which way to go. Will you guide me thoughts, show me in your word, and send people in my path to show me the right choice to make.” Sometimes that is a constant prayer in your head. That’s what discernment looks like.
What do we do with that? When we’re faced with decisions, we have to ask for wisdom, we have to seek wisdom to make the right choice. What does that look like? It looks like this, “Lord, I have a huge decision in front of me and I don’t know which way to go. Will you guide me thoughts, show me in your word, and send people in my path to show me the right choice to make.” Sometimes that is a constant prayer in your head. That’s what discernment looks like.