Seeing Through the Fog: How to Grow in God-Given Discernment

Introduction

In a world overflowing with half-truths, spiritual counterfeits, and seductive deceptions, the gift of discernment is no longer a luxury — it’s a necessity. Scripture warns that in the last days, deception will not just exist; it will thrive, even within the Church. That means every believer must take seriously the call to sharpen their spiritual senses and anchor themselves in truth.

Discernment doesn’t develop by accident — it grows through intentional pursuit, prayer, obedience, and saturation in God’s Word. If we are going to stand firm in these prophetic days, we must learn how to recognize truth, expose lies, and hold fast to the faith with unwavering clarity.

1. Saturate Your Mind with Scripture

Discernment is not born from intuition or intelligence — it flows from immersion in truth. Scripture is the plumb line (Amos 7:7–8) against which everything is measured. Without Scripture as a daily intake, even the strongest believer becomes vulnerable to subtle deception, worldly logic, and persuasive false doctrines.

The Word exposes motives, reveals lies, and anchors the believer in what is eternally true (Hebrews 4:12). When you know Scripture thoroughly, counterfeit theology, false prophets, and cultural pressure lose their influence, because you instantly recognize what does not align with God’s standards.

Ways to saturate yourself in Scripture:

• Read both breadth and depth — narratives, prophecy, wisdom, gospels, and epistles.
• Meditate slowly so Scripture moves from head knowledge to heart conviction.
• Memorize passages that shape discernment (Proverbs, James, 1 John, Hebrews 5, Matthew 24).
• Write down verses that expose deception and revisit them often.
• Read with the goal of transformation, not information.

A malnourished Christian cannot be a discerning Christian. The Bible is the training ground where discernment is forged.

2. Test EVERYTHING — Relentlessly

The Bible never assumes that Christians will naturally know truth from error. Instead, it commands believers to evaluate, examine, and test every idea, teaching, practice, spirit, influencer, and doctrine. Discernment is sharpened through constant evaluation, not passive consumption.

In 1 John 4:1, believers are told to “test the spirits” because deception often comes with spiritual vocabulary and religious wrapping. Paul praised the Bereans for checking even the apostles against Scripture (Acts 17:11). Today, many Christians accept teachings simply because they sound encouraging, spiritual, or culturally “loving.”

Testing everything involves:

• Comparing every teaching with clear biblical doctrine.
• Evaluating fruit — does this message produce holiness or compromise?
• Discerning motives — does the teacher elevate Christ or themselves?
• Paying attention to red flags — vagueness, emotional manipulation, Scripture taken out of context.
• Recognizing that Satan’s favorite lies are dressed in half-truths.

Discernment sharpens as you refuse to let anything bypass the filter of Scripture.

3. Pray for Wisdom — Continually & Specifically

Discernment is not merely intellectual clarity — it is spiritual perception that the Holy Spirit gives. No amount of Bible knowledge substitutes for the Spirit’s guidance. James 1:5 promises that God generously gives wisdom to those who ask, not sparingly or reluctantly.

Prayer positions the believer to receive divine insight, clarity, conviction, and warning. Prayer sharpens sensitivity. Prayer softens the heart to truth and hardens it against deception. Prayer aligns us with the mind of Christ.

Ways to pray for discernment:

• Start your day asking: “Lord, reveal what is true and expose what is false.”
• Invite the Spirit to correct your assumptions and instincts.
• Pray over decisions, relationships, entertainment, news, and doctrine.
• Ask for awareness of subtle deceptions and spiritual counterfeits.
• Pray for wisdom not only to see truth but to accept it and walk in it.

When prayer fades, discernment dulls. When prayer deepens, discernment strengthens.

4. Walk in the Spirit, Not the Flesh

Discernment requires spiritual sensitivity. The flesh produces confusion, pride, impulse, and emotional instability — all enemies of discernment. The Spirit produces clarity, conviction, peace, and alignment with truth.

1 Corinthians 2:14 reveals that spiritual truth is incomprehensible to the flesh. When believers tolerate sin, compromise, or worldly habits, their spiritual senses become numb. But when they walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16), the fog lifts and truth becomes recognizable.

