The Discerner: Creating A Culture Of Wisdom And FaithExemplo

(Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are taken from the New International Version.)

A Spiritual Safe Place

In the midst of all the noise of the world, we need to be able to distinguish God’s voice clearly. God wants us to know what He is saying. Every follower of Jesus receives the gifts of revelation and discernment. And every believer needs to use them! 

Developing discernment is about bringing the kingdom of God to bear on the time and place in which you live. The gospel of John begins with the words, “The Word became flesh and dwelt among us…, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 NKJV), referring to the coming of Jesus Christ to earth. In a very real way, you and I bring God’s Word to dwell in the midst of the world as we remain sensitive to the flow of His Spirit. Through our relationship with God, we receive revelation. And as we bring that revelation to the world around us, we actually incarnate His Word in our very ordinary lives.

Each of us can become a discerner—no matter what our personal background or specific gift or function in the body of Christ. In fact, without discernment and sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, we cannot progress in our use of any of the gifts and callings.

As we discern our way through the issues that confront us daily, at times it may feel like we are walking through a maze, frequently bumping into walls and dead ends. I know what that feels like; I have bumped my head against many walls in my own personal discernment development. Yet that is how the learning process works. Even so, we are not alone in this process. We can be part of a community of believers that helps us move safely through the maze and into the light of truth and discernment. We can create a culture of wisdom and faith as a spiritual “safe place” for learning discernment.

I dream of the body of Christ being a place where births may be messy, but where newborn babes can learn to crawl, stand, and walk; a place where adolescents can learn from their mistakes and the members of the community can rally together to cheer each other on. Yes, I believe in this palatial place called the church, where love has the final say.

Over the years, I have discovered a few commodities necessary for constructing a spiritual safe place. Foundational elements appear to include the following: (1) authentic faith, (2) Godly core values, (3) walking in Christ’s authority, (4) walking in community, and (5) powerful proclamations. To incorporate each of these components, we must receive—and give—wisdom from above that is beyond our years. (See James 3:17.)

I invite you to join me in discovering how to create a culture of wisdom and faith as a safe place for developing spiritual discernment in our lives.