The Benefit of Biblical Wisdom & Discernment

I have realized over the years how frequently people miss red flags because an attractive, alluring package of qualities or circumstances shroud those flags. We encounter heartbreaking experiences every day. The self-help aisles at our local bookstores are full of worldly ideas. Ironically, what we won’t find within those aisles is the most popular and successful “self-help” book in the world: the Bible.

The Bible is free, easily accessible online, and routinely dispensed at churches and religious institutions. Its wisdom is free for the taking. Biblical wisdom is drastically different from worldly wisdom. Unlike worldly advice, God’s advice is perfect because he created you and knows everything about you. Before a word is on your tongue, he knows what it is. He knows what you need before you ask (see Matthew 6:8). He even knows how many hairs are on your head. And because God created everyone, he knows just as much about everyone else as he does about you, including why some people, unfortunately, are not to be trusted.

We are drawn to talent, wealth, and beauty, yet all of those things come from God. Deception impacts perception, making it more difficult to identify a smooth operator’s true motives. That’s why it’s imperative for us to be able to distinguish flash from substance whenever we find ourselves impressed by someone or something.

First and foremost, discernment requires preparation. When we first turn to God for guidance, we receive unique instruction. Once we submit to God’s guidance, we are prepared and protected by the armor of God, which allows us to practice discernment whenever we encounter new people and circumstances. And by practicing biblical discernment, we learn in time to distinguish the good from the bad, which facilitates health, hope, and happiness in every area of our lives.