The more one seeks to know and understand the prophetic ministry, the more we are confronted with the need to know and improve our discernment abilities. We go through so many unnecessary things in life because we fail to exercise the discernment of God, especially in matters relating to other people and major decisions to be made.

In the oldest book of the Bible, Job made some very interesting statements regarding comparing how our discernment should be. Let us look at them:

• “Is there injustice on my tongue? Cannot my taste discern the unsavoury?” (Job 6:30, NKJV).

• “Does not the ear test words and the mouth taste its food? (Job 12:11).

• “For the ear tests words as the palate tastes food” (Job 34:3).

In these Scripture verses Job is linking discernment with that of the ability of our tongue and palate (roof of the mouth) to distinguish between all the different tastes that we get when eating food. When we eat food, we immediately can tell whether or not we like it, whether it is too salty (or not enough salt), whether it is sweet, bland or sour, too hot, just right or cold, and so on. Our natural senses can discern hundreds of flavours and temperatures! Yet, so often, when we come to the need for spiritual discernment, we struggle – even ignore – the warnings that we get. We have not learned to trust that discernment to the point where it can lead and guide our lives. Spiritual discernment is a God-given ability to direct us through life, to help us to remain in the centre of God’s will. Much discernment comes through “the ear testing words” as well as what the eye-gate shows us as well.

To “discern” means “to separate or divide up, hence, to examine carefully, investigate, then to determine, judge of, estimate; to distinguish, make a distinction” (Bullinger’s); “to recognize or perceive clearly; to recognize or perceive differences” (Collins).

Lack of discernment causes us to come to the wrong conclusions, to make the wrong decisions, to link up with the wrong people. Then we have to live with the results of those things! And some of those results can waste years of our lives! We can discern the “unsavoury” naturally, but why do we struggle to “discern the unsavoury” in the spiritual realm? The reality is that spiritual discernment is far more important than natural discernment ~ we taste the food but fail to test the ears!

How far we go in the will of God has much to do with the way we listen to, or ignore, our spiritual discernment. Discernment has everything to do with spiritual maturity, so let us heed the words of Job ~ Rodney W. Francis.

Bible  Readings:  

 Hebrews 5:12-14; Joshua 9 (the Israelites were deceived by the Gibeonites because they failed to discern who they were); 1 Kings 3:9-13; Malachi 3:16-18; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16.

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