KATHY—Wisdom would have us at least take note of contradictions that burst into our lives to discover or discern if they are a wake-up call from the Holy Spirit.  We must live ready to believe in God more than our beliefs if there is a show-down between the two.  I believe there will be such show-downs coming in the remainder of this decade because the Kingdom, like leaven, is spreading in the earth.  God is moving forward in the already written history of His people, building His church and maturing His sons.  When these confrontations come, we have three major resources to set and confirm our course: the Word, godly counsel and discernment.  

There are five different words translated “discern or discernment” in the Old Testament. Their meanings include “to scrutinize or look intently at so as to recognize what is going on, an experienced gaze, to hear intelligently, to separate mentally (or distinguish), to be cunning, to diligently direct, to feel, to know by seeing, to perceive or to discover.”  Discernment by dictionary definition means to separate or distinguish, to see or understand the difference or to make a distinction.  In 1 Cor 12, another dimension is added to the meaning of discernment.  In this setting, discernment means “to judge the purity of something, as in to detect any mixture in its source or motive.”  When discernment comes as a gift from God, as in I Cor 12:10, it is God enabling us to separate or distinguish the difference between the human soul and the supernatural at work.  This discernment gift includes understanding the mental disposition of someone.  It also enables us to see the distinct differences between the Holy Spirit and angels or demons at work in a situation.  Discernment, whether it is a keenness developed through experience or a gift of the Spirit of God, is an awesome weapon that is both a beneficial and essential resource for the days ahead.