Discernment is a gift from God with heavenly treasures. Indeed, understanding God’s word and truth is a privilege. Not everyone who hears His eternal message gains the wisdom of its meaning (Matthew 7:22-23). God reveals these realities to those who accept Christ as the Son of the living God (Matthew 16:16-17).

Eternal Discernment

When Jesus walked on earth, He unmasked eternal discernment. God wasn’t pleased with the Jewish faith and delivered Christ. Their leaders misled them about the proper interpretation of His word. The Pharisees spoke of God but lived as hypocrites (Matthew 23:13-33). For this reason, our Father used Jesus to expose their disbelief.

Jesus understood man’s hearts (John 2:23-24) and used parables. Parables were Christ’s way of preventing them from discerning the truth behind their message (Matthew 13:10-15). But He gave His Disciples the gift of discernment (Matthew 13:16-17).

God saved us, placed us in Christ, and anointed us with the Holy Spirit, and because of the Holy Trinity, divine discernment emerged. Our Father gave us powerful insight into His sovereignty. For this reason, we have no excuses not to pick up our cross and follow Jesus (Luke 9:23).

The Giver of Discernment

God’s giver of discernment is the Holy Spirit. Christ disclosed this part of God’s eternal plan.

Jesus spoke these words:

 I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17, NASB)

Christ discloses the Holy Spirit in these two scriptures. He establishes this part of the Trinity as a Helper and the Spirit of truth. Jesus clarified to His Disciples that the world couldn’t receive this kingdom’s exclusive benefit because they rejected God. He ends with those who know God will never lose this holy entitlement.

Jesus went on and explained the workings of the Holy Spirit.

Christ Said:

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you. (John 14:26, NASB)

In this verse, we see the way God uses the Holy Spirit to teach us His divine holiness. Our Father’s Helper also reminds us how to live Christ’s Deity. Jesus leaves us no doubt about the significance of the Holy Spirit.

My Experience

One of my experiences with discernment is forgiving others. In 2003, divorce raised its ugliness. The marriage ended, and it gravely affected me. I reacted with resentment, anger, and bitterness. My spirit responded with hatred, and my heart hardened toward her. I pointed the blame at her. And I refused to forgive.

Instead of turning to God for help, to ease my broken heart, I abused alcohol for eight years. This action caused me to live in an alcoholic darkness where more problems emerged. I lived in misery and wanted to die.

But God rescued me and brought me into His kingdom. This new profound consciousness of His undeniable forgiveness purified my heart. I forgave my ex-wife through the Holy Spirit, and God freed me from my unforgiving soul.

This is one example of how the Holy Spirit taught me God’s holiness. There are many others. I’m sure you have had many discerning circumstances.

Summary

As shown above, the gift of discernment enriches us with God’s Spirit. We can differentiate between holiness and sinfulness. This revelation of our Father’s truth frees us from the bondage of self. We learn the true meaning of life, where devotion to Christ takes center stage and glorifying God becomes our top priority.

What’s your outlook on discernment?