DISCERNING GOD’S WAY

“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may DISCERN between good and evil” – 1 Kings 3:9a

Believers in Christ must give attention to DISCERNING GOD’S WAY: “Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, that I may DISCERN between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours? (1Kgs.3:9). Grace for Discernment was what Solomon requested when God gave him carte blanche (v.5). To discern is “to examine, prove or test; scrutinize.” John Piper says, “Discernment is how we follow God’s leading through the process of spiritually sensitive application of biblical truth to the particularities of our situation.” God has His ordained Way at every junction along life’s course. Not every appealing opportunity that presents itself is God’s Way.

The Bible provides ample Wisdom to help us make choices and decisions that are not just good, but the best in our specific context. How can we discern God’s Way when a golden opportunity seems to fall into our lap? Here are five Wisdom keys:

God’s Way aligns with His Word and His Will: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to HIS WILL, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him” (1Jh.5: 14-15). Is this Way that presents itself aligning with God’s Will? Is it scriptural or Bible-based? Is it what Jesus would ask for? Will it be for God’s Glory or only for personal selfish gain?

God’s Way brings His “good things”: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory; no GOOD THING will He withhold from those who walk uprightly” (Psa.84:11). God, like a sun, supplies us with daily heavenly warmth and nutrients, and like a shield, protects us from harm. Furthermore, He will not withhold what is truly good from those who are walking uprightly. His Way often contains the “good thing” that is not to be withheld from us. It’s our responsibility to trustingly discern the “good thing” in God’s Way, even when circumstances appear to be not so good.

God’s Way brings Peace, Not Fear: “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2Tim.1:7). When there is paralysing fear, a debilitating anxiety, or driving pressure to act in haste or the opportunity will be gone, such a way is likely not being offered by God.  His Way will present peace in our soul as we pray about it: “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phi.4:6-7).

God’s Way attracts Confirmation: “By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established” (Mt.18: 15-16). Here Jesus laid out instructions for confronting sin among believers, but the same principle applies when it comes to God confirming His Way in His Word. God will often confirm or establish a matter by “two or three witnesses,” which may be scripture verses, counsel from a pastor or well-respected role model, or a persistent, non-compromising circumstance. Through prayer, Bible meditation, and seeking godly counsel, we can discern if a Way and its confirmations are truly of God.

God’s Way always Demands Faith: “Without Faith it is impossible to please God…” (Heb.11:6a). We sometimes shrink back and shy away from an opening because it looks bigger than we are, we fear to fail, or feel unqualified to proceed. We tend to think God will only call us to something we are capable of doing. Paul declared: “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me” (Phi.4:13). God often calls us first and then equips us. He wants our lives to glorify and please Him in every regard; and that takes Faith. Any task we can accomplish without His Input is most likely not God’s Way! He will rarely call us to do something we can do without Him – that requires no ounce of faith. God often does through us what is beyond us!