Types/ Kinds Of Biblical Discernment

Part 2 in the "What is Discernment" series.

What is discernment? Is it as simple as just telling the difference between what is “right” and what is “wrong”? If so, then what is “right” and what is “wrong”?

Ultimately, yes, discernment is telling the differences between what is right, be it lawful, good, meaningful, needed, desired or any other word you place on something that needs a decision to be made between two or more options. That leads to another question - “Does discernment have to be between something that is “good” and something that is “bad”? Could discernment between two or more “good” things? Which, at the surface level, would be answered with a yes.

This series of questions is why the Charles Spurgeon quote:
“Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather, it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”
has rung in my mind for years. This quote puts into focus verses such as Matthew 7:15 and 2 Timothy 4:3-4 which we are told that their will be teachers, preachers, leaders that will so much appear to be men of God, but are actually tools of the enemy who have come to deceive, to kill and to damn.

So, this first post in this series on discernment I would like to define what Biblical discernment is and what the types of discernment are. In the upcoming lessons we will dive in and see why if we need to be discerning, should we be discerning and why we should be discerning. Although I do not want this series to be an all out assault on false teachers and things that are perceived as Biblical by many within evangelicalism, that will invariably happen as I use examples that are all around us. Daily.

The dictionary’s definition of discernment is:
dis·cern·ment noun \di-ˈsərn-mənt, -ˈzərn-\
: the ability to see and understand people, things, or situations clearly and intelligently

Would this be the same as the Bible’s definition and reasonings for being discerning? To a certain degree it would be as we are to discern each of the things listed in the secular definition of the word. Of course, scripture goes into more detail.

Let’s look at the different types of discernment listed in the Bible.

The first is what I will call “learned” discernment. This is not to say that discernment is something in and of itself that can be taught, but that learning brings discernment.
Hebrews 5:14 makes this point, that “those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil”. The writer of Hebrews is talking about those that have a stunted growth, who are not growing in knowledge, who are not discerning. Paul also touches on mental growth in Ephesians 4:14 equating lack of knowledge in the things of God as being tossed around, deceived by everything that we hear or that proclaims to be of God.

Paul links knowledge and discernment in Philippians 1:9-10 and that we may “approve the things that are excellent”, which would be the things of God, Kingdom things. Paul also gives the straight forward definition and goal of discernment in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 telling us to “test all things” for the reason of holding onto what is “good” which are the things of God. 

This type of discernment is gained knowledge of the Word of God, gained through the study of scripture, prayerfully seeking God’s guidance. Knowing what God says, within context, about all things. Knowing the heart of God in all facets of your being while here on this planet. This is where so many professing Christians fail right off the bat in their walk. They are ignorantly deceived into accepting all professions of being “Christian” as true, because they do not know what being a Christian truly is. Every wind of doctrine is blindly accepted as orthodox because there is no desire to prove something or someone in light of what God has said in His Word. 

Knowledge is lacking in the non-discerning. This does not mean that these people are not Christians, but their reaction to being confronted about their lack of discernment and willful acceptance to things blatantly anti-God will be very telling, which we will explore in the next section. Gaining knowledge in the things of God, through study, through discipleship, through prayer are all a must. We cannot be lazy and expect to grow in knowledge to be able to be discerning as God wants us to be. 

Sadly many people want to stay in this willful state of ignorant bliss. They grasp onto the ear tickling false teachers on TV or pick up the latest trending book at the local Lifeway. They usually grasp hold of teachers, books and things that make them feel good about themselves or give a false stamp of approval to something they enjoy, which more than likely is something that does not bring glory to God. This is the reason the prosperity “gospel” is so rampant these days, because it is all about “me”. Who do we love more than anyone else when we are self focused? Me. How can I make “me” richer? Healthier? Successful? More loved? God takes a backseat to “me” and the only time the Bible is mentioned is as a proof verse, out of context, to say “Hey, see that, God wants you to have money”. That is not saying that someone with money is not discerning, but the desire of the heart for personal prosperity really exposes the desires of the heart, which is in polar opposition to the desires of the heart that mentioned in Psalm 37:4. 

