Years ago I came to the conclusion that if you persevered, you could change outcomes. That if you were strategic you could set things in motion. I even went through a stage, where I made up words-my friends called them Lee-isms. Sometimes phrases. Overtime I came to see two phrases used nationally. And the more influence one develops or the more catchy the phrase, the more likely it is to be accepted.

What I am uncovering is what I will call trending or influenced choice. This morning I was reading some Facebook posts about the Grammys. One person was like “how could you watch that” and conversely, another was happy because “amazing all the references to God”. (Why be negative? Somehow being in the “know” always seems to be in the negative as videos and stories appear of terrible things done.)

One of my thinkings was “just because they mention God…” The other was “do you know them?” So often I ask “what makes them a Christian”. I also point out that just because you go in McDonalds does not make you burger. Going to church does NOT make you a believer…

My point is… How do you know? Putting lipstick on a pig will not make it a person. Putting a Mercedes hood ornament on Volkswagen will not increase the value or cause it to drive like luxury. Just because someone mentions God does not make them a believer. Just because someone swears does not make them not a believer.

And while I could dwell on the thoughts of salvation, my point is how do you know? One person’s response was because they saw it on the Twitter feed. (”I found it on the internet.”) Influenced, shifted, detoured.

Many years ago (Perhaps 20.)I saw a story in all the news. I wrote about it and the prophecy I saw, attached to it. I finished it, posted it and went to breakfast. While at breakfast the story was to be found false. I was shattered. I could not wait to get home. There were already letters calling for my head. But many wrote and said the story was the beginning point. The word is true. The inaccuracy is the beginning, but the result the same.

I had been detoured. Shifted. Influenced. I sent out a letter to the thousands of readers and apologized. For some, it was over. A mistake had been made and corrected. For others, I was quickly rejected. Either way, I owned it. It was my error. My mistake.

How had I missed it? Error, immaturity, lack of discernment. I took someone else’s information. (I get that it was one every TV in America.) And I moved ahead on it. Had I employed wisdom or sought God for discernment things might have been different. But I did not.

In the coming days, discernment will be of utmost importance. Discernment will keep you from the pit, perhaps. Or the prison. Throughout the scriptures we see discernment in action. Micaiah’s discernment of the false prophet changed his direction.(2 Chronicles 18:18-22) Peter sees through the lies of Ananias and Sapphira.(Acts 5:3) He also uncovers the realities of the heart of Simon. (Acts 8:23)

Discernment often feels like it is going against the tide. (I am not talking about the spirit of suspicion but that of discernment.) It points out things, that when not heeded still show to have been truth. All Christians come equipped with it. It is the truth sniffer of the Kingdom. But, admittedly one must trust it. (For me it was like my first few experiences with anti-lock brakes. A-what is that noise? B-Can I trust it? My very first experience with anti-locks was to come wheeling in my driveway with my Porsche to realize that the driveway of ice had not been sanded. As the rear end of my Mercedes filled my windshield, I stepped down as hard as I could. The sensation was not pleasant or making me feel better. But, fortunately inches from the rear bumper my vehicle landed! Discernment is like that. You need to try it to know it.)

It still ought to work in conjunction with truth, grace and love. I have wanted to believe the best in the midst of someone’s lie only to realize I ought to have shut it down earlier.

I said earlier that discernment will be needed more and more. In the midst of swirling truths, inundating messages and perpetrated deceptions, discernment will save the day. God wants to give you insight and direction. He wants to illuminate your path. He wants to implement Godly wisdom in your life.

“One of the first things we learn from our teachers is discernment: the ability to tell truth from fiction, to know when we have lost our center and how to find it again. Discernment is also one of the last things we learn, when we feel our paths diverge and we must separate from our mentors in order to stay true to ourselves.” ― Anne Hill, The Baby and the Bathwater

“Discernment is God’s call to intercession, never to faultfinding.” ― Corrie ten Boom

The idea that no action of discernment allows for me to go “off” rather than be on is important to me. Where I go ought to be the result of passion and desire, couple with discerned direction and Godly wisdom.

And that folks, is a wrap.