"50:50"
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It's game time again on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Another question is on the screen with four possible answers. Only one is correct, but you can't be sure which. You've already used one of your lifelines, Phone A Friend, and now you look to your remaining lifelines to help. This time you choose to eliminate two of the possible answers — 50:50.
"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil" (Heb. 5:14).
Do you ever have trouble making a decision, especially about something you feel is essential? I know I do! Even in small things, sometimes the list of possibilities can become overwhelming. Often the best way of narrowing in on a choice is to eliminate as many options as possible. It's like the menu at The Cheesecake Factory vs. In-N-Out Burger — a book full of dishes vs. three or four carefully curated menu items.
Spiritually speaking, we need to narrow the playing field. But this kind of thoughtful simplification isn't automatic. Only through constant training and practice are we able to tell the difference between good and evil, helpful and harmful, timely, and inappropriate. Let's look at a few useful exercises to grow our power of spiritual discernment.
Get In The Word
We didn't create the standard for deciding what's right — that was God! And he makes his way clear to us through his word, but we have to get into it! We'd do well to follow the Berean's example, who, "received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so" (Acts 17:11). It's a daily examination of all our beliefs and decisions, based on the perfect roadmap for life, that will help train us.
Identify Your Attachments
Our biases, addictions, and entanglements have a way of clouding our choices. We know it's not right, but we do it anyway because it's comfortable or makes us feel good. Let's get honest with ourselves to see what we're clinging to with white knuckles, and of what we're unwilling to let go. As Paul said, "Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves" (2 Cor. 13:5).
Review Your Past Choices
Hindsight is 20/20. It's easy to know the right thing to do after something has happened, but it's hard to predict the future. When we can look back at our past successes or failures, that will help inform what we choose today. What worked? Do it again! What didn't? How can I choose better today? Not that we wallow in the guilt of our mistakes, but we should be learning from them to avoid stumbling again (Phil. 3:13).
May the Lord help us today in making wise choices that lead us to greater maturity in Christ!
