Praying for Discernment

Discernment is “the ability to judge well. Discernment is not an inherent trait, but it is developed by being saturated in truth.

Christians must saturate their minds in the Word of God and apply it in their daily lives. Those who are unskillful in the use of the Word, and only know the basic principles of Christianity, are like little children who are drinking milk for their growth. Milk is good for babies to drink, but eventually they grow teeth and desire to chew. Sadly, many Christians intentionally remain at an infant stage. Many are skilled in the ways of the world, but not in the use of the Word.

If you want to have an excellent ability to judge well, then heed the words of the verse above. Strong meat belongs to those who study and apply the Word and train their senses to discern both good and evil.

Perhaps the most well-known and most quoted Bible verse is John 3:16, and for good reason. That verse describes, in a single sentence, the broad scope of God’s love, the sacrifice of God’s love, the purpose of God’s love, the desire of God, and the result of God’s love. Have you used that verse and mastered it? Have you chewed on the meat of that verse and allowed it to grip your soul? Can you lead a lost person to Christ with that verse?

Here’s the point: If you desire discernment, then fall in love with God’s Word and purpose to know it like the back of your hand.

Your immersion in the truth will yield phenomenal discernment.

Watchmakers spend hundreds of hours working on complex watch movements. They have great understanding of each complex assembly and every tiny, intricate part. The result? They can spot a phony Rolex that would fool most people, because they can discern between real and phony.

Treasury agents spend a lot of time studying real currency and genuine bank checks. They understand paper types, ink qualities, watermarks, and print line quality and uniformity. The result? Millions of dollars in counterfeit currency is seized and destroyed every year, because the agents can discern between real and phony.

Jewelers spend their lives looking at gemstones. They purchase them, inspect them, study them, cut them, and set them. They understand the hardness of certain stones and how light is reflected and refracted through them. The result? They can identify a fake diamond, sapphire, or emerald because they can discern between real and phony.

Pickles are cucumbers that have been immersed in a vinegar brine solution for a long period of time, but cucumbers with a splash of vinegar on top are not pickles.

See the difference? We can say that we have good discernment as Christian soldiers, but if we’re not saturated in the Word of Truth then it’s not true. Read your Bible and pray that God will saturate your mind with Truth so that you can learn to quickly discern what is righteous from what is evil. Strive to be a mature Christian soldier even if the church is filled with immature, milk-drinking babes in Christ.