“And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ – to the glory and praise of God.”
Philippians 1:10
We live in a time where the need for discernment has not only become essential, but critically important as well. Whether it is economic statistics, climate data, news reports, medical information, or political claims, we all need to know what is true, real or good in order to be able to make informed decisions that affect our lives. While this has always been necessary, it is even more so today with the advent of social media and the plethora of news outlets that provide a never-ending stream of information and perspectives on our world.
Consequently, I believe that there are three main areas where we need discernment today: lies vs. truth, perception vs. reality, and good vs. evil.
Lies vs. Truth
In our culture today, many people base their opinions and beliefs on what they read and hear and not necessarily about whether it is true or not. We’ve seen how public opinion can be shaped by exaggeration or exploitation of an event so that the public is made to believe a lie, or a distortion of it, rather than the truth. People will often rush to judgment and act first and ask questions later, which can lead to people being hurt physically or emotionally.
Let’s look at 2 examples. First, in the Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, MO in 2014, the initial media reports said that Michael Brown was shot while having his hands up in the air and saying don’t shoot. When the truth came out, the police officer was exonerated because the victim tried to take the officer’s gun away from him while he was in his police car and was shot in the process. He never put his hands up or said don’t shoot. But many people today still believe that’s what happened. Second, there is the case of Ryan Braun, the Milwaukee Brewer outfielder who was accused of using PED’s (performance enhancing drugs) in 2013. He strongly denied it and even tried to put the blame on the person who tested him. He was believed initially, but eventually the truth came out that he had taken PED’s, and his career and reputation never recovered.
All of us hold strong beliefs based upon our own experiences and what we’ve been taught or read. We are also quick to believe or trust people we know well. Those attitudes are hard to change, even in the face of the facts or the truth. We often try to make the facts fit our beliefs, rather than let the facts inform our beliefs. But if we are to have discernment between lies and truth, we must look for the truth and let our actions reflect what is actually true, not what we are led to believe is true.
Perception vs. Reality
Everyone has biases and previous experiences that affect the way that we see or interpret events around us. That often causes us to not be able to see the truth or the facts clearly. Sometimes we only see what we want to see. For example, in many sports games when a judgment call is made, we immediately think our team got a bad call because we want our team to win. Only when we see the video replay can we verify whether the call was correct or not.
Another common example is in news video clips and social media posts where only a portion of an event is shown which can lead to wrong conclusions. It is a technique that is used in just about every political ad to denounce or attack an opponent. Words are taken out of context and video clips don’t show the entire dialog or event in question. As a result, the reader or viewer is given misleading information in order to sway or influence their opinion or vote.
If we are not discerning about everyday things like this, we will often fall victim to the content provider’s bias and end up either being misled or worse, believing a lie. The video clips and news reports we should be most concerned about are the ones that appear to validate what we already believe to be true. They are the most dangerous because we immediately accept them without question and often do not check their accuracy. On-line fact checkers are also of questionable value because they too have been proven to be inaccurate or biased as well. We must do our own research to verify that what we see or what we are being told is true. If we don’t, we could end up spreading misinformation ourselves and mislead others along with us. As the old saying goes, “when in doubt, check it out!”
Good vs. Evil
Perhaps the most concerning lack of discernment today is that of good versus evil. We live in a culture that promotes sexual perversion in all its forms, that accepts the killing of innocent babies in a mother’s womb as a “right” and completely legitimate for any reason, that justifies racism against some people and not others, that endorses the silencing of voices from only certain viewpoints, and that allows theft of property (e.g.- under $950 in CA). All these evils are now determined to either be acceptable or even good for society. It’s almost incomprehensible that our nation has gone this far in accepting, and in some cases, endorsing these evils.
The only reliable way to discern between good and evil is through the lens of Scripture, which is God’s Word. If we use human wisdom or secular thinking, we will end up doing what we reason is good rather than what God says is good. God alone is good, and everything He does is good (Psalm 119:68). Whatever is not of God is evil. But for many people, God’s Word is not where they look to define good and evil. Instead, the look to their own reason or that of the secular world, which are both sinful and corrupt. In effect, people determine for themselves what is good and what is evil. When we make that determination ourselves, we proclaim that we are the authority over what is good or evil, or what is true or false, or even what is fake or real. That kind of thinking is absurd and has no legitimacy. It will also lead to chaos and the destruction of any society. If everyone can determine these things by themselves then there is no law and no order, and as a result, no true justice!
How do we become more discerning? There are two ways.
First, we need to turn to God’s Word. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We get wisdom from God’s Word that enables us to discern what is of God and what is not of God. By reading and knowing God’s Word, we can more easily make that distinction in the events in our lives and world.
Second, we need to let the Holy Spirit guide our hearts and minds. Proverbs 3:4-5 says to “Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.” By submitting our thoughts and will to the Holy Spirit, we allow him to discern for us and lead us in God’s way and not our own.
Finally, discernment goes hand in hand with patience. We need to wait for all the facts to become known before forming an opinion. Therefore, let us also be patient and use that extra time to go to God’s Word and His Holy Spirit for wisdom to discern the truth!