Posted February 19th, 2013 at 10:20 pm1 Comment
Hello faithful followers!
A few years ago, I was speaking to the Lord about all sorts of things and particularly about discernment. It seems so many people call discernment judgmentalism and I was confused about what was happening in my life. I as a prophetic personality would see something that was wrong, and obviously so to me, and I would comment on it, then inevitably I would get this don’t be so judgmental lesson from a close friend or the person I was trying to help. They always seem to quote Matthew 7:1&2
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge you will be judged; and with the same measure you measure it will be measured back to you.”
So I said: ‘Lord am I being judgmental? People are always accusing me of being so, but I don’t think I am please teach me.’
So I sought the Lord and searched my soul to see if I had been judgmental or what.
Holy Spirit Himself came to me, in the small inner voice, and taught me about the difference between being judging and discerning. He told me that all of Matthew 7 is really a teaching He was giving his disciples about discernment.
“Judge not, that you be not judged. 2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. 3 And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? 5 Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.
6 “Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces.
Often this is what is happening when we share spiritual things with non-spiritual people. They can not see clearly and accuse you of doing so, and they rationalize their actions by blaming you for being judgmental.Each demarcation is another lesson about this very subject. The first 6 verses are about judging others and being a hypocrite. It also says not to cast your pearls or wisdom before swine. They will trample you.
Verses 7-11 are very familiar to many but never taught using the lessons of discernment I find.
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
Are you seeking, asking and knocking? Perseverance in seeking wisdom and discernment from the Holy Spirit is an important lesson for all of us to learn when trying to figure out right from wrong and difficult situations in our lives. Your Father who is a good God will give good things to Him who asks.
13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Wisdom and discernment often take time to ponder and pray so sit and listen to the Holy Spirit speak to you to teach you, for Jesus promised He would teach you all things and bring to remembrance all things that He had said.
15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.20 Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”
This is a very important lesson, for many false teachers roam around teaching far more than false prophets, though those are there also. False prophets are not people learning and practising their gifting, they are people who are full of self and evil seeking to deceive others purposely. False teachers can be the same evil people but they can also be very mistaken people who have believed lies and now have these lies growing in their hearts and taking root. They probably have a call on their lives to teach but they are teaching doctrines of devils and others half-truths, that they have learned.
Mistakenly leading others astray! Jesus said to beware of “Blind Guides” and these would most likely fall into that category.
SO HOW DO WE KNOW WHO ARE TRUE AND WHO ARE FALSE OR WHO ARE FULL OF HALF-TRUTHS LEADING OTHER’S ASTRAY?
You know by their fruit!
Jesus gave us many tools to discern but this is a big one. We must take time to discern for ourselves the fruit and the truth according to what Jesus and Holy Spirit teach us in the word of God. Fruit takes time to bear. From an apple tree root to shoot and then to fruit it usually takes 3 years.
Do not be quick to judge but pray and watch and discern.
We have become like babies always looking to others to tell us the truths of God and to interpret scripture for us.
BUT GOD!…….
He has given us His faithful and loyal Holy Spirit to lead us and to guide us into all truth and righteousness. Do you have a realtionship with Holy Spirit? It is the most important relationship you will ever cultivate.
“To know Him and to make Him know.”
This is my rule of life and it should be every Christian’s heart felt desire ~ the longing which pulls on your heart more than any other.
Come Lord, Jesus, Come and fill me full!
How long Oh, Lord until You come and take me with you!
Come Holy Spirit and teach me Your truth, Your word~ “Kiss me Lord, with the kisses of Your mouth! For I am lovesick for You!”
We tend to seek others more that God Himself. “Seek Him and Live!”
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
I think this is the scariest part of the Bible. It is actually possible to be a minister for Gos and do miracles and deliverance and NEVER KNOW HIM!
OUCH!
He even said ~ ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
In this verse the lawlessness is not works that people have done FOR God ~ but the not knowing GOD HIMSELF.
The MOST IMPORTANT thing in the heart of God is that we will KNOW HIM and HE WILL KNOW US! He is a relational God and is communal at His very core, the Trinity is a triune God, and so God relates communally. “In His face/presence there is fullness of joy.”
Do you know the joy of feeling the glorious presence of God in your life and heart? If not, you need to seek Him for “He is seeking such to worship Him”, even now.
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”
28 And so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at His teaching, 29 for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
Jesus wants us to have wisdom and discernment, to be like the man who built his house upon the rock ~ the ROCK of Jesus Christ. When He taught the people they were astonished for they knew they were being taught the truth, by ONE who had authority not just a usual scribe/teacher, not just a mere man, but God Himself gave the lessons that day, and He will again, when we seek His face and listen.
Good stuff, Cynthia!!