Having a discerning mind is important when walking in our Christian faith. We have to know the Bible and choose what we believe outside of that carefully. We must use discernment when trusting what people say and always bring things back to scripture when in doubt!
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16
I often wonder how people fall down the wrong path so easily. As someone who enjoyed studying history, I found it so bizarre how people could time and time again do things that were so clearly wrong. In many cases, they fell victim to what people told them without taking time to understand the truth.
Of course historically it would have been easier to convince people of things because in many places people could not read or didn’t have access to information so they could check facts. If you look at the understanding of germs alone and the fact that hand washing wasn’t widely used until 1848, you can see how people in the past had to rely on what they understood at that time.
In the past doctors would go from one patient to the next without washing their hands first and no one thought to question this practice!
This is what reminds me about how important discernment is. As C.S Lewis said, the road to hell is gradual. It’s not as though you get in your car and set your GPS to go there. It happens as we aren’t paying attention.
The safest road to hell is the gradual one – gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.
C.S Lewis
In today’s society, it’s more important than ever to keep a watchful eye. Everyone claims they have all the answers or know the truth. There are thousands (if not millions) of videos on Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok and Youtube that tell us the latest fad is the “truth” we should try to follow.
But who’s truth is it? How can we trust it?
Discernment in the Bible
Fortunately, we have a book of truth that we can keep close. A book that we can trust, one that will never lead us astray. When looking for answers, that’s the first place we should turn.
When we are teaching our children about right and wrong, how to guard their hearts and minds and protect themselves, we should be teaching them scripture. When they have the words of God memorized they can bring them to mind when making decisions about the things they believe, including the things they see and hear.
Part of discernment in today’s society is understand the effect media has on our minds. Check out these resources available on Etsy to help teach your children how to navigate media from a Christian perspective.
The Bible is truth. It is God-breathed and therefore trustworthy. We know if it’s in the Bible, we can follow it.
But we’re human. We experience countless feelings in a day. Some good and some bad. Sometimes our “feelings” seem like they are God’s leading, but if we can’t back it up with scripture then it is not God-breathed.
It’s important to learn the difference. We can’t be led by our feelings or by the words of others. We need to listen to God’s voice. If we are inspired by his biblical teachings then we know he has put it on our hearts.
Always, always, always go back to the bible. And stop to pay attention to the path you are walking. Is it an easy-sloping path? Have you noticed God walking with you lately? If you notice that you are feeling moved by the holy spirit on something, maybe it’s time to rethink your direction.
If the path you are walking is not biblical or if cracks have appeared in the “truth” you are accepting, then it’s time to steep in God’s word. Go to your bible, meditate on his word and pray for a discerning mind so you are not led astray!
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