Discernment

Decernment
Using mediums used to talk
Being born again & Spirtual death

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
You're listening to KFI AM six forty on demand.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Discernment. We have people call up every single week talking
about discernment, and it's an important question and each case
may pose a different look at the word and the
action of discernment. But today I want you to think
about the day to day circumstances that you have to judge,

(00:30):
both spiritual and physical, and how to fine tune yourself
to that place of good discernment, that place of having
the sense of an old cow and eating the hay
and leaving the sticks. Sometimes it's it's not always as

(00:52):
cut and dry as you'd like, And to develop the
ability to sift through things is a is a great tool.
So today I want to talk about what scripture has
to say about discernment. Often, discernment is talked about in

(01:16):
scripture as judging, having the wherewithal to make a decision
between two or more options or things. But that word
judge or judgment takes on a negative connotation sometimes and
people get the word confused. One Corinthians two fifteen says,

(01:37):
but he that is spiritual judges all things. Matthew seven
to one says, judge not lest you be judged, and
people get caught up in that, and the believer looks
around and says, okay, I'm not supposed to judge. And

(01:57):
unfortunately the world looks at this and they remember only
the parts of scripture that they can use in some
sort of defense of their own ways and actions. They
remember this and they say, look, see it says, don't judge.
But you need to learn to know the difference when

(02:17):
scripture uses the word judgment and how it's meant. Does
it mean discernment or does it mean criticism? The Late
Great New Testament scholar F. F. Bruce pen this judgment
is an ambiguous word in Greek, as it is in English.

(02:38):
It may mean sitting in judgment on people or even
condemning them, or it may mean exercising a proper discrimination.
In the former sense, judgment is depreciated. In the latter sense,
it is recommended. So knowing the difference of when to

(03:00):
of what discerning is, and if you're in judgment or
in criticism versus you're actually analyzing a situation, discerning when
something is good for you or bad for you, or
good for the situation or bad for the situation. You

(03:21):
need to look deep into things. It's very easy to
get to that place where where you kind of just
look at the surface. You concern your things yourself with
the things that are our surface or topical, rather than
digging deep. Tewod Corinthians ten to seven warns against this.

(03:43):
It says that you are looking only at the surface
of things that doesn't have benefit. John seven twenty fours
is stop judging by mere appearances and make a right judgment.
Imply there that a right judgment is not made simply
by appearance. That's when judgement becomes a problem, when it's

(04:10):
it's you only looking at the the most surface part
of the issue and making a judgment, trying to jump
to a quick conclusion, rather than really understanding what's taking
place and why. And this becomes a huge part of discernment,

(04:32):
understanding and making that conclusion, or judging things properly. You
know this by testing things, by examining everything as first
Thessalonians five twenty one says, examine everything carefully, hold fast

(04:52):
to that which is good. We talk about that constantly
on the program, to test all things, holding fast to
that which is It's okay to examine, to probe, to
ask questions, even about your own faith because in doing so,
it shows one its value and that you care about

(05:14):
it enough to know the question to be curious. But two,
it's it's you not just giving into the surface. As
John seven said, You're not judging by mere appearance. You're
trying to make the right decision and the right judgment,
and that comes from examining everything, looking at all sides.

(05:39):
How many times on this very program does someone call
up about a job situation that's a tough decision, and
oftentimes there's moving involved, more money involve, less money involved,
changes to the family lifestyle. These things should all be
looked at when you want to come to a conclusion
or using proper discernment as to what that decision should be.

(06:05):
Good discernment, although can be craft at ability that can
be honed for speed or to be more efficient. That
it shouldn't be something you rush into. Just like looking
at the appearance of something or scratching at the surface

(06:26):
of a concern a situation, you don't want to rush
into things. Proverbs nineteen two says that it's not good
to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and
miss the way, because these things are important. Every little

(06:49):
bit of an issue is part of what you should
be looking at, examining why is this knowledge so important,
why is taking the time so important? Because ignorance can
bring destruction. It's not just a lack of knowledge. Ignorance

(07:14):
is the absence of more tools that knowledge that will
help you make the proper decisions that will help you
through that road of discernment. Hoseiah four to six is
my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, that kind

(07:35):
of ignorance that leads you to a bad decision, or
leads you down a bad road or something not healthy
or productive. It is what you are trying to steer
away from. When you deal with discernment, you're dealing with

(07:56):
getting all of the information you can, placing it in
front of you and examining it, not being surfaced, but
going below and truly analyzing and dissecting what's beneficial for you,
what's beneficial for the whole, for the family, for the

(08:16):
group or community. Even when people start to separate themselves
and just think selfishly is when greater problems arise. The
things that I command of you, or request or even
demand in scripture are not just to be some sort

(08:40):
of control freak. It really comes down to knowing what's
best for you, knowing what's best for the whole, and
asking you to participate in these things or not to participate,
as the case may be, so that so that you
can be a part of the whole, not in some

(09:02):
strange metaphysical sense, but truly knowing that you are to
communicate worship with one another, spend time with one another,
and even be held responsible for the decisions each person makes.
This is why discernment is so powerful, so potent, so important.

