“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him…” (Col. 2:6).
The way to live in the kingdom of God is the same as the way we enter it. We did this by responding to the preaching of the gospel with repentance and faith (Mark 1:14,15). It is not enough to hear the truth; we must turn to it in obedience for any transformation to occur (1Pe. 1:22). What is it that keeps us from experiencing greater fruitfulness? There is an important step we must take, but sadly it is too often missing in our walk. This is the practice of spiritual discernment.
Before we can apply spiritual discernment, we must first purpose to walk in the Spirit by faith. This is a deliberate choice we must make in daily surrender. “Those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Gal. 5:24,25). We live crucified to this world and alive to God in Christ Jesus (Gal. 2:20). We must, as Jesus said, deny ourselves and follow Him (Lu. 9:23). To walk effectively in the Spirit, we must listen to, and obey His promptings. How we hear will determine our obedience. “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Lu. 8:8b).
In my desire to walk in surrender to the Lord, I may ask Him, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Ps. 139:23,24). As I pray this, it is important to listen to what the Lord may tell me. What if, instead of speaking directly to my spirit, He chooses to reveal what is in my heart through circumstances? My ability to hear Him will depend on my ability to discern spiritually. In my last article we discussed meditating on the word of God to obtain spiritual understanding. Discerning spiritually is necessary for the application of this understanding since the proper application of knowledge is wisdom. “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.” (Jas. 3:1).
The ability to distinguish between good and evil, is a mark of spiritual maturity. We develop this skill by practice. “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Heb. 5:14). It takes effort, which we will only exert if we are convinced of its value. The first thing we need to develop this habit is a sincere hatred of sin. There are two statements concerning the fear of the Lord that tell me this is the starting point: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 9:10a) and “The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;” (Prov. 8:13a). We must possess a deep conviction that sin produces death, “for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6). Any sinful pattern in my life will result in destruction, and it will affect those around me. If I love my neighbour, I will be diligent in practicing spiritual discernment. God knows how critical it is for me to forsake evil, so He will discipline me if I am not obedient (Heb. 12:5-9).
If the fear of the Lord is the first step, then obeying the commandment of love is the next one. “Now the purpose (or goal) of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,” (1Tim. 1:5). We will be effective in obeying this commandment if we walk by faith with pure motives. We obtain a pure heart when we repent and believe on the Lord for salvation. We maintain purity of heart with a good conscience.
Maintaining a sensitive (good) conscience is the third step. When we are forgiven for our sins, our conscience is cleansed (Heb. 9:14). To have a “good” conscience, we must not allow our hearts to be hardened by sin (Heb. 3:13). We must always be quick to respond in repentance to the convictions of the Holy Spirit.
Armed with these spiritual weapons, we must in humility examine the fruit of our words and actions. “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.” (Matt. 12:33). Am I experiencing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23)? If what I am experiencing is contrary to these, then I apply myself to discern the source of the evil. Pride will keep me from examining myself, so humility is essential.
Recognizing the type of fruit we are experiencing is the easy part. Discerning the tree which is bearing this fruit is more difficult. The Holy Spirit will help us with this as He brings to remembrance what we have meditated on in the word of God. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12). As He uses the word of God, and His anointing as a witness (1Jn. 2:27), we discern His voice in our conscience. Hearing correctly is important, but our response will determine our success. We must cast down “arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2Cor. 10:5). This is possible if we remain in an attitude of submission, refuse to be conformed to this world, and submit to the renewing of our minds (Rom. 12:1,2).
Finally, having discerned what is in our hearts, we can overcome evil by faith. We cannot blame the action of others for our sins; we must take responsibility for them and repent. The good news is that we have died to the power of sin through the cross (Rom. 6:5-14). Standing by faith in our freedom from sin’s power, we look to the life of Christ in us for the grace to obey.
Highway in the Wilderness 