More Wisdom Through Discernment

1
More Wisdom Through Discernment

• More Love
• Expecting More of the Fire of the Holy Spirit
• More Love Through Prayer
• More Love Through Purification
• More Power
• More Power Through the Charisms
• More Power Through Community
• More Power Through Service
• More Wisdom
• More Wisdom Through Discernment
• More Wisdom Through Vision
• More Wisdom Through Hope

2
More Wisdom Through Discernment

• Listening
• Attitudes we need to hear God's will
• Knowing
• Objective criteria for testing the Spirit
• Hearing
• Subjective criteria for testing the Spirit
• The Charismatic Gift of Discernment
• Waiting on the Lord

3
More Wisdom Through Discernment

• Lord, you know every stone and leaf on these
  mountains, so you know exactly where my contact
  lense is. Help me find it!

4
More Wisdom Through Discernment

• Lord, I don't know why you want me to carry this
  thing. I can't eat it, and it's awfully heavy.
  But if this is what you want me to do, I'll carry
  it for you.

5
More Wisdom Through Discernment

• The ways the Lord leads us are at times very
  unclear. We need to intently seek to discover his
  will while doing things we don't understand,
  trusting he will make the way clear.

6
ListeningAttitudes we need to hear God's will

• Faith Conviction
• Faith that God wants us to know his will
• If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do
  it. (John 1414)?
• Not hide and seek!
• Faith that God is present in revealing his will
• Heartfelt conviction
• Jesus is alive!
• More than just general direction, but specific
  directions for our daily life

7
ListeningAttitudes we need to hear God's will

• Faith Knowledge
• Growth in spiritual thinking
• God can guide with head knowledge too
• Life of discernment requires prayer and study
• Grace Intelligence

8
ListeningAttitudes we need to hear God's will

• Hunger to conform to the will of God
• Submit our wills to him
• Decide to obey God's will
• Do not cling to our will (John 2011-18)?
• Surrender our lives to him
• Spirit of recollection
• Learn an ongoing sensitivity to God's presence
• Stop and pray when obstacles come
• Do not get agitated

9
KnowingObjective Criteria for Testing the Spirit

• Teaching
• Scripture
• Tradition
• Genuine inspiration
• General life direction
• Look out for contradicting obligations

10
KnowingObjective Criteria for Testing the Spirit

• Specific leadings or inspirations
• Psalm 374
• Ordinary inspirations
• Internal
• From the heart
• Charismatic inspirations
• External
• Revelation

11
HearingSubjective Criteria For Testing
Inspirations

• Question of the Origin of the Inspiration
• Holy Spirit
• Human spirit
• Evil spirits

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HearingSubjective Criteria For Testing
Inspirations

• Fruit of the Spirit
• Galatians 522
• Peace
• Love
• Joy
• Falsity

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HearingSubjective Criteria For Testing
Inspirations

• Word of God
• Spontaneously reading Scripture
• Cannot be sole guide
• Circumstances
• Gamaliel's advice (Acts 538-39)?
• Too passive if used as sole guide
• Old tale of the farmer and the rabbit

14
HearingSubjective Criteria For Testing
Inspirations

• Community discernment
• Submit to the decision of your community
• Testing a decision
• Check the Fruit of the Spirit

15
Charismatic Gift of Discernment

• 1 Corinthians 1210
• Distinguish what is of the Spirit or not of the
  Spirit for another person or group
• Signs indicating validity of such a gift
• Same objective/subjective criteria
• Lifestyle of personal holiness
• Allegiance to Scripture and Church teaching
• Willingness to die to self in the service of
  others

16
Waiting on the Lord

• Habakkuk 22-3
• Do not rashly follow impulse
• Be led by the Spirit
• God does not like an irresistible force
• He gently leads
• Wait and pray

17
Sharing Questions

• What makes it hard for me to hear/conform to
  God's will for me?
• Faith that God wants me to know his will for my
  life
• Spending enough time in prayer
• Having the attitude that I'll obey God's will
  even before I know what it is
• Surrendering my whole life to God, wanting to
  hold onto doing things my way in some areas of my
  life
• Making enough time for recollection in prayer,
  about the circumstances of my life, about words
  of inspiration or prophecies
• Waiting on the Lord, being impetuous

18
Sharing Questions

• I have experienced God guiding my life through
• Reading the Scripture in personal prayer
• Teaching of the Church
• General life direction/vocation to which God has
  called me
• Scripture read at Mass or a prayer meeting
• Counsel of a friend or spiritual director
• Circumstances of my life
• Ordinary inspirations/inner urgings
• Charismatic inspirations (dreams/visions/prophetic
  words)?

19
Sharing Questions

• I have tested inspirations in my life most
  effectively through
• Experiencing a deep sense of peace
• Checking whether I am motivated by love
• Being reassured by joy
• Relating it to the Word of God
• Allowing God to work through circumstances
• Submitting to the discernment of community

20
Sharing Questions

• Choose one or two instances of trying to discern
  God's will in your life and write briefly about
  them
• How did God speak to you?
• How did you discern the prompting of God?
• How did you know if your discernment was correct?