Misleading

Inside where it's about 72. Looking outside. Clear skies. Only vapor trails break up the blue. Flags stand straight out in the wind. The only hint that I have that it's colder outside than it looks is the jackets people who are walking by are wearing. That and I know it's February 3. But these days it's just as likely to be 72 outside on February 3 as it is to be 30.

Today the temperature outside is in the mid 40s. The wind makes it feel like upper 30s. From this table I might not think it's that cold. A few steps outside the door and I believe it. I'm wearing a long-sleeved shirt with a sweater vest. And pants. The run to the truck isn't too bad. I wouldn't want to be working the car line at school without a jacket, though. Maybe a hat, too.

Looks can be deceiving. Ever heard that? It applies to a lot of things.

How can we know if what seems to be an opportunity presented by God is really from God or a misleading look-a-like placed there to deceive us? You know, Satan will try to deceive us by making his option look as good as or better than God's option. So we can't just jump at anything that looks like it might be from God.

I have a friend who once said he would walk through any open door. I reminded him that Satan also opens doors in front of us - doors that God would never open for you. Not every open door is the way God wants you to go. We must be discerning.

Discernment is, according to Sinclair Ferguson, "the ability to make discriminating judgments, to distinguish between, and recognize the moral implications of, different situations and courses of action." Have you ever put a food into your mouth that you've never tasted before? Everyone was watching to see what you would do. You mouth twitched this way and that. Your eyes searched the air for an answer. Maybe your nose crinkled and your eyes watered. Maybe not. Then a smile. You tasted it and found out you liked it. It was good.

Discernment is tasting (or testing) to see if something is good. Not in the sense of enjoyable, sensational, or fun; but in the sense of right, true, fair, honorable, and godly. A discerning person, therefore, can tell the difference between something that is actually good and something that is not.

Everybody has a some ability to discern. Some people have a lot of ability to discern. That's a gift from God. But even if you don't have that special measure of discernment you are still required to be discerning. You are still required to test the choice, weigh the options. You have to decide whether God opened the door for your good or Satan opened it for your harm.

Your decision is more likely to be right if you'll do this: pray, weigh the choices against God's word, and consult the input of faithful Christians.