Pitfalls of Discernment
THE PITFALLS OF DISCERNMENT
JUDGING
People with the gift of discernment have an inward sense, an instinctive knowing that is sometimes without words. It is a common quandary that when these feelings rise to the surface and become “opinions”, so does guilt. This is because Jesus told us not to judge. Many with the gift of discernment become frustrated, confused, condemned, ashamed, and even self loathing simply because they are not able to understand how to use their gift nor understand what it is for!
Jesus said, “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matt 7:1-2 NKJV)
Judging is clearly defined in the Bible as wrong behavior and Jesas said that whatever portion we judge others we will receive the same portion of judgment back. It is like a boomerang principal; a counter punch. If we punch a punching bag it comes back to us the same measure of force we sent it!
Judge [2919] not, that you be not judged [2919]. For with what judgment [2917] you judge [2919], you will be judged [2919]; and with the measure [3358] you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Matt 7:1-2 NKJV)
STRONGS EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE HEBREW
Judge
NT:2919
krino (kree’-no); properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:
KJV – avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
STRONGS EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE GREEK
Judgment
NT:2917
krima (kree’-mah); from NT:2919; a decision (the function or the effect, for or against [“crime”]):
KJV – avenge, condemned, condemnation, damnation, + go to law, judgment.
Measure
NT:3358
metron (met’-ron); an apparently primary word; a measure (“metre”), literally or figuratively; by implication a limited portion (degree):
KJV – measure.
Mete
NT:3354
metreo (met-reh’-o); from NT:3358; to measure (i.e. ascertain in size by a fixed standard); by implication to admeasure (i.e. allot by rule):
KJV – figuratively, to estimate:
KJV – measure, mete.
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-39 NKJV)
In this second scripture Jesus said that the same counter punch principal works for forgiving and giving. In other words, if we sow judgment, we will reap judgment, if we sow forgiveness, we will reap forgiveness. Notice that in these two scriptures, they are both in context to the same Greek word measure. The harvest of judgment and forgiveness in our own lives depends on how much we sow the same in others.
Judge [2919] not, and you shall not be judged [2919]. Condemn [2613] not, and you shall not be condemned [2613]. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure [3358] that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Judge
NT:2919
krino (kree’-no); properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:
KJV – avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
Condemn
NT:2613
katadikazo (kat-ad-ik-ad’-zo); from NT:2596 and a derivative of NT:1349; to adjudge against, i.e. pronounce guilty:
KJV – condemn.
I witnessed an excellent example of condemning and judging.
Condemn: I heard a lady say that her Mother had cancer and the Lord told her it was because the mother had not learned to forgive. Whether this was accurate or not, she had pronounced her mother guilty of unforgiveness.
Judgment: Then she said that her sister had breast cancer and had been clean for 6 years. But the Lord told her that the cancer would come back if she did not learn to forgive. Then she said that the Lord told her that she too would get cancer if she did not forgive. These were statements of judgment or consequences for the unforgiveness.
=================================
THE DILEMMA OF DISCERNMENT
The dilemma: The word judge in the Greek is the same root word for discern! To unravel this, let us consider that in the above scripture Jesus said not to judge and not to condemn. Even though they are similar, these are 2 different steps within the judicial process. They are two different Greek words. To condemn means to declare someone guilty of misconduct. To judge means to state the reward for such behavior.
If we were to add discernment in this judicial court case, to discern would be equivalent to hearing the case, all the while weighing the scales with evidence. Discernment would be separating the facts, both and good and the bad and distributing them into 2 piles. On one side of the scale would be the bad and on the other would be the good. In logical order, this discernment process would proceed the condemning, then judgment.
Notice again the following scripture and its word for discern. This word starts with #1253, saying that word is from #1252, and that #1252 is from #1223 and 2919. The history of this word displays the same process. It says to discern means to dispute or argue. And that leads to separating the evidence and separating the facts leads to the final judgment:
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 [1253] both good and evil.
Discern
NT:1253
diakrisis (dee-ak’-ree-sis); from NT:1252; judicial estimation:
KJV – discern (-ing), disputation.
NT:1252
diakrino (dee-ak-ree’-no); from NT:1223 and NT:2919; to separate thoroughly, i.e. (literally and reflexively) to withdraw from, or (by implication) oppose; figuratively, to discriminate (by implication, decide), or (reflexively) hesitate:
KJV – contend, make (to) differ (-ence), discern, doubt, judge, be partial, stagger, waver.
