Did you know that there are eight different passages in the Bible that are considered to be key passages about wisdom and discernment? Here is a quick summary of them: they are Proverbs 1:7 and Psalm 111:10, both of these verses state that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom and discernment. In 1 Kings 3:9, King Solomon asks God for an understanding heart to be able to judge between right and wrong. In James 1:5, it states that if anyone lacks wisdom then we are to ask God, who gives generously. In Hebrews 5:14, this passage defines the power of discernment as being trained through constant practice and to distinguish between good from evil. In 1 John 4:1, we are instructed to test spirits to see if they are from God, so that we are guarding against false teachings/prophets in the world. In Romans 12:2, it tells us that we need to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, then we will be allowed to test and approve what God’s will is. Lastly, In Colossians 1:9, we are given a prayer, asking that believers be filled with the knowledge of God’s will along with spiritual wisdom and understanding. In each of those passages, it is certainly clear that our God speaks to us through the words that we see in the Bible. Those words help us to focus on how we are to ask for, receive, and use the wisdom and discernment that we are gifted from God, especially when we are in the world.
In doing so, we must recognize that true wisdom comes from knowing and understanding that God’s ways are just and true. Wisdom comes when we release our control of the things that we cannot control. Wisdom is realizing that God’s path for us is perfect, upright and true and in also knowing and understanding that there are two diverging paths with opposing outcomes if we don’t choose wisely. Wisdom is acknowledging that God has washed us clean from our sin through our knowing that He sent His only Son, Jesus, to die for us so that we can be with Him at the end of our lifetime. Additionally, wisdom teaches us that we don’t have to have all of the answers to our questions but we can trust the One who does.
We also must recognize that true discernment is a gift that God gives us to help us in our ability to decipher truth from lies and from those who wish us harm. It can be thought of as basically an early warning system, where we are warned ahead of time that something isn’t right or that we shouldn’t go a certain way or do a certain thing. Discernment is being able to understand that what you are seeing is not necessarily the truth and/or is in fact just truth that has been shaded a bit and is not the full truth. Additionally, discernment teaches us to trust God to give us the knowledge that we need at the right time and place and to become wiser because of what we have learned.
Wisdom and discernment is when we have a fear of the Lord in that we feel respect for what He wants for us, we are in awe of how he makes us feel (loved and cared for), and we show a deep and abiding reverence for the scope of His awesome power. We trust Him to give us what we need when we need it. His timing is always perfect. (Related post: God’s Perfect Timing). This growth happens through our prayers, reading scripture and a whole lot of practice of letting go of what consumes us. If we want to be wise and to be able to discern the world around us, then we need to completely lean into our worship of Him who created us.
What did I learn from this? I am so humbled by what our God has gifted to me. There are not enough words for how treasured and loved that I feel from Him. He helps me to see and understand things of this world that I had no knowledge of before. For that I say a very, very grateful “Thank you!” to God and I continue to strive to be worthy of that gift of wisdom and discernment during my lifetime. (Related post: Being a Faithful Steward of God)
So, what can you gain from this? Know that you matter to God. He loves you and wants to be a part of your life. If you want Him to be a part of yours, invite Him in. Ask Him for wisdom and discernment in your dealings with the world today. Know that, that ask is huge because it requires you to give up the parts of yourself that wants the world’s approval instead of God’s approval. Know that you can only grow when something new (God and all that He represents) replaces what was old and tired and worn out (conforming yourself to this world). It’s a challenge, I get it because I’ve been there too, but I know that you can do it! Let me know how it turns out for you. I’d love to hear your story! (Related post: The Gifts We Bring)
