Discernment Is Key To Surviving 2025, And The Year Of The AntiChrist

Discernment is key to surviving 2025 and the year of the Antichrist. That's our message. The text is taken from first Kings 3:5-28.

Recently a lady came up to us while we were doing Street Ministry. She said that we should have been able to immediately recognize that she was a serious woman of God, saved and sanctified. She expected that because we were claiming to be born again believers in Christ and sharing His good news. That we should have eyes and ears to be able to spot a believer right away. In truth we still do not know whether the woman was truly born again or not. And without judging her we had to admit that her self-righteous attitude and lack of knowledge might make us wonder what she was all about. And up to this point the Spirit of God has not impressed upon us of what sort she really is. Some like this unlearned woman also believe that the gift of discernment is like having superman eyes and ears that can spot a genuine person immediately. There is no one in scripture other than Christ Himself who had this kind of power, this super power in fact.

Father we thank You today for Your love and mercy and pray the blood of Jesus upon this message. That it may go far and wide and transform the thinking of Your people in Jesus precious name we pray. Amen.

There is a story in Acts 16 and 16 that shows us that even the Apostle Paul had to wait patiently for the Holy Spirit to reveal the true character and motive of a gifted slave girl who had attached herself to their evangelism team. She had an ability to tell the future and made money for her owners because of her gift. Perhaps the Apostle thought that her dedication to following them every day and announcing who they were as they went along might have been an indication that she had truly been converted by the Word of God. For she followed them everywhere they went for many days and she repeatedly announced the following, 'These men are born servants of the Most High God who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation. Perhaps this sounded good and was good advertisement drawing people to Paul and to his team so that they could be saved. However after many days scripture says that the Apostle Paul became annoyed. He turned around and rebuked the spirit and commanded that it come out of her, and the spirit came out of her immediately.

And so this brings us to a discussion about discernment, a gift or ability to understand what is good and what is evil especially in people. A gift that is badly needed by all true followers of Christ in this season of false doctrines. And yes it is the ability to tell the difference between what is truth and what is error. According to the dictionary, it comes from the Latin term discernere meaning to separate, divide or separate apart. Therefore to discern is to be able to separate things in people and situation that seem similar but are not. It is a wisdom kind of gift or a gift of those who have been made wise by the Lord God.

The Greek word discern when translated gives us a greater insight into its meaning. Because the word for discern in Greek means to sieve or sift something. And when you sieve or sift some things that are found together you are separating one kind of particle or substance from another. And so this definition tells us that error hides itself among the truth. Mixes itself up with the truth. And only the wisdom of God can sift it out or separate one from the other. And this is sometimes a painstaking or meticulous process that is done very carefully.

For instance the Apostle Paul wrote that the natural man or the one who is of the world does not have this kind of gift to separate good from evil and error from truth. As a result he's blinded by Satan. In fact to the natural man this is foolishness and he cannot know this scripture says because it is given spiritually. Here's the proof of this in the actual reading of 1 Corinthians 2:14 and 15.

But a natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to him and he cannot understand them because they are spiritually discerned. In other words detected only by spiritual examination. Then the scripture goes on to say but the one who is spiritual discerns all things. Yet he himself is discerned by no one.

And this means that those who are of the kingdom of the world do not have an understanding of spiritual matters and neither do they understand those who are led by The Spirit. Because their eyes have been spiritually darkened by the prince of this world who is Satan. Therefore the one who has this gift is not understood by the one who is not of Christ. And scripture says the one born of The Spirit is like the wind and is a mystery to the one who is not.

The wisest man that ever lived wanted this gift of discernment more than he desired material riches. According to scripture in first Kings 3 and 9 King Solomon asked the Lord to give him an understanding heart to judge the people of God, so that he would be able to discern or tell the difference between good and evil when he was judging them. And he was able to anticipate the great weight that would be placed on his shoulders as a result of being made King over God's great nation and he wanted to govern them with equity. Because he asked God for wisdom and a discerning heart and not for wealth or the death of his enemies he was blessed beyond measure. The Lord made him the wisest man ever and also threw in riches and honor as an extra bonus. Clearly we must pray for the gift of discernment because it is one of the greatest gifts a man or woman of God can possibly have.