In summary of the first “type” of discernment - It is to “know” what God says in His Word and to properly test all things against His Word, to actively and purposefully judge what we do, consume, say, desire, read, sing, listen to, talk about. Basically how we live our life in light of God’s Word in pursuit of knowing Him more and becoming more Christlike each day.

The next “type” of discernment I see in scripture is a “spiritual discernment”. This is when the Spirit bears witness with a Christian and they just “know” that something is of God. This is NOT merely a “feeling” or emotion, but the Spirit of the living and True God “making real” to someone what is true of God. This is the exact thing that Paul exhorts us to in 1 Corinthians 2:14

“But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

Jesus also addresses the Spiritual discernment aspect of a believer in Matthew 13:11-17. He equates knowing the mysteries of God as a gift given to us, when it has not been given to the worldly person, the non-Christian. This is why a believer can read the Bible and be moved, enthralled, encouraged and more as opposed to someone who does not have the Spirit of God reading and in that the Bible is seen as dull, boring, full of rules, full of hate, etc. Jesus calls this in this passage as “eyes to see and ears to hear”, which are gifts of God, given by the Spirit, not learned, not “knowledge” from study or academics, but purely as Spiritually imparted. 

John sums this up perfectly for us in 1 John 2:27

But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

There may be other “types” of discernment in scripture but they will stem from these 2 branches from the same vine. Ultimately discernment is simply “knowing” what God says and desires for us, His children, Christ’s body, to bring more glory to Him. There are also only 2 ways to have true godly discernment; given by God Himself, training and studying God’s Word (2 Timothy 2:15). Continual pointing and reliance on the Word of God as our “proof” for anything is the motivation and desire. The goal is to glorify God. 

In the next post we will look into the desire for discernment. Should we have that desire? What if we do not have a desire to be discerning? What does it mean if we are complacent, seemingly feeding on milk and never growing in knowledge of the things of God? 

Footnotes and citations:

Matthew 7:15

New King James Version 

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.

2 Timothy 4:3-4

New King James Version

3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/discernment

Hebrews 5:14

New King James Version 

14 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.

Ephesians 4:14

New King James Version 

14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,

Philippians 1:9-10

New King James Version 

9 And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, 10 that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ,

1 Thessalonians 5:21

New King James Version 

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good.

http://www.notafan.com/ 

Psalm 37:4

New King James Version 

4 Delight yourself also in the Lord,

And He shall give you the desires of your heart.

1 Corinthians 2:14

New King James Version 

14 But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Matthew 13:11-17

New King James Version 

11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand,

And seeing you will see and not perceive;

15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull.

Their ears are hard of hearing,

And their eyes they have closed,

Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears,

Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn,

So that I should heal them.’

16 But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; 17 for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

1 John 2:27

New King James Version 

27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

Allowing The World To Point You To Christ

I woke up with a thought on my mind this morning. I don't know if it is an original thought or if I may have heard it from someone along the way and the dark recesses of my mind only recalled it this day (I will do a search after I am finished writing this post and will let you know at the end of the post if it is an original thought or give credit to the originator).

"Everyone in your life is either pointing you to Christ or trying to discourage your relationship with Christ"

I'm going to have to break that down, because this thought, while often true, doesn't have to be. As Christians we love fellowship with the brothers and sisters that God has put in our lives; our church family, our pastor, our "blood" family, friends on Facebook and even some co-workers. When we think of those that point us to Christ we think of those people and rightfully so, they know Christ as well, our spirits bear witness to one another and we are greatly encouraged with interactions. So, the first part of the quote is a given. But what about the second part?

Along my walk with Christ there has come others that are seemingly there to try and discourage my relationship with my Lord. They, too, could be close friends, professing Christians, family members, co-workers or even the cashier at the grocery store. Sometimes they may call you a "fanatic" or "Jesus Freak" or "Holy Roller", but all in an attempt to try and make you look odd or weird because you actually follow what scripture says; that you love God and love people. This can get you down because we, as humans, still crave acceptance and rejection is not what anyone wants or desires. They offer worldly "fixes" to your problems and do not point to God. What do we do then? Usually lay off a little bit, maybe turn down the volume knob from 11 when around those people. But, I say "Why?". Why would we want to snuff, maybe the only Light these people might ever see? Why allow them to think that a relationship with God should be based on their views or any other view not found in scripture but is rooted in the world view?

