11 Eliminating False Discernment

Spiritual discernment is the grace to see into the unseen. It is a gift of the Spirit to perceive what is in the spirit. Its purpose is to see into the nature of that which is veiled.

If what you have to say to someone is very important, you will not let them continue their labors while you talk. You ask for their undivided attention. So also God does not speak to us until we slow down, tune out the static, and give Him our attention. To walk in true discernment, our hearts must be quiet before God. We must learn how to listen.

1st Point: Cease STRIVING And Know

God wants us to learn how to wait and listen.

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Ps. 46:10 KJv).

Dictionary of Bible Themes 8672 striving with God

striving with God

Striving with God can refer both to the fruitless opposition of the ungodly to God’s will and purposes, and to the struggle of the righteous with God, as they seek to find his will and obey it.

We cannot engage in spiritual warfare without first being conscious of God and, through Him, discerning the enemy.

All true discernment comes through a heart that has ceased striving, a heart that knows, even in the fiery trial of its personal struggle, that the Lord is God.

There is a "jamming station" that inhibits our powers of discernment. Our thoughts and reactions block us from hearing God. Until the motor of the carnal mind is turned off, true discernment will not consistently be ours.

We must die to personal judgments, ideas of retaliation and self-motivation.

Indeed, Jesus said,

"I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge" (John 5:30).

He "ceased striving." We also must learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.

As we stop our striving, as we hear, we judge and discern.

Point #2 ABOUNDING LOVE BRINGS DISCERNMENT WITH IT

Phil. 1:9 I pray "that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment"

Discernment comes from abounding love.

What is abounding love?

It is love that leaps out from us toward others. It is motivated by long-term commitment; it is anointed by sacrificial charity.

There is a false discernment that is based on mistrust, suspicion, and fear. You can recognize false discernment by the coldness around it.

False discernment may be packaged in a type of love, but it does not originate in love; it comes out of criticism. True discernment is rooted deeply in love.

Picture, if you will, a long-haired young man. His clothes are unkept and he has tattoos on his arms. It is night and he is walking toward you on a lonely street. It is easy to judge such a person after the obvious and superficial. Now look at this young man in the same setting, but as his mother. You can still see his outer appearance, but when you look at him, you have insight into his life and hope for his future. You see a little boy growing up without a father, a child rejected often by his friends. You have a commitment toward this man that runs deep, that has been sustained by love, that you have carried since you suffered in giving him birth.

False discernment sees the outside of the person or situation and pretends it knows the inside.

Godly discernment comes from having godly motives; godly motives are those rooted in God's committed love.

In like manner, our capacity to discern the needs of the church will never rise higher than that which is superficial if we do not know Christ's heart for His people.

Jesus said, "Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24).

Righteous judgment is the direct result of love. If you cannot pray in love for a person or the church, do not presume you have true discernment.

Love precedes peace, and peace precedes perception.

Without love and peace in your heart, your judgment will be overly harsh.

Regardless of the smile upon your face, your heart will have too much anger. False discernment is always slow to hear, quick to speak, and quick to anger.

Point # 3 PEACE MUST RULE OUR HEARTS

There is a tension underlying false discernment, an anxiety that pressures the mind to make a judgment.

True discernment emerges out of a tranquil and pure heart, one that is almost surprised by the wisdom and grace in the voice of God.

Remember, our thoughts will always be colored by the attitudes of our hearts. Jesus said, "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh" (Matt. 12:34 KJV).

He also said, "Out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts" (Mark 7:21).

Again He said, "the pure in heart ... shall see God" (Matt. 5:8).

From the heart the mouth speaks, the eyes see, and the mind thinks.

In fact, Proverbs 4:23 KJV tells us, "out of [the heart] are the issues of life."

Life, as we know it, is based upon the condition of our heart. This is very important because the gifts of the Spirit must pass through our hearts before they are presented to the world around us.

In other words, if our hearts are not right, the gifts will not be right either.

When the heart has unrest it cannot hear from God. Therefore, we must learn to mistrust our judgment when our heart is bitter, angry, ambitious, or harboring strife for any reason.

The Scripture tells us to let "the peace of Christ rule [act as arbiter] in [our] hearts" (Col. 3:15).

To hear clearly from God, we must first have peace. Solomon wrote,

"One hand full of rest is better than two fists full of labor and striving after wind" (Eccl. 4:6).

There is too much labor and toil in our minds, too much striving after the wind.

If we want discernment we must become aggressively calm. This is not a passive state of mind, but an expectant, focused, waiting upon God.

Discernment comes from our sensitivity to Christ in the realm of the Spirit. It comes from love in our motivation, peace in our hearts, and a poised and waiting attitude of mind toward God.

Through a life so prepared by God, the gift of discernment is revealed.

Colossians 3:15 NLT

15 And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful.

Philippians 4:7 NLT

7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.

Francis Frangipane. The Three Battlegrounds (Kindle Locations 597-610). Kindle Edition.

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