Along the roadsides in our area there are several beautiful flowers growing in abundance. They brighten my days as I travel up and down the roadways. They look inviting and I have been thinking of finding a time to stop and create a wildflower bouquet, but I really was interested in what their names were.

 

I knew exactly who would know.

 

I have a good friend whom I got to know when we were both tutoring in a local school some years ago. She was a biology major and had a keen eye and knowledge about nearly anything and everything in nature. I have fond memories of taking some hikes with her in nature areas near us, hearing her name nearly every tree, plant, and flower that we passed. Sadly, I don’t recall most of the names save one, trillium, and Ohio’s state wildflower, which brightens the woods and hillsides in the spring.

 

I connected with her to ask about these two lovely flowering plants I have seen such a plethora of. One had an abundance of purple, lavender and white blooms. I thought that one might be phlox. The other looked a bit like Queen Anne’s Lace, but the blooms were smaller and arranged differently on their stems.

 

Within a few minutes, she responded with the information, as I knew she would. The varieties of purple blooms were not phlox, but do look similar except for the number of petals on each flower. She told me that these known as Dame’s Rockets (hesperis matronalis) are what she called “invasive aliens”. They are a part of the mustard family.

 

The second flowering plant that looked like Queen Anne’s Lace was actually Poison Hemlock (conium maculatum), member of the parsley family.

 

 

Despite their lovely appearance, she warned me that the plant is toxic posing a health risk to anyone or anything that might have close contact with it. They are masters of disguise and appear like many other harmless plants. All parts of the plant are poisonous and should not be touched. They comprise the fourth most common cause of nationwide poisoning, more than 100,000 reports to poison control centers. Area farmers have great concern about the risk to livestock as the plants are multiplying rapidly.

 

I was so glad to learn the truth about both plants from someone with the knowledge and discernment to recognize each of them accurately for what they are. It reminded me of the parable of the wheat and tares in Matthew 13:24-30.

 

Many times it can be very difficult to discern whether something we see is good or harmful.

 

 It is very important for us to learn and know the difference in not only things like plants, berries, trees, and the like, but also to recognize other choices that are good or harmful as well.

 

What gets in the way of our discernment is not simply whether or not we see that as one of our giftings.

 

We have a lot of information and experiences coming into our knowledge base. Some of it is accurate. Some of it is true. But not all of it is true or accurate.

 

All of these data points are swirling in our thoughts and reactions creating a logjam that hinders our power of discernment.

 

All these unfiltered data points affect our ideas, judgments, and responses. Never is this truer than in my relationships with others.

 

 Added together, these can create mistrust, fear, and suspicion creating false judgments and discernment causing our hearts to be harsh and sometimes fill with criticism, resentment, and bitterness. They distort our perception.

 

Since our perceptions have great influence on us, this can be dangerous or even deadly for us. They hinder our capacity to love and without love and peace in our hearts our judgments on others will be harsh and most often false.

 

I love what Francis Frangipane says about discernment:

 

“Discernment comes from abounding love. What is abounding love? It is love that leaps out from us toward others. It is motivated by long-term commitment; it is anointed by sacrificial charity. True discernment is rooted deeply in love.”

 

 He also indicates that such false discernment has coldness to it that might on the surface appear to be packaged as love, but really comes from criticism.

 

So, how can we discern rightly?

 

First and foremost, we must seek the Lord, quieting our hearts so we can truly listen and focus on what He is saying to us. This is foundational to wise discernment and righteous judgments. It is also hard to accomplish. We can be so impatient and want to respond, defend, react, set right, or fix.

 

Secondly, we need to keep in mind that how we perceive life is always based on the condition of our hearts. If our hearts are not right, we must not assume we have accurate discernment with, toward, or about anyone.

 

When I wanted to learn about two plants, what they were and if they were good, I did not assume I knew. I went to someone who did.

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.   Proverbs 3:5-6

 

 

 

 

 

Max Lucado wrote a riddle in a chapter on “growth” in a book I love (Tell Me the Secrets) to provoke a group of children who were dealing with challenges in their lives. His riddle was this:

 

“You’re glad I came when I’m gone, but you wish I’d leave when I’m there. It hurts when I help. I stretch when I strengthen. Who am I?”

 

It can be so easy to talk about wanting to grow when we are not in a season of growth. I wonder if we pause to think much about what will produce growth when we ask the Lord to help us grow in Him. If you take a trip to the vineyard of a master vintner, you will hear how crucial pruning is to produce the very best grapes that are the very sweetest and healthiest. What appear to be healthy leaves and vines must be cut away along with parts of the vines that are not so healthy.

 

The master vintner looks at every vine and every cluster of grapes many times over to discern what pruning must take place to produce just the right fruit. He is concerned about every aspect of the vineyard from the soil and root systems of the vines to the first buds that appear. His wisdom and knowledge guides him so that he doesn’t overstress the vines in his pruning or prune too little so the harvest is not as good. If he is very skilled, the vineyard he plants and tends will produce for many years to come.

 

God is like that with us. As John 15: 1-2 points out, Jesus is the vine and we are the branches:

 

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.”

 

Over and over again throughout His Word, He makes clear we are to be fruitful. No vinedresser is more knowledgeable about what is needed than our Father in heaven. Despite that truth, it can be easy to struggle when He prunes an area of our lives so that can happen. My tendency (and perhaps yours) can be to want to pull away from the snipping of the pruning shears. Pruning often does not feel very good and I don’t get (you don’t get) to choose what gets pruned.

 

Not unlike the vintners of vineyards all over the world, He knows and sees what the vines and branches do not. He has the long view. He has the end in mind and the purpose of each branch and vine. I am called to yield and trust…often not easy.

