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Spiritual discernment is the ability to tell what is true and what is false when it comes to ideas about God. A person with strong spiritual discernment can tell if a teaching, idea, or doctrine that they are hearing comes from God or comes from another source.

Spiritual discernment is the ability to tell what is true and what is false when it comes to ideas about God. A person with strong spiritual discernment can tell if a teaching, idea, or doctrine that they are hearing comes from God or comes from another source.

In our world with many competing voices that claim to speak for God, we need spiritual discernment. Without discernment, we are likely to be led astray by false teachers and wrong ideas.

We Can Pray for Spiritual Discernment

Since spiritual discernment is so important, we need to know how to receive it. The Bible tells us that spiritual discernment comes from God, and we can pray for it.

Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV) And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

If we ask for it, God will give us the wisdom we need in life to discern what is right and what is wrong. Wisdom is a gift from God that he gives to his children.

We Develop Discernment by Learning and Using God’s Word

The Bible uses the imagery of training to show how we can grow in our discernment. Just like an athlete goes through rigorous training in order to become great at his or her sport, the Christian develops discernment through training.

Hebrews 5:14 Solid food is for those who are mature, who through training have the skill to recognize the difference between right and wrong.

This verse is telling us that if we want to grow in our spiritual discernment, we need to learn and put into practice the word of God in our lives. Every time we allow the Bible to shape our worldview, our actions, or our attitudes we are also developing discernment.

If you want to have discernment, you need to do the hard work of reading God’s word, learning God’s word, and constantly applying it to your life. This will give you the training you need to withstand the wrong ideas about God in the world.

Article for this topic by Scott Creps.
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Key Points:

  • We can pray for spiritual discernment.
  • We develop discernment by learning and using God’s word.

Quote This:

Philippians 1:9-10 (NIV) And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ.

See Also: Discernment, Spiritual Growth, Wisdom

Talk About It
  1. What is your initial reaction to this topic? What jumped out at you?
  2. What is a good definition of spiritual discernment?
  3. What are the consequences of lacking spiritual discernment?
  4. Philippians 1:9-10. Have you ever prayed for spiritual discernment? How did you see God answer that prayer?
  5. List some ways you can begin to develop spiritual discernment today.
  6. Write a personal action step based on this conversation.
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