The Discipline in Focus (taken from The Discipline of Spiritual Discernment by Tim Challies)

Discernment is the skill of understanding and applying God’s word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong. When we practice discernment we are applying the truths of the Bible to our lives. We are attempting to understand the words of the Bible and trusting God’s Word to give clarity so we might see things as God sees them. Our goal in discernment is to do just this: to see things through God’s eyes through the Bible and thus to see things as they really are.
Discernment is a skill – It is not an inherent ability like breathing. It is a skill that must be practiced and improved. By God’s grace he enables and equips us to practice discernment with increasing accuracy and confidence.
Discernment is a skill of understanding – the Hebrew word most commonly translated as “discernment” is also translated as “understanding.” To discern well we must dedicate ourselves to studying, knowing, and understanding God and his Word.
Discernment is a skill of understanding and applying – Discernment is wisdom in action. We not only know but we also do. We apply the truth.
Discernment is a skill of understanding and applying God’s Word – God’s word refers to two aspects of God’s revelation: revelation of himself through the person of Jesus Christ and revelation of himself through speech, and in particular, the words that have been recorded in the Bible. God’s word is truth. In order to be discerning we must understand what is true about God and we do this by turning to His word. We must study it, read about it, and hear it taught. Discernment intersects the Christian life at every point and God’s word provides us with the needed discernment about every issue of life. God’s word shows us how to view all things.
Discernment is a skill of understanding and applying God’s Word with the purpose of separating- God’s Word is the standard we use to differentiate between what is true and what is false.
Discernment is a skill of understanding and applying God’s Word with the purpose of separating truth from error – The Bible makes it clear that doctrine is either true or false. When we speak of truth and error we speak of doctrine and theology – ways of thinking rightly and truly about God.
Discernment is a skill of understanding and applying God’s Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong – Discernment is concerned not only with doctrine and theology but with the practical application of those disciplines to our lives. Discernment is a skill we need to live lives that are morally and ethically pleasing to God. We need to be discerning first in what we believe and then in what we do.

Spiritual Discernment is an ability graciously given to us by God and empowered by Him through the Holy Spirit where we exercise careful and deliberate effort to distinguish between what is true and what is false according to His Word.

Scripture
Proverbs 2:1-5, 2 Peter 1:3, Romans 12:9, 1 Cor. 2:14-15, Psalm 119:66, 104, 1 Thessalonians 5: 21-22. Acts 17:11.


The Practice of Discernment
When do we use the discipline of discernment? We use it everyday in all we hear and see. But there are some ways we can practice discernment. You could read a Christian book, listen to a sermon, listen to some Christian music or just listen to a teacher in your church (like a connect leader). How can we get started?

1. Verify – Write down a statement you would like to verify by the Bible such as, “Does the Bible teach that we are to forgive ourselves from past sin?”
2. Clarify – Write down your understanding of the issue. What do you think?
3. Pray – Admit your dependence on God in all matters of discernment and understanding the truth of Scripture.
4. Examine and Assess your Instinct – What was your first reaction (sometimes our first instincts can be correct)?
5. Examine and Assess you Conscience – While conscience is not infallible it can be valuable as Christians mature and their conscience is made increasingly tender through the work of the Holy Spirit. So for example we might say, “My conscience is telling me that self-forgiveness is not found in the Bible. I would be in violation of my conscience if I were to forgive myself in an attempt to be free from guilt for sins I’ve committed in the past.”
6. Test with Scripture – Gather a list of Scripture verses relevant to the subject at hand. Read the Bible and look for passages that talk about your question. Use good hermeneutics and exegesis to determine what the passage is saying. Study and meditate on God’s word.
7. Observe the Scripture – Write down a few words summarizing what you have learned from each passage. Compare and contrast all the relevant passages. If one is unclear compare it with another passage or translation.
8. Research and Summarize – See what others have said about these passages or this topic. Write down any clarifying notes.
9. Write you conclusion of the issue. So for example on the question of self-forgiveness we could write, “As I look into Scripture, it is clear that “forgive yourself” is not biblical language. There does not seem to be any place in Scripture where we are told to forgive ourselves, either in those words or even in concept. We are told to seek forgiveness from God and from others. We are told to extend forgiveness to those who have wronged us. It does not seem that we are ever told to forgive ourselves.”
10. Apply what you learned. Once we have determined that something is in error then we can seek to hold fast to the truth and apply it to our lives. So concerning what we learned on forgiveness we now understand that we should seek forgiveness from God and others and then go and do just that.

Key thought – With great humility, we test doctrine by prayer, instinct, conscience, Scripture, and the consensus of the church; remembering that Scripture is THE standard. We hold up a teaching to the light of God’s word and allow him to speak to us through the Bible, revealing what is true and false. We look for points of agreement and points of departure between the teaching we are testing and the truth of the Bible. When a doctrine is false, we flee from it and substitute instead what is good. When a doctrine is true and pure, we cling to it and rejoice.


Respond

1. What is your definition of discernment?
2. Discernment begins and ends with God. What does that mean?
3. Do you consider yourself a spiritually discerning person?
4. Why is it so important that we think rightly about God?
5. Why do we need to be discerning?
6. Can a person who knows right from wrong and good from evil but refuses to put this knowledge into practice be considered discerning? Why or Why not?
7. Do you see any proof of discernment in your life? What?
8. How can you practice discernment?