Step 26 On Discernment… a
Discerning God’s Will for Our Lives Scripture on Discernment:
1 John 4:1 - Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.
Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.
Hebrews 5:14 - But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
1 Kings 3:9 - Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
St John introduces the twenty-sixth step thus: Discernment in beginners is true knowledge of themselves; in intermediate souls, it is a spiritual sense that faultlessly distinguishes what is truly good from what is of nature and opposed to it; and in the perfect, it is the knowledge which they have within by Divine illumination, and which can enlighten with its lamp what is dark in others. Or perhaps, generally speaking, discernment is, and is recognized as, the certain understanding of the Divine will on all occasions, in every place and in all matters; and it is only found in those who are pure in heart, and in body and in mouth.
How many times do we struggle to know God's will for our lives. As St. John notes: There are many roads to holiness - - and to Hell. A path wrong for one will suit another, yet what each is doing is pleasing to God." How are we to live our lives? What are we to do? In a moment of crisis, when a decision has to be made and to made quickly, what does God want us to do? What will please Him? What will bring us heavenly rewards? Am I hearing the voice of God or the voice of self or worse still, the voice of Satan? How do I know? Anyone who is traveling the spiritual road knows in the depths of his being how agonizing these questions truly are. In response to this feeling, St. John offers some practical advice from his own experience.
First, he insists that "those who wish to discover the will of God must begin by mortifying their own will." St. John recognizes that it is easy for us to say that we want to know God's will when, in fact, we really only want our will. It is also easy for us to convince ourselves that what God wants is what we want, and then to imagine that our voice is the voice of God. This deception (known as "prelest" in the spiritual tradition, Slavonic means spiritual delusion, deception) leads us to hell. Once we have confused our voice for God's, we are easy prey for the Devil. Humility, the recognition that our will is confused and confusing, is the necessary prelude to knowing the will of God. To keep us from playing games with ourselves and to insure that we are totally humble before God so that we can be guided by Him, St. John suggest that we make no decisions without the input and agreement of others. Do nothing without a blessing! This blessing may be obtained from one's confessor, superior, spiritual guide, the writings and examples of the saints and from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
St. John also suggest that we discover the will of God through abandoning every attachment. We human beings are impulsive; our desires are awakened and immediately we want to fulfill them. Usually, if we say "No" to our immediate desires to do something, they fade away and are replaced by desire for other things. If we detach ourselves from that which awakened our desires, they tend to go away. This is especially true if we submit ourselves during this time to a strict regiment of prayer and fasting. Human desires (even those Satanically inspired) cannot sustain themselves if they are detached from the object of their desire and if they are not fed by constant thought and imagination. However, a call from God will grow stronger during a time of prayer and fasting. The will of God is not dependent upon human impulses. The more it is nurtured and fed with prayer and fasting the stronger it grows. The more detached we are from those things which feed the flesh and its desires and the more attached we are to those things which feed our soul the more we are able to discern the will of God for our lives.
Furthermore, St. John teaches that trials and difficulties are often reliable signposts in discerning the will of God. We often start something which we think is of God and as soon as it gets difficult we grow discouraged and think that maybe we made a mistake and that maybe it really wasn't of God. How different is the reasoning of St. John. If we start something and experience tremendous troubles in the doing of it, then we probably are on the right track. Satan will only oppose something that is good; the better and purer it is, the more Satan will try to stop us at every turn.
Yet to know God's will is not easy; we often make mistakes. This should keep us humble but it should not depress us. For our encouragement, St. John writes: "God is not unjust. He will not slam the door against the man who humbly knocks. . . .And every act that is not the product of personal inclination or of impurity will be imputed to us for good, especially if it is done for the sake of God. . . . God judges us by our intentions, but because of His love for us He only demands from us such actions as lie within our power."
Of all the steps on St. John’s ladder, this one may be the most difficult to grapple with. Discernment is that attribute of the spiritual life that we all need, yet that we all seem to lack. It is, says St. John, “the certain understanding of the Divine will on all occasions, in every place and in all matters; and it is only found in those who are pure in heart, and in body and in mouth.” How can we possibly know for certain what is the divine will on all occasions? Maybe the reason we seldom show spiritual discernment is because we seldom understand what discernment is, and maybe this is because we have a complete misunderstanding about this thing John calls “divine will.”
What is Discernment?