I suggest that when these people are placed in our life that it is not coincidental. Instead of allowing them to manipulate our actions, words or deeds when in their presence that we do the same things that we do when we are within the walls of a church building - Praise God. Do not let an attack drive you from Christ, but let it fuel an increased dependency to run TO Christ. Take it as yet another reason to seek His face, to lift this lost person up that they may sing the same praises to God as you.

Remember that we are not fighting against flesh and blood, but against things in the spiritual realm. Most people are under the influence of this world and their views are based on the morality (or lack of) that is set forth by people. Now, I'm not saying all people are possessed by demons, but I do believe a lot are. I believe those that are not have been lulled into the creed of "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the law", or more easily understood as "Let me live my life the way I want, you live your life, whatever feels good for you is perfectly fine", which I translate as "There are no absolutes and everyone makes their own truth about everything". This  of course, is not valid if you actually follow the Bible and God as Scripture reveals how a follower of Christ actually is.

Society says that all views are valid, until you start speaking in absolutes. This is self refuting because that statement is an absolute statement. This kind of thinking is better known as "post-modernism", which has infiltrated the "church" (lowercase c). I like to say it has infiltrated the perceived church, or what the world sees as the "church". Now that the World sees professing Christians say that we must question everything in the Bible, that the Word of God is invalid in some areas, that "sin" is not really sin and then see other's say that we must still follow the Word of God and actually still do, they are seen as "radical fundamentalists" or fanatics. I'd just say that they are actually Christians that are still seeking to follow Jesus Christ.

Back to the subject at hand, sorry for the rabbit chasing. Christian! Don't let this world discourage you from a true relationship with God. Seek people that can be a mutual edification between you and them, plant yourself in a true Church Body that loves and seeks after God in all things. Ground yourself in the Word of God. Purge yourself of as much of this world as possible. Seek Jesus Christ. Let the World be a constant reminder of how much you need God, in every step you take, every breath you take, every word you say. Let those that could be discouragement instead be another reason to praise God and call upon Him. Use this world as encouragement, to seek God instead of something that will drag you down and cause spiritual decline.

Seek God in all things. Praise God in all things. Speak of God in all things. Live to God in all things. Allow God to use you to further His Kingdom. Do not conform to this World and allow it to mold you. Let go and let God.

(I just did a fast search and did not find anyone else that had said the original quote of this post. This thought has been building in me over the past few weeks as a current trial has been developing. I have seen God greatly encourage me through the Body, I have heard worldly advise and I have seen attacks from people that claim to have the same Spirit residing in them as I do. I have let the latter affect me, but no more. I know my God is faithful and my God is able. I know that God fights for me and I know that all things He allows in my life are for my good. He has placed His yoke upon me and is carrying my weight  He is directing my path and He is ordering my steps. I have His promises that He will do only good for this situation, that I am not being punished for anything because Christ bore ALL of my punishment on Calvary. I need only trust that He is working all things for my good and just follow His lead. He is in control and I rest in that.)

Allowing The Body To Be The Body

Do you put a blindfold over your eyes when driving down the road? Do you tie your hands behind your back when having dinner? Do you bind your feet when going swimming? I didn't think so. Then why can't we allow the Body of Christ to work as God designed it to?

So many times we (and by "we" I mean "me") want to handicap the Body. I make excuses and have false reasonings  but what it comes down to is sin. God has been gracious to us, His children, to place us into the universal Body of Christ, but it actually goes further than that. He has placed us within local bodies, that must be given the opportunity to function.

I am learning this through a trial that is in my life at this moment. I have no control over anything, which is scary for me. I am a "fixer", I like to know what's going on and I try to figure out all the tangents that my puny mind can think of. Know what? Most of the time I am wrong and things work out differently, so my worries have been for naught. Of course scripture has a lot to say about this and I "know" these things, but only on the occasions that things are out of my control do I learn the lesson all over again. Why can't I seem to remember this in my daily life? Why can't Matthew 6:20-34 sink in without a trial?

