Just Thinking: Intuition vs. Discernment

Just Thinking: Intuition vs. Discernment

Intuition is the ability to understand something immediately (based on feeling) – without the need for conscious reasoning, while Discernment is the ability to judge well or as Dr. John MacArthur puts it – “the ability to think biblically about all areas of life – it is indispensable to an uncompromising life”.

It is generally believed that due to the wiring of women (more Estrogen and the dominant use of the right hemisphere of the brain) that women do have more intuition (perception based on feeling) than men. While Discernment is available to both men and women (who have accepted Christ as Savior and Lord) based on reading, meditating and understanding Godly instructions (His written Word).

There are so many scriptures that commands us to seek Discernment as true believers:

1 Thess. 5: 21-22 “”But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil.”

1 John 4: 1 “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world”

2 Peter 1:3 “His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness”

Hebrews 5: 14 “But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil”

When we aggregate all the scriptures (the above are a few), we come to the following conclusions:

* Discernment is a GIFT based on our seeking KNOWLEDGE and deeper understanding of the Word of God.

* Discernment is a prerogative of a mature believer (it comes with spiritual maturity – knowing and understanding God’s truth, it is different from intuition that is based on feeling).

* Discernment saves a believer from false prophets, wrong teaching and headache of being tossed around, because he/she is able to “discern” half-truths and outright lies.

* Discernment is how we know what is Good and what is Evil based on God’s word, not based on what we FEEL (like the world does) or told by the world.

Is your life based on Intuition (perception based on feeling) or Discernment (perception based on knowledge and understanding God’s word)?