NT:2919
krino (kree’-no); properly, to distinguish, i.e. decide (mentally or judicially); by implication, to try, condemn, punish:
KJV – avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
So we see that the very process of discernment, which is what we are required to do in separating good from evil, easily leads to judgment! Help Lord! Can this be resolved? Yes, keep reading.
=================================
A WATCHMAN’S DOWNWARD SPIRAL
It is natural for a prophetic person to see what is wrong, because by the very nature of their calling, they are watchmen. In the Old Testament, the watchmen stood on the towers and scanned in the distance for good and bad news. They called out what they saw. If they saw something of concern coming, they gave warnings. These warnings were for the protection and welfare of all those involved, not for their destruction.
It is easy for a watchman to go downward into a descending spiral when they discern evil. They can become:
- Critical
- Faultfinding
- Accusing
- Judgmental
- Angry
- Bitter
- Resentful
- Pessimistic
- Skeptical
- Depressed
- Hopeless
- Apathetic
- Unbelief
There are various degrees of all of these. On the lower end of the scale is a critical nature. This is the personality of a faultfinding person. The person tends to have a pessimistic attitude about most anything, and even if you say how pretty the sky is, he will note the cloud in the distance. It is as though these kinds of people wear tinted glasses and everything they see is viewed through a negative lens. Because of this, they can become angry, bitter or resentful, or depressed, hopeless and apathetic and unbelieving.
I have seen these kinds of prophets take a downward spiral and instead of pleading the case to the Lord, they plead it to people. They complain and murmur, and when that doesn’t relieve them, they backbite and slander, eventually they assassinate the character of the Lord’s anointed or the Lord’s work and they end up passing judgment. It gets worse, they prophesy judgment as a deserving penalty for what they “discern” and it gets worse, for they will eventually pray the judgment come to pass.
Jesus rebuked his disciples for this same kind of spirit. In this scripture the disciples had come up with a sentence or judgment for their enemies:
“And when His disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do You want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?” But He turned and rebuked them, and said, “You do not know what manner of spirit you are of. For the Son of Man did not come to destroy men’s lives but to save them.” And they went to another village.” (Luke 9:53-56 NKJV)
“As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezek 33:10-11 NLT)
If one has either a critical nature, a pessimistic attitude, or even a critical sprit, and does not forgive they become judgmental. Judging is clearly defined in the Bible as wrong behavior and Jesus said that whatever portion we judge others we will receive the same portion of judgment back. It is like a boomerang principal; a counter punch. If we punch a punching bag it comes back!
Judging is making a decision about a person and what he deserves. The word judge (#2919) in the Greek means to distinguish, decide, try, condemn, punish. The word is translated as avenge, conclude, condemn, damn, decree, determine, esteem, judge, go to (sue at the) law, ordain, call in question, sentence to, think.
When one judges a person, they make a decision about that person and their deserving punishment. When one discerns, they make a decision about the person’s behavior and intercedes so the person does not get what the behavior deserves. In other words, judging is making a decision about people, discerning is making a decision about behavior. Jane Doe is an evil criminal and needs to be in jail verses Jane Doe is making sinful decisions and needs the Lord’s deliverance. The response to a judgment is a sentence of punishment. The response to discernment is to plead for good.
It is natural for a prophetic person to see what is wrong, because by the very nature of their calling, they are watchmen. In the Old Testament, the watchmen stood on the towers and scanned in the distance for good and bad news. They called out what they saw. If they saw something of concern coming, they gave warnings. These warnings were for the protection and welfare of all those involved, not for their destruction.
When the Lord gives someone discernment, it comes with the responsibility to pray and cover what they discern. Love covers a multitude of sins. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Cor 13:4-7 NLT)
God is a just God. He is perfectly holy, perfectly righteous and holds a perfect standard to measure us and our behavior by. We simply can not measure up to His standard. However, He is also perfect love. And in His love, He sent His beloved Son to stand in our place and die for us, so that we could come to Him. In all cases, love triumphs, love balances the scale of justice. The bottom line of deciding whether or not we are judging or discerning is to ask ourselves, “Is my response to this person or situation loving?”
=================================
OVERCOMING THE PITFALLS OF DISCERNMENT
EXPERIENCE: LABELS, LABELS AND MORE LABELS
I had an interesting prophetic thing happen. He had already been talking to me about “opinions” before this happened. It happened on a day where there was a war going on in my mind about a particular person. I had been criticized and felt judged and so I forgave, I released, I prayed, and I still had this war going on inside my thoughts. It became really ridiculous and I knew that this was a spiritual thing of fighting spirits, certainly not the person. Even after I understood this, I went right back to the mind war. I thought, “Whatever I do, it is not good enough.”
