Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).
As believers in Christ, we’re enjoined to grow unto maturity in the things of God (Ephesians 4:13). This admonition is not just for some class of Christians, such as ministers of the gospel, but for every child of God. Clear evidence of spiritual maturity is the ability to discern and walk in God’s perfect will for your life.
God’s Word is His will expressed. And as the Psalmist describes in our opening scripture, the Word is a lamp; it’s a light which gives direction and guidance. So, you need to know God’s Word, as that’s the only way you can understand and walk in His perfect will for you.
Oftentimes, God’s will is different from what natural signs tell you, and what your feelings or those around you may tell you. The things of God don’t appeal to the senses, for they are spiritually discerned: “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).
This is why it’s so vital that you know the Word, and are acquainted with God’s Spirit through fellowship. Galatians 5:16 says “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.” Walking in the Spirit means walking in the light of God’s Word, being able to discern and walk in His perfect will, notwithstanding what your senses tell you.
Praying fervently and consistently in tongues is equally very important in discerning walking in God’s perfect will, as it keeps your spirit attuned and sensitive to the Holy Spirit.
Prayer times are moments of heavenly glory and spiritual ecstasy as your spirit is refreshed and your sensitivity to the Spirit is enhanced. As you fellowship with the Lord through prayer, it becomes easier for you to receive direction and guidance in your spirit.
That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him (Ephesians 1:17)
“Revelation” in the foregoing verse is the Greek word “apokalupsis,” which means an unveiling. “Knowledge,”; on the other hand, is the Greek word “epignosis,” which means a full discernment, an accurate knowledge of God.
The Amplified Classic Translation makes it a lot clearer. It says, “[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him” (Ephesians 1:17). There are mysteries and secrets about life, and the anointing and wisdom of God are in you to guide and give you insight into these mysteries and secrets of God.
Psalm 25:14 says, “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him….” Life for us isn’t a mystery anymore, because the Holy Spirit is in us, and part of His ministry in us is the unveiling of truth. He grants us spiritual understanding. We know why things are the way they are, and we always know what to do through the Spirit (John 16:13).
For example, earlier in His ministry, the Lord Jesus met Peter cleaning and mending his net after a fruitless fishing expedition. He requested to use Peter’s boat to preach, and when He was through, He asked Peter to launch into the water for a great haul of fish.
Peter recalled how he and his colleagues had toiled all night to no avail. But at the word of the Master, he let down his net, and sure enough, it was the catch of his lifetime (Luke 5:1-8).
Jesus knew where the fish were. That’s spiritual insight and understanding. He’s the creator of all things. He knows the mysteries and secrets of life. He knows where the businesses are. He knows where the money is. He knows what ideas to give to you to take your ministry and work to the next level.
Trust Him with your life. Make knowing Him more, and keeping His Word, your greatest passion. Through that fellowship, He’ll keep unveiling Himself and the greater mysteries of the Kingdom to you. This is God’s desire for you: that you function with the Spirit of wisdom, expressed in full discernment and accurate knowledge of Him.
God said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” (Hosea 4:6). And Jesus said, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Many are walking in darkness without knowing, because they don’t know the truth; they don’t know the Scriptures. They’re honestly seeking truth; they want to know God, but then they go to the wrong place for knowledge.
Just because you heard some people say, “Shout hallelujah and clap for Jesus,” doesn’t mean it’s a church of Jesus Christ. You’ve got to be spiritually discerning. In Acts 16, while walking through the marketplace, Paul and Silas encountered a girl possessed with an evil spirit. The Bible says, “The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation” (Acts 16:17).
Wasn’t she stating a fact? She was! But the 18th verse says, “…Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.” What she was saying sounded nice, but she was being influenced by a spirit of divination. Paul discerned this, for as she spoke, he (Paul) was grieved in his spirit.
When the Spirit of God speaks, a child of God isn’t grieved in his spirit; rather, you’re edified. When you hear a voice or a message, you have to know by what spirit such a message is coming to you. Many Christians have listened to the voice of Satan and mistaken it for God’s voice, because they were undiscerning.
We’re in the last days, and Jesus told us these things would happen; so He says, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation….” And in Matthew 10:16, He said, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Then in Ephesians 5:15 AMP He tells us not to be ignorant, but to always discern the will of God: Therefore see that you walk carefully [living life with honor, purpose, and courage; shunning those who tolerate and enable evil], not as the unwise, but as wise [sensible, intelligent, discerning people.
–GSW–