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discernment

Time For A Serious Question: Why Is Discernment Important?

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1 Corinthians 11:27-29

[27] Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord.
[28] But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.
[29] For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body.
[30] For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

When I began to study upon this, my heart was immediately stirred and quickened to establish this thought within me: How does a person know when they have ate and drank in an “unworthy” way?

First of all, I am sure that in many cases a lot of us have passed right by this passage with no thought to the mystery that is dwelling here. I had recalled this passage before in times past when I read it, but something was different this time  and was leading me to open my heart for something new. As I began to wonder the purpose, I realized the part that became more clear was “not discerning the Lord’s body”. In the lack of performing this simple act of discernment, we tend to ‘fall asleep’ and fall prey to the enemy, which leads me to say that many of us are asleep standing up (or even attempting to still serve God in some way and are weakly or ill!).

Secondly, as the cup of salvation dwells within you, you KNOW that you are saved and are renewed in that each day. This piece of the puzzle has a part of everyday life, but it is not what keeps me alone! Let’s remember the bread of life, the word of God, the very substance that will speak to us in the hardest of times! I know as a minister that it would be easy to get discouraged and deceive yourself into thinking that no one ever uses the word of God, but that simply is impossible! If there ever moments in your life when you are victorious, obeying God, working in charity, or overcoming the enemy…one thing is evident: the word of God is coming alive in you. Sure, knowing the promise of eternal life is vital to unlock the faith but how much more does the word of God come alive when used and discerned!

I can use myself as an example. When I accepted Christ as my Savior there was a bondage of addiction to drugs and alcohol (amongst the natural lack of having Christ). Salvation forgave me of my sins, and the word of God came alive and the power of the spirit of God delivered me from every bondage! I stand today a free man from so much of what I never thought I would walk away from. Life is so much simpler now to simply discern things and to make sure that I am partaking in the cup of salvation and eating of the bread of life! It is when I neglect to do so that I starve, grow weak and fall asleep (therefore in turn lay vulnerable to the enemy).

With all of this in mind, please take time in prayer to self-assess to see what you are partaking of each day. See if you are maximizing the full potential of what is dwelling from the freely given gift of Christ in your life.

A Bid Farewell To The Amen Corner (Not Really) – Support Is A True Calling!

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Over the many years that I have attended church, there has always been the classically stereotyped band of people that were always known as the super-supportive “amen-corner”. These were the kind of people that would stand through the beginning and end and were the greatest example of what support stood for. I could remember seeing people literally begin to grow and over time become a stronger individuals in God from the support of their brothers and sisters in Christ. There were MANY moments I am sure that people would have given up without the words of encouragement to pick them up after moments where they felt like they had failed. There were other moments I am sure where people came through like a breath of fresh air to revive someone that had been walking and carrying the load of a work for quite some time as well. Are we living in the day where we are seeing the end of support for one another? Has the amen corner truly fell?

To me, I do not think the amen corner will ever go. I do think however that the amount of support in the church for one another is at an all time low. And with the additions of newly committed lives to Christ, those lives are in need of continual refreshing and rejuvenation by those around them! I can honestly say that in my own personal life that there are 4-5 people (new or renewed in Christ) that I stay personally committed to on a constant basis by making sure that I encourage them and stay as a spiritual mentor to. This is such a vital piece, as they need to see me on my feet when they step out to obey God. They need to hear my words in person when they have stepped out for God and maybe faced a tough night. Most importantly, support needs to come when it counts the most: in a time of weakness! When God shows you by discernment when a person (or persons) are in weakness and are in a frail state, support them! Do what you are called to do to help them. Waste no expense to which you have in your resources to make a difference. In other words, love your neighbor as yourself.

Here is the tough part (I have had to learn this the hard way): I cannot guarantee that support will ever return back to you. The great part about being selfless for God is that the blessings of God will flow in your life for your service in Him! Always remember this when you give yourself for Him in service for others! It is worth every step, every word, and every mile of the journey! As for me, I’m in (the amen corner that is). There may be a day where you look and you stand alone, but never forget that God is with you!

Do We Use Discernment Anymore?

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THE WORD

Romans 8:27 – And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

One of the toughest spiritual gifts to willingly learn and use is the gift of discernment. One of the ways you can understand how discernment works is when you are following the Holy Ghost during a church service to ensure you are obeying the perfect will of God, keeping things in a spiritual order as God would lead, and helping to prevent things that would disrupt the freedom of God from being in control. That is the long way of putting it but is where you might see it used the most.

To put it in an easier way, you would not just let anyone get up and minister to you without having a good spirit dwelling within them. You know (and discern) that through the light of God lives a person’s spirit and are you able to bear witness of that light through what they speak and obey. You can begin to use discernment every day of your life. Whether it comes to what you see or hear or what you do around or say to others, discernment can be used in all venues if you allow the spirit of God to lead you. God would not have you willingly walking around in sin if it can be shown to you to turn from it. We can begin to discern that it is not the right situation to surround ourselves with and can learn to change where we are and what we do. It is possible! As we pray we can begin to discern from people how they either have God’s love or are lost from God’s direction and are in need.

PUT INTO PRACTICE

Learn to be spiritually led each day! The best thing to start with is prayer and thinking upon the good things of God. Once you start there, build yourself up and see how much begins to change. You will be surprised! God would not have you live in darkness. God would have you be a light to it, compelling people to change. Learn to change your environments and get out when you know things are too much for what you are capable of dealing with. Remember, we often make our biggest mistakes when we think we are strong enough to discern it for ourselves and not with the spirit. God is the best leader and guide!