This is a brief copy from the following site: (Highlighting in mine)
The Difference Between Judging and Discerning | Know HIS Ways
Discernment makes a differentiation, and it encourages us in going on the right path. A discerning person can sound an alarm if they notice something that doesn’t look right, but their goal is not to draw a judgment or a conclusion, but to help move the situation or the person in the right direction. Discernment is redemptive and helps to move someone choose better.
As God’s people let us use the gift of discernment to distinguish between good and the evil. When we see the good, we should encourage it and help it to grow and become strong. When we see evil, we’re called to pray, maybe warn someone, but always with a heart to see the situation changed and redeemed.
If Jesus, the perfect one, chose not to judge the world while He was on the earth, we need to be careful in judging people or situations before its time!!
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Spiritual Discernment must be given by the revelation of Jesus Christ to the believer, and then developed by way of training in righteousness and prayer.
Heb 5:11-14 shows how spiritual discernment is developed. The writer speaks to those who had become “dull of hearing,” meaning they had fallen out of practice discerning spiritually. The writer of Hebrews tells them that everyone who lives on “milk” (rather than the “solid food” desired by the mature) is unskilled in the word of righteousness; however, the mature Christian has been “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.”
The keys, according to this passage, are becoming skilled in the Word of God (by which we define righteousness) and “constant practice” (through which we gain experience).
So, how does one increase spiritual discernment?
- First, recognizing that God is the only one who can increase wisdom, pray for it - James 1:5.
- Then, knowing the wisdom to distinguish good from evil comes by training and practice, go to the Bible to learn the truth and, by meditation on the Word, reinforce the truth.
A knowledge of the true helps one identify the false.
This is what Christians must do to develop spiritual discernment.
We must know the authentic so well that, when the false appears, we can recognize it. By knowing and obeying the Word of God, we will be “trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil.” We will know God’s character and will.
This is the heart of spiritual discernment – being able to distinguish the voice of the world from the voice of God, to have a sense that “this is right” or “this is wrong.”
Spiritual discernment fends off temptation and allows us to “hate what is evil; cling to what is good”.
The primary way a person with the gift of discernment can serve the church is to be a student of the Word and to use his understanding of Scripture to distinguish between what is true and what is false. It is the discerning person who will be comparing the words of the preacher with Scripture and who will lead the way in warning others of false teaching.
A person with the gift of discernment can assist others in (seeking and finding) discerning the will of God.
People with the gift of discernment are finely tuned to the presence and the work of the Holy Spirit. They are able, based once again on their knowledge of God and the truths He has revealed about Himself, to understand how He works and where He is working. They are also gifted in being able to tell where the Spirit is not present and warning others of counterfeit teaching or counterfeit Christians.
These are the main things to look for in discerning about something:
- it is governed by love, for if it is not, it’s worthless (1 Cor 13:1-3)
- it centers us onto Jesus and His word (1 Cor 12:3) One test of a person’s spiritual claims is their attitude toward Jesus Christ.
- it directs us to Scripture, not away from it (Isa 8:19-20)
- it builds up the church and its members, giving it power, wisdom, character, boldness and unity. (Eph 4:11-12)
- it helps create in us a love of righteousness, a heightened sense of sin, and a turning away from known evil.
What discernment is NOT
‘Discernment’ is sometimes used as a catch-word for speaking against others (as with some ‘discernment ministries’), or to defeat them in a struggle for power or influence, or just to pick at them until they quit or retreat.
There are some people who could stuff themselves with Scripture until it came out their noses, and they’d still refuse to let the Spirit teach them anything. They’re not trying to discern at all; they’re seeking support, not truth.
Some are habitually critical or condemnatory of the specks in someone else’s eye when they themselves have a plank in their own eye. Such are not truly interested in righteousness, only in playing spiritual king of the mountain. Someone with a critical spirit.
(Much of the above were taken from notes in my files. Sorry I don’t have the original address of them as I lost the bookmarks when I had to get my computer fixed.)
Hope this helps someone.
Blessings
Edit: In answer to your question @Caleb
Yes, I prayed for a long time for a spiritual gift and the Lord answered me in Spades. I am forever grateful for the gift he gave me. Praise His Holy Name.
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