PENTECOST: Why We Need the HOLY SPIRIT to Give Us DISCERNMENT Now [Videos]

Having been raised Catholic, I had no idea that once I surrendered my life to Christ, I had the Holy Spirit living in me. Unknowingly, there are incredible benefits in knowing Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and the Holy Spirit is one of them. Evidently, I was missing out! This Pentecost, why don’t you start taking advantage of these benefits? Certainly, the gift that’s most needed NOW is the GIFT of DISCERNMENT.

When the prophet Daniel saw his vision of the future,

“But you, Daniel, keep this prophecy a secret; seal up the book until the time of the end, when many will rush here and there, and knowledge will increase.”
Daniel 12:4 NLT (emphasis mine)

Undeniably, knowledge is certainly increasing! In my experience, I witnessed the birth and growth of the Internet. Furthermore, with the AI Chatbots, you can ask anything and receive an answer in seconds. However, is it the right answer? Is it the truth? Of course, just like good information is all over the World Wide Web, so is bad information. It’s called AI slop. See, AI doesn’t have wisdom, common sense, or discernment. It grabs relevant content from everywhere on the Internet, plus human input. Interestingly enough, whether it’s right or wrong, truth or made-up lies, it spits it out. Discernment is up to you.

What is DISCERNMENT?

The dictionary defines it as “the ability to judge well.” In Christian contexts, it’s defined as “perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtaining spiritual guidance and understanding.”

Discernment is the process of making careful distinctions in our thinking about truth. In other words, the ability to think with discernment is synonymous with an ability to think biblically.
John McArthur (emphasis mine)

What does it mean to think biblically?

Once you become a born-again Christian, you need to become rooted in the Word. Thus, the more you STUDY the Bible, not just read it, you begin to THINK more like God and less like the world. Paul wrote…

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:2 NLT (emphasis mine)

What is Spiritual Guidance?

First of all, let’s distinguish between the Holy Spirit, who is God, as part of the Holy Trinity, and new age “spirit guides,” which are demonic. When you’re looking for supernatural wisdom, if you are NOT biblically rooted, you can fall for deceiving spirits. These evil beings are from Satan, who doesn’t want you following Jesus or studying the Bible. Watch this interview I did with a man who was deceived by demonic “spirit guides” and eventually became demon-possessed. Check out the video below on the Trinity.

What’s more, spiritual guidance is when you have a decision to make, and you rely on either the scriptures (the Bible), a trusted born-again Christian friend, prayer, or a biblically-grounded pastor for advice and direction. Likewise, spiritual guidance can even be a nudging or a feeling that what you’re listening to is wrong, where you are is a bad place, or what you’re about to do is not in God’s will.

My Turning Point

For me, it was in 2005 when I moved from Florida to Arizona. Back in Florida, I attended (not knowing any better) the United Church of Christ (UCC), and I found a UCC church in North Phoenix. By that time, all UCC churches had gone “open and affirming”. Basically, they were condoning the sin of sexual immorality. I joined the “choir”, but it wasn’t the same as the churches in FL. Yet, I felt extremely uncomfortable. That church closed every August, so I started attending a Calvary Chapel. What a difference! I knew they were preaching the biblical truth, and I felt free.

Looking back, I’m sure it was the Holy Spirit prompting me to run, not walk away from the false teaching and twisted, watered-down gospel of the UCC church.

What is Biblical Discernment?

Biblical discernment…

… Informs my perspective
…Transform my thinking
…Forms my behavior

In other words, biblical discernment protects us from false teachings. God wants us to know the truth! Additionally, discernment protects us from fear, and it guides us away from making mistakes.

