How the Holy Spirit Helps Us Practice Wise Discretion
Illustration:Faith is to believe what we do not see, and the reward of faith is to see what we believe.
Augustine.
1. The Holy Spirit helps us act circumspectly in our speech, action and relationships by reminding us to be more like Jesus Christ. Paul wrote to Timothy, "Remember, Jesus Christ and constantly keep Him in mind as risen from the dead." (2 Tim. 2:8 - Amplified) Ask the Lord to bring to your mind how Jesus Christ would discretely speak, act or relate in all situations.
2. The Holy Spirit helps us practice good judgment, prudence and wisdom in our decision making. Samuel wrote, "May the Lord give you discretion and understanding when he puts you in command over Israel, so that you may keep the law of the Lord your God. Then you will have success." (I Chron. 22:12)
Ask the Lord to give you the mind, attitude and will to practice good judgment, prudence and wisdom in all of your decisions.
3. The Holy Spirit helps protects us with His wise discretion by keeping us from incautious speech that can ensnare in us all kinds of trouble. Solomon wrote, "Discretion will protect you, and understanding will guard you. Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men, from men whose words are perverse." (Prov. 2:11,12)
Ask the Lord to help you use wise discretion to keep you from unwholesome speech as well as from the ways of ungodly people.
4. The Holy Spirit helps us pay attention to God’s word and Godly authority so that we may consistently practice wise discretion in our relationships and ministries. Solomon wrote, "My son, pay attention to my wisdom, listen well to my words of insight, that you may maintain discretion and your lips may preserve knowledge." (Prov. 5:1,2)
Trust the Lord to help you to keep alert to all that God’s word and His authorities direct you to do.
Ask the Lord to help you avoid being distracted from His purposes and thereby lose your sense of discretion.
5. The Holy Spirit helps us remember that trying to practice political, social or cultural discretion without the power of the Spirit is futile. Solomon wrote, "I, wisdom, (God’s wisdom) dwell together with prudence; I possess knowledge and discretion. To fear the Lord is to hate evil; I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech." (Prov. 8:12,13)
Ask the Lord to help you to rely on the Spirit to guide you in practicing Godly discretion while He helps you hate what is evil and cling to what is good.
6. The Holy Spirit helps warns us of the vanity of beauty, popularity or prestige without discretion. Solomon wrote, "Like a gold ring in a pig’s snout is a beautiful woman who shows no discretion." (Prov. 11:22)
Ask the Lord to help you be warned whenever you see or read about people who try to exalt themselves with beauty, popularity or prestige while forgetting to practice discretion.
7. The Holy Spirit helps humble us when we fail to practice discretion in our personal lives, relationships or ministries. The writer of Hebrews wrote, "No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." (Heb. 12:11)
Trust God to help you learn from the Lord’s discipline so you can be more discrete.
8. The Holy Spirit helps us learn how to not take things personally so we can avoid becoming angry, irritable or annoyed with people.
Ask the Lord to help you put on a heart of love while refusing to become angry, irritated or annoyed with certain people or problem situations. Trust God to guard your discretion.
9. The Holy Spirit helps us teach people how to practice greater discretion by giving them responsibilities where they can grow in their discretionary abilities. Jesus said, "If you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?" (Luke 16:12)
Ask God to help you teach people how to practice greater discretion by giving them supervised assignments and responsibilities.
10. The Holy Spirit helps us practice a greater quality and quantity of discretion in all areas of our life. He helps us avoid becoming a legalist, hair splitter, judgmental or one who fails to keep God’s greater purposes in mind.
Ask the Lord to help you to avoid becoming so careful that you start to live more by fear of making a mistake than by pro-active faith.
11. The Holy Spirit helps us practice wise discretion in our choices of sermons, topics and goals that are most appropriate to the needs of the hour.
Ask the Lord to help you practice moment by moment discretion
12. The Holy Spirit helps us exhibit wise discretion in the tone of our voice and our gestures.
Ask the Lord to help you to demonstrate a discretionary tone and facial gestures that are most suitable for the occasion.
13. The Holy Spirit helps us remember that wives need to be reminded to maintain discretion in all facets of their family life, relationships, and ministry or risk being disciplined by God. Paul wrote to Titus, "Be self-controlled, discrete, chaste, homemakers, good-natured (kindhearted), adapting and subordinating themselves to their husbands, that the word of God may not be exposed to reproach (blasphemed or discredited)." (Titus 2:5 - Amplified)
Ask the Lord to help you teach all wives to practice Godly discretion.
Conclusion:My husband, Ron, once taught a class of mentally impaired teenagers. Looking at his students’ capabilities rather than their limitations, Ron got them to play chess, restore furniture and repair electrical appliances. Most important, he taught them to believe in themselves. Young Bobby soon proved how well he had learned that last lesson. One day he brought in a broken toaster to repair. He carried the toaster tucked under one arm, and a half-loaf of bread under the other.
Edna Butterfield.