The great king applied this God given gift of wisdom with brilliance one day when two women who were both harlots and lived in the same house claimed to be the mother of the same baby boy. These two women lived alone together in the same house and so there was no witness to the event to say which one of them the baby really belonged to. So they came to King Solomon that he may judge between them and settled the ownership of the baby. The story is known as the Judgment of Solomon and is one of the most outstanding stories in all of the holy scriptures. As the scriptures outlined it, both women had conceived and brought forth a male child three days apart. However one woman lay on her child during the night causing the child to suffocate and die. And she then exchanged her dead baby with the live baby of the other woman who was fast asleep. And when the other woman whose baby was 3 days older awakened and looked at the dead baby laying on her breast she knew it was not her baby. Meanwhile the other woman had a live baby laying on her breast and insisted that the live baby was hers.

Now the two women, arguing and fussing each other heatedly over the live baby, went before King Solomon asking him to judge between them. The king could not decide which woman was right, he could not make head nor tail of the matter, and was probably greatly perplexed as each of the two women continued to claim to be the child's mother in an animated way. King Solomon then called for a sword and ordered the living child to be cut in half and half given to each woman. The first woman accepted the judgment as a fair settlement of the matter. She did not care if the baby died. But the second woman begged Solomon to give the baby to the first woman preferring for the baby to live and not to die. She loved the baby genuinely and wanted the child to live even if the baby was taken away from her. And then the wise and discerning King ordered the baby to be given to the the second woman. Because her love for the child was real. By this he knew that she was the real mother of the baby.

We see discernment at work here in an interesting way. Clearly the king could not tell who was the real mother just by looking at them, and looking at the baby, and listening to their argument. However he might have had a theory or sense in his Spirit but was not fully certain whether he was correct. And therefore he relied on the wisdom of God to give him a sure method to prove once and for all to everyone which of the two was the real mother of the baby. My friend God will help you apply this gift using different methods in differing situations.

Discernment is an essential tool for believers in Christ today because the devil comes as an angel of light and therefore those led by him come with a deceiving spirit using sweet talk and convincing words. And their strategy make it difficult to flush out the or to expose their real motive. They come saying and doing the right things and it takes some time and going through a process in order to discover what they are really all about.

Proverbs 3:5 tells us not to depend upon our own understanding but rather to trust totally in the Lord. We are to consult Him in all our endeavors and He will certainly direct our steps. He will give us understanding and this is what discernment really is. Discernment is not judging by appearance but rather waiting for God to give us the answer. Starting out we often rush to a conclusion too quickly and make errors. And we are told in the gospel of John that we should not judge by outward appearance but judge with righteous judgment, according to John 7:24.

In conclusion here are the key points of the message. Discernment is not a magical gift in which we wave a magic wand and the answer pops up. The wise approach is to refrain from rushing to a conclusion. Also we should patiently wait for God's move directing us to the answer. Error and fake news hide themselves cleverly among the truth. And discernment is the God led process of sifting them out and getting to truth. In addition the natural man or the one who is of the world does not have the ability to discern what is good and what is evil. And neither does he understand the way of the one who is led by The Spirit of the Living God. Who is like the wind. Another point is that discernment can only be received from God through prayer. And is there for the asking by every born again believer in Christ. Because the devil comes as an angel of light this is going to be an essential gift in the days leading up to the time of the Antichrist. May God give you this gift of discernment and bless you with the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of how to use it. God bless you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.

You've been listening to this message and perhaps you do not know Jesus Christ as Lord and savor and you want to know Him. And you want to be able to tell the difference between good and evil. Please engage your heart and I will lead you through the sinner's prayer. Say after me:

-Father I am a sinner.

-I am sorry for all my sins.

-I crave Your forgiveness Lord.

-I want to return to You.

-Thank You Lord for Your forgiveness.

-Today I invite Jesus Christ into my heart.

-Dear Lord Jesus make my heart Your home.

-I give You the key to my heart because I now belong to You forever.

-Please give me the Holy Spirit to lead me into all truth.

-Thank You Lord for saving my soul. Amen.

Welcome friend to the body of believers in Christ. There are many of us here awaiting the return of the Good Master. In the meantime we want to encourage you to become water baptized as quickly as possible.

Begin reading the Word of God. Begin in the Book of John then go to Matthew, Mark and Luke, reading audibly as often as possible because faith comes by hearing the Word of God.

Pray daily. Attend at your local church. And one glad morning the Savior will come and receive us all unto Himself and we shall indeed forever be with the Lord. God bless and keep you in Jesus mighty name. Amen.