Walking in the Spirit includes:

• Daily repentance — clearing the clutter that distorts spiritual perception.
• Surrendering desires, emotions, and opinions to God rather than letting them guide you.
• Refusing to numb yourself with worldly distractions, addictions, or sinful entertainment.
• Allowing the Spirit to convict you early, not after long cycles of compromise.
• Fasting periodically to starve the flesh and sharpen spiritual sensitivity.

Spiritual discernment is not possible when the flesh is steering the ship.

5. Develop a Healthy Distrust of the World

Scripture warns repeatedly that the world is not neutral — it is an active system of deception under the influence of the enemy (1 John 5:19). This doesn’t mean cynicism or paranoia. It means a rightly-calibrated awareness that culture, entertainment, political movements, social ideologies, and even mainstream “Christian” trends can carry hidden agendas.

Colossians 2:8 warns believers to beware of philosophies that sound wise but are empty and deceptive. A discerning Christian understands that the world always pushes toward compromise, self-centeredness, moral decay, and rebellion against God.

How to cultivate a healthy distrust:

• Recognize how media shapes emotions more than minds.
• Filter news and social movements through Scripture before reacting.
• Pay attention to what the world celebrates or normalizes — it’s often spiritually toxic.
• Be aware of emotional manipulation, groupthink, and the pressure to conform.
• Understand that Satan rarely uses obvious lies — he plants subtle distortions.

A Christian who trusts worldly systems will fall into worldly traps. A Christian who views the world through Scripture will navigate it with clarity.

6. Surround Yourself with Spiritually Mature Believers

Discernment grows in community and declines in isolation. Lone-ranger Christians are easy targets for deception, while believers who walk with the wise become wise (Proverbs 13:20).

Spiritually mature believers help you see blind spots, check questionable teachings, and avoid unbiblical rabbit holes. They anchor you in truth when the world shifts around you.

This involves:

• Seeking counsel from grounded, humble, biblically strong Christians.
• Avoiding unstable, sensationalist, or doctrinally confused voices.
• Engaging in Bible studies that emphasize interpretation, context, and doctrine.
• Building friendships with believers who speak truth in love.
• Being accountable for decisions, habits, and beliefs.

Many believers drift into error because no one around them challenges what they’re absorbing.

7. Obey What God Has Already Revealed

This is the most overlooked principle of discernment: obedience increases clarity, while disobedience increases confusion. Jesus teaches that those who obey will know (John 7:17). Hebrews 5:14 says discernment belongs to those who have trained their senses through consistent obedience to distinguish good from evil. You cannot sharpen discernment while simultaneously ignoring God’s convictions.

Obedience strengthens discernment by:

• Training your heart to respond quickly to God’s voice
• Aligning your will with His
• Removing internal conflict that clouds judgment
• Developing spiritual instincts rooted in righteousness
• Building a pattern of holiness that exposes anything that opposes it

Every step of obedience sharpens your spiritual reflexes. Every compromise blunts them.

Summary: The Discernment Equation

Scripture + Prayer + Spirit-Led Living + Testing Everything + Holiness + Community + Obedience = A Sharpened, Mature, Actionable Gift of Discernment

Spiritual discernment is cultivated where truth and obedience intersect. When a believer is grounded in Scripture, bathed in prayer, walking in step with the Spirit, and committed to testing everything, their spiritual senses become sharp and reliable. Add to this the pursuit of holiness, the strength of godly community, and the daily practice of obedience, and you develop a discernment that is not only mature but actionable — the kind that protects, guides, and equips you to stand firm in a deceptive world.

***About Prophecy Recon

Prophecy Recon is a watchman ministry dedicated to analyzing Bible prophecy and current events through a strategic, battlefield perspective. Just as military reconnaissance gathers intelligence on enemy movements, we equip believers with critical insight into the spiritual war unfolding around us. Stay informed, stay vigilant, and stand firm because the battle is real, but victory belongs to the Lord.

***Friday podcast: Prophecy Recon ⚔️ Joe Hawkins – YouTube

 

 

Going back to my earliest memories, anytime our church doors were open for services, we were there. Sunday mornings, Sunday evenings, Wednesday nights, Vacation Bible Schools, and special Ministry sessions would find us at the service. The only exceptions were when extenuating circumstances came up. Because of this, some might believe we were among the most “religious” families around. (ESV – all emphasis is mine.)

