Hebrews 5:14 (NKJV) ~ “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.”
In Hebrews 5, the writer pauses while teaching about Jesus Christ as our great High Priest to address the spiritual growth of the believers receiving the message. They have become dull of hearing and still need foundational instruction when they should be ready to receive deeper teaching. The writer compares their condition to that of an infant who still needs milk, then explains that solid food belongs to those who have matured. But notice how Hebrews 5:14 describes maturity. It does not simply say that mature believers have heard more teaching or memorized more Scripture. It says that “by reason of use” they have exercised their senses to discern both good and evil. Their ability to recognize and respond to what is right has developed through practice.
The word exercised gives us a picture of training. Just as your physical abilities become more developed through repeated use, your spiritual discernment grows as you receive God’s Word, apply it, and learn to recognize the difference between what agrees with His truth and what leads you away from it.
Discernment is not merely having a strong feeling about something. It is not assuming that every uncomfortable situation is a warning from God or that every pleasant opportunity is His approval. Spiritual discernment requires you to examine what is before you in the light of God’s Word, seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance, and respond with wisdom. And this is where today’s conversation begins. You have been learning what needs to be crucified, what should no longer have power over you, and why you cannot remain spiritually immature. Now you must begin exercising what you have learned.
I have a question for you; have you ever walked into a situation and almost immediately thought, “Something about this feels familiar”? Maybe it was the way a conversation began, the pressure you felt to make a quick decision, or the familiar urge to respond before you had all the information. Perhaps you noticed yourself becoming frustrated over something you thought you had already learned to handle differently. You recognized the pattern, but you were not quite ready to admit what recognizing it might require you to do. And there you stood, with an opportunity to make a different choice, while everything familiar inside you was encouraging you to respond the way you always had. You need to know that sometimes the challenge is not that you do not recognize what is happening, you recognize it, but you do not want to respond to what you recognize. You see the familiar pattern beginning again and you notice how a particular conversation is affecting your attitude; and you can recognize that an opportunity is going to require more time and energy than you have available. You can hear yourself preparing to say something you know will cause unnecessary hurt. You notice that a habit you thought you had brought under control is slowly beginning to take up more room in your life.
But instead of pausing to consider what you already see, you convince yourself that this time will be different. You tell yourself that you can handle it, that it is not serious enough to address, or that you will deal with it later. Deep down, however, you recognize that something is not right. Before long, you find yourself praying for God to bring you out of a situation that had already shown you signs to pay attention to. You need to know that not every hardship comes from a poor decision, and you cannot anticipate every difficulty. But there are times when God has given you the wisdom to recognize that something needs to change. The question is not whether you saw the warning signs. The question is what you chose to do with what you saw. Proverbs 22:3 says, “A prudent man foresees evil and hides himself, but the simple pass on and are punished.” The prudent person does not have to experience every possible consequence before taking a warning seriously. Wisdom teaches you to recognize danger and respond appropriately.
You just need to know that you do not have to keep walking into what you have already learned to recognize. Think about a conversation that has repeatedly ended in frustration. You may already know which subjects need to be approached carefully, what causes you to become defensive, and when your emotions are beginning to take over. Discernment helps you recognize those moments before you say something you will later regret. It gives you an opportunity to pause, pray, listen, and choose a different response. That does not mean you should avoid every difficult conversation. Remember, during Crucify It, you were reminded that some conversations are hard to have, but they still must be had. Discernment helps you distinguish between a conversation that is necessary and a conversation that is simply feeding an argument. It helps you recognize when to speak, when to listen, when to establish a boundary, and when to allow everyone involved time to settle before continuing.
James 1:19 tells you to be “swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath.” Those instructions give you something practical to exercise. When you feel the urge to interrupt, you can choose to listen. When you want to respond immediately, you can choose to pause. When your anger begins rising, you can recognize it without allowing it to take control of your words. Each time you practice that response, you are learning to handle a familiar situation with greater maturity. And know this important fact; discernment is not the same as suspicion. God wants you to have discernment, but the world calls it suspicion, know and learn the difference. You can become so focused on looking for what is wrong that you begin questioning everybody’s intentions, interpreting every delay as rejection, or treating every unfamiliar situation as a threat. That is not the purpose of spiritual discernment. God is not calling you to live in fear of people or opportunities. He is teaching you to examine what is before you with a mind grounded in His truth.
First Thessalonians 5:21 says, “Test all things; hold fast what is good.” Notice that you are not instructed to reject everything. You are instructed to test it and hold on to what is good. That means you do not have to make an immediate decision simply because an opportunity has been presented to you. You can ask questions. You can seek wise counsel. You can examine whether the opportunity agrees with Scripture, whether you have the capacity to fulfill its responsibilities, and whether accepting it would require you to neglect commitments God has already placed in your hands. You can also recognize something good and receive it with gratitude. Not every new relationship is a distraction. Not every opportunity is a trap. Not every change is a warning. Discernment helps you distinguish between what you should embrace, what you should approach carefully, and what you should decline.