(09:28):
Don't get lost in just your way. In this sense,
in Hoseiah that an entire people are destroyed due to
lack of knowledge, true discernment becomes most valuable. The importance
of discernment cannot be understated. Nowhere can it be overstated.

(09:54):
The importance of being able to discern how you deal
with any situation or any decision or choice in life
is important. However, often people will look beyond scripture and
not really understand that the majority of your decisions can

(10:16):
be understood and applied to the things of Scripture. It's
funny how God does that right and throughout scripture it
points to ways and understanding and tools to be used
when discerning don't look at the surface things. Don't judge
by appearance. Test everything. Hold fast to that which is true,

(10:40):
which you can know. Judge using your spiritual knowledge based
on scripture. Know the difference between judgment as far as
criticism versus judgment, as far as discernment, that ignorance can

(11:01):
bring destruction. So to educate, educate yourself, show yourself approved
is imperative. True discernment is is kind of a big
picture thing, not just what's in front of you, but
observing everything around you. This is an interesting verse. Matthew

(11:22):
sixteen three says, and in the morning there will be
a storm today, for the sky is red and threatening.
Do you know how to discern the appearance of the
sky but cannot discern the signs of the times? And
this verse is asking you to pull away from from

(11:45):
just those things that you're seeing or understanding, and using
them as tools to understand the bigger picture, not just
the storm in front of you, but what the season
is or the sign of the times, often a reference
to things that are to come. And you're to discern

(12:07):
things by God's standards. You know, the difference to immerse
yourself in God's word is the key John eight fifteen sixteen.
You judge by human standards. But if I do judge,

(12:31):
my decisions are right because I am not alone. I
stand with the Father who sent me. I have much
to say in the judgment of you, but he who
sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from him.
I tell the world that relationship of understanding between that
which you read and known scripture, and that how that

(12:54):
in which you use to apply to everyday life scripture
will help guide you into discernment Hebrews four twelve. The
Word of God is living and active. It judges the
thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Bernadette, Welcome to the
Jesus Christ Show.

Speaker 1 (13:13):
Hi, thank you.

Speaker 2 (13:14):
I'm well how can I help you?

Speaker 1 (13:16):
My last friend lost son a few years ago and
a median coming talent how and she's wanted to She's
trying to pray to see this's okay to so and
talk to the ABC the Median Show and hopefully Sym
I can reveal some things about how gun and the
app and like, how do you feel about it?

Speaker 2 (13:38):
Well as far as and I'm sorry to hear that
she lost his son, and I know that that when
somebody loses somebody some so close to them that it's
it's completely natural to want to reach out or to
have communication with them. Again, However, I believe that our
taking advantage of people in pain, and I think it's disgusting.
I think that it is kind of the worst of

(14:02):
the worst when it comes to pilfing money from people
I put them up with, like the the fake evangelists
and all of that that are looking to gain riches.
The sad part is that a lot of people don't
know that in scripture it says specifically to stay away
from these types of things specifically, And you can give

(14:25):
her this verse if maybe it will help her. It's
chapter eighteen of Deuteronomy, and I'll read it to you,
but we'll start in verse ten. It says, there shall
be not found among you anyone who makes his son
or his daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination,
or one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens,

(14:47):
or a sorcerer, or one who casts spells, or a
medium or spiritists, or one who calls up the dead.
For whoever does these things is detestable to the Lord. Also,
and there's other verses as well that talk about that
God and the reason why is that these people, if

(15:10):
they serve God, have gone on to be with God.
And who are you anyone on this planet to interrupt
that if they're with God. And so people get selfish
and want to experience these people that were in their
lives again. And that's perfectly normal to have that desire.
What's not good or healthy is to act on that

(15:33):
desire and go to spiritists or mediums or psychics to
do these things. And another interesting story that might be
helpful is Second Samuel twelve twenty five. But you can read,
you know, starting at verse fifteen if you like. But
this is the story of David losing the sun. And

(15:56):
the interesting thing is is that David was, you know,
on his face the whole time, praying and for this
child and fasting and all of these things. And so
intense was this act that David wanted this child to

(16:16):
live that the servants didn't even want to tell him
when the child had died. So they figure, well, we'll
just you know, leave him alone. We don't if he's
this intense about praying, fasting, trying to keep that child alive,

(16:37):
then I don't want to be the one to tell him, Well,
David picks up on this, sees that they're whispering, and says, hey,
did the child die? They say yes, and he gets up,
cleans himself off, cleans himself off, and then goes to eat.
And people were like, well, you know, just seconds ago

(17:00):
you were praying without ceasing and fasting and all this intensity.
And David responds with this, while the child was still alive,
I fasted and wept, for I said, who knows? The
Lord may be gracious to me that the child may live.

