Discernment is the gift of seeing right and wrong in a situation or a person, through the Holy Spirit's guidance. It is a Godly gift, meant I believe, for our protection and edification, and sometimes our correction. Gods Word says it can only be used by a believer.
1 Cor 2:14 but the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Paraphrased from How to Discern Spirits by Virgil Johnson.
Science tells us that we only use 10% of our mind. That leaves 90% that compared with the nine spiritual gifts gives 10% for each gift. The 90% should out weigh the 10% of the carnal mind which is the enemy of God.
For years we have tried to expand that 10% that God has given us to function in the natural realm. We have sent it to school and educated it, given it tasks. When it would have been better to expand one of the other 9 x 10%, such as the gift of wisdom.
The 10% of the carnal mind gets me out of the rain, tells me to dress warmly when its cold outside, learns the ABC, and gets me to work, etc. The 90% tells me to think like God, act like God, and talk like God.
God Himself uses the principle of 10% (tithing) - from man to God, and keeps 90% - from God to us. God gave the flesh 10% to function naturally and kept the 90% for Himself to gift and bless us through.
In that 10%, God gave man a measure of faith. That is why we so often find ourselves limited in results. Sometimes we get healed and sometimes we do not. Sometimes we are financially blessed and sometimes we are not.
Man works within the 10% of the carnal mind instead of our spiritual mind and uses the gift of faith which is unlimited.
End paraphrase.
Now, I dont necessarily agree with this quote in entirety, but it brings up a 2 thought provoking concepts.
1. Where do we discern from?
We know the gift of faith is in the entirety of man - both carnal and spiritual.
Now we can use that gift from either part of us. If we were to use it just from our carnal man - then we could feel comfortable with also allowing anger, and pride, and other wrong attitudes to colour our approach to our fellow man.
Using it from our spiritual man, would be shown by a growth in the fruits of the spirit - peace, patience, etc.
Therefore the part which has the greater part of our gift of faith is also the part from which we use discernment.
Hebrew 4:12 For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Now, God alone knows from wherein we gain discernment, and the Holy Spirit both guides and directs us continually to be using it from the right part of ourselves - that being the spirit rather than the carnal.
But, heres a tricky bit.
2. How do we accept discernment?
By that I mean, which part of us accepts a direction of God through another person. Someone has a discerning message for us which brings correction. Which part of us accepts that? If it is man, the we often reject it - with anger at times. If it is spirit, we accept it - because we recognise Gods love behind it.
Hebrews 5:14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their sense exercised to discern both good and evil.
So discernment goes both ways.
And while we often hear a word from another, that is using proper spiritual discernment, we may not accept it at that moment because the time isnt right. We are still in the carnal man with that matter.
It is entirely Gods doing whether we are given a word out of time, He is the only one who can look ahead and see if the time will ever come again. He is also the only one who can keep bringing situations into our lives that verify that original discerning word.
But it is important that if we are to use this gift wisely, we ask Him before we speak.
Ecclesiastes 8:5 He who keeps his command will experiene nothing harmful; and a wise mans heart discerns both time and judgment.
The words discernment has been used in many posts lately. Perhaps this gives us a way of understanding it from both our side and the other persons side, without simply assuming it is a judgement.