LEARN TO DISCERN
Greetings church family!
I remember one hot summer Sabbath when I was a kid growing up in Las Vegas. I was in church with my family. Unfortunately on that day, the air conditioning in our church had stopped working. To mitigate some of the discomfort from the high temperatures inside the building, the deacons propped open multiple doors.
Right around prayer time, as I was kneeling, I heard a commotion coming from the pews behind me. Immediately following the commotion, there came a loud thud sound. I turned around to see what was taking place. I saw a sparrow flying around in the church. The commotion was from the shock of the members due to the bird’s presence in the church. The thud came from the bird flying into the window separating the sanctuary from the mother’s room. The window was so clear and clean that the bird couldn’t distinguish the window from the open air. After two more booming thuds sounded from it flying into the window again and again, the bird eventually flew out one of the doors.
In a world filled with noise, opinions, and spiritual counterfeits, one of the most critical yet overlooked virtues is discernment. It’s not just the ability to make good choices—it’s the God-given capacity to sense His leading, sift through what’s true and false, and choose what is excellent.
The Bible gives several examples of godly people exercising discernment.
One powerful example comes from King Solomon. When two women came before him, both claiming to be the mother of the same child, Solomon asked for a sword and proposed dividing the child in two. It sounds harsh, but it revealed the truth: the real mother would rather give up her child than see him harmed (1 Kings 3:16–28). Solomon didn’t have DNA tests—he had wisdom from God. His discernment exposed what logic alone could not.
Another example comes from the apostle Paul in the New Testament. In Acts 16, he was on a mission trip when the Holy Spirit prevented him from preaching in certain regions (Acts 16:6–7). Then he had a vision of a man from Macedonia asking for help, and he changed course. Paul didn’t simply follow good strategies—he followed the Spirit. Discernment kept him on God's path, not just a productive one.
Discernment isn’t simply knowing right from wrong—it’s knowing right from almost right. From the story above, it is understandable that the bird flew into the pane of glass. The glass resembled the look of open air. But the lack of discernment on the bird’s part resulted in a few unfortunate collisions. Satan doesn’t always tempt with glaring evil; often he deceives with partial truths and subtle distortions. To grow in discernment, we need four things.
The first is we need to be grounded in God’s Word. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light on my path.” An understanding of God’s word in a complete sense was how Jesus thwarted the temptation attempts from the devil - attempts, I might add, that included the devil utilizing Scripture to subtly deceive the Savior.
The second is that we can ask God for wisdom. James 1:5 gives us a powerful promise in this regard. It says, “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him.”
The third is to consistently listen to the Holy Spirit. Jesus said in John 16:13 that “when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth.”
The last need is to walk with God in obedience. Jesus speaks on the importance of obedience and discernment in John 7:16-17. “Jesus answered them, ‘My teaching isn’t mine but is from the one who sent me. If anyone wants to do his will, he will know whether the teaching is from God or whether I am speaking on my own.’”
One last story. Having grown up in Las Vegas, we didn’t encounter snow much. In fact, from birth to mid-40s, I lived in Nevada, Arizona, Texas, and California. I didn’t encounter much snow in either of those places. However, when I moved to Colorado in 2019, I remember driving in my first blizzard, from my house to the airport. Talk about a tense drive! What should have been a 2-hour round trip drive took me 4 hours to complete. In the previous places I had lived, I never had to use my low beam headlights, so I never knew why they were important. I discovered their usefulness quickly while driving through that blizzard. The regular headlights and bright beams were useless in improving visibility. Only the low beams revealed the lanes and signs I needed to return home safely.
In a world filled with noise, discernment is the ability to hear God’s whisper. It doesn’t always come through dramatic visions; often, it’s a quiet nudge, a pause, or a check in your spirit. If we slow down, stay rooted in the Word, stay in prayerful conversation with God, and courageously walk in obedience with Him, He will help us see clearly—even when the path ahead seems nebulous.
Prayer: Lord, give me eyes to see and ears to hear. Help me discern not just between good and evil, but between good and best. Train my heart to know Your voice and walk in Your ways. Amen.
Blessings, church family, and rest assured that God is for you, God is with you, and God loves you!
Pastor Chris
