Discernment Is Paramount! Hello Hump Day readers. One of my favorite pastors for many years is Chuck Swindoll. At 91 years old, he is still reading, teaching and sharing the joy of the Lord. He had a way of pulling you in to listen what Jesus wants to tell you. Chuck founded “Insight for Living Ministries” and because of this insight, thousands of people come to the Lord and learn who the real Jesus is!

Chuck has all kinds of stories even at 91 years old! I am sharing this story because one thing Chuck wanted people to—do not lie, don’t be a liar, and be careful of “sheep’s clothing!” So, here’s his story—it’s true and he was there in this story as well! I hope we can learn from this story and know that discernment is paramount as we wade through our lives!

Here’s Chuck’s story: “Quite a few years ago I was getting some fried chicken for lunch and this man came in for fried chicken and bought a couple of chicken dinners for himself and his date. I watched them as the chicken came in but instead of chicken, the young woman at the counter inadvertently gave them the proceeds from the day—a whole bag of money and they didn’t know it, they were just ready for their chicken dinner! After driving to their picnic site, the two sat down to enjoy their meal, but they discovered a whole lot more than chicken. In that bag was over $800! Some folks would think “it’s yours” but the man quickly put the money back in the bag, got in the car, and drove all the way back to the restaurant.

Chuck saw them coming back very quickly and when they arrived at the lunch place, the manager was thrilled to death. Good people, right? Well, continue on, it’s not what you think! The manager said, “Oh, great! I’m gonna have your picture put in the local newspaper. You’re the most honest man I’ve ever met!” The man quickly said, “Oh no, please don’t do that, please, no-no-no!” The manager was perplexed but the man, somewhat shaken, leaned close to him whispering, “You see, the woman I’m with is not my wife… she’s somebody else’s!”

Chuck shared this episode with his church, and said “I’ll bet that you absolutely loved this man up until the last sentence, right?” They all nodded yes. “But now that you know the whole story and I suspect you probably think he’s a sleazebag!” Everyone nodded so Chuck threw out this question to them: “Isn’t it amazing what can happen to our impressions of people once we know the full story?”

“Constantly be on your guard against phony prophets. They come disguised as lambs, appearing to be genuine, but on the inside they are like wild, ravenous wolves! You can spot them by their actions, for the fruits of their character will be obvious. You won’t find sweet grapes hanging on a thorn bush, and you’ll never pick good fruit from a tumbleweed. So if the tree is good, it will produce good fruit; but if the tree is bad, it will bear only rotten fruit and deserves to be cut down and burned. You’ll know them by the obvious fruit of their lives and ministries.” -Matthew 7:15-20 TPT

What do we see in our “spiritual leaders” today? Are they good on the outside but lying on the inside? Be smart, find out who they really are. God has given us the power and means of discernment so use it!

Be careful what you allow yourself to be taught by “pop-spirituality” and so much more lies that will pull you in. Instead, cling to the truth of Scripture! Pray and ask God to give you discernment between what’s true, biblical teaching and what is false. Don’t follow the crowd, follow Jesus your Savior and Lord. In doing that, your life will be incredible and you can share the joy of Jesus with others, AMEN.