MAY232025

There is a church-y word that packs a wallop: discernment. When we as a religious people “discern” we invoke the Holy Spirit so that we can know the will of God. We see this practiced in the Acts of the Apostles. An issue arose where the will of God was not clear — in this case how much continuity with Jewish practice would be required of the Jesus movement. The Church gathered to discuss it. They searched the scriptures, they looked at their experiences, they prayed together. At the end of the process they felt confident that the decision they arrived at did, in fact, reflect the will of God. ‘It is the decision of the Holy Spirit and of us not to place on you any burden beyond these necessities.” Discernment is not only required for big ticket items but for our own individual decisions as well. To find what God wants of us use the discernment model of seeking counsel, searching the scriptures, looking at experience and prayer. Then feel confident that the decision you make is filled with the Spirit.