God Trains the Heart to Discern
As each of you knows, it's important to learn how to discern the voice of the Lord. However, we need the gift of discernment operating most of the time!
As we continue growing in our relationship with the Lord, we begin to understand that spiritual discernment is not simply about recognizing what is happening around us. It is about allowing God to develop something within us. Before He teaches us to discern situations, He often begins by shaping our hearts. Before He reveals what is taking place around us, He lovingly works within us, teaching us to surrender our own understanding and trust His wisdom. This is because true discernment flows from intimacy with God.
A surrendered heart becomes a heart sensitive to His leading. As we walk closely with the Lord, we become more aware of the gentle ways He speaks to us. We begin to recognize the peace that comes from following His direction, the conviction that comes when something is not aligned with His ways, and the quiet reminders of the Holy Spirit that keep drawing us back to truth.
Over the years, I have discovered that one of the greatest challenges to discernment is not that God is unwilling to speak. He is always faithful to lead His children. The greater challenge is that our hearts can become crowded with so many other voices. The noise of life, our own desires, the opinions of others, and even our fears can sometimes make it difficult to recognize the gentle voice of the Lord. This is why cultivating a quiet heart before God is so important.
The Lord is not looking for perfect people who never struggle or never question. He is looking for hearts that are willing to come before Him with humility and say, "Father, I need Your wisdom. I need Your perspective. I want to see this the way You see it." That posture of humility creates a place where discernment can grow.
If You Lack Wisdom, Ask
James gives us such a beautiful picture of the Father's heart when he writes, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5 NKJV). I love the way James describes God in this passage. He does not portray the Lord as someone who is frustrated when we need direction. He does not describe a Father who is reluctant to answer or disappointed that we do not already know what to do. Instead, he reminds us that God gives generously and without reproach. Our Father welcomes our dependence upon Him.
Sometimes we view needing wisdom as a weakness, but the Kingdom of God operates differently than the world around us. The world often celebrates self-sufficiency and independence, but the Lord invites us into relationship and dependence. He never intended for us to carry the weight of life by ourselves. He created us to walk with Him. When we ask Him for wisdom, we are not admitting defeat. We are acknowledging that His understanding is greater than ours and that His ways are higher than our own. (Photo via Flickr)
This is the same heart we see throughout Scripture. The Lord did not simply give the children of Israel a destination; He walked with them through the wilderness. He did not simply give David a promise of kingship; He formed his heart through seasons of waiting. He did not simply call the disciples to a mission; He first invited them to walk with Him. The process mattered because relationship mattered. I believe the Lord still works this way in our lives today.
Many times, we want God to give us the answer before we take another step. We want to know the outcome before we obey. We want to understand the entire journey before we trust Him with the next moment. Yet often discernment grows in the process of walking with Him. It develops as we learn to recognize His faithfulness. It deepens as we remember the times He has guided us before. It becomes stronger as we discover that even when we do not understand what God is doing, we can trust who He is.
Looking back over my own life, I can see how many times the Lord was teaching me this very lesson. There were seasons when I wanted clarity immediately, but God was inviting me into a deeper place of trust. There were moments when I wanted Him to explain everything, but He was teaching me to rest in His presence. There were times when I was looking for a sign, while He was simply asking me to listen. I have learned that God is not only interested in giving us direction, He is interested in developing our ability to walk with Him. That is why discernment is so much more than making the right decision. It is the result of a life that has learned to remain close to the One who leads us.
Why Do We Have to Wait?
Think about how a child learns to trust a loving parent. In the beginning, the child may not understand why the parent says "no," why they must wait, or why they cannot go in a certain direction. But as the child grows, they begin to understand that the parent's guidance is not meant to limit them; it is meant to protect them. The same is true with our heavenly Father. There are moments when He redirects us, because He sees what we cannot see. There are times when He asks us to wait, because He knows the timing is not yet right. There are seasons when He allows us to walk through uncertainty, because He is developing something deeper within us. Discernment grows when we learn that God's guidance is always connected to His love. The more we know His heart, the easier it becomes to trust His hand.
