Discernment: Part One
Spring 2022
At the July 2021 Youth Camp, the theme was truth. Each minister preached about truth from John’s gospel. God is true, and His word is true, but as fallen sinners, sometimes we have difficulty discerning what is true. Thankfully, the Bible gives us guidance to discern between truth and error. Consider the following verses and notice the words approve, prove, discern, and the contrast between good and evil:
Philippians 1:9-10, “And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; That ye may approve things that are excellent.” Paul prayed that the Philippian believers would abound in “judgment.” That is one of the New Testament words for discernment. He prayed that they would be able to “approve things that are excellent.” Sometimes your choices are not necessarily between good and evil, but between what is good and what is best. A discerning person will do what is best.
I Thessalonians 5:21-22, “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil.” By being discerning, you will be able to know what the good things are that you should “hold fast,” and will know the evil things that you should always avoid. Romans 12:9 basically says the same thing.
“Walk as children of light: (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8b – 10). This verse teaches us that there are things that are acceptable to the Lord, and that means that there are obviously things that are NOT acceptable to the Lord. As a discerning young person, you will be able to figure out the difference between what is acceptable and what is not acceptable to the Lord by applying the truth of Scripture to every situation. Romans 12:2 teaches the same truth.
Hebrews 5:14 teaches, “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” This is a verse that I will deal with more extensively in a future article because it teaches us that discernment is a skill that can be learned. You can exercise it like a muscle.
One author defines discernment as “the skill of understanding and applying God’s Word with the purpose of separating truth from error and right from wrong.” Every day you are faced with these choices. You are bombarded with news and information. Some of it is true, but some is false. When you go shopping, you need to discern if the clothing you want to buy is modest or not. You need discernment in choosing your friends and the people you hang out with. All these areas of life require biblical thinking and good spiritual discernment.
Let’s explore the area of friendships as an example. Who are your closest friends, and what is their character? If your closest friends are the ones in your school or youth group that have a reputation for being rebellious and complaining about the rules, then you should think long and hard about the value you place in that friendship. Some teenagers are naive in thinking that they won’t be pulled down by the bad influence of others. It’s simply not true. You need to exercise discernment in the friendships that you develop. The Bible teaches us that we should be kind and loving to everyone, but that does not mean that we should be friends with everyone. Sometimes it is necessary to avoid certain people who will not build you up and edify you spiritually. Balancing a desire to be a good testimony to them while avoiding being influenced by their bad behavior can be difficult. I would remind you about the words in I Thessalonians 5:22, “Abstain from all appearance of evil.” When other people see you constantly hanging around the “bad crowd,” what are they supposed to assume about your character as well? Of course you can be light in the darkness, but practically speaking it seldom works out that way. Too often, their bad influence is too strong and you will be pulled down. In that case, it is best to simply avoid those people and seek other godly young people who will build you up in the Lord.
There are so many other case studies that we could discuss here, but the point is clear. You need to learn discernment in every area of life. Just as Paul prayed for the Philippian believers, my prayer for you is that you would “abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment” and that you “may approve things that are excellent.”
Teen Q & A Section:
Question: “Is it important for a teenager to tithe?”
Answer: The short answer is yes. Think about it this way: Whose money is it anyway? If you see it as your money that you earned by your own skill and power, then you don’t understand where money comes from. Deuteronomy 8:18 says, “But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth.” You should consider yourself as a steward of the Lord’s money. Tithing to your local church is part of being a good steward. Tithing is something that you should get in the habit of early in life. I remember as a boy my parents taught me to tithe 10%, save 10%, and live on the rest. That’s good advice, and it’s biblical advice too. In my opinion, 10% is not a rule. I think 10% is a good starting point, but I don’t think that you need to get out your calculator every time you get paid. Your tithe goes to your local church. An offering is different. An offering is money above your tithe that you would give to a missionary or other special church project. Always remember that “God loveth a cheerful giver.”
Question: “How can I know if I am spending too much time on social media?”
Answer: I think most people spend too much time on social media, so you probably are. To be more serious though, I think this question is more about your priorities than it is anything else. During a recent message, Pastor Reggie Kimbro asked, “What do you think about when you don’t have anything else to think about?” That’s a good question. The Lord tells us to “seek ye first the kingdom of God.” Paul tells us to “set your affection on things above.” If during every idle moment the first thing you turn to is your phone to check social media, that is a problem. This is a not a teenager problem. Almost everyone I know has this problem. A practical solution might be to set specific boundaries for yourself. For example, after 9:00 p.m., just put your phone away. Make it a point to spend time with the people in your own home rather than your friends on the other side of the country. Social media can have its proper place, but it can also turn into an addiction. Prayerfully consider what your priorities are.