Maybe it’s attributed to the calcification of the pineal gland through fluoride infested waters, or maybe it’s the Acetone, Aluminum Phosphate, Neomycin, or Ammonium Sulfate we find in our vaccines, which cause confusion, dizziness and disorientation. Whatever the reasoning is, it would appear that “Common Sense,” isn’t quite the trend it use to be, but what if I told you that there is a heavenly common sense, a wisdom that is God given, and when exercised, it becomes a necessary tool in avoiding turmoil, as well as maintaining the quality of our philosophy. It goes by many names; Wisdom, Righteous Judgment, or phrased as, “Being shrewd as snakes and innocent as doves.” Regardless of which variation, it can all be summed up into a single word, “Discernment.”
“Is discernment really that Important?” …is looking both ways before crossing the street important? Is it important to be mindful of the people you surround yourself with? Is it important to let your stew cool before you burn your tongue on the first bite? All these things we would regard as “Common Sense.” Discernment is a Heavenly Common Sense, it’s wisdom to see the dangers in what might appear as light. Discernment is seeing below the surface, and being aware of the creatures in the deep. The Bible gives plenty of examples as to why we need discernment (1 Cor 2:14, 1 John 4:1, Col 2:8, Matt 10:16, Prov 28:11), but how do we receive and achieve discernment in our daily lives?
Discernment comes in a combination of 2 ways. On one hand, it’s a gift given by the Lord, and on the other hand it’s something you pursue, exercise, and pray for. The Lord can bless you with discernment till the cows come home, but if you ignore it and don’t practice or use it, it’s like any other tool that loses all of its value simply because the one holding it doesn’t know how to use it or what it’s for.
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
[1 John 4:1] The explanation here is pretty straight forward. Let us not believe everything we hear, causing us to be persuaded by every gust of wind. “Test the spirits,” meaning discern what’s beneath the surface, is this person going to be edifying for you, or will their teachings contaminate your understanding of the scriptures. For many have gone out into the world with that very intention. Which again, is reiterated in 1 Thessalonians 5:21, where was says, “but test them all; hold on to what is good.” Discernment is what helps us not get hit by a spiritual truck, it’s the act of looking both ways, and assessing the road before us, before stepping out into it. It’s the act of properly thinking before properly acting.
“See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ.” [Colossians 2:8]
Beloved, there is an inconceivable amount of risk when a group adhering to a set of principles does so without discerning, and I tell you that the dangers multiply when that group is the church. A Church that isn’t discerning, isn’t a good Church. A people who don’t know their right hand from their left are impossible to teach, and even more impossible to lead. Lacking discernment would destroy the church in a single generation. We want to encourage people to act on the wisdom given to them by the Lord, rather than turning from it for personal interests, and in turn, feeding the very things that divide us (Prov 15:14).
Discernment doesn’t just protect us from poisonous relationships, “what was I thinking,” sneaks up on you pretty quick, but it’s followed by a wave of appreciation for discernment. There is a deeper sense of discernment which protects us from faulty philosophies and broken theologies. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “the person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.” Like I mentioned before, discernment is heavenly common sense. It’s a spiritual understanding of what’s physically in front of you. Those who have rejected the Father, have rejected justice, therefore they’re understanding of spirituality is skewed, causing them to view the word of God, as well as his laws, as foolishness.
“Discernment is a spiritual understanding of what’s physically in front of you.”
Knowing that, we can concur that discernment is what protects us from a plethora of threats. It causes us to see the underlying issue, which allows us to appropriately handle the situation we find ourselves in. Discernment takes us out of the box of subjective realities dictated by emotions, and places us in the objective reality surrounding the circumstances, with logic and understanding.