At that moment in history I was reaching for an envelope on a shelf and bumped into a plastic box the size of a very large drawer. The box turned upside down and hundreds and hundreds of labels fell out on the floor in a huge mass. I stood there staring at the contents of this box with my mouth hanging open. I saw little round garage sale stickers, filing labels, sticky notes, diskette labels, removable labels, Xstampers and ink, filing labels and plastic inserts to hold the labels. The tally continued, and with my mouth still hanging opened, I realized what I had just thought was an opinion that was exactly like a label. It was like a word curse upon myself in the form of a self applied label.
THREE STORIES
Years ago as a newly born, naïve, prophetic child the Lord sent me to a person of authority, who formed an opinion about me. He labeled me, eventually judged, and finally rejected me. From the beginning, I was instantly hurled into a spiritual battle at such magnitude, that I did not know what hit me. It was my training ground and my teeth cutting days. All prophetic people go through this training, and I learned a lot of lessons back then. One thing I learned was that since this person was very anointed, he carried a lot of authority in the spiritual realm and his opinions of me were actually loosing evil spirits upon me. I knew this was true, but could not find the scripture to support this revelation. Through the years I saw this happening to others when they were judged, and I kept asking the Lord to send me confirmation. During the past couple of weeks, He finally answered that prayer. Before I share with you the scriptural insights, I want to share 2 more stories.
In the next experience, I was listening to a father speak negatively about his daughter. He was upset about a decision she had made and he brought several things into the conversation about her past mistakes. Feeling awkward about correcting an elder, I listened and by the time I was finally able to disconnect myself from the conversation, I felt slimed. I had compassion for the gal whose father had spoken like this about her and I prayed for her. That very day, a few hours later, I ran into her and she told me that she had a particularly bad day of bombarding negative thoughts. During a lengthy car drive that morning, she suddenly started thinking about all her past mistakes. Her mind was a battle ground of trying to overcome condemnation, guilt, shame and also trying to defend herself to no one but her own miserable thoughts. She said it was such a war that she had to finally yell at the devil to stop bugging her and she started speaking the Word of God over her past. I was so amazed at her volunteer confession, I asked her what time this happened. It was the exact time that her father was speaking these things about her. Then I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that people’s opinions, conversations and judgments release evil tormenting spirits to others.
In the last story, I was listening to a sermon on a cassette tape. It was the story of a traveling speaker who discovered that sometimes after he spoke at various churches, he would have these terrible wars going on in his mind. He would wake up and start thinking, “Maybe I should have said, this, or that.. I didn’t quite cover that right, I meant to say this… etc, etc!” It was becoming quite an issue of unrest with him. He realized it was a spiritual battle and started praying over it.
After one battle, he called one of the churches where he had just ministered, and mentioned to the pastor that he had not heard from him, and wondered if everything was all right. The pastor told him that they had not received what he had shared. When he got off the phone, he realized his thoughts of condemnation were bombarding him via evil spirits sent to him from the congregations’ inability to receive what he had shared. He started declaring out loud to the spirit world, “God’s Word will not return void!” A couple of days later, he called the pastor back, and the pastor said everything had changed and they had received him. In another church he had no bombarding thoughts, and so he wondered why! He called, and the pastor and congregation were very pleased with what he had shared. This was a real revelation to him of why he was having such unrest and this bombardment of ‘thought wars’.
As I listened to this tape, I knew the Lord was speaking to my prayer of so long ago. Here a preacher had also discovered that people’s opinions can loose curses in the form of evil spirits upon us. At the same time, I was working on a deliverance file for ministry teams (eventually to be placed at my site) and I was doing a study on curses. The scriptures came alive to me and gratefully I finally found the scripture connections to back up this revelation. I hope that I can relay this to you in a way that you can see it too. It has really helped me and given me some good tools in overcoming what I call ‘word curses’ that are sent to us from opinions of others and even ourselves.
THE SCRIPTURAL REVELATION
Scripture One: “Like a flitting sparrow, like a flying swallow, so a curse without cause shall not alight.” (Prov 26:2 NKJV)
King James says, “As the bird by wandering, as the swallow by flying, so the curse causeless shall not come.” The word causeless in the Hebrew means devoid of cost, devoid of reason or devoid of advantage.