And that brings us back to an important question: Just because you can, does that mean you should? You may be qualified for an opportunity, but is it appropriate for this season? You may have the resources to make a purchase, but is it wise stewardship right now? You may have the right to express your disappointment, but will the way you are preparing to express it bring clarity or simply create more hurt?
Sometimes the answer will be yes. Sometimes it will be no. Sometimes you will need to wait until you have more information. The goal is not to develop a habit of saying no to everything. The goal is to stop allowing your immediate desire to make a decision that requires spiritual wisdom. Discernment requires you to examine yourself. It is easy to ask God to reveal the intentions of everybody around you while avoiding the question of what is happening in your own heart. You need to make this a part of your daily prayer, Psalm 139:23–24 gives you a different starting point: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” David did not begin by asking God to search everybody else. He invited God to examine him.
What if you began doing the same thing before making a difficult decision? Instead of asking only, “What is wrong with this situation?” you could also ask, “Lord, what is influencing the way I am seeing this situation?” Are you responding from wisdom or from a previous hurt? Are you saying yes because you believe God is leading you, or because you are afraid of disappointing someone? Are you saying no because the opportunity is not right for you, or because you are afraid of trying something unfamiliar? Are you seeking clarity, or are you looking for someone to agree with a decision you have already made? Those questions may be uncomfortable, but they help you examine your motives rather than assuming that every strong feeling is spiritual direction.
Jeremiah 17:9 reminds you that the heart can be deceitful. That is one reason you cannot depend on your feelings alone to determine what is right. Your feelings can alert you that something deserves attention, but they still need to be examined alongside God’s Word, the facts of the situation, and wise counsel. And remember, you can be sincere and still be mistaken. You can genuinely believe that you understand a situation and later discover that you did not have all the information. Spiritual maturity gives you the humility to acknowledge that possibility. It allows you to ask questions without becoming defensive and to change your understanding when new information reveals that you were wrong. Proverbs 18:13 says, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.” Discernment requires you to listen before reaching conclusions. Sometimes the wisest thing you can do is admit that you do not yet know enough to make a decision.
Now, think about how this applies to your relationships. You may notice that a relationship has become one-sided, that certain interactions repeatedly leave you exhausted, or that you have begun compromising an important boundary to keep someone else comfortable. Discernment helps you recognize that the pattern needs attention, but it does not automatically tell you to end the relationship. You may need to have an honest conversation, clarify expectations, establish a boundary, seek support, or recognize that the relationship needs to change. The appropriate response depends on what is actually happening. This is why you need both truth and love. Ephesians 4:15 calls you to speak “the truth in love.” Truth helps you acknowledge what is happening. Love helps you respond without unnecessary cruelty, retaliation, or a desire to punish someone. And sometimes the person you need to have a difficult conversation with is yourself. (Please read that last sentence again!) You may need to admit that you have been ignoring your responsibilities. You may need to acknowledge that you keep saying you want peace while repeatedly participating in conversations that disturb it. You may need to recognize that you have been asking God for direction while resisting the instruction He has already given you through His Word.
Listen up you cannot develop discernment while continually refusing to examine the patterns that are already visible in your life. And this is where the cost of transition becomes personal. You have been asking God to lead you into new territory. You have been praying for greater wisdom, greater discipline, healthier relationships, and the ability to carry what He is preparing for you. But you cannot take every familiar pattern into a new season simply because it has become comfortable.
New territory requires you to recognize when an old response no longer belongs in the life you are learning to live. You have responded to disappointment with silence for years. Now God is teaching you how to communicate honestly. You may have responded to uncertainty by trying to control everything. Now God is teaching you how to prepare responsibly while trusting Him with what you cannot control. You may have said yes to every request because you did not want anyone to be upset with you; but now He is teaching you that a loving no can be more faithful than an exhausted yes.
Those changes do not happen simply because you have heard a devotional about them. They happen as you begin practicing a different response when the opportunity presents itself. That is what Hebrews 5:14 means when it says your senses are exercised “by reason of use.” You develop discernment when you take the truth you have learned and apply it to the decisions right in front of you. You still need to pause. You still need to pray. You still need wise counsel. But you are learning not to ignore what God has already taught you; do not confuse discernment with the ability to predict everything that will happen. You will not always know how a situation will unfold. You will not always recognize every challenge before it arrives. You may make a thoughtful, prayerful decision and still encounter difficulty. Discernment does not give you control over the future. It helps you make faithful decisions with the understanding you have today.
James 1:5 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” You are invited to ask for wisdom. You do not have to pretend that you know what to do when you are uncertain. But when you ask, remain willing to receive an answer that challenges your preference. Sometimes you want God to confirm the decision you have already made. You want Him to bless the direction you have chosen, approve the response you have prepared, or remove the discomfort you feel about something you do not want to release. But Spirit-led living requires a different posture: “Lord, I am willing to be corrected. I am willing to wait. I am willing to change direction. Show me what is true and help me respond faithfully.” That is how discernment and surrender work together.