Paul wrote…

All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right.
2 Timothy 3:16 NLT

Before Jesus went willingly to the cross, He comforted His disciples…

“If you love me, obey my commandments. ¹⁶And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. ¹⁷He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. ¹⁸No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. ¹⁹Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.
John 14:15-19 NLT (emphasis mine)

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. ¹⁴He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. ¹⁵All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
John 16:13-15 NLT (emphasis mine)

Become Rooted in the Word

Naturally, when you become increasingly rooted in the Word, you begin to develop biblical discernment. Nevertheless, the Holy Spirit is a big factor. Some people I know have a photographic memory and can easily remember Bible verses and recite them when needed. Most of us don’t. Fortunately, that’s when the Holy Spirit kicks in. If you let Him. If you have Him in your heart.

Even as a born-again, baptized Christian, I wasn’t fully aware that I had access to the power of the Holy Spirit. Now, I call on the Spirit daily for self-control (part of the Fruit of the Spirit) and self-discipline (as Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 1:7).

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
2 Timothy 1:7 NLT

Besides that, I ask Him for the right words to say during casual encounters, Bible studies, and even fellowship meetings with Christian friends. He never fails me. Unfortunately, many times, I forget to call on Him and attempt to do it myself. Ultimately, that’s when I walk away with the “woulda, coulda, shoulda” feeling of, “I should have said this or that!” At that point, I pray, next time, Lord, give me the right words to say.

Paul also wrote…

Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. ²These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.

³They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.
1 Timothy 4:1-3 NLT (emphasis mine)

How can I learn to discern?

It’s a process of growth and learning. Moreover, once you’ve got the Holy Spirit living in you, you will feel those nudges. Stop and pray. Ask, is that a nudge from You, Lord? Then, be quiet and listen for an answer. Therefore, if the nudge gets stronger, it’s from the Lord.
Dig into the Word. I can’t say it enough. Obviously, the more rooted you are in the Word of God, the Bible, the stronger your spirit of discernment will be.
Listen to trusted voices. Personally, I don’t know how many times I’ve started listening to a preacher or podcaster a friend recommends only to have the Holy Spirit say, “Turn it OFF!” That’s not a trusted voice. My friend was deceived. Below, I have links to my trusted sources.

Unmistakably, without discernment, we drift. Needless to say, we’re like stupid sheep straying away looking for greener pastures. Trust the Shepherd!

How can I be sure that I have the Holy Spirit?

Firstly, are you born again? Have you surrendered your life to Jesus Christ? Have you invited Him to be your Lord and Savior? Do you have a personal relationship with Him?

If you’re not sure if you’re saved or not, if you truly want to be born again and have the assurance of salvation, receive the Holy Spirit, feel His Shalom — a peace that surpasses all understanding, and get a 1-way, non-stop ticket to Heaven after you die, or that you won’t be left behind at the Rapture, which can happen at any moment, this is what you have to do…

Believe. Repent. Be Baptized. Receive the Holy Spirit.

Believe — have Faith — that Jesus is the Christ, and He died taking your sins away forever, and that He rose from the dead 3 days later.
Repent of your sins: In other words, stop sinning! Do a complete 180-degree turn in your life and surrender it all to Him. When you ask Jesus to forgive you, He will. ALL your sins will be wiped clean, past, present, and future! And All means ALL!
Be Baptized by water baptism: Show the world and yourself that you have died to your old life and are born again in Christ.
Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

Invite Jesus into Your Heart and Receive the Gift of Grace, Joy, Peace, and the Confident Hope of Eternal Life…

There’s more below these videos…

How Do You Develop Spiritual Discernment?

The Power of a Discerning Spirit with Dr. Charles Stanley

7 Uncomfortable Signs the Holy Spirit is in You

Discernment or Deception?

With Pastors Mark Henry, Josh Schwartz, and Jeff Kinley

5 Steps to Let the Holy Spirit Take Full Control of Your Life

What is Shavout? Why is it Sacred?

What are the Jewish roots of Pentecost? From tradition to fulfillment.

What does the Bible say about the Trinity?

A Closing Prayer for You…

I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding. ¹⁰For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ’s return. ¹¹May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation—the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ—for this will bring much glory and praise to God.
Philippians 1:9-11 NLT