Using Discernment

Discernment - it's a big word that's thrown around a lot in Christianity. It became part of our jargon a long time ago and I suspect some of us have forgotten what it really means. Some of us have developed it but are too busy being pleased with ourselves for having discernment to be interested in using it.


So what is discernment really? Dictionary.com describes it as this: acuteness of judgement and understanding. In layman's terms, this simply means being a good judge of the situations and people around us and being able to see them for what they are rather than what they seem to be.

Discernment is essential. It helps to stay away from bad situations and keep safe, both physically and spiritually. Discernment is what will keep you walking away from a guy who asks you out nicely but has an ulterior motive, or from a financial transaction that promises great wealth but is run by a con man.

Wow, discernment. It's a great thing to have isn't it. We all have some measure of it, but some of us have what is referred to as "The Gift of Discernment". It means that we are able to judge situations correctly long before most people begin to see the light.

So what do we do with all this discernment. Whether we have been blessed with the "gift" or we just have plain old simple biblical wisdom and power from Holy Spirit to "see" stuff, discernment isn't just so that we can sit around and say we saw the evil in a person or situation long before anybody else. Unfortunately, that's what a lot of us do with it. For a long time, that's all I did with it. I'm one of those people who was "blessed" with the "gift". I usually discern a person or situation long before anybody else and I'm usually right. Unfortunately for me, when it came to speaking out or even acting on this gift for my own good, I was a coward. I always felt like I was judging someone. You know how we like to misuse the verse "Judge not that you not be judged" (Matthew 7:1) and use if for our own self-righteous vindication. I was always afraid that someone would call me out on "judging" them the wrong way. So, instead, I walked into situations that I knew were fishy because I didn't want to offend anybody.

Today, I sit back with a bit more maturity and I laugh at myself. I got engaged to a guy 7 years ago knowing very well that he wasn't the one God wanted in my life. I knew there were things about him that I wouldn't be able to live with and there were things about his christian walk that sounded like a screeching violin to my spirit. Holy Spirit was begging me to get out of there, but I didn't want to offend him. I didn't want to judge him. I lied to myself and said maybe I was there to help him. What I was really doing was offending Holy Spirit. He took time to show me a dangerous situation and I ignored Him. Wow. Of course, I learned the hard way. There was a messy break-up that led to a serious of bad relationships thereafter. I was wounded by that guy and to some extent I felt like I needed to show him that I could move on. Instead, I walked head first into the WORST relationship ever. (Another one I discerned before I walked in but went anyway.)

If only I had learned to act on what I knew to be truth. You see, just having discernment isn't enough. There's an act of obedience that must follow otherwise it would make no sense that we could see all that stuff. God didn't bless us with an early warning system just so that we could boast about it. He gave it to us to use for our own safety (physically and spiritually). Please don't be like me and continue walking even though you hear alarm bells ringing. People who scream "don't judge me" are usually the ones you need to look out for first. They're the ones with messes we need to avoid. Of course, we are not God and subjecting someone to condemnation isn't our place, but it is our place to see a person or situation for what they are and act to protect ourselves.

Remember that discernment isn't just so that we can say we have it, but that we can act on it to save our own butts or the butts of our next door neighbours.

Be blessed and have a very discerning day.

Joana James - Author of From Redemption to Maturity, Trusting God with your Future,   Nightmare at Emerald High & Alana and Alyssa's Secret & Finding Romeo