What this means is that a curse will not land upon us unless we give it a reason to stay. Most often, that reason is our own sin or our own unforgiveness. The scriptures tell us that all of have sinned and deserve all the curses for disobedience to the laws of God, but that Jesus became a curse for us and paid the cost so that we could be set free of those curses. (Deut 28:15, Matt 18:34, Rom 3:23, Gal 3:13-14)
Please note that in Matt 18:34 it is a PROMISE that if we do not forgive, we are delivered to tormentors! “And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the TORMENTORS, till he should PAY all that was due unto him. So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses.”
Scripture two: “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you…” (Matt 5:44-45 NKJV)
“Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse…. Repay no one evil for evil… Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Therefore “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him a drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Rom 12:14,17,19 -21 NKJV)
This is a command to bless when we have been cursed and a promise that this “subdues, conquers, prevails and gains the victory” over evil. (Greek for the word overcome.) This very promise took place in Job’s life.
“And the LORD turned the captivity of Job, when he prayed for his friends: also the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before.” (Job 42:10 KJV)
Scripture three: “When you are invited into someone’s home, give it your blessing. If it turns out to be a worthy home, let your blessing stand; if it is not, take back the blessing. If a village doesn’t welcome you or listen to you, shake off the dust of that place from your feet as you leave.” (Matt 10:12-15 NLT)
King James says “And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.” (Matt 10:13 KJV) The word return means to revert, come again, to convert. When we give something away, we receive it back again.
To me, this verse implies that when we give a blessing to someone unworthy, it returns to us and we get blessed. Therefore, when we bless our enemies and those who curse us, it comes back to us as a blessing. I can see that this is similar to the concept that a curse will not stay without reason for it to stay. In the same way, a blessing will not stay without reason for it to stay. It comes back to us and we receive the benefit.
In pondering this verse that Jesus said first bless, then shake the dust off your feet, I wondered how these connected together since they seemed opposed to one another and implied some kind of a judgment against the unworthy enemies. I knew that couldn’t be correct since we are commanded not to judge, but to forgive. (Matt 7:2, Luke 6:37) And that was the moment of revelation.
Scripture four: “So it [the demon] returns and finds that its former home is all swept and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” (Luke 11:25-26 NLT)
Back then they did not have carpeted floors. When the people literally swept their homes, they swept dirt and dust carried in on their feet. In this scripture Jesus was comparing a swept home with being clean of evil spirits. I suddenly understood that when He told the disciples to shake the dust off their feet from the towns that did not receive their testimony, that He was saying shake the demonic dust, dirt, grime, filth off their feet as they left. So in context, we bless the people who do not receive us, then shake off the evil spirits that are biting our heals on the way out the door!
THE COUNTER PUNCH
I believe this concept works the opposite as well. If we judge and do not forgive those who judge or label us, it looses evil spirits upon them. These evil spirits keep them from repentance and make them worse than they were before. Therefore we have every reason to forgive, pray for, and even bless those who judge us, for in doing so they may change their heart.
SUMMARY
Getting back to the box of dumped labels, God wants to dump our boxes out, and help us get rid of all the labels from our past that are still hindering us today. Labels are like being confined in a box and they restrict our freedom to come and go. In that box we fight tormentors in the form of our thoughts and unrest. Labels come upon us from other peoples opinions, their criticism, their conversations, and their judgments of us. They also come upon us when we label ourselves. These opinions become word curses and evil spirits are sent through these channels to harass us. These curses are also allowed to harass us when we sin and when we do not forgive.
In summary, how to be overcomers of evil labels:
1) We confess our sins so that He will cleanse us. (1 John 1:9)
2) We forgive so we will not be tormented. (Matt 18:34)
3) We pray for our accusers so that our captivity will be turned. (Job 42:10)
4) We bless those who curse us, so that we may receive the blessing and not the curse. (Matt 10:12-15)
5) We shake the demonic spirits off of ourselves so our walk is free and unhindered. (Matt 10:12-15)
=================================
TWO SCENES IN THE THRONE ROOM
In these last days there are two opposing scenes going on in the throne room. On one side, Jesus is our high priest, always making intercession for us. On the other side, satan is bringing the sins of God’s people before the Righteous Judge and wanting permission to destroy them. He accuses day and night, and constantly brings the faults, sins, evil natures, wrong motives, choices and behaviors to Him. I am sure that God does not enjoy listening to satan rant and rave about our sins. And I am sure that it must hurt the Lord very much when He searches our behavior and motives for any shred of reason NOT to agree with satan.
