Discernment - What steps do you take for it?

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I/we are contemplating some pretty big life changes. I would like to pray for discernment, the last time I did this God pretty much spoke aloud to me in my Living Room. Since I don’t expect this to happen every time I want (name removed by moderator)ut (altho I’d be glad if it did) I wonder what others do…
Susan
 
There is an excellent out-of-print book that was a huge help to me in discernment.

The author describes how a ship must follow the laws of navigation in order to safely travel through a harbor, and all three lights must line up for safe passage or the ship will be in danger. Since I took a required course from the coast guard to navigate our smaller cruiser, I know well what those buoys and lights mean!

He explained each ‘light’ in detail, so it is a little hard to go into it here, but I can capsulize some of the points for you.
  • It must always agree with scripture. God never speaks something that is foreign to His Holy Word.
  • The circumstances must line up with the initial guidance. Sometimes we receive an inspiration that is for a later fulfillment, like Abraham who waited many years after God spoke to him for Sarah to conceive.
  • Await the inner confirmation and witness of the Holy Spirit. If someone comes to us saying that God told me to tell you … but it doesn’t manifest interiorly with peace and an unction of the Lord, dismiss it as nonsense, no matter how worthy the prophet.
When all three line up positively, you don’t need a vision to get you going, other than trust in God. 😃

Carole
 
Can someone please explain this more? It sounds really interesting. Is this a way to find out what God wants for you or something? And how does that book work? How is it different from trying to see signs and stuff, I don’t know what the name…oh, divination I think. Or is it?

Thanks!

–Grey
 
Thanks for the synopsis Joysong. It was very helpful.

Greyrabbit- since I made several bad choices as a young adult, I value the hard won ability of being able to choose, with God’s help, virtue from vice. In other words (I hope) I’m making better choices now. Sometimes one feels led to do something and if we blindly follow without thought to the consequences as we do/did often in our youth, the end product can adversely affect many. Once one has a family, I/you probably want to think things out a bit more before making huge life changes, with the request of spiritual (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
I take four steps with important discernings that ask some sort of action or similar:
  • Commit the matter to the Holy Spirit
  • Write to my director about it so she will have some information before we meet and pray to The Holy Spirit to grant her wisdom and discernment. She is a nun who had been a novice mistress.
  • Speak to my director about it and listen to her with care
  • Prayerfully make up my mind considering my director’s advice and then carry through my decision if one is necessary.
    I am very blest to have a good director of some years standing now.
    http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/16/16_14_2.gifBlessings - Barb:)
 
How do you know what you’re feeling, or, I dunno, that your promptings are real, and not a wishing of your own? (By ‘you’ I don’t mean you personally 🙂 ) And how is this different from divination (which is wrong init?)
 
Discernment is a gift that grows slowly - but it is listed as one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit 🙂 .

I’ve found Ignatian models of discernment very helpful - Ignatius devoted a large part of his ‘Spiritual Exercises’ to methods of discernment. I’ve tried to find some info on the web, but this is the best I’ve come up with:

episcopal-dwtx.org/spiritlife/disc-ignatian.htm

There are two main approaches. The first is a process of ‘working it out’, in openness to God. It involves holding yourself, as far as possible, in an attitude of indifference, and identifying the factors with draw you to a particular decision.

The second approach uses the imagination. One that I’ve found particularly useful is imagining a friend who comes to you with the same issue, and imagining how you would seek to advise them.

It may be worth trying to make a brief Ignatian retreat, if you can. I know that on a couple of decisions now, I’ve gone on retreat having done everything I could, but still not knowing the answer, only to find myself, at the end of the retreat, and without having spent time working at it, with the decision made. I think it’s something about spending close time with God that helps you to think more openly, generously, and in synch with His desires.
 
GreyRabbit said:
Can someone please explain this more? It sounds really interesting. Is this a way to find out what God wants for you or something?
–Grey
Click to expand...
Dear Grey Rabbit,

This web site may be of help to you.

ourladylightofthewoods.org

It has many teachings on discernment and tools that I have used and have proven themselves over the years. You must however disable your popup blocker to get to the random reading pools on the home page. They are Scripture quotes and teachings from the Saints. Further into the site there is free holy music and art as well as in depth teachings on discernment.

Going on personal revelation alone is very treacherous, I like the example that was given about the lights that must line up. That is very solid and reliable. It has been my experience that the Lord will take as much time with you in helping you discern as you are willing to give Him.

The most important thing in discernment is to approach it with a holy fear and complete surrender to the will of God. That is hard to do sometimes, it takes grace…so I always pray that even my hidden attachments will be yielded up to Him. In the long run, He knows our weakness and will tenderly guide us if we will let Him.

The inner peace is key, it is the signature of the Holy Spirit. There is a place in our hearts that no one but God has access to. When He touches that place you can rest in your decision as being His will.

You will be in my prayers.
 
There’s a good point to consider that St. Paul mentioned: love God and do what you will. Sometimes when we have prayed perseveringly for direction and guidance in accord with God’s will, we just don’t have any interior conviction and rest from the Holy Spirit, nor any desires or inspirations one way or another.

In those times, we need to simply use our sanctified intellect and get moving, asking Him to bless our choice and intervene if it is not pleasing to Him or for our good. Keep inward sensitivity listening for the prompting of the Spirit, and trust Him to confirm our decision, or to restrain us through negative circumstances. It may be God’s way to show us, NOT this, NOT this, NOT that, and finally send us confirmation interiorly when we light upon the right choice - THIS!

But to sit on the edge of our chair and expect Him to witness to us when we ask whether to pray the Litany or the Chaplet, for instance – He is not going to prompt us in that which is an indifferent matter. Our heart will respond after we get moving and discern whether or not the choice benefitted us.

Carole
 
saw an excellent book, which my retreat director digested for me, on my retreat this week, by Timothy Gallagher OVM on Spirituality of St Ignatius: Discernment of Spirits
answers so well these questions
makes Ignatius’ rules very understandable and shows how to apply them to daily life situations.
 
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