(17:22):
But now that he has died, why should I fast?
Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him,
but he will not return to me. And what's powerful
about that is that David knew that when you have
the opportunity to pray for someone while they're still living,
you should always pray intensely. And if you are so

(17:44):
moved too fast, anything you can do. But once the
person is gone, they are gone. And the world continues
to give you these excuses and false hope that there's
going to be some connection. This world is made of
of the vessel of flesh and the spirit. But when

(18:05):
the flesh dies, the spirit goes on to eternity. Whether
that's eternal presence with God or the eternal absence of God,
which is called hell. And people don't always get that
through their head. And imagine this, that concept of being
with God in heaven and somebody calling you back to earth.

(18:26):
Why if you think about these images of parents that
are so clean to their children that they don't ever
want them to grow up or graduate. And I don't
mean the normal sense of sadness as you see a
child going to each new stage and oh, I remember
when they did this, or I remember, that's normal. But

(18:48):
somebody who physically would try and keep their child from
graduating high school because they're going to go on to college.
Could you imagine something so vulgar? But imagine now somebody
who's graduated from this earth, although on earth it's sad,
but graduated from this earth and gone on to be

(19:09):
with God, being held back by a loved one trying
to get them back here to earth. You can't do that,
And I know that it seems noble in some sense,
and then ah, well I want to keep them alive. No,
that is not good. It's unhealthy. You will never grow

(19:30):
past it. You will never grow past the initial pain
and mourn in a healthy, proper light, understanding that there
is a limit to the time that's spent on earth.
That's what makes it precious. And I think that the
psychics and these mediums and spiritists do a tremendous disservice

(19:53):
as much as they will claim, well, you know what,
I give closure, No, you continue to open wounds for
your own gain, and most of them are horrible to boot.
If I hear one more bad psychic say there's someone

(20:15):
in your life with who has a J in their name,
I'm seeing a J, I'm seeing an R. It's ridiculous.
And they pray on the fact that there's so many
people that are in pain that want to believe these
things that they continue to perpetuate it. As a matter

(20:35):
of fact, just recently, you know, the entire concept of
astrology got turned on its head because of the rotation
of the Earth changing how things work, and it has
been changed for some time. So essentially, if you grew
up thinking that you're you know, a Capricorn, you're not,
or an Aquarius you're not, or a Leo you're not.

(20:57):
Because everything's shiftedilation was added and all kinds of members
of the zodiac have actually been removed over the years
and added over the years, and all of these things,
and yet people still adhere to these things because nobody
wants to be accountable to consequence. Life has consequence, life
has death. There are things that you will experience in

(21:18):
life that aren't always pleasurable. And I'm fascinating that people
will take things like astrology, or take things like spiritists
and mediums and psychics and put all just all in
put the entirety of who you are there because God
is unchanging. And to them, that's just it's too much
to handle. That scripture stays the same, that God stays

(21:41):
the same. He says, I'm the same yesterday, today, and
always I say that I'm the Alpha and the omega,
the beginning and the end. There's no change in those things.
And people don't like that. People constantly call this show
trying to trying to find a loophole or or see
if it's changed. Hey, has this changed over the years? No,
still believe that.

Speaker 3 (21:59):
Eh like that?

Speaker 2 (22:00):
So they want something that's kind of well, give me
what I want when I want it, make me feel good,
and it doesn't always feel good. And Bernadette, I'm so
sorry that your friend lost her son, But please do
what you can to persuade her not to participate with
psychics and mediums. And they come by and really feed

(22:21):
on those that are in great pain. And why doesn't
she learn to to really, as we talk about on
the show, be the curator of the museum of her
son and teaching people about him and the wonderful things
he did and who he was and all these things
instead of trying to reconnect because God frowns upon that

(22:44):
and it's not possible to boot Rick, Welcome to the
Jesus Christ Show.

Speaker 3 (22:55):
Oh for me, that's you.

Speaker 2 (22:58):
How can I help you?

