Note that I am sending out this week’s message early. Cindy and I leave for DC tomorrow morning, and I want to make sure I can get out a message this week. Crossing my fingers that I can send next week’s message as well from DC!
TGIF
Last week I introduced you to a book that Will, my son-in-law, shared with me on our recent visit. Today, I want to introduce you to the second book he shared with me. That book is titled Listening Hearts: Discerning Call on Community, and is authored by Suzanne Farnham, Joseph P. Gill, R. Taylor McLean, and Susan Ward.
The book begins How has the Spirit of God been working in you over a period of time, where God is moving at present, and in what direction the Spirit seems to be pointing. It begins at the rational level, but then bids the mind descend into the heart – which in classical spirituality is at the very center of a person’s being. It asks that we be centered in God and listen with all that we are. It takes place not in our heads but deep within us.
Spiritual discernment incorporates our intellects, but proceeds on the assumption that God’s mind is infinitely greater than ours. It is a quest for evidence of and companionship with the Spirit. Spiritual discernment is not synonymous with what might be described as prayerful Christian decision-making. It is that and something more, something much deeper.
The first chapter in this book asks the question What is discernment? It then follows that question with this scripture:
1 John 4:1 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; 3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now it is already in the world. 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. 5 They are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God. The one who knows God listens to us; the one who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
John speaks here of the importance of belief only in God’s truth. John focuses here on the doctrinal test and the need for sound teaching. Scripture presents stern warnings against false doctrine. From his temptation of Eve on, Satan has sought to distort and deny God’s Word, see Genesis 3:1-5. Satan is the ultimate demonic source behind all false teachers and false doctrine. In this scripture, John gives to us two doctrinal tests to determine truth from error and false teachers from true teachers.
How can we use this information in our everyday lives to determine truth from false teaching? I find that I receive mental thoughts all the time, they may just pop up during the day or I may wake up in the middle of the night with a new thought. We may also get new thoughts from our friends or family or even from news stories. How are we to separate the wheat from the chaff in the various messages we receive? How are we to determine if the message is from God, or a selfish personal reason motivating our thoughts, or from Satan himself? First, I try not to make any quick decisions. I will want to let the thought percolate in my brain for some time to see if it can stand the test of time for me. Will that same thought still be with me tomorrow, or next week, or next month? Will I get more excited about the thought as time passes, or will it fade in importance, or maybe just disappear from my thoughts altogether? Does the thought seem to grab hold of my heart over time?????
I also find it important to share these thoughts with my other true Christian believers, that can more quickly help me find out if my thoughts have a Godly basis to them, or if I am going off in a futile direction. This is one of many important reasons for having a church family in our life!
We need to make sure we can let our serious ideas permeate from our brain to our heart to ensure the depth of our belief, as discernment requires us to do. Only then can we have the peace, comfort, joy, and hope that we are truly following God’s will for each of us.