Why We Need Spiritual Discernment Now More Than Ever

Ten years ago, in January 2014, this magazine made its debut. It was named Discern with the intent of helping readers find answers to mankind’s most stubborn problems by identifying and applying timeless spiritual truths established by our Creator.

Since our hosting website—LifeHopeandTruth.com—existed before this magazine, we also contemplated naming our magazine Life, Hope & Truth. But after careful consideration, we settled on Discern. Our goal was to help people discern God’s eternal values in all aspects of life.

A decade later, we remain steadfastly committed to our founding principles.

As Clyde Kilough, our editor, wrote in his inaugural “Consider This” column: “Let’s be upfront from the beginning—the unabashed purpose of this magazine, Discern, is to influence the way you think . . . just like everyone else in your life is trying to do . . .

“We don’t claim to have a corner on the market of knowledge. But we do know that humanity’s problems are spiritual in nature—they spring from misguided thinking and destructive attitudes. Hence, they must be met with spiritual solutions—changes in perception, understanding and attitude.”

Benefits of discernment

Why are we so committed to helping you discern the spiritual truth about what is moral and immoral, and what is good and bad? It is because, as Paul stated, “Godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come” (1 Timothy 4:8).

Discerning and then living by God’s guidance has benefits in both this life and the life to come.

As foretold in God’s Word, the world has made significant technological progress (Daniel 12:4). Yet, as also prophesied in the Holy Scriptures, humans still grapple with living peacefully with one another (Isaiah 59:8).

Ten years after the founding of this magazine, let’s consider current conditions.

The urgent need for discernment today

In our modern world, learning how to detect and protect ourselves from Internet scams is a vital skill. With unethical people continually setting traps for the vulnerable, knowing how to avoid providing personal information to online thieves is essential education for people learning to navigate our online society.

In years gone by, the ability to read people and avoid being taken advantage of was often referred to as being streetwise. This kind of discernment can be learned through personal experience, observation and knowledge acquired from others.

But there is an even more important type of discernment.

When Jesus walked the earth as a human, He distinguished between the skill of discerning the weather and a deeper form of discernment.

When confronted by the Pharisees and Sadducees who wanted Him to show them a miraculous sign, Jesus said, “When it is evening you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red’; and in the morning, ‘It will be foul weather today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ Hypocrites! You know how to discern the face of the sky, but you cannot discern the signs of the times” (Matthew 16:2-3, emphasis added throughout).

What Jesus was saying to these Jewish religious leaders was that they lacked spiritual discernment. Had they been able to properly discern biblical prophecies regarding Him, they would not have needed for Him to perform a miracle to prove His identity.

It is important to note that these highly trained religious leaders had knowledge of the biblical prophecies. But they didn’t have spiritual discernment—the ability to apply that knowledge to their current situation.

Now, let’s consider why we lack spiritual discernment and how we can obtain this important skill.

The natural lack of spiritual discernment

Today, it is commonly presumed that if we just look within ourselves, we can find all the answers to life’s important questions. In doing this, many believe they can find the moral values that are right for them. “Trust your heart,” they say. “Decide for yourself what feels right for you.”

Regrettably, what most people don’t realize is that this type of thinking is humanity’s oldest deception. Adam and Eve, the first humans, made this tragic mistake in the Garden of Eden.

Satan, the adversary of God and humans, appeared to Eve in the form of a snake. Using his deceptive tactics, he called God a liar for saying humans would die if they ate of the forbidden tree. He convinced Eve that she could decide for herself what was good and what was evil (Genesis 3:1-5).

Sadly, Eve was deceived. She fell for Satan’s deceptive pitch and thought she could make this decision by herself.

“And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression” (1 Timothy 2:14). Although this passage indicates that Adam wasn’t deceived by Satan that time, he foolishly decided to follow his wife’s example and likewise eat of the forbidden tree. His own misguided thinking led him astray.

Both Adam and Eve lacked the spiritual discernment they needed to make the right decision. As a result of their sin, they were driven out of the garden and, more important, lost access to the tree of life. That tree symbolized their opportunity to have eternal life (Genesis 3:23-24).

The limits of human reasoning

We humans—created in God’s image (Genesis 1:27)—were given marvelous abilities to think and reason. And it’s enticing to believe that we can independently determine moral values and solve all our problems apart from God.

But we humans simply weren’t equipped to inherently have sound spiritual discernment.