However it must be much worse, when satan uses US, God’s loved ones, to accuse His beloved people, and then God hears it doubly from us as well as satan. How much pain we cause Him when we agree with satan!
In the great throne room/ court room scene, there are only two positions available. One is intercession the other is accusation. One agrees with Jesus the other agrees with satan.
Thankfully Jesus Christ is still making constant intercession for us.
“Who then will condemn us? Will Christ? No! For he is the one who died for us and came back to life again for us and is sitting at the place of highest honor next to God, pleading for us there in heaven.” (Rom 8:34 TLB)
“But Jesus remains a priest forever; his priesthood will never end. Therefore he is able, once and forever, to save everyone who comes to God through him. He lives forever to plead with God on their behalf.” (Heb 7:24-25 NLT)
Likewise, Jesus wants to use US for intercession. He wants us to plead one another’s case, so that the accuser will be thrown down, out, and finally be overcome. The gift of discernment is to see the truth, and agree with Jesus. The gift of discernment is to know God’s heart and make a way through intercession so that which does not line up, will come into divine order.
“Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” (Rev 12:10-12 NKJV)
The throne room is like a giant court room, with two opposing attorneys. One is the plaintiff and the other is the defendant. They are battling out the evidence of our lives. All the while, the Righteous Judge places the evidence on a balance scale and weighs them. Without Jesus, our scales we are miserably lacking! “Tekel means `weighed’—you have been weighed on the balances and have failed the test.” (Dan 5:27 NLT)
Because discernment is a part of the judicial process that weighs and separates everything, the bottom line is just like the scripture that says, “You have been weighed in the balances, and found wanting. (Dan 5:27 NKJV) The Living Bible says it this way: “Tekel means ‘weighed’-you have been weighed in God’s balances and have failed the test.” (Dan 5:27 TLB) Why? Because “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Rom 3:23 NKJV)
The problem is that if what we are discerning came through man, it will be found wanting. The problem is that God uses fallen man. The problem is that satan uses fallen man. The problem is the problem. That’s why Jesus came.
So we have only ONE human role model… and what did Jesus do? Jesus was a priest and a king. As a priest, He stood in the gap between our sin and our need, asking forgiveness and mercy. He jumped on our side of the balance scale and even with satan weighing us down on the other side, the scales are tipped in our favor!
As the King, Jesus weighs every motive, thought and intent. These are like grains that are all filtered through a sieve of faith, hope and love and He comes up with perfect and righteous judgment. And remember, kings pardon.
So what do we do with what we discern? We stand in the gap, asking the Lord for mercy to cover the sins, the evil motives, the blind pursuits. We ask Him to forgive what we see. And we pardon as well, for He has given us the power to retain and remit sins. (John 20:23) Then we ask Him to bring what we see into alignment with His will… praying with faith, hope and love.
Love covers a multitude of sins. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” (1 Cor 13:4-7 NLT)
There is no higher honor in life than to be called the friend of God. When we are God’s friend, we stay close to Him and care about what He cares about. He shares with us His secrets. Why was Moses such a friend of God? (Ex 33:11) Was it because he was talented, or good at what he did? No it was because he had God’s heart and was willing to nurture and carry a multitude of people out of bondage. He loved God so much and he loved the rebellious people so much that he was willing to stand between the two and plead their case. This touched the Lord’s heart like no other. Moses was willing to lay down his life for them. “But now, please forgive their sin—and if not, then blot me out of the record you are keeping.” (Ex 32:32 NLT) Moses was a great intercessor.
When I consider Moses, the great intercessor and friend of God, I also ponder why did God let him know when the people were in serious trouble and ready to be annihilated? Why did God forewarn Moses, instead of just killing everyone right on the spot? He told Moses because He wanted someone to stand in the gap and give Him a reason not to destroy them!
The following scripture is the heart of our God: “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord GOD.” (Ezek 22:30-31 NKJV)
I once heard a prophetic intercessor say something that I have never forgotten. He said, “If a prophet sees what is wrong with the church and does not cover it in prayer, that prophet WILL become critical.” This is the downfall of having discernment. It is also the key out of the downward spiral. The purpose of being told what is wrong is so that we will intercede. The Lord doesn’t impart to us all the problems so that we will carry it on our own shoulders, so that we will be over burdened and turn inwardly critical and bitter, so that we will assassinate His people. He shows us what is wrong so that we will learn the secrets of intercession.
An intercessor always stands for mercy and forgiveness. He looks beyond the faults and see the needs of the people. An intercessor pleads their case and asks the Almighty Judge to consider forgiveness and mercy, over destruction.