Why can't I share my burdens with the rest of the body so they can come along side me in prayer? Why do I feel the need to deprive the plan of God to allow His body to function in the way that He designed? The short answer is, of course, sin. The long answer includes pride, our stubbornness or maybe even just not wanting to burden someone else with what we see as "our issues". I think it is the latter for me as I hear others who are striving and asking for prayer I "feel" that it wouldn't be "fair" to encumber them any more than they already are. Know what I'm finding out? That the saying "Misery loves company" should actually be "Needs need company".
This is wonderfully summed up in Galatians 5:13-14:

For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

Then Paul goes on to tell us in Galatians 6:2:

Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

It really doesn't get much plainer than that. We are to actually take the burdens of others as our own and "bear" them along side. No prerequisite that we are to not have any burdens when someone else does, nothing about not wanting to impose on anyone else, just the admonition to "bear one another's burdens". What does that look like? I can speak from experience that it looks just like it sounds. We all have our "problems" and we all come along side one another and pray, seek God, comfort, hold up, lend a shoulder, cry together, whatever it takes to "bear one another's".

God has been so good to His children. Even in what looks to be a challenging time He has shown His grace and mercies. He is teaching me some things through a current trial, actually re-teaching my stubborn self. I will be sharing in the near future the trials that are before me and my family and ask for you, others in the Body of Christ, to bear our burdens and to function as He designed. He works through His people and He loves to lavish Himself on us. What may seem daunting is nothing for the One who created the Universe. Even if we can't see the end, you can believe that is a sure sign that you should immediately turn it over to Him.

Still learning and still asking for prayer.


Matthew 6:34:

Therefore don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

The Scope Of Your Influence

God has graced me with, what I think is, a good job with a good benefits package that includes vacation time. This week is vacation time with the first 2 days were spent watching our sick grandson instead of sending him to daycare which was a great time. Yesterday and today have been chore days, which makes me think this is not really a vacation after all, but it is good to not be bogged down with “work”.

This morning, before venturing into chore mode, I came across a video of Phil Robertson of Duck Dynasty/ Duck Commander fame. I was first introduced to Phil and his family via the Duck Dynasty TV series and first heard of the show in my Sunday School class. One of the teens in there said they were watching it and said that they were Christians, so I had to check it out. Now, let me be upfront, I have never been duck hunting in my life and only been any kind of hunting one time, for rabbit, which I felt bad afterward and never went again. I have the luxury of not having the need to hunt, but would and will if the need ever arises, so I do not think hunting is “wrong” and is actually quite “right”. If you watch the video series I post at the end of this posting you will hear just how God designed us as hunters.

During the video I heard a little about hunting, which is to be expected, but then heard a LOT about God. It was awesome and I soon began to realize that God had given these men favor, through hunting, to preach the Gospel. Their scope of influence is broad now, thanks to a love for hunting and God's working in their lives to put them in the a large scope of influence. This got me thinking about my scope of influence.

While my “world' is not as broad as the Robertson family has been given, my task is the same – Preach the Gospel to everyone I come into contact with. This means my job, when I go shopping, to my neighbor, to the mailman, the UPS man, the counter person at McDonalds and in my own home. Just because these men have been given a larger “audience” doesn't mean that we are to have a large audience to proclaim the Gospel. Everyone's audience is given by God for specific reasons. My audience could never be the same as Phil or Jase Robertson as I know nothing about hunting, but not a single Robertson can have my audience or your audience. And please don't misunderstand my use of the word “audience”, which is not meant in an entertainment since, but in a “who God puts in my life who hears my voice and who I can tell about Him”.

So I ask anyone who may happen across this posting, who God has put in my scope of influence, to look around you. Look at the opportunities that God places in your life everyday to tell of His glory. You don't have to keep asking “God please give me the opportunity to....” because He already does, they are already there. Turn that prayer into “God please allow me eyes to see the opportunities you have already given to me, to share your Gospel, to share your love”. I guarantee you He will and while you may never get a reality TV show you will be partaking in the Great Commission of making disciples.