As you prepare your mind for today, begin paying attention to the thoughts that influence your decisions. Notice what you repeatedly rehearse, what you assume before you have all the facts, and what you tell yourself when you are trying to justify a choice. Your mind plays an important role in how you interpret what is happening around you. Romans 12:2 calls you to be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may discern the will of God. The more your thinking is shaped by His Word, the better prepared you become to recognize when your desires, assumptions, and responses need to change. As you have already learned too much to keep ignoring every familiar warning sign. You have heard the Word. You have been challenged to crucify your flesh. You have examined what still has power over you. You have been reminded that spiritual maturity requires practice. Now it is time to exercise your discernment. Remember, before you respond, pause. Before you commit, consider. Before you assume, listen. Before you follow a familiar desire, examine where it is leading you. And before you ask God to show you what is wrong with somebody else, invite Him to search your own heart. You do not have to know everything to make a wise decision, but you do need to be willing to use what God has already taught you.
Let’s Pray:
Heavenly Father, thank You for bringing me to another day of this journey. Thank You for the lessons You have already taught me about crucifying my flesh, examining what has power over me, and growing beyond spiritual infancy. Today, I ask You to develop my discernment. Help me become more attentive to Your Word and more willing to apply it when I face decisions, difficult conversations, unfamiliar opportunities, and familiar patterns. Holy Spirit, show me where I have been ignoring what I already recognize. If there are habits I keep excusing, conversations I keep avoiding, or choices I keep making without considering their consequences, help me examine them honestly. Give me the courage to acknowledge what needs to change without becoming discouraged or defensive. Teach me to respond to Your correction with humility and obedience. Father, guard me against confusing discernment with fear, suspicion, or the need to control everything around me. I do not want to assume the worst about people or reject every opportunity simply because I do not understand it. Teach me to test what is before me in the light of Your Word, to seek wise counsel, to ask thoughtful questions, and to wait when I do not yet have enough understanding to make a decision. God, help me recognize the difference between my feelings and Your direction. When I am hurt, keep me from allowing that hurt to determine every conclusion I reach. When I am excited, help me not to mistake my enthusiasm for Your approval. When I am afraid, give me the courage to examine whether You are warning me or inviting me to trust You through something unfamiliar. Let my emotions bring me to You rather than become the final authority over my choices. Lord, search my heart as David prayed. Reveal the motives I have overlooked, the assumptions I have treated as facts, and the familiar responses I have continued to justify. Help me recognize when pride is making me defensive, when fear is making me avoid what needs to be addressed, and when my desire for approval is causing me to agree to something I should prayerfully reconsider. Teach me to exercise discernment in my relationships. Give me wisdom to recognize when a conversation is necessary, when a boundary needs to be established, when I need to listen more carefully, and when I need to acknowledge that I have been wrong. Help me speak truth in love without becoming harsh, and help me show love without refusing to address what is true. Where a relationship needs healing, give me wisdom and humility. Where a situation requires distance or additional support, help me respond with clarity and courage. Father, as You lead me into new territory, help me recognize the old patterns that cannot continue governing my life. I do not want to carry yesterday’s reactions into tomorrow’s responsibilities. I do not want to ask You for greater opportunities while refusing to develop the judgment needed to handle them. Teach me to practice what I have learned in the small decisions so that I become more prepared for the greater responsibilities ahead. And Lord, when I do not know what to do, remind me that I can ask You for wisdom. Keep me from pretending to have answers I do not have or forcing a decision simply because I am uncomfortable waiting. Give me the humility to seek counsel, the patience to gather understanding, and the willingness to change direction when Your Word reveals that I need to do so. Let my discernment grow through consistent prayer, study, obedience, and practice. Help me recognize what is good and hold fast to it. Help me identify what is harmful and respond wisely. Above all, keep my heart surrendered to You so that I do not use discernment to elevate my own judgment above Your truth. I want to become more mature in the way I think, speak, listen, decide, and respond. Let my life reflect the work You are doing within me and teach me to follow Your Spirit one faithful decision at a time. In Jesus Christ Name, Amen.
Nugget: Discernment is not simply recognizing what is happening; it is learning how to respond wisely to what you recognize. Stop ignoring the lessons God has already taught you. Pause, pray, examine what is true, and exercise your discernment before your familiar patterns make another decision for you. Today Ask yourself: “What do I already recognize about this situation, what do I still need to understand, and what would a wise, loving, Spirit-led response look like?” Before taking action, spend time in prayer, consider what Scripture teaches, and seek wise counsel if needed. Then choose one practical step that puts what you have learned into practice.
Blessings…
Love, Dr. Jean…
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