Jesus gave the answer to this dilemma in the same scripture. He said instead of judging and condemning, replace it with forgiveness and giving.
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-39 NKJV)
In these two scriptures, they are both in context to the same Greek word “measure”. The harvest of judgment and forgiveness in our own lives depends on how much we sow the same in others.
=================================
EXAMPLE PRAYER
As priests and kings, we are to love by choosing to look beyond the faults of what we discern, and pardon through forgiveness. And then we pray:
“Lord I just saw the forces of witchcraft being used in this servant, in Your Name! Please forgive him Lord, please have mercy on this man. Lord may Your will be done on earth in this man’s life, as You have declared it in heaven. Please open His eyes so that he may see the road on which he is traveling so that his soul will not be in jeopardy! I forgive him of his unholy presentation of You Lord, and ask that You look beyond his faults and see his need. Purge him Lord from these evil seeds in Jesus Name.
Father, protect Your children in the process. May what is going on not become a stumbling block to their faith. May they understand You use fallen vessels. MAY THEY UNDERSTAND THAT A DEMONSTRATION OF YOUR POWER DOES NOT VERIFY, JUSTIFY, OR ENDORSE THE MESSENGER OR EVEN THE MESSAGE. Keep them so that they do not stumble with what they see.
Lord, right the wrongs and defend the purity and holiness of Your righteous standard! Your people perish without a vision, they perish without godly role models. Teach them the difference between the holy and the profane, oh Lord. We ask this in Jesus’ wonderful Name.”
After we intercede and finally release these issues to the Lord, we make a commitment to be very discreet in discussing our reservations with others. Greater levels of discernment can become a stumbling block to those who do not see and this can stumble their faith and their ability to receive God’s good gifts. Remember all have fallen short of God’s glory. God uses anyone, anytime to minister to those He loves. He even uses donkeys.
=================================
THE ETERNAL PURPOSE OF DISCERNMENT
It is our destiny to become like Jesus. Jesus was the firstborn of many who would follow in His steps and Jesus is a King and a Priest. Therefore, we are to become kings and priests.
“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.” (Rom 8:28-30 NKJV)
“For at the right time Christ will be revealed from heaven by the blessed and only almighty God, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” (1 Tim 6:14-15 NLT)
“That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” (Heb 4:14-16 NLT)
“And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.” (Rev 1:6 KJV)
A king makes decisions and rules according to what he discerns through the careful weighing of evidence. If the king discerns correctly and comes up with the scales balanced toward judgment, the king also has the power to pardon! Likewise, a priest has the power of intercede for the penalty if that evidence is found wanting. God is wanting to merge the king and the priest together.
God is a just Judge. He is perfectly holy, perfectly righteous and holds a perfect standard to measure us and our behavior by. We simply can not measure up to His standard. However, He is also perfect love. And in His love, He sent His beloved Son to stand in our place and die for us, so that we could come to Him. In all cases, love triumphs, love balances the scale of justice. (Mercy triumphs over judgment. James 2:13)
As kings and priests, the Lord gives us things to discern, to weigh and test in order that we may learn to rule and reign with Him. And when we rule and reign, we will do it like Jesus, Who is the perfect role model of a King and the Priest. As kings we pardon through forgiveness. As priests we love by praying and covering what we discern.
=================================
DISCERNMENT LEADS TO A FORK IN THE ROAD
- To tie this study together, let me summarize what has been revealed via scripture:
- To discern is to separate and weigh evidence.
- To condemn is to make a decision of guilty, based upon what was discerned or weighed.
- To judge is to speak a penalty for the guilty verdict.
- In the New Testament, the root word to “discern” comes from the same two words to “judge and condemn”.
- In the Old Testament, the kings, watchmen, priests, prophets, judges and elders discerned. This “discerning” came from the same word to “judge”.
- In both New Testament and Old Testament, it is like a court battle to separate the good from the evil. The process is the SAME.
We are told to become kings and priests but we are also told not to judge. The journey of discernment is a road. The road no matter which way you come to it, is the same road. - The reason why so many fall into the trap of becoming critical in the process of learning discernment is that they fail to see the fork in the road.
- The end of the line is when all the evidence is in and it is time to make a decision. At that point, the road ends. If we continue, we have a choice to go to the right or to the left. The left fork is satan’s accusation, judgment and destruction. The right fork is Jesus’ love, forgiveness, and pardon. The choice is ours and we either agree with satan or Jesus in what we are given to discern.