Speaker 3 (23:01):
I'm just a truck driver out here, but I listened
to your show quite a bit on Sunday.

Speaker 2 (23:05):
Now, Now, why would you say that? Why would you
say you're just a truck driver?

Speaker 1 (23:10):
Wow?

Speaker 3 (23:10):
Because that's that's where, that's who I am.

Speaker 2 (23:13):
Yeah, And you're feeding people and you're bringing goods to them,
and you're doing all kinds of things. We love all
the truckers that listen to the program. So I'm happy
to have you. How can I help you?

Speaker 3 (23:24):
I was just curious because I had a like almost
like a spiritual wakening back in about nineteen seventy six,
where I was searching for all through all different kinds
of religions, and I was into drugs and that sort
of thing, and and I just got an awareness that,

(23:45):
you know, the Christian Christ was real and and but
I just had a real struggle because of the drugs
and everything in my past life. But there's no way
that somebody can be If you don't accept Christ before
you die, then there's no way you can accept Christ.

Speaker 2 (24:07):
Right, well, technically that point of death. He talks about
two deaths, and it talks about and this is where
the concept of being born again comes in. People think
it's like a denomination or a type of Christian But
every Christian, Catholic or otherwise has to be born again
or be gotten from above, a scripture says. And so
this talks about that concept of two deaths, and the

(24:28):
two death would be one the physical death, but the
spiritual death would be the separation from God. It doesn't
mean that you cease to be, although there are fringe
groups that believe that there are that you just stop being.
Mainstream Christianity in this particular show does not believe in
soul death or anything like that. So spiritual death would

(24:53):
mean the concept that you're being separated from God, and
you're being separated of God from God because of the
choices you make here. So if you choose to reject
God unto the point of death, then yes, you don't
have time to repent.

Speaker 3 (25:09):
Well, what happens if you say you you didn't die
physically and you died spiritually, Well, you're not dying.

Speaker 2 (25:17):
You're dying to yourself. You don't die spiritually. Your spirit
is everlasting at this point. It's just the determination is
whether it's everlasting in heaven or everlasting apart from God,
which is called hell. Right, So are you saying if
you had if you repented from something, rick, if you've

(25:39):
turned away from those things and you did you when
you were moved to say okay, there is a God.
Christ is that God, and I will serve him. You
are repenting from the things that you've done.

Speaker 3 (25:51):
Repenting, like repentance, is a change of heart or a
change of mind.

Speaker 2 (25:56):
Right, Yes, it's turning. The word actually translates to me
turning away from So you've moved away from your old
ways and you're a new creation in Christ and you're
continuing to be pureful on process.

Speaker 3 (26:09):
It has. It's been something that I've done immediately. It's
like something that's taken quite a few years.

Speaker 2 (26:16):
Everything wonderful takes time, right, everything, Like I haven't.

Speaker 3 (26:21):
Given up everything all at once, you know, like I
I gave up drugs, and then I gave up alcohol,
and then I gave up chasing woman and all that
kind of stuff. And it's just been a slow process.
And I've been working on my how I treat people.
And have you ever heard of AA? Yes, of course, asnonymous.

(26:45):
I went through that program, and that's where I kind
of feel that I really connected with God.

Speaker 2 (26:51):
Well, we hear that a lot on this program. A
lot of people when they go through the twelve steps
find that in the process of finding the you're powerless
against many things, do find God. Unfortunately, some of them
don't find me, but they eventually come around and find,

(27:12):
you know, something that they call God, and that's not
always helpful.

Speaker 3 (27:15):
But yeah, well I went in with the already convinced
that you were real. So when I was there, that's
who I When they said higher Power, that's that's who
you know, I automatically thought Christ. Right, Well, I want I.

Speaker 2 (27:31):
Want you to think of a passage There's this passage
that I want you to take with you today, and
that's a Hebrews twelve two where it talks about that
God is the author and finisher of your faith. And
the reason why I want you to take that with
you is I want you to think, rick that not
only are you in this process and then things that
you're changing your saying I'm removing this from my life,

(27:53):
of removing that from my life, but to know that
God ultimately is not only the author the beginner of
your faith, He's also the finish sure of your faith.
And that God walks with you in a partnership of
refining you. And so it's not just your burden, but
that God is with you through that process refining. Just
like you know fire to metal refines it, and that

(28:15):
all you do is that is that God gives you
that God given fire. That dross comes to the top,
like when you're purifying metal, all you need to do
is you need to scrape that off and continue to
move on with the process. But trust that God is
the author and the finisher of your faith.

Speaker 1 (28:34):
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