Seeing Through the Fog
- Joe Hawkins
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
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.