Moving to the mid-1960s, my most pressing situation was to either join the branch of military service of my choice or be drafted into the U.S. Marines. I chose to join the U.S. Navy in hopes of getting a better education through a wider variety of options.

From that time on, my church attendance and Bible studies became sporadic, and occasionally I would attend different types of services rather than one particular church regularly. I was not concerned about my eternal destination as I believed that Jesus and God were real, and therefore, I considered my “religious self” was just fine.

And therein lies the problem with many different people today. When I was in my mid-forties, one day I was at home alone and I had a strong thought enter my mind, which simply stated, “If I were to die today, am I truly saved?” It was strong enough that I literally called out to Jesus to show me what I needed to do to get right with Him.

First, I bought a new Bible in a translation I could understand. In this case, it was a New American Standard Version. For the first time, I read through God’s word from Genesis 1:1 through Revelation 22:21, and afterward realized just how lost I had been.

Next, I got an English Standard Version Study Bible, and after even more reading, discovered the ABCs of Salvation in Romans 10:9-13. Also, I learned that no amount of good deeds or donations would ever save me; only the grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father as a “gift” for receiving and accepting His Son, Jesus the Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Another observation is that Jesus didn’t wait until a particular day or time to “teach” large and small groups what they needed to know about how to be saved. My belief on this is it’s good to worship our Lord and Savior on any day that ends in “Y”!

Our Triune Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – has provided everything we need to have an eternal home in Heaven. It is truly an individual choice, and the Father will force no one to make it. All who do receive and accept Jesus as their Redeemer and Savior will also have the Holy Spirit come to live within them. This is found in numerous verses in both Old and New Testament books.

The significance of this is that a day is coming when the Holy Spirit will be taken out of the way to allow the ultimate antichrist to come forth. That is found in 2 Thessalonians 2:6-7, and this will signal the beginning of the 7-year tribulation/wrath period of time.

Our Heavenly Father cannot and will not lie, as given in Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29, Hebrews 6:18 and Titus 1:2. He gave us the promise that true believers will be kept from going through the wrath in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, 1 Thessalonians 5:9-10, and Revelation 3:10. When the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way, all whom He indwells must be removed as well. That event is described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17. It will be the taking up of all believers to meet Jesus in the air, and this is commonly known as the Rapture.

At the same time, all who have not truly received and accepted Jesus as their Savior will enter that terrible time when the antichrist comes out. It will absolutely be the worst 7-year period of time this earth has experienced so far.

Those who will be left behind will include a group who believes as I did before I truly called out to be forgiven and saved.  They thought they had done all that was needed to go to Heaven, but they fall under 2 Timothy 4:3-4; “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having “itching ears” they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from the truth and wander off into myths.”

Our Savior, Paul, Peter, John and others gave warnings of what would be happening near the end of this age. False prophets and antichrists will be putting out their deceptive words, and numerous people will believe the lies. In Matthew 7:13-14, Jesus told of the two paths available, and that more would be on the wide worldly way leading to eternal condemnation than on the straight and narrow way leading to eternal life.

Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 1:18, “For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved, it is the power of God.” We are seeing this unfold more and more with each passing day.

Even though prophecy is being fulfilled rapidly, let no one try to say exactly when the Rapture will take place. Our Heavenly Father is not bound by our time, as He created it for us (Genesis 1). He knows the exact day, hour, and even second that this will occur (Matthew 24:36).

The best plan is to make sure you’re ready beforehand, as no one will be able to call out to be saved fast enough when the Rapture actually takes place. “Twinkling of an eye” in 1 Corinthians 15:52 has been calculated by experts as less than 1/100^th of a second.

Admit or confess you’re a sinner as we all are; Believe that Jesus is a true part of the Triune Godhead Who came to this earth as a human and provided the perfect sinless blood sacrifice at Calvary that could be accepted by the Father; and Call out to the Savior to forgive you and provide an eternal Heavenly Home for you. (A-B-Cs of Salvation)

There are “scoffers” who say the Lord is not coming as it’s all just a myth. However, 2 Peter 3 explains that the Lord isn’t slow in coming for us but is most likely giving us time to call out and be saved. Remember, God never goes back on a promise, and He cannot lie.

Today would not be too early to call out and become a part of the Savior’s precious flock. There is no guarantee you’ll have the same opportunity tomorrow.

Maranatha! – Come Lord Jesus!

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