September 16

Discomfort Zone


Discernment requires that you get uncomfortable…


Proverbs 18
15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge;

the ears of the wise seek it out.

People hear what they want to hear. That is plain and amply illustrated in countless ways especially in this “form before substance” era of ours. In every generation there have been people who searched out the truth. However, in this present age if something makes us uncomfortable we tend to dismiss it. Just try to inform someone of something that is discomforting and you will find what I mean! In fact, if you push too much you will probably find that you will be attacked or insulted for your trouble.

It is important to ask yourself if you are a discerning person. Discernment does not mean you have a certain feeling about something. Many things we felt bad about turn out to be good and many things we feel good about turn out to be bad. That is a fact. Just think on your life a little and you will find something somewhere that proves this point. Discernment requires that you get uncomfortable and that you make others uncomfortable if you will do anything with what you have discerned.

A truly discerning person, one who is interested discernment, will seek out the facts, and acquire the knowledge before settling on a conclusion. They will not so much be in the posture of arguing but in the mode of listening until they have enough knowledge for wisdom to rise to the top of the brew of gathered knowledge. Knowledge is just a collection of information but wisdom is a gift of God which comes when we have become informed. Discernment is simply the gift of God which allows us to assimilate knowledge until we have a path of procedure.