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“I’m not going back! I don’t want to do the same old thing anymore. I’m done with it. I am tired of simply going through the motions.”

The echoes of many as the world slowly emerges out of the pandemic across the globe. 

What is our way forward? How do we not get blindsided by the familiarity of the old and how do we not simply stumble mind numbingly into the new?

This is a day that demands discernment of us. I do not believe it is a option for us anymore. We must be willing to learn and practice this God given gift of discernment.

After 20 years of living and pioneering in different nations, moving into the new, new seasons, new ways of life and ministry, new levels in gifts, new cultures and language, we could not of done any of this without discernment. 

It is an incredibly vital gift but not always an easy gift to understand or work with. Practice, mistakes, successes, vulnerability, courage, confusion, clarity is found on the terrain of discernment.

WHAT IS IT…
In the Scriptures, Discernment is a gift from God and a gift for protection and direction. Sounds exactly what we need right now eh?

There 2 types of Discernment. Today we will look at the first type.

In Matthew 2:2, the Wise Men visited baby Jesus led by seeing “His star in the East”. They discerned the signs of the times through a sign in the sky. This discernment has to do with signs often in nature, times and seasons. 

This discernment was used right through the Scriptures. 1 Chronicles 12:32 identifies a tribe who were known for this gift, the Tribe of Issachar. 

We are told that “these men understood the signs of the times and knew the best course for Israel to take.”

This gift is an anointing. One which God continues to give today. One to pursue. This gift is something we can ask God for.

In 1 Kings 3:9 King Solomon, one of the greatest Kings to ever have lived on earth, asks of God “give me an understanding heart to judge your people that I may discern between good and evil.” 

Asking is something God loves us to do! It takes humility and curiosity to ask. Asking is a key quality of the worlds most effective leaders and pioneers. They dare to ask in order to discern. This was the one thing King Solomon chose to ask for above all other options. 

WHY DO WE NEED DISCERNMENT…
How often have our greatest mistakes resulted when we ignored what we discerned?

Too often we’ve ignored because:
-we didn’t want to see what we were discerning
-we didn’t understand what we were receiving through this gift – we needed emotional, spiritual and sensory upgrades
– We had no space for it to be a spirit and not a person that was being discerned
-the information wasn’t rational enough for us
-we couldn’t believe that someone had a wrong heart
-we haven’t learnt to recognize God’s Spirit, God’s angels or demons in this form before

So as you move forward do so with the gift of discernment. 

It is one of the most beautiful gifts for connecting with the heart and voice of God.