People Without Discernment

PEOPLE WITHOUT DISCERNMENT

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” - Hosea 4:6

I've been writing about discernment. I know this subject is not popular, even among Christians. Many Christians cringe when they hear of someone exercising Biblical discernment. When a person takes his Bible and calls out false teachers, wickedness in high places and deceitful practices, it is resisted by those in and out of the church. Yet what kind of world would we have without genuine discernment?

Our enemy, the devil, wants to eradicate Biblical discernment. He does not want to be exposed as the thief he really is. He doesn't want unsuspecting people to be warned of his wicked strategy. The enemy wants Christians to remain silent as he continues his effort to deceive, dominate and destroy.

Without Biblical discernment, a society is doomed to destruction. Hosea spoke of this when he wrote, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Without a discerning voice to warn people, many fall into the devil's trap and face destruction.

Genuine discernment is rejected by much of our society. Christians are labeled, “a hate group,” by many in our country. This label is used because some believers have the backbone to stand up and speak out against sin --- something this unbelieving world cannot tolerate. There needs to be an outcry against sin. Sin ultimately destroys lives. Instead, America has encouraged and celebrated sin. Even worse, many preachers and believers remain silent about this issue.

Our nation emphasizes education to the neglect of wisdom. As a result, we've become educated fools. It is one thing to have a college degree, it is another thing to walk in wisdom. We encourage young people to learn from a textbook without giving thought to what the textbook is actually teaching them. Rejecting God's Book, our society trusts in the warped opinions of instructors who never leave their study.

God has given us a Book. It is a library of books. Within the pages of His Book, we learn about life and death. We learn about the beginning and the end. We find instruction about the past and the future. We understand how to know God and relate with others. The basics of civility are taught within its holy pages. Wisdom is imparted to those who seek it. Those who reject His Book, reject the very knowledge that would save their lives.

It is this lack of knowledge that God speaks about when He says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.” Rather than practicing discernment, they face destruction.

It seems like our nation is spiraling out of control, headed for lawlessness. The only thing that seems to be frowned upon these days is the Christian call for morality, decency and integrity. Rather than living by practical standards of righteousness, every man is seeking to “do his own thing.” Anything goes. This is the kind of lawlessness we see portrayed in the book of Judges, where everyone “did what was right in his own eyes.” Although there were great leaders during the age of the judges, by and large, it was a sad time of apostasy and iniquity in Israel. We are headed down that same road here in America.

When it comes to the truth, we can either receive it or reject. There are consequences for either decision. Yet those who live by the truth find freedom therein. Those who reject truth are held captive by their own passions and desires.

People without discernment continually live in darkness, facing eternal peril. That's why you and I need to consistently pray and faithfully share the Gospel. The god of this world has blinded their eyes from the truth, yet the truth is what they need to hear.

Jesus said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.” The light of truth reveals our real condition. It is an unwelcome intrusion in the lives of sinners. Yet without the light, these precious souls will continue blindly following the devil --- all the way to destruction.

Those of us who've been illuminated by truth need to shine this light in the dark lives of those around us. While many are revolted by the light, it may be that the light of Christ will infiltrate the heart of a needy soul and point that soul to the loving Savior.

It is awesome when a soul leaves the darkness and begins walking in the light!

Is It Wrong To Judge Others?

IS IT WRONG TO JUDGE OTHERS?

“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” - John 7:24

In my last two blog messages, I've been writing about discernment. Discernment is defined as the ability to judge well. Many argue that discernment is wrong because it requires us to be judges. They will quote the verse from the Gospel of Matthew that says, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” This verse is often quoted and usually incorrectly interpreted and applied.

Is it wrong to judge others? If you read the text properly in Matthew 7, you learn that Jesus is teaching His followers not judge hypocritically. Jesus went on to say, “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.”

Is Jesus teaching us that it is wrong to get the mote (speck) out of your brother's eye? No. However, it is wrong to attempt this if you have a beam in your own eye. Once you get rid of the beam from your own eye, “...then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.” Jesus taught us not to judge hypocritically. In John 7:24, Jesus said, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” Thus at times, we can and should judge.

Here are some things we cannot judge. We cannot judge a person's heart. Obviously we cannot see a person's heart, so it is wrong to try to judge a person's heart. Also, we cannot judge what a person's intention is. Sometimes a person's motives become apparent, but even then it is not wise to judge them. Furthermore, we are not judges of a person's salvation. Although fruit should be obvious if a person has been saved, it is not our job to be their ultimate judge. I cringe when I see people render such judgment on social media. These are just a few things we shouldn't judge.

Although we can't judge matters of the heart, there are some things we can judge. We can judge a person's deeds. If a man murders his neighbor in cold blood, we can obviously judge this as a sinful act. Also, we can, at times, judge the words of others. If someone uses the Name of the Lord in vain, we can condemn this. It is a violation of God's law. We can judge a person's lifestyle. If a man continued lives an ungodly life, we know this is wrong. Think about it for a moment. If we can't judge the lifestyle, words or deeds of another, how could we ever have a jury trial in America? Who would ever be qualified to serve as a judge in our court system? Judgment is rendered daily in this country. At times, it is just and other times it is not. Still, none of us question the fact that normal people are called to be jurors and render judgment at trials.

The Apostle Paul condemned the Corinthians for taking their problems to worldly courts. Instead, he advised them to settle this within the walls of the church. The church can, and should, judge matters of internal sin.

Also, as believers we can judge the teaching of others. Whether it be propaganda from terrorists, a political commentary or a sermon from a TV evangelist, we can judge whether the truth is being taught. There is an unmistakable message being taught to school children, college students and the American public. The public is being indoctrinated by the news media and others concerning subjects like abortion, same-sex unions and transgender lifestyles. When we compare these messages to the truth of God's Word, we can discern whether the messages are deceitful or true.

