Spiritual Discernment

[A response to an email]  

And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten? But if you are without chastening, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate and not sons. Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.—Hebrews 12:5-11

Question: I know Hebrews 12:5-11 is true, but I can’t think of a single earthly situation that fits this. Can you give me an example where the Lord chastens a Christian, and afterwards it yields a peaceable fruit of righteousness? Maybe I don’t know what peaceable fruit of righteousness means either. Maybe I don’t understand this whole concept. 

Response: The main reason why I think that this is a confusing subject for most people, is because they are quite unfamiliar with both how and why the Lord deals with our hearts. I don’t know how much this applies to you, and I certainly am not desiring to say something offensive. But to try to answer the question, I need to speak plainly. 

Most Christians wake up every morning and begin to pursue their own desires, live in their own wills, try to fill their day and their mind with the things that they think are interesting, valuable, entertaining, pleasing; and then they also try to avoid (or complain about) those things that are displeasing, annoying, difficult, and uninteresting. They may have a whole bunch of true ideas about God, a large number of verses memorized, and a lot of activities that they do in and for their church, but their HEART is not continually living before the Lord. They are not really living for Him, unto Him, looking unto Him, carefully walking in His presence, and seeking to be led and governed by His Spirit in all that they do, say, and think. And because of this—that is, because they are just living THEIR OWN LIVES in their OWN WILL, all the time—they have no idea what names to give things. I mean, they don’t know what to call a blessing, or a curse. They don’t know what to call discipline from God, or just earthly disappointment. When the Lord does something, they may call it the work of Satan. When the enemy presents something, they may call it a gift from the Lord. They don’t know when God has withdrawn His presence from them, because they never feel it. They don’t know when the Spirit of God is convicting and chastising them for evil in their hearts, their lives, and their words, because they are so accustomed to ignoring these checks and reproofs, having done so all their lives. They don’t know the difference between a natural desire and a spiritual need, or the difference between a prayer in the name of Jesus and a prayer in their own name. In other words, true spiritual experience, and all of God’s inward and spiritual dealings, movings, corrections, encouragements, reproofs and joys, are a complete mystery to them. They have no discernment concerning what comes from God, what comes from themselves, what comes from flesh, the devil, or the world. This is a very unfortunate state, and can be compared to spiritual sleeping or numbness, but it is the condition of all who do not “have their senses exercised to discern good and evil” (Heb. 5.14)

On the contrary, those who are learning to live before the Lord at all times, who, like David, “have set the Lord continually before them”, and are always turning, reaching, submitting, feeling after His life-giving presence, His direction, His correction, His will in all things, etc.; those who are always trying to pray with their heart, to look for His appearing, and to submit to His light, THESE people progressively become very familiar with the dealings of the Lord. These are the Joshuas and Calebs in the wilderness who understand WHY the snakes are biting people, WHY God is allowing them to feel hunger and thirst for the things of Egypt, WHY leprosy and disease is appearing on the rebellious, WHY He continually disappoints their carnal expectations, teaches them to keep their eyes on the light above the tabernacle, tests their obedience with manna and sabbaths, and leads them in ways that are death to the old man, and life in the new. But to the rest, all of these things are confusing mysteries, or random occurrences, and they regularly find their hearts full of murmuring, distrust, and doubts of all kinds. 

The discipline of the Lord is known, felt, and understood, by those who fear Him and WANT to be corrected by Him. I don’t mean they come to a perfect discernment all at once. But there is a growing awareness and understanding of the Lord’s dealings in those who “wait on the Lord in the way of His judgments,” who pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” In these, there is an increasing familiarity with the Lord’s presence and absence, with His pleasure and displeasure, with the peace that passes the understanding, and the distress that is felt when we have grieved His Spirit. In fact, these become so sensitive to the Lord’s pure Spirit that they dare do nothing against it, having found that there is nothing more discernible or desirable than the feeling of true inward peace with their Creator, and nothing more painful and undesirable than the awareness that they have warranted His chastening, rebuke, and correction.