Discerning Good and Evil

"But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." -Hebrews 5:14 In the garden, there was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam and Eve they were not to eat of it. On the other hand, in Hebrews 5:14, the Lord reveals to us He wants us to have discernment or the ability to know the difference between good and evil. What is the difference between these two scriptures? How is it that in creation God limited the knowledge of the good and evil, but later reveals it is an example of spiritual maturity in the saints? The answer to this dilemma lies in the way a person receives knowledge. There is knowledge of good and evil which comes through self indulgence; God doesn't want this for us. When we casually follow the prodding of our flesh with no thought about God, we gain knowledge of pain and destruction. We tell a lie, and then quickly we need to tell another lie to cover our first lie. Soon our trail of lies ends up hurting others and destroying relationships. Did we gain knowledge of what is good and what is evil? Yes, but at such a cost!

However, there is a right way to learn the difference between good and evil, and that is through the teaching of the Word of God. By daily meditating on God’s Word, by faithfully attending worship, by anointed pastors and teachers, we receive the ministry of the Word as seed in good soil it grows within. As we walk in the revelation the Word brings, the ways of God take root in our life and proper discernment of good and evil fills our mind and conscience. Satan said knowing good and evil would make us like gods in the garden. God said He would make us into the image of His Son so we would not partake of evil. As we walk in God’s Word, our ability to sense in the spirit grows, and our ability to sense of the Lord is magnified. This maturity is what God intends for all His children- a maturity that keeps us safe from destruction, a maturity that makes us like Christ.

Pastor Michael Heil

INSIGHT: Developing discernment and getting insight and understanding can be seen even throughout the book of Proverbs. God gives His children wisdom, and fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When you have the fear of God, you begin to understand why it is necessary to know the mind of God. God gives wisdom liberally to all who ask Him, and in James 1:5, it states, "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

The Spirit of the Living God lives within you, and He is able to guide you into all truth, showing you what is good and what is evil. When you continue to grow in the Lord and read His Word, you will see God has clearly outlined what is sin, in other words, what is evil in His sight. God also shows you what is good and pleasing in His sight so you can know what is good and pleasing to Him and for you to develop the godly characteristics while gaining the discernment and understanding that comes from God, not man. God is not trying to ruin your fun. He gives you guidelines because He is your Heavenly Father and cares about you. God desires you to be spiritually prosperous, to be filled with wisdom, and to be guarded by discernment.

The Lord is your Teacher, the One Who Instructs You, and He wants you strengthened in Him, rooted deeply in Christ, so that you can stand strong, being able to discern good and evil. It is about progressing in Christ, in learning about what God thinks and what His perfect and pleasing will is, growing up and maturing in Him and His ways, and following the example Christ gave you as shown in the Gospels.

MEDITATION: "I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God." -Philippians 1:9-14

Are you struggling to know if something is good or evil? Ask God to give you the understanding you need from Him, and you can ask Him for the Scriptures you need to show you so you can hide those verses in your heart. No matter what you struggle with, ask God to show you in His Word. In His Word, you will find discernment for living; and you will find wisdom for living. Do you need wisdom? As stated above, James 1:5 tells us, "If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking." Your God, the God you serve and love, is telling you in His Word to come to Him. You can ask God for wisdom and discernment. He will gladly give you them, and He will do so generously. And when God gives you discernment, then keep clinging to God and the discernment He gives you as we are told in Proverbs 3:21-22 which states, "...don't lose sight of common sense and discernment. Hang on to them, for they will refresh your soul. They are like jewels on a necklace."

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, You are the Giver of Wisdom, and You are my Teacher. Lord. Thank You for giving me Your Word. Thank You for allowing me to learn about Your perfect and pleasing will for my life. Teach me Your ways as I delight in Your law and meditate on Your laws day and night. Fill me with insight and understanding that comes from You alone. Give me discernment to know good from evil. Let Your Spirit have His way in me, showing me what is pleasing to You as I seek Your righteousness, as I seek Your face. Father, show me Your ways. I ask all of this in Your Matchless name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Linda A. Knowles

#TopicArticle #good #evil #knowledge #tree #discernment #insight #understanding