Spiritual Maturity Is Ours
And this is where spiritual maturity begins—not with having every answer, but with knowing the One who holds every answer. A discerning heart is not a heart that has figured everything out. It is a heart that has learned where to turn when it does not know what to do. Over time, the Lord teaches us to recognize His ways. He gently trains our hearts to become more sensitive to His presence. Through prayer, His Word, obedience, and the experiences of everyday life, He continues forming within us a deeper awareness of His voice.
The writer of Hebrews describes this growth when he says that mature Believers are those who "by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14 NKJV). The word "exercised" gives us an important picture of how spiritual discernment develops. Just as our natural senses become stronger through use and practice, our spiritual sensitivity grows as we continually walk with God. Discernment is not something that suddenly appears fully developed; it is something that is strengthened over time as we learn to recognize the ways, the wisdom, and the heart of our Father.
A person who has walked closely with God over many years often recognizes things that may not be immediately obvious to someone who is just beginning their journey. This does not happen because they are naturally more gifted. It happens because they have learned, through relationship and experience, to recognize what aligns with God's character and what does not. Every moment of obedience becomes part of that training. Every time we choose truth over emotion, faith over fear, and surrender over control, our spiritual senses become more developed. Every time we bring a decision before the Lord, seek His wisdom through Scripture, and follow the leading of the Holy Spirit, we become more familiar with His ways. (Photo via Pexels)
Discernment is cultivated through relationship. It is strengthened through trust. It is refined through obedience. And it becomes clearer as we continue walking with the Father who has faithfully walked with us all along. Developing spiritual discernment is much like learning the voice of someone we love. The more time we spend with them, the more familiar we become with their words, their heart, and their ways. In the same way, the more deeply we know God, the more clearly we recognize what reflects Him.
As we go on this journey of developing a heart that can discern, my prayer is that we would not simply seek the ability to recognize what is happening around us, but that we would grow in our awareness of the One who is leading us. The greatest gift of discernment is not simply knowing what to do in every situation. The greatest gift is knowing the heart of our Father so deeply that we can trust Him even when we do not have all the answers.
He is faithful to guide us. He is patient as we learn. He is loving as He teaches us to recognize His voice. May we become people whose hearts are so surrendered to Him that we are able to walk confidently in His wisdom, knowing that the One who leads us is always good.
Prayer
Father, thank You for the gift of spiritual discernment and for Your desire to lead me in every area of my life. Thank You that I do not have to depend only on my own understanding, but that I can come to You for wisdom, direction, and clarity. Lord, create within me a heart that is sensitive to Your voice. Quiet the distractions that compete for my attention, and help me become more aware of Your presence and Your leading. Teach me to trust You in the moments when I understand and in the moments when I do not. Help me surrender my own plans, my own fears, and my own expectations so that I can see things from Your perspective.
Father, I want to know Your heart more deeply. I want my decisions, my words, and my actions to flow from a life that is walking closely with You. Develop within me the kind of discernment that comes from intimacy with Your Spirit and a love for Your truth. Thank You for being my Shepherd, my Guide, and my faithful Father. I trust that as I seek You, You will continue to lead me into greater wisdom, greater maturity, and greater freedom. In Jesus' name, amen.
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Sandie Freed
Sandie Freed Ministries
Email:Â freedrevolution7@gmail.com|
sandiefreed@yahoo.com
Website:Â sandiefreed.net
Dr. Sandie Freed is an apostolic, prophetic leader, author of more than fourteen books, and travels nationally and internationally preaching, teaching, and ministering the Word of God. Ordained as a prophet by Bishop Bill Hamon, Sandie's ministry involves a strong prophetic anointing and spiritual discernment. Her unique gifting is in dreams and visions, and as a modern-day Joseph, she empowers others to interpret God's voice through dreams and visions. Sandie's goal is to always equip the body of Christ in their callings and empower them through revelation of the love of God. To this day, her best selling book is Breaking the Threefold Demonic Cord: How to Discern and Defeat the Lies of Jezebel, Athaliah and Delilah, which has been taught around the world and is printed in many different languages. Sandie and her husband Mickey co-pastor Lifegate Church in Hurst, Texas.
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