Spiritual discernment: calling on the Holy Spirit to lead or give direction on a matter. It is how the Spirit shows the church or its people what God wants them to do and be.
There is discernment of:
gifts,
spirits,
actions,
intents,
the times we live in.
Discernment is more than just a skill. Discernment is a gift from God before it is anything else. Yet there are clearly skills you can put to use when using your gift, and you can become better at it through training and experience.
Discernment is more than just a process. Even for the most 'material' or 'nitty-gritty' matters, there is a Spirit at work nudging us, leading us, even pulling us by the nose ring. Then again, even for the most 'spiritual' matters, there are disciplines, methods, processes, means, and tools which the Spirit can work through to help us discern rightly. Discernment isn't usually a sudden zap from beyond, but something which emerges from hard work and close attention.
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 Corinthians 13:1-3);
It centers us onto Jesus the Christ and Lord ( 1 Cor 12:3), and His good news;
It directs us to Scripture, not away from it ( Isaiah 8:19, 20);
It builds up the church and its members ( Ephesians 4:11-12), giving it power, wisdom, character, boldness, and unity.
It helps create in us a love of righteousness, a heightened sense of sin, and a turning away from known evil.
'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. Discerning eyes look for whether something that's labeled 'discernment' is done from love, or whether it just is a clanging gong or a noisy cymbal. Jesus didn't call us to love ideas, he called us to love people. John put it as bluntly as he could :
"One who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (I John 4:8)
When discerning, the Christian must keep in mind why he/she is doing it. Ask yourself, "If I raise this issue, how am I pointing people to Christ? How am I helping them grow in the Spirit? In what way am I loving them?" If there's no answer to those questions, or if you have to stretch far and wide to come up with a complicated or weak answer, then it's best not to speak. Indeed, it's time to focus on listening, because it may be your time to learn.