There is one other area where we can sit in judgment. As I wrote last week, we can judge ourselves. I am hesitant to judge others very much, but I do examine my own life consistently. 1 Corinthians 11:31 says, “For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” That's a good incentive to judge ourselves!

No, it isn't wrong to judge, but it is wrong if that judgment is clouded by our own hypocrisy. Thus, we need to use the mirror of God's Word to discern our own motives and methods.

Ultimately, all of us must stand before the ultimate Judge. His verdict will be correct. There will be no appeal. His judgment will be final.

Are you ready for that day?

Discernment Begins With Me

 DISCERNMENT BEGINS WITH ME

“Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.” - Isaiah 6:5

Most people have reservations about practicing discernment because they feel it is wrong to judge other people. However, the first area that requires discernment is our own lives.

By His Word and with the Spirit, God opens our eyes to the truth about own our hearts. Most of the time, we consider our motives to be pure, our hearts to be clean and our efforts to be sufficient. However, when God reveals the truth to us, we must confess that we are sinfully flawed people.

God referred to the people of Nineveh when He said, “And should not I spare Nineveh, that great city, wherein are more than sixscore thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand...” The people of that sinful city were spiritual blind. They couldn't discern the most simple facts about themselves. It took the preaching of Jonah and the conviction of God to awaken them to the truth. What they learned drove them to their knees in repentance.

As Christians, we think we are doing God a favor by criticizing the deeds of others. However, God does not need our help in this area. In fact, the discernment we utilize needs to be concentrated on ourselves rather than our neighbors or friends. I am not saying there isn't a place for discerning the words or works of others, but I am saying that discernment needs to start with ourselves.

Let me share one of the many foolish things I've done in my life. I've tried to be the Holy Spirit and change other people. Obviously, this doesn't work. I am not the Holy Spirit. It isn't my job to convict, convert or change others. Typically the result of such efforts leads me to repentance myself. I was the one who needed repentance most. I've had to learn to let God be God.

I don't think that most church members take a good spiritual bath very often. We think we are spiritually clean. Yet we need a spiritual bath daily. Instead, we hurry through life wanting others will be cleansed, maybe offering them a bar of soap.

It is unnerving to look in the mirror and see a dirty face. Everyone else has seen it but me. Genuine discernment comes when we spend time in God's Word and have His mirror show us the dirt and grime. Instead of offering others a bar of spiritual soap, I need to use it myself.

Discernment leads to cleansing and fullness of joy. It is not my job to change other people. It is my job to honestly confess sin and surrender my life daily to the One who can change me.

It is easy to be fooled by the reputation we've established. By the way, the people closest to you probably aren't fooled by your reputation. They know you too well. Still, we like to gloat in the image we've sought to develop. A few people may be impressed. God isn't.

Solomon prayed for wisdom to rule the people with wisdom. You and I need to pray for wisdom so that we may practice personal discernment.

Yes, I want my reputation to be spotless. But more than that, I want the quality of my character to far exceed my reputation.

I want God to be pleased with both.

Discernment

DISCERNMENT

“Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:21

These days, it is difficult to distinguish between truth and falsehood. One news broadcast tells one story, another broadcast reports the opposite. Everyone has a differing opinion when it comes to assigning blame for the woes of our country. There are self-appointed “fact checkers,” who think it is their role to separate truth from fiction.

That's why we need discernment today. There is as much misinformation available as there is information. We need to able to identify the truth and expose lies.

Discernment is defined as, “the ability to judge well.” Charles Spurgeon went so far as to say, “Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.”

By and large, our politically correct (PC) society opposes genuine discernment. For one thing, they reject the idea that there is a standard of truth. As Christians, we know that there is a standard of truth, the Bible. Jesus said, “Thy word is truth.”

Since we do have a standard of truth, we can practice genuine discernment. Sadly, I find two extremes when Christians practice discernment.

First of all, there are those who refuse to practice discernment at all. For these individuals, anything goes. They are willing to tolerate misrepresentations and lies. You'll never know if they agree or disagree with any statement. They are too concerned about being liked. They don't want to others to speak badly of them because they took a stand for or against an issue, so they say nothing.

On the other hand, there are some who seem to monitor every word for inaccuracy. They are fault finders. They criticize nearly everything and everyone. On social media, you'll find them constantly picking apart any speech, sermon or comment. In the Christian community, some are heresy hunters. They are constantly on the prow, looking for a speck of dirt to expose.

While we should avoid the mistake of being fault finders, there is a need for genuine discernment. Let us avoid the folly of being led astray by lies. The devil is a liar. He seeks to deceive and destroy us. Education is a good thing, but we need spiritual weapons to fight the spiritual warfare we are engaged in.

Personally, I don't like to be lied to. Neither do I want to be known as a fool because I was gullible and deceived.

The devil is using all the tools available to him in his mission to deceive and destroy. Of all people, believers should be equipped and ready to detect and expose his lies.

That's why God's Word is so vital. The world is very hostile to our use of the Bible, yet the truth of God's Word is the standard by which everything must be judged.

Many believe everything they see on the national news. Others believe every word of gossip at the office. Some follow the advice of athletes or Hollywood stars. For myself, I will believe the truth of God's Word. What about you?

Yes, Christians need to practice discernment. Otherwise, we are subject to be manipulated by the changing winds of doubt and deceit.

Writing to the Thessalonians, Paul instructs us to, “Prove all things.” Notice that he didn't say we are to prove some things or to prove religious things. We are told to prove ALL things. Put everything to the test. Use God's Word as the standard. Pray for wisdom. Make decisions based on what is true and right, not what is popular or trendy.

When we prove all things, we'll find that many things will fail the test.