 

His Word tells us over and over again and illustrates the principle that painful things today have a purpose tomorrow. No, I don’t believe He causes or chooses to cause all those painful things, but I am persuaded that He uses each one because He loves His children more than we can possibly imagine. And He really is working all things for our good and His glory.

 

A year ago we learned our youngest granddaughter (then 13) would need to face a serious and very painful surgery for scoliosis. The adults in her life cringed as we heard the surgeon explain what would be done and the pain she would endure. We watched as she listened and openly shared her belief God would be with her and all would be well. Her child-like faith was absolute and provoking even though we knew she had no frame of reference for what was ahead.

 

It soon became clear the surgeon had not overblown what she would endure. Her pain was extreme and we heard her on more than one occasion cry out to God and ask Him to prove Himself faithful. We heard her repeat promises from Genesis to Revelation that she had stood on. She reminded Him of her reliance on Him and challenged Him to be there. He was not knocked off His throne by her cries and reminders and on one occasion a rainbow appeared outside her window as a symbol of His faithfulness even though the pain did not immediately disappear.

 

Our granddaughter’s faith and trust were being tested (pruned) and as we watched her walk through those weeks and then work to regain her mobility and flexibility, her courage was evident and so was her warrior spirit. 

 

Over this past year we have seen the evidences of the pruning in the growth it has produced in her life. We have seen her faith mature.

 

This weekend I watched as she stepped into the baptismal waters, this youngest granddaughter of ours, who at fourteen has already provoked all of us who have observed her life and faith-walk to consider our own. I listened to her testimony and my heart filled with gratitude for so many answered prayers. The Master has so much in store for her yet, but I am confident He has begun a good work in her.

 

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 NIV

 

 

My mother was an excellent cook and baker and I still have fond memories of times spent in the kitchen with her as she was baking cookies, pies, and cakes. Many of the things she did then would seem out-of-date now as we continue to look for shortcuts and easier ways to complete a recipe.

 

Back then watching her sift flour for a cake recipe was common, but rarely do I do that today nor do I hear others do so even if they skip the cake mix and try a homemade recipe. What was important about sifting anyway?

 

Sifting the flour makes the flour lighter and easier to mix with the other ingredients in the recipe and allows them to combine more evenly. It aerates the flour and gives a more consistent measurement and ultimately a finer product.

 

Often as we are seeking to determine the truth, it is obvious and evident, but that is not always the case. To be discerning about it we may often need to sift through the information before us that may very well include bits of truth, half-truths, “white lies” that seem palatable, and absolute lies that are easier to recognize. All of it requires discernment and a biblical foundation of truth.

 

The 1992 movie, A Few Good Men, has a famous line many of us recall. In a riveting courtroom scene as Jack Nicholson is being relentlessly questioned by Tom Cruise, Nicholson finally says, “You can’t handle the truth!” The statement is a pithy one for consideration not only in the movie, but also in our own lives. Perhaps that is because the truth is often harder to accept than the half-truth or lie we would prefer to believe.

 

Truth reveals. It may reveal our failures, our lack of responsibility, our selfishness, our arrogance, or even how deceived we may be. It may reveal things are not under our control or help us see those that are.

 

Clearly, truth illuminates and makes lighter the darkness that swirls around us and sometimes hides within us. I think that is likely what makes the enemy so determined to hide it, disguise it, or serve us something that looks like the truth and is easy for us to believe and yet is not the truth at all.

 

His schemes are often effective because he is skilled at confirming doubts we have about the Lord, the Bible, others, and ourselves in our lives that matter to us in one way or another. There are many reasons we succumb to his devices. After all, he has been practicing this for thousands of years and seduced many others before us.

 

Do we really recognize his voice? We should, but often we do not recognize the Lord’s voice either. Learning to discern the voice of the one speaking to us requires a lot of listening and discerning over time and testing what we hear against foundational truths and experience. It is crucial we learn to recognize the enemy’s voice because he is nearly always whispering in the background of our daily life.

 

What are some of the messages the enemy most likes to repeat to us?

 

• “Your words are ineffective.”
• “Your trust is misplaced.”
• “Your helpers are worthless.”
• “Your godly leaders will mislead you.”
• “Let’s make a deal. You can have your cake and eat it too.”
• “Focus on your circumstances.”
• “God sent me.”
• “Be afraid.”
• “My reward is just like God’s.”

 

You may not have heard those exact words, but I am guessing it is very likely that you have heard some of them or paraphrases of them. Consider the goals of those messages.

 

The enemy wants us to believe that our words are ineffective as a tool against the enemy’s devices when the Lord has given us the Word to speak against all the devices of the enemy. You may well remember how that played out when the enemy in the wilderness tempted Jesus and what defeated the enemy’s devices in that scenario.

 

The enemy wants us to believe that no one can be trusted so we isolate and try to do life alone on our own. Wrong! Going it alone is the one sure way to be worn out, worn down, and fall. God designed us to work in relationship with one another, to lean on one another. Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 speaks to that:

 

^“9 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. ¹⁰ For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.”

 

The enemy wants us to make a deal and compromise our values, the Lord’s values in us. He also wants us to focus on the circumstances we find ourselves in rather than to keep our eyes on the Lord. He wants us to tremble in fear despite the Lord telling us over and over again in scripture not to fear.

 

If we rest in Him, we still the competing voices and learn the truth.

 

In a recent sermon, I heard a principle we can use to benefit us greatly in the processing of sifting to find the truth:

 

 

You cannot trust unless you fully rest and you cannot fully rest unless you trust. We must deal with this…rest/trust. They are inseparable.