Today I read a devotional titled, Acquiring Spiritual Discernment. It was pertaining to reading the word of God in order to renew your mind. It said, “with much deception in the world, every believer needs spiritual discernment. Although we have access to God’s wisdom, it’s not something we automatically possess. Rather, it must be diligently sought. And His Word is the place to start, because spiritual discernment comes only when we know the truth and can think scripturally about every situation we encounter.”
I agree with this wholeheartedly. Every day, several times a day, I pray for God’s wisdom and discernment. He has imparted that to me in so many situations and it has helped me to lead and live in a way that I feel confident about my choices.
It goes on to say, “It’s foolish to think that our own wisdom is sufficient to guide us. The human mind, while rational, is incapable of seeing the true nature of many situations and events. What is good may not always be best, and what is presented as truth is sometimes a lie. Pride in our own judgment hinders access to godly wisdom.”
Again, this couldn’t be more true. We are mere humans and although God created us with brains and many of us have developed the ability to critical think a make decisions, we don’t see the big picture as God does. He is the creator of the universe and He sees into our future – so wouldn’t we want His input and guidance with day-to-day decisions? Don’t we want His supernatural wisdom and the ability to discern if something is going to be bad for us, even though it looks good right now in the natural? Well, God can help us with this and so much more, if we simply ask.
The Bible tells us, we have not because we ask not. It says, ask and it shall be given, seek and you shall find, knock and the door will be open.” Mathew 7:7
The devotional left us with these final thoughts: “In contrast, regularly partaking of God’s Word develops our insight. As the Holy Spirit of truth illuminates our mind and interprets the Scriptures, we increasingly see life from God’s perspective. Through the Spirit and the Word, we have a direct link to the very mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). From Genesis to Revelation, God is revealing His thoughts, principles, and wisdom so we can live accordingly in any situation.”
So again, it’s reminding us the importance of getting into God’s word. You can partake in God’s word by simply reading your Bible and or devotionals (like this), attending a good Bible based church, watching sermons and teachings online or reading Bible based books. All these are going to help you renew your mind – it’s a great start to just choose one of these outlets, but as you grow in knowledge, you’re going to crave more truth, because trust me when I say, the truth sets you free.
The Bible tells us in Romans 10:17, So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ. Reading God’s word is going to build up your faith and your faith is an anchor that will not only hold you steady during storms, your faith has the ability to move mountains (Mark 11:23). Your faith activates God’s promises and His promises are vast and amazing. If you don’t know God’s promises, you need to get into the word of God, because you are missing out on so much in this life.
Jesus died for our sins, so we could have life eternal, but also so we could live life to the full while we are here on this earth (john 10:10). The lyrics from the band Trooper come to mind as I wrote this: “we are here for a good time, not a long time, so have a good time, the sun can’t shine everyday.”
This life is short. It is not our final destination. We are simply passing through on our way home, to where we will spend eternity. Still, however short, this life matters. It matters how we spend it and God wants us, as His children, to spend it well. He has a good plan for each of us, plans for prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11
That’s why God has given us a blueprint on how to execute the best life we can live: His word. It’s full of truth and will help us thru every storm or situation we face. We must use this incredibly powerful tool, along with the guidance of our helper, the Holy Spirit. Both were given to us as a free gift to help us walk on the path that will help us live our best life as we make our way to eternity.
What determines where you will spend eternity is your decision to believe and receive what Jesus did on the cross. For those that have not made this step, it is the most important one on your faith journey. The Bible tells us, “Jesus said, no man comes onto the father, but by me.” So to get close to God we need to receive the living sacrifice He sent to die for our sins, His son Jesus. It’s so simple to do this, as you do it all by faith, in your heart or out loud, you just pray a prayer something like this:
Dear Jesus,
I believe that you came to this world, to die for my sins. I believe that you rose again on the third day and sit at the right hand of God. I want you to be ruler of my heart – please forgive me of my sins; lead me and guide me into all truth, from this day forward,
Amen.
If you prayed that prayer, heaven is celebrating right now, as you just made the most important decision you have ever made. As you walk forward, forgiven and free, you will still have troubles in this life, you never have to go through them alone. Know that because the great one lives inside you, just as He as overcome the world, so will you (John 16:33). Don’t stress about being perfect, God isn’t looking for perfection (romans 15:7), He’s looking at our hearts (acts 13:22). He will continue to refine you and make you all that He’s called you to be (Malachi 3:3), as you continuously renew your mind. This will bring transformation, freedom and His spiritual discernment will lead you and guide you into all truth.
God bless!