St. John begins to discuss what discernment allows us to see and how it must be used. (a) Discernment, he states, helps us to understand the capital vices and their offspring. It is the ability to see how certain actions and thoughts give rise to sin and teaches us how to avoid them. (b) Discernment helps us to examine our motives honestly and allows us to see that virtues and vices are sometimes intermingled. It even helps us to understand why certain prayers go unanswered by God. (c) Furthermore, such a gift helps us to know and anticipate the ways of demons and teaches us how to respond to situations involving multiple evils. (d) It leads us to scrutinize ourselves as a matter of course - thoroughly examining every virtue and vice. (e) He who has received this gift can detect hidden vices in others as well as in himself. He knows the seasons of the spiritual life, when the fruits of spiritual labors come, the movements of one's spirit and the different levels of sorrow and despair. (f) He makes the will of God his rule of life. (g) He knows which of the spiritual gifts are the most important and valuable. (h) He neglects no fault, no matter how small, seeing that it may bring his downfall. (i) A discerning man understands that sometimes we are vulnerable to certain sins simply because of body weaknesses. (j) He understands that relationships must be properly understood if they are to remain undefiled and holy. (k) He knows and desires to give what is best to God - the first fruits of his labors and his day. (l) He chooses the path in life which best suits him - the path that leads to sanctity. (m) Discernment helps him to see all things in their proper light.
St. John then discusses more advanced forms of discernment and how such a gift may be fostered in a persons' soul. (a) He speaks of the necessity of mortifying one's will, seeking the counsel of others with humility, and abandoning attachment to everything. (b) A person must learn how to judge failures and successes in his spiritual pursuits and interpret their meaning. (c) He must also learn not to follow certain inclinations that would lead him to take upon himself tasks beyond his capabilities. (d) Such a virtue will help him to understand the meaning of the moral lapses in those who seem to be holy and blessed with many spiritual gifts. (e) Gradually he will learn not to be surprised at the unexpected actions of others, but will remain at peace even when afflicted and rebuked. (f) He will understand the need to strike down demons before giving them an opportunity to wound him. (g) His eyes will be open to how demons seek to teach us how to interpret scripture in a distorted fashion and how they seek to confuse our thoughts. (h) He will see how and in what manner he must enter into the struggle and who his enemies are.
First, become convinced that divine will is not an intellectual understanding of knowledge related to specific activities of life, such as whom we are to marry, what job or career we are to pursue, whether we are “called” to be a pastor or priest etc. We cannot know divine will by listening to preachers or teachers talk about it, seeking the advice of others, or thinking about what “God’s will” is for me. It is revealed only in action and deeds. Divine truth is learned, “more by toil and sweat than by mere words,” says St. John. And, the actions and deeds that are the classroom of discernment is the mortification of our own will. Once again John calls us back to humility as the path to God. “God is not unjust and does not close the door against those who knock with humility.”
A small fire often destroys a whole forest; so too a small flaw spoils all our labor.
Such an idea is one thing as a concept, but the reality is something altogether more difficult. John describes this mortification for us very well, but in our self-indulgence and self-centeredness we usually choose not to follow his advice. For, it is not mortification of our will to God’s will John advises. He gives us an exercise that is much more practical. He instructs us to mortify our will to the will of the people around us. When we seek the advice or counsel of others, humbly, and we have prayed to God for guidance, John suggests we put aside what we desire or want and accept the advice even if it is contrary to our own view. The point is not to harm or destroy our self-esteem. It is to teach us humility. Without humility we can never grow in discernment in knowing, understanding or doing the will of God.
We are also to allow things to occur in their own time, says St. John. If there is indeed a time for everything we must do at each time what is proper for that occasion. We must not seek to force something to happen when it is not its time. There is a time for obedience and a time to command; a time to fast and a time to partake; a time for a storm in the soul, and a time for calm in the mind; a time for stillness, and a time for undistracted distraction; a time for unceasing prayer and a time for sincere service. Seek to live in the awareness of what is appropriate for the time. St. John advises us to, “not be deceived by proud zeal and seek prematurely what will come in its own good time; that is, we should not seek in winter what comes in summer, or at seed time what comes at harvest; because there is a time to sow labours, and a time to reap the unspeakable gifts of grace.”
In those moments when we are unsure, John writes, we should always make it our rule and practice to ask ourselves, “Am I really doing this in accordance with God’s will?” The answer, according to St. John, at least for us beginners, is whether in carrying out some task humility is added to our soul. If it is not, then regardless of whether the matter is great or small it is not done according to God. This then is the measure for those of us who are beginners in the spiritual life – growth in humility is the fulfillment of God’s will.
“God judges our repentance, not by our labours, but by our humility.”
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