"Study To Show Yourself Approved Unto God,"  2 Timothy 2:15
J. Deering, AncientPath.net

Lesson 9 - Discern The Word
Once again begin your time with Prayer.  Ask God to make you a discerning person.  Becoming a discerning person (especially in things about the Scriptures and the Nature of God) comes from God and His Holy Spirit.  Practice discernment.  Work on your Bible knowledge so that you can KNOW when something someone says is or is not "according to the Scriptures." But remember, don't just ask for discernment, LABOR for it, STUDY for it, WORK at it.

Then PRACTICE it. Open up your mind to the study.  Take the knowledge you already have about the Scriptures and apply it to the verses at hand.  Make sure that you are not bringing with you any preconceptions that might distort your understanding of the verses.  Look deeply within yourself and within the verses for meaning.  Begin the process of writing down your thoughts.  They do not have to be complete, accurate, or true at this point.  But it is important that you begin the process of taking discerning notes on your observations.

One of the current expressions, "WWJD - or What Would Jesus Do," is a easy model of discernment.  However, Spiritual discernment can go much deeper.  "What would God think about that?" "If the Holy Spirit could comment on this verse, what would He say?"  Remember also that what YOU think about a verse or paragraph may not be what God had in mind when He had it written.  The process of becoming a discerning Bible student is learning what GOD had in mind, and changing our minds to match His.

Move to the Next Lesson: Lesson 10 - "Define the Context of the Word"

2021-08-30