As the prophet Jeremiah exclaimed: “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23). And as for our hearts, the same prophet wrote: “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?” (Jeremiah 17:9).

Despite our deepest introspection, spiritual answers cannot be found within ourselves apart from God. As a result, “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23).

Satan’s continuing deception

Even though Satan is not talking to people today in exactly the same way he was talking to Eve, his goal of confusing and deceiving humans remains unchanged. Regrettably, he continues to succeed in his endeavors.

Revelation 12:9 explains that this evil being “deceives the whole world.” This sentiment is echoed in 1 John 5:19: “The whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one.”

The apostle Paul admitted, “Sin . . . deceived me” (Romans 7:11). Hebrews similarly warns of “the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). Just as Satan made sin look attractive to Eve, he makes sin look appealing to humanity today.

We share a common weakness with Adam, Eve, Paul and every other human being—we have all fallen victim to deception, by Satan and our own misguided thinking.

Attaining the gift of spiritual discernment

When God calls us, He opens our minds to the reality of our deception. If we repent of our sins and commit our lives to Him through baptism, we can receive the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38). 

God’s Holy Spirit is described as a spirit “of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7). A mind aided by God’s Spirit can discern what is true and what is not. This is why the apostle John referred to the Holy Spirit as “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:17; 15:26). And of special importance, he wrote that “the Spirit of truth . . . will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

Paul likened our natural state to having a veil over our minds that obstructs the understanding of spiritual matters. However, he also noted that “the veil is taken away in Christ . . . when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away” (2 Corinthians 3:14, 16).

Seeking and maintaining spiritual discernment

Spiritual discernment is a gift from God that must be continually sought and applied. Proverbs 2:3 admonishes us to “cry out for discernment,” and Hebrews 5:14 speaks of mature Christians exercising their senses “to discern both good and evil.”

Paul told the Philippian brethren that he prayed that their “love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment” (Philippians 1:9).

The need for spiritual discernment in the future

Jesus emphasized the critical need for spiritual discernment as we approach the conclusion of this present age, just before Christ’s return.

One especially important way to determine whether a prophet is genuine or an imposter is to assess whether his message aligns with the teachings of the Bible. In His Olivet Discourse, while addressing end-time conditions, Jesus said, “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many” (Matthew 24:4-5).

While religious deception has been going on for a long time, it is prophesied to intensify in the end times.

In the unfolding of end-time events, a human—referred to variously as the man of sin, the lawless one and the false prophet—will be given the ability to perform astounding miracles for the purpose of deceiving people. He will be equipped with these supernatural powers for the purpose of deceiving others (Revelation 19:20).

Describing this man’s deceptive powers, Paul wrote: “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish” (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

Jesus also forewarned of these deceptive miracles, saying, “For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matthew 24:24).

Why might the elect—those chosen by God and considered special by Him—be vulnerable to deception? The answer lies in the supernatural nature of miracles, which transcend the natural realm and suggest the presence of an unseen power.

How to increase our spiritual discernment

Given the certainty of these future miraculous occurrences, how will the elect be able to discern that these amazing signs performed by the false prophet are not from God, and that they should not follow this individual?

The people of God will have spiritual discernment and will be well-versed in God’s Word. They will understand that Satan and his demons can perform supernatural acts. They will also recall God’s warning to the ancient Israelites: If a prophet announces a sign or wonder that comes to pass and then advocates the worship of other gods, they should not heed that prophet (Deuteronomy 13:1-3).

Furthermore, the people of God endowed with discernment in the end times will heed John’s counsel: “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).

One especially important way to determine whether a prophet is genuine or an imposter is to assess whether his message aligns with the teachings of the Bible. For additional ways to discern between a false prophet and a true prophet of God, see our article “False Prophets.”

Take action to improve your spiritual discernment

To foster your growth in spiritual discernment, we recommend the following:

• Regularly seek God’s help and wisdom through prayer (Proverbs 2:3).
• Live by what you discover in the Bible (Psalm 111:10). Our Change Your Life booklet is a valuable resource.
• Take the free Bible Study Course to gain a comprehensive understanding of God’s instructions.
• Continue reading Discern magazine for biblical insights into God’s expectations of us.
• If you have questions, contact us for biblically based answers.

Our sincere wish for each of you, our cherished readers, is that you will grow in spiritual discernment and be counted among the elect at the return of Christ.