The Spirit of Discernment

UV 2041/10000 The Spirit of Discernment

And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
Isaiah 11 v 3

If we are to be like Jesus, we ought not to rely on our five senses to take decisions and determine our course of action. We need to rely on the discernment and wisdom that the Holy Spirit who is called the quickening Spirit of God gives us as a gift. This will come if we constantly listen and are led of the Spirit. We will no longer judge by external appearances or mere superficial words but be able to take decisions and do things that are pleasing and acceptable to the Lord.

The natural man does not receive the gifts of spiritual wisdom and understanding as he or she cannot discern these and it would appear in their eyes and ears as foolishness in the absence of spiritual discernment. The spiritual man is enabled by the Spirit of God to look into the heart the matter and the hearts of the people he or she is dealing with. What is pleasing and acceptable to the Lord is the absolute gold standard. It is the best. We will no longer be just able to discern between what is good and bad, right and wrong but between the best and what is merely good or bad. We will be able to consistently choose the best.

Any of the many sons of Jesse would have been good enough to fit the bill to be a successor to Saul, the king but the Lord gave discernment to Samuel to look beyond the good, beyond the obvious, beyond the visible and audible, beyond the sensory. Samuel was asked to look for one who was not yet seen or heard – the one who was a shepherd boy while the other brothers were strong soldiers in Saul’s army. The Lord had heard the thoughts and inner words of the young David as he composed his own songs of praise to sing as he looked after his sheep under the night skies of Israel. He had seen his sense of wonderment, awe and his heart of faith and trust in Jehovah, the God of Israel. The Lord enabled Samuel to discern the spirit of David. Similarly, Daniel and his three friends in ancient Babylon were not drawn to externalities and superficialities. Their eyeballs did not pop out at the sight of the luxuries and delicacies of royal lifestyle. The Holy Spirit gave them inner and spiritual discernment and kept them pristine and pure, free from the influences of the world.

Prateep V Philip