Recently, a picture appeared in my social media feed. I stopped for a minute to take in the serenity of it—a beautiful lake surrounded by trees on a moody, but peaceful day. I read the caption out of curiosity to find out where this picture was taken. To my shock, the picture was not meant to be a beautiful moment in time, but a test to see what your mind’s eye would interpret. As it turned out, the picture was NOT of a lake, but a yard with a tall, solid fence! A fence that was up close in the picture, not far off in the distance. Once I read that, I could not unsee the fence. Gone was the beautiful scene I had initially interpreted, but the picture's reality remained.
This is an excellent metaphor about seeing what we want to see. Even though I had no presupposition about the picture I described above, I LOVE scenes like the one I “thought” I had seen. So my mind’s eye painted that beautiful picture from the shadows on the fence and the objects around it, creating a different truth from what was real.
In an age of Artificial Intelligence, we have to be so discerning about what we read, listen to, or see, being sure not to see what we want to see, but to use sound judgment. The dictionary definition of discernment is “to be able to judge well”. The Biblical definition of discernment is the spiritual ability to distinguish between truth and error, good and evil, to use sound judgment, and not to rely on outward appearances.
There are many thoughts about whether we are approaching the end times, especially given current events. But whether they are near or centuries away, we must always be prepared with the Truth of God’s Word and the wisdom to know what is true and what is false.
“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or the wonder comes true, of which he spoke to you, saying, ‘Let’s follow other gods (whom you have not known) and let’s serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your God is testing you to find out whether you love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. You shall follow the Lord your God and fear Him; and you shall keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him... Nothing at all from what is designated for destruction is to cling to your hand, so that the Lord may turn from His burning anger and show mercy to you, and have compassion on you and make you increase, just as He has sworn to your fathers, if you will listen to the voice of the Lord your God, keeping all His commandments which I am commanding you today, and doing what is right in the sight of the Lord your God.” Deuteronomy 13:1-4;17-18
Let’s look at four aspects of Biblical discernment which will help us follow the Lord, keep His commandments, listen to His voice, serve Him, and cling to Him.
Distinguishing Right from Wrong
"But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil" Hebrews 5:14
Whether a person grows up in a Christian home or not, polite society exists, and most people are law-abiding citizens who teach their children, from infancy to adulthood, right from wrong.
Our country was founded upon God. There was a time when the Ten Commandments hung in public offices and schools. These God-breathed commandments spell out right from wrong, most of which concern our relationship with others.
Sadly, we are seeing a shift in our country where right is called wrong and wrong is called right. We cannot allow these sensible lines to be altered just because we are seeing a shift in public opinion.
Not only that, we answer to a Higher Authority. When discerning right from wrong, we should ONLY be concerned with how the Lord views the circumstance, not hopping on the bandwagon because Sally Christian feels that way, so I probably should too.
It is also essential to go to the Word yourself to ensure that any Biblical prooftext you have heard or which you might be using to support an opinion concerning a right or wrong situation, has other Scripture that supports the same theme. Scripture interprets scripture. That’s the solid food. Digging deeper is our responsibility as Christians when discerning right from wrong, especially when those lines have been blurred.
The more time you spend in deep study of the Scriptures, the more discernment you will have to distinguish right from wrong, especially in the times we find ourselves in now.
Biblical Foundation
“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” Romans 12:2
There are situations we might come up against that will require immediate discernment, and we won’t have time to consult our Bibles and Commentaries to research. This is why it is so essential as Believers to have a solid Biblical foundation.
Early in my Christian walk, I listened to a program called the Bible Answerman with Hank Hanegraaff. It was a call-in show where people would ask questions about the Bible. I learned so much from the questions and the answers. One of the verses the host would quote often was "...and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear." 1 Peter 3:15. It is soo important to not only study the Word, but to know why it is essential and how to apply it…
Finding a solid, Bible-based teaching church will help you understand why the Word is important and how to apply it. Also, asking a seasoned Christian to disciple you will give you a firm foundation in the Scriptures.
The more time you study the Word, asking God to open your eyes to the Scriptures, as well as being in a healthy church with solid Christians, you will find how easily you can discern situations that might have tripped you up otherwise. This is because your mind is indeed being rewired to see the world and its circumstances through a Biblical lens.
As I shared earlier, now more than ever, it is essential to have this Biblical foundation to avoid being fooled by counterfeits.
Spirit-Led Insight
“Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.” 1 John 4:1-3
Recently, I was served short-form videos featuring a beautiful, articulate young woman who spoke with such wisdom and confidence about the right and wrong ways for women to enter into relationships with men. She was very conservative in her thinking
and seemed almost Biblical. I was so struck by her knowledge and presentation, and thought what an excellent resource for young women today, as it promoted purity. But then I started seeing inconsistencies in her voice and how she looked if I happened to get
served another one of her videos. Turns out, SHE WASN’T EVEN REAL!! It was an AI image and voice. I was shook!
I will say there was something that was nudging me deep down, and that something didn’t seem right. I believe the Holy Spirit was prompting me to realize she wasn’t real, which is probably why I started noticing some inconsistencies. I then went on a mission to find out whether she was real. Was this “woman” saying anything bad? No. Was she saying anything that seemed counter to a Biblical stance on purity? No. BUT it still wasn’t a person being led by the spirit to share that wisdom. So there are no checks and balances when it comes to an AI person speaking about spiritual things. It’s different if you asked ChatGPT for help with something, BUT you were still sure to double-check it and not just take it at face value.
So now, when I see any images online, “news” headlines, or incredible photos, I don’t trust them. I find myself saying, “Is that even real?” This is also a great lesson on what really matters when it comes to what we look at. The more false things out there that are of no consequence, the more they use up our valuable time that we could be serving the Kingdom of God.
The bottom line is that it is essential to listen to the Holy Spirit’s “still, small voice” when you come upon anything that, in your gut, doesn't feel right. Especially as the end of time approaches, we would not want to believe an AI image of Jesus’ return and fall into the category of “For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, to lead astray, if possible, even the elect.” Matthew 24:24
Wisdom and Understanding
“For this reason we also, since the day we heard about it, have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Colossians 1:9
The Lord tells us that when we ask for His wisdom, He WILL provide it. When there is a situation that doesn’t make sense to us, or we are trying to understand a lesson He might be teaching us, or something that doesn’t seem right, we must go to Him in prayer and ask Him to give us wisdom and understanding concerning the situation.
When you come upon anything that seems false or doesn’t sit well, ask yourself, “Is this contrary to God’s commands?”; “Does this seem outside of God’s nature?”; “Does this align with God’s Word?” This is where discernment is so key because in some instances, there could be just the slightest shift from what is true. However, God’s
Wisdom and understanding will enable you to distinguish between what is of God and what isn’t.
Distinguishing right from wrong, having a Biblical foundation, listening to the Holy Spirit, and seeking God’s wisdom and understanding will give you a lifeline to Biblical discernment.
Dear Heavenly Father, Please give me discernment in all things for Your Glory. In Jesus' name, Amen
Is there any area where you have difficulty discerning what is true and what is false? What will you do now to strengthen your discernment?
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