John 16:7-10 KJV
”Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;“
Ezekiel 44:15-17, 23 KJV
” But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of my sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from me, they shall come near to me to minister unto me, and they shall stand before me to offer unto me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD: they shall enter into my sanctuary, and they shall come near to my table, to minister unto me, and they shall keep my charge. And it shall come to pass, that when they enter in at the gates of the inner court, they shall be clothed with linen garments; and no wool shall come upon them, whiles they minister in the gates of the inner court, and within. And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.“
In just a glance at these verses, we are able to perceive the role of the Holy Spirt in lives of the believer and unbeliever. Today’s world is so keen on living daily without the convictions the Holy Spirit brings. So it is with our discernment, our lack of convictions have developed weak discernments. Today beloved let’s dive into these phenomenons which are so detrimental to our lives.
Many are so fixated on convictions and discernment but sometimes we have missed the main understanding these two play in our lives. A conviction by definition is of two main characteristics: a formal declaration by the verdict of a jury or the decision of a judge in a court of law that someone is guilty of a criminal offense. Or the quality of showing that one is firmly convinced of what one believes or says. Both definitions find grounds in John 16:8-11, where Jesus lays down one of the roles of the Holy Spirit. Many at times we have downgraded this role to solely when we are making a request before the Lord. But beloved if we cannot heed to the convictions of the Holy Spirit on the matters of righteousness, we are like the generation of the Pharisees which merely sought signs. As Jesus said in Luke 12:56 KJV: ”Ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky and of the earth; but how is it that ye do not discern this time?“
Discernment on the other hand is the ability to judge well; a wise way of judging between things, or a particularly perceptive way of seeing things. If you can understand something that’s somewhat hidden or obscure. In the second scripture of study, you can understand that discernment takes a certain kind of posture and consecration. This is an ability that is sharpened by a right standing with God. Discernment goes beyond intuition.
You see Beloved, when our convictions are molded by the Holy Spirit, we are able to judge between holy and profane, and discern between the clean and unclean. Discernment is not merely a matter of good and evil, because what can be perceived as good may even be perverse as we see in these days. According to Job 6:30 KJV ”Is there iniquity in my tongue? Cannot my taste discern perverse things?“
We follow many things of this modern day, putting aside our inner perceptions of what they entail and where they derived their origin. The role of the Holy Spirit is to sharpen our convictions first on our way of living, hence He is the very model of Christ, continuing His work on earth. So then to the ones who have come to faith in Christ, He shapes us to mirror that same model, whereas to the unbeliever He brings the consciousness of their sinful ways. If our convictions are not strengthened, our discernments will be merely suspicion and based on intuition.
This week, let us seek to understand these two. As people of God in a world full of perversion, if we undermine these, and do not seek alignment with the Bible, we will sway into the way of deception. Good morning Beloved.