I encourage each of you to watch these videos and see how God has placed hunting in their lives in order to share the Gospel. If you are a Christian you will be greatly encouraged. As you watch pray and ask God to show you the opportunities that you may have to do this same thing, in the scope of influence He has placed before you.  

Phil

(6 videos, about 10 minutes each)

Jase

(Almost and hour long, but great)

Becoming The Perfect Husband

(This is my latest post at the Treasuring Christ  website. Please take a moment to look over the website. There are many great resources available there.)

If you take a look at my avatar you will see E 5:25. Not that you may have noticed it before, or if you have you may have just thought it was the number on the back of my favorite sports player’s jersey or something similar. The fact is that means Ephesians 5:25, a verse that gripped me a few years ago and refuses to relinquish its grasp.

Ephesians 5:25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her........

Please continue reading at he Treasuring Christ website

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

SINCERE, BUT SINCERELY WRONG

(by A.W. Pink) 

It is greatly to be feared that there are

multitudes in Christendom who verily

imagine and sincerely believe that they

are among the saved, yet who are total

strangers to a work of divine grace in

their hearts. 

It is one thing to have clear intellectual

conceptions of God's truth, it is quite

another matter to have a personal, real

heart acquaintance with it. 

It is one thing to believe that sin is the

awful thing that the Bible says it is, but

it is quite another matter to have a holy

horror and hatred of it in the soul. 

It is one thing to know that God requires

repentance, it is quite another matter to

experimentally mourn and groan over our

vileness. 

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

only Savior for sinners, it is quite another

matter to really trust Him from the heart.

It is one thing to believe that Christ is the

'sum of all excellency', it is quite another

matter to LOVE HIM above all others. 

It is one thing to believe that God is the

great and holy One, it is quite another

matter to truly reverence and fear Him. 

It is one thing to believe that salvation

is of the Lord, it is quite another matter

to become an actual partaker of it through

His gracious workings.

The Heart Of Your Treasures

This is a first for me. My good friend Whitt from Treasuring Christ asked if I would like to be a monthly contributor to the TC website. Apparently he has read my posts here before, but that didn't stop him from asking anyway. I was honored to have been asked and this week my first endeaver there was posted. Below is the first part of it, so please visit the Treasuring Christ website to read the rest of it. WHile there please sign up for the many and valuable resources there, including men's and women's ministry pages, the Emergency study that I have recommended here before and several other studies. There are just too many for me to list here, so please bookmark the site and dive in.

The Heart Of Your Treasures: Posted on the Treasuring Christ website

What you are reading is the 3rd incarnation of this article. The first two? Well, let’s just say they got a little wordy and I tried to get all “expositional” on the whole chapter of Matthew 13. And I realized; “Jeff, this is not about breaking down each verse word by word. This is about Christ and the Treasure He is to you”.

So, here I am, after sleeping another night with the verse on my mind and weighing on my heart. Waking with it being the first thing on my mind: “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.”

I cannot read this verse without it bringing to mind, Luke 12:34 (and Matthew 6:21) “For where your treasure is, there will be your heart also”. These verses have caused me to really look inward to where exactly is my heart. What is my treasure? Is my treasure Christ? Am I willing to sell everything I have to pursue Him?

(Continuing Reading at Treasuring Christ)

God's Amazing Grace

If I were to have started this blog today, instead of years ago I would probably have titled it “That Grace May Abound”. Not that I wasn't aware of God's grace(s) at that time, but He was showing me so much truth from His Word and about what I had been living for the bulk of my life. Today, my 44^th Birthday, as I reflect back over the past years of my life I see the signs and evidences of God's grace throughout. Yes, even when I was lost and in rebellion to my Lord, He was still pouring His grace and His love out in my life. Grace is often attributed as "unmerited favor" or a reprieve of guilt and with those I totally agree with, but it is also the natural extension of God's love to His children. 

I think about my childhood, about how He put me in a church, to learn the bible stories that showed His power and how He worked in people's lives like David, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, Noah, Moses and many others in the Bible. I never really learned, though, why these stories were in the bible, that they all actually pointed to Christ, but nonetheless, they were laying groundwork in my life to point me to Him later in life. I think of my “rebellious” years, which were actually all my years until He saved me. But the ones that stick out are when I openly flung my fist in the air and said, “I'm doing this my way, I'll do what I want – when I want”. All the time thinking that I was saved because of a profession as an 8 year old in that same church's youth group.

