On Sabbath, February 25 2023, something unbelievable happened.
In the area where I live (which is well-known for being a place of hot, sunny, parched desertness) got SNOW!
That RARELY happens!
Snow: Before & After
As I was exploring the once-in-a-lifetime winter wonderland in my own backyard, I discovered an interesting object lesson.
As you can see in the images above, on one side is a nice close-up of the snowy ground from my backyard.
On the other side is an image of the dead brown grass underneath all the nice-looking snow.
What lesson can we glean from this?
Discernment: Brushing Aside The Fluff
I’d like to present several verses that can help illustrate what we can learn from the snow that “hid” the dead brown grass underneath.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
(Matthew 7:15)
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
(Matthew 23:27)
But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.
(1 Samuel 16:7)
It’s so easy to look at things as they appear; such as an avocado.
And because it LOOKS good, we pick it and cut it open…only to discover that it’s rotting inside.
The same thing applies to the snow I saw in my yard.
At first glance, it looks so nice and fluffy.
Until you take time to brush the “fluff” aside, and you see what really is beneath the surface (literally).
This is why discernment is so important.
Discernment is what keeps us from unnecessarily “cutting into” a “rotten avocado.”
Discernment is what keeps us from being deceived by the snowy white covers of the dead brown grass around us.
Malachi 3:18 says:
Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
(Malachi 3:18)
A Prayer
Dear friend, would you like to receive the gift of discernment today, so you may stand strong against the enemy’s “nice-looking” deceptions?
Then I wanna encourage you to pray:
Some Promises
I would like to close out this blog post with some Bible promises you may claim along with the above prayer
And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
(Ezekiel 44:23)
Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad
(1 Kings 3:9)
Stay tuned for next week’s blog post, where we’ll dig deeper into HOW to grow in spiritual discernment!
I Would Love To Know…
- Why is discernment important to you?
- Have you ever made the mistake of judging something as good (like some fruit, a book, etc.) only to find out that it wasn’t as good as you assumed?
- Let’s chat about it together in the comments below! ?
Only the LORD give thee wisdom and understanding, and give thee charge concerning Israel, that thou mayest keep the law of the LORD thy God.
(1 Chronicles 22:12)
Amen! Maranatha!