Text- Proverbs 16:9 – “The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps”
“Your decisions today will determine your destiny tomorrow!” With this statement, I welcome you to the last quarter of this yearn 2018. One thing we must realize as humans is that we have the power to make decisions; we have the power to choose!
In fact, whenever you get to a junction where you are left with no other choice than to do “this or that”, you have to be extremely careful.
Many times, when people talk about choices and decisions, it is usually a contrast between ‘good or bad’, ‘right or wrong’. But we sometimes face situations in life where all the choices before us seem right. In such situations, the deal is more about making the best decisions. I’m going to be sharing some insights on this topic for the next couple of days.
When you have multiple good options set before you, one of the tools that you must have handy is your DISCERNMENT.
Basically, your discernment is your sense of judgment, precisely judging by the Spirit who gives you the ability to see truth. Discernment is different from suspicion; the former is a spiritual function, while the latter is a mental function. Discernment is a spiritual gift.
Look at Isaiah’s prophecy about Jesus in Is.11:2-3:
“And the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him… 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 if his ears”
That is a practical; definition of what discernment is all about. Beloved, as a Christian, you must be able to move beyond what you see and hear; your reality must go beyond how things seem to be, or how people portend themselves. You must be able to discern by the Spirit of God.
For those who may be wondering, I am not talking about discerning of spirits, one of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit listen in 1 Corinthians 12. Discerning of Spirits is a specific form of discernment to tell between spiritual operations/activities that are from Holy Spirit, and those from other spirits.
Discernment, in the context of today’s devotional is spiritual alertness in your day to day living, trusting the Holy Spirit to guide you in your decision-making process.
Too many Christians forget to check with their Spirit-man before making decisions. This should not be so. We are spirit-beings, and before we make any decisions, especially critical decisions, we must check with the Holy Spirit through the discernment of your spirit-man.
The key here: DISCERN BEFORE YOU DECIDE.
PRAYER
Lord, help me to sharpen my discernment, and teach me to discern before I make decisions in Jesus Name. Holy Spirit, come be my guide; prompt my Spirit on what/what not to do per time in Jesus name.
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