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By Austin Bishop

13 for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. 14 But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.

— Hebrews 5:13-14 (ESV)

2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.

— Romans 12:2 (ESV)

The verses above mark reference to one of he most underrated gifts a human can possess — discernment.

Knowing things and knowing how to use the information properly are not the same thing. Not being able to do the second limits the power of the first.

Discernment is what turns knowledge into wisdom.

In order to have proper discernment, it is important to keep your eyes, ears, mind, and heart open. Then, strain all of the information you gather through the Holy Spirit. What remains in the strainer is wisdom.

You will never find true spiritual discernment without prayer. You will be surprised at how quickly discernment follows submission to God.

The more you study the Word of God and understand His ways, the easier you will find it to recognize His hand in things and hear His voice. We can gather information, but discernment belongs to the Holy Spirit.

Discernment is important because it will, and should, affect the decisions you make. You will learn to properly discern the mood of the room, the attitudes surrounding you, and the openings you may have to operate in.

A large part of discernment is not just knowing what, but knowing when. When God reveals the WHAT, you still have to make sure WHEN He wants you to move. Moving too quickly, or too late, is among the biggest mistakes we can make.

A big key to discernment is recognizing potential in people. Here is a suggested prayer for you that will change the way you look at things: Ask God to show you the potential in everyone you are associated with. Ask him to allow you to look past the surface and only see the potential THAT HE SEES. The potential you see in someone is a hope, the potential HE SEES can become a REALITY.

Continual prayer is important. You can’t wait to open a connection with God when you need it, because it’s likely you need it long before you realize it. Always be in a conversation with God and walk hand in hand with the Holy Spirit.

Always.

Austin Bishop has been a journalist for 50 years and is an ordained minister. Those wishing to receive his daily devotional/Bible study notes may sign up by texting 601-938-2471 and asking to be added to either the morning or afternoon list. He can be reached by e-mail at starsportsboss@yahoo.com.