A Need for Spiritual Discernment - Devotional by Charles Stanley

“For God is my witness, how I long for you all with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:8-11,

Paul says he wants the believers at Philippi to grow in their knowledge of God so they can choose the best way to live. Our heavenly Father doesn’t want us living by feelings or sight, so He provides the gift of discernment—the capacity to judge situations and determine what is His best for us.

To live in God’s will, we must have a discerning spirit.

He wants us to walk in a manner that both brings Him glory and blesses us with joy and peace. Jesus will reveal the path to anyone who asks, but we must be able to judge what is of Him and what’s not—then we can avoid avenues that merely seem right. Remember, many opportunities and situations that look good aren’t the Lord’s will.

A lot of information seems true but is actually false. We must be able to distinguish between the two. It would be unwise to accept everything we hear on the internet, radio, or television. Counsel from influential people, the media, and even the pulpit must be evaluated against the only reliable measure for spiritual discernment: God’s Word.

By Dr. Charles Stanley
Used by Permission