⏱️ Estimated Reading Time: 3 min read
Growing in Discernment for Everyday Faithfulness
Contending for the Word Q&A, November 20, 2025
Theme: Testing the Spirits, True and False Revival
Introduction
Welcome back to Contending for the Word. As we continue examining true and false revival, today we turn to an essential truth, discernment is not a spiritual gift for the select few. It is a command and necessity for every Christian who desires to walk faithfully with Christ in a world filled with competing voices.
Discernment is not suspicion.
Discernment is not cynicism.
Discernment is Spirit empowered wisdom grounded in Scripture.
It protects believers from deception, strengthens confidence in Christ, and enables us to love God and others with clarity and conviction.
The Question
How can every Christian practice biblical discernment daily with humility and courage?
Discernment Is a Daily Calling
Discernment is not something we practice only when controversy rises. Scripture calls God’s people to walk in truth daily.
“And it is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment.” (Philippians 1:9)
Notice Paul’s pattern, true Christian love always grows alongside discernment.
Love without discernment becomes sentimentality.
Discernment without love becomes prideful harshness.
The spiritually mature believer walks the narrow road where love and truth meet and strengthen one another.
Practicing Biblical Discernment
Biblical discernment involves:
- Knowing Scripture deeply and submitting to it
- Testing teaching and movements by the Word, not feelings or culture
- Praying for wisdom and seeking counsel from mature believers
- Watching your own heart to avoid pride or suspicion
- Walking in humility, knowing we are dependent on the Spirit
- Acting with courage, standing firm even when others compromise
Discernment is not about winning arguments. It is about guarding souls, honoring Christ, and living faithfully before God.
The Fruit of Discernment
Where discernment grows, so does:
- Love for truth
- Joy in Christ
- Stability in trials
- Steadiness in confusion
- Spiritual confidence
- Peace rooted in God’s sovereignty
Conversely, a lack of discernment leads to confusion, instability, spiritual drift, and vulnerability to deception. The church is not strengthened by blind trust or emotional fervor, but by believers who know the truth and walk in it.
Encouragement for the Weary
If you feel overwhelmed by the call to discern, remember this, you do not discern alone or in your own strength. The Spirit of God guides His people. The Word of God equips you. The Son of God intercedes for you.
Discernment is not a burden. It is a gracious safeguard, a protection for your soul, and a path to spiritual maturity and joy.
For more from Contending for the Word Q&A please visit our page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.
Dave Jenkins is happily married to his wife, Sarah. He is a writer, editor, and speaker living in beautiful Southern Oregon. Dave is a lover of Christ, His people, the Church, and sound theology. He serves as the Executive Director of Servants of Grace Ministries, the Executive Editor of Theology for Life Magazine, the Host and Producer of Equipping You in Grace Podcast, and is a contributor to and producer of Contending for the Word. He is the author of The Word Explored: The Problem of Biblical Illiteracy and What To Do About It (House to House, 2021), The Word Matters: Defending Biblical Authority Against the Spirit of the Age (G3 Press, 2022), and Contentment: The Journey of a Lifetime (Theology for Life, 2024). You can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, or read his newsletter. Dave loves to spend time with his wife, going to movies, eating at a nice restaurant, or going out for a round of golf with a good friend. He is also a voracious reader, in particular of Reformed theology, and the Puritans. You will often find him when he’s not busy with ministry reading a pile of the latest books from a wide variety of Christian publishers. Dave received his M.A.R. and M.Div through Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary.
