Hebrews 5: 14 (CEV)  “Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.”

IT use to be easy to tell the bad people from the good ones back when I was a kid cause all you had to do was look and see what color of hat they had on.  If it was white, they were the good guys and if it were black, they were they bad guys.  That  all changed in the sixties and truth became so much harder to discern.  We were told how bread was so important and we needed to eat more of it to stay healthy.  We later found out this “truth” was not true!  I could go on and on about all the things we have come to find out as falsehoods that we once were convinced as truths.  So, how do you know what to believe in today’s world? We do have the luxury of getting on line and researching at our fingertips.  The problem becomes that we can also find several opinions that are conflicting!  So then, how do we discern the truth?

First of all, we must be ready to listen.  You heard me…listen.  Too often we like to hurry on our way and not give truth a fleeting thought.  When you want to find the truth of a situation, you must be willing to sit and listen.  It is no different in our walk with the Lord.  To know the Truth, we must listen.  It requires we spend some time in thought and prayer.  That may require you to get up earlier or set aside some time just for prayer and listening.  My biggest problem in my marriage is listening.  I think i listen, only to find out later my listening skills were not functioning properly.  If it is a spouse or friend, it helps to completely look them in the eyes as they talk so you can listen.  I’m notorious for walking and talking.  So much can get lost in the  conversation!  I am slowly learning to stand and  listen rather than walk.  God wants our undivided attention too.  We should sit in our quiet place and listen.

Once we have listened, we need to apply what we have learned.  Reading God’s Word will help us to apply what He is telling us.  Reading scripture opens our eyes to see from God’s perspective so that we can make wise choices.  It is then that discernment comes.  As we read God’s Truths, we are able to discern everyday truths.  When we don’t read scriptures, it becomes harder to discern what really is the truth.  It is also easier for the devil to deceive us and for us not even to realize it.  I heard the story of a lady in a church who found out another lady in her Sunday school was cheating on her husband and was so appalled that she went to her pastor and told him that he had to tell the lady she had to leave the church.  Wow.  The devil really deceived this first lady into thinking she was so much better and needed to get sin out of the church.  Unfortunately, the lady had sinned in her gossip!  Should she then also leave the church?  How unrighteous we become when we attempt to judge others.  Discernment shows love.  Unconditional love.  We should strive to become Christ-like in our love toward others.  That is discernment.