| A Church Dedicated To The Worship Of And Service To Our Lord Christ Jesus |
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by Pastor David Halford
| A Writing Meant to Guide You in Understanding Christ's Prophecies |
"Note: The Following Is The Opinion Of The Writer And Is Not Intended To Be A Replacement For The Reading And Study Of The Bible"
The word discernment is in our case, the ability to understand the Word of God.
To firmly grasp all of the intricacies in the Holy Scripture, you will
need a little more than a good set of eyes.
Psalms
119:65-67
65 You
have dealt well with Your servant,
O
LORD,
according to Your word.
66 Teach
me good discernment and knowledge,
For I
believe in Your commandments.
67 Before
I was afflicted I went astray,
But now I keep Your word.
From this scripture; you see that the prayer is for discernment and knowledge.
The two cannot be confused with each other, but each works best when
couples together. Knowledge is the
accumulation of data and facts; discernment is the ability to use data and facts
to make logical judgment. If you are
going to practice good discernment, then the treasure house of accumulated
knowledge really comes into play. A
simple demonstration of this is shown in the task of driving your car.
When you come to a four-way stop, you use the knowledge you have
accumulated to reason the car that goes first and avoid an accident.
This, in its own way, is utilizing the power of discernment.
Okay, maybe this is not the best example, but I want you to have an
understanding of this concept.
Let’s discuss it through scripture.
This is the analogy of which its relevance is intended, so here we go.
First we will look at the verb form of the word discernment, discern.
Hebrews 5:13-14
Matthew 16:1-4
1 The Pharisees and Sadducees came up, and testing Jesus, they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. 2 But He replied to them, "When it is evening, you say, 'It will be
fair weather, for the sky is red.' 3 "And in the morning, 'There will be a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.' Do you know how to discern the appearance of the sky, but cannot discern the signs of the times? 4 "An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and a sign will not be given it, except the sign of Jonah." And He left them and went away.
I
think Jesus summed it up pretty good here. Do
you have the discernment to see what He is saying?
This ability/gift (and this truly is “A Gift”) to discern the Word of God
is the most powerful tool in your Truth Chest.
This gift, the gift of discernment, helps you to understand the parables
spoken by Jesus. Discernment shows
you how the prophetic books tie in to the events all around us.
It also helps you to know when an action or another professor of religion
is speaking from God or the unclean of this world.
Discernment also gives you insight in your relationship with other people.
Good discernment can help you see the difference between a good honest
God-fearing man and a person skilled in the art of usury.
It protects you in daily life.
If you know someone who lacks good discernment, then you have probably
seen them taken advantage of by someone who has this knack of usury.
Hebrews 5:12-14
You see here that it is a good practice to be able to discern between good and
evil. I think this scripture makes
it clear that discernment is not only for understanding scripture, but for daily
life as well.
I
believe this gift, the gift of discernment, should be sought by all Christians
as an all important ability.
Prophesy is quite glamorous, but all we need to know is already written in the
Word, so being able to discern the Word of God seems to have infinite value and
will not only help you, but will allow you to help others in their understanding
and walk with the Lord.
I
pray you all receive the gift of discernment, that it will enrich your lives,
both physically and spiritually.