The years passed and I can honestly only think of only a single night that, as I lay down to sleep, I did not pray to the god I had created in my own mind. The reason? I dozed off drunk. I would always pray for forgiveness, for the same sins, for the life that I lived and for the multitude of sins I committed each day. God was still graceful to me, He kept me safe, He kept those around me safe, He still allowed me the days until I would finally and truly know Him.

I see the signs of God working my life through the years. Even though, at the time, I didn't realize it was Him. The things I prayed for that never came to pass, the things I did pray for that actually did. The staying of His wrath against me as I defiled His Name by professing to know Him, all the while living in open sin to and with those I was making the profession to. I know first hand the deception of a false convert, which is again by His grace. I attribute this to my “zeal” for truth. I just so greatly want others that live in deception to be awakened from their slumber and meet the One True God.

I have in my recent past, since God saved me, seen His grace in many ways. Today He has shown me that a lot of times His grace is shown through people He has put in my life. I think about people that for many different reasons should have had their anger heightened toward me, in my zeal (misdirected zeal) said and did things that I should have actually stopped to think about beforehand. But God in His richness of Grace allowed these people to react with the grace that I lacked. These occurrences have made a huge impact on me and I now see that these, too, were an act of God's grace in my life. God has used these people in many ways and without that grace shown I would not be where I am today. I still have the “zeal” for His truth, but also have a fresh zeal for His Grace. It is through His grace that I have a better understanding of how to interact with others better. Not perfectly by a long shot, but better.

In 2010, on my birthday, I set out on a year long journey on this blog titled “A Year In MY Life ThroughPictures”. It seemed like a good idea at first, but soon became somewhat tedious. I do not regret doing the series, but it did leave a sense of antipathy ($2 word alert) to me, I just didn't want to write any longer. I was burned out and I was spent. I needed a break. So, since finishing the year long series in 2011, on my birthday, I have been sporadic, at best, with my postings. A few things here and there have sparked me to bang something out, but no real inspiration. Until now. Why? I have no idea, but I feel the need to start posting again.

Let me say something again that I have said from the get-go on this blog. I AM NOT A WRITER. I hated English class in high school. I hated diagramming sentences. I can't spell. I do not properly punctuate. I make up words. I ramble on and on. I lack sentence structure. I lack any sense of writing ability that would characterize someone that anyone else would want to read. But I think of Moses, who had a speech impediment, whom God used anyway. I think of Jeremiah who tried to talk God into not using him:

Jeremiah 1:4-9 

4 The word of the Lord came to me: 5 I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. 6 But I protested, “Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don’t know how to speak since I am only a youth.” 

7 Then the Lord said to me:

Do not say, “I am only a youth,”

for you will go to everyone I send you to

and speak whatever I tell you.

8 Do not be afraid of anyone,

for I will be with you to deliver you.

This is the Lord’s declaration.

9 Then the Lord reached out His hand, touched my mouth, and told me:

I have now filled your mouth with My words.

Not that I should be compared to Moses or Jeremiah, but God is still God and I am still feeble. Moses and Jeremiah tried to talk God out of using them and I have done that too. But I see that God can use whoever He pleases, however He pleases, whenever He pleases and I don't want to miss that. I want to be aware when He is using me and actually, willingly and openly be used of Him in whatever capacity that is. I don't want to miss God like I did 38 years of my life.

So I ask anyone who ventures upon this blog site to be graceful of my mistakes, I make them often. Please do not hesitate to correct me grammatically or if I have something wrong spiritually. I would actually prefer that you correct me, so I do not continue in error. But some things you may be in error in as well and I ask that you seek correction too. God is still graceful to the humble, but not the prideful. I have learned that the hard way, through my stubbornness and through my lack of grace to others. God has been very good to me and has corrected me through His grace and through His grace through others.

What better way to describe grace than this:

Ephesians 2:4-9

4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.