The Gifts Of The Spirit For The Work Of The Kingdom, Pt. 2: Discernment
Take Communion
Leader Note: Begin your time together by taking communion, whether as a full meal or some version of the bread and the cup before or after your meal. If you don’t already have a Communion liturgy, have someone read from the book of Acts 1v8 as you welcome the presence of the Holy Spirit.
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my
witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
Review the Last Practice
Leader Note: As you review the last Practice, it may be helpful to remind everyone that this is a space to simply notice how it went, not to correct or advise anyone.
Before we jump into tonight’s Practice on discernment, let’s take a few minutes to share how God led us to be a witness this past week.
Who did you witness to this week, and how did it go?
Was there anything about who God revealed or what God did that was surprising? How so?
Through which of the three categories we talked about was your witness expressed? (Spoken, Supernatural, or Sacrificial)
What is one way you want to build the practice of witness into your life going forward?
Read This Overview Aloud Together
God has given us his Spirit to help us discern his voice from other voices, in our ordinary, day-to-day lives and in big life decisions. So how do we learn what God’s voice sounds like? A great place to begin is in the Scriptures, where we can observe and read how God speaks to his people on the pages of the Bible. By reflecting on the way God has spoken in the past, we develop an ear for his voice in the present day.
Discernment is the spiritual gift and practice of attuning to God’s voice amidst the competing, counterfeit noise around us. This involves a lifetime of training in which we grow increasingly familiar in differentiating between God’s whisper from the deceiver’s lies, and our soul from our ego. An essential tool of spiritual discernment is community. Discernment in community looks like noticing and nurturing the presence of God’s activity with and for one another. We do this in three primary ways: Spiritual Friendship, Spiritual Direction, and Group Discernment.
In discernment, we must hold the truth that God wants us to hear his voice. Discernment is not a maze he puts us in or a puzzle for us to solve; it’s a gift from the Spirit, allowing us to hear the voice of our Good Shepherd who knows and loves us. The goal is not to reach a stage of discipleship in which we no longer need to discern what God is saying, but to instead increasingly practice hearing his voice and learn to trust it more and more.
Tonight, we are going to take some time to talk about what it means for us to discern God’s voice as we practice Prayer by way of the Examen.
Do This Practice Tonight
While there have been various frameworks for the Examen over the centuries, the general aim is always the same: to review our own day with God, noticing where we felt close to God and where we felt far from him. We’re going to practice this together now. So let’s take a moment for everyone to get comfortable, put away our phones or other distractions, and then we’ll begin. I’ll guide us through the four prompts, giving us a few minutes between each, and then we’ll share together after we’re done.
Let’s pray, welcoming the Spirit and ask him to gather any of our scattered senses, and spend a few moments in silence before our first prompt.
First, let’s review your day with God. Start from the moment you woke up this morning and reflect through your day up until this moment here. What did you do? What happened to you? What did you feel? Where did you go? Who did you see? What did you get done? What was left undone for another day? What did you say today? What victories did you experience? Where did you feel loss? Let’s take some time to review our days with God.
Next, ask the question: Where did I feel the furthest from God today? Filter back through your day again, this time noticing at which point you felt the furthest from God. And as it comes up, what about that moment made you feel far from God?
Then, ask the question: Where did I feel the nearest to God today? Once more, filter back through your day, this time noticing at which point you felt the closest to God. And as it comes up, what about that moment made you feel near to God?
Finally, in light of your reflections, pray one intercession for tomorrow. Taking stock of what you have noticed through all of this, take a moment to ask God for something for tomorrow. Is there somewhere you need him to intervene? Do you want him to help you pay better attention to your temper? Would it be helpful for the kids’ nap time to go smoother? Spend some time asking God for what you need tomorrow.
Leader’s Note: Once you’ve given time for the final prompt, close with a brief prayer and invite people to share what that experience was like for them and if anyone wants to share about something God brought up for them.
Read The Practice for the Week Ahead
This week, we are going to intentionally practice the Examen. Whether it’s every evening or a few times this week, set aside time near the end of your day to follow through the four prompts above. It could be on your commute home, as you’re doing the dishes, while you’re getting ready for bed, or perhaps even right before you go to sleep. And, remember that repetition forms habit, so do your best to create a rhythm that makes the most sense for you.
The next time we meet, we’ll take time to hear about how practicing the Examen has helped us be more attuned to God’s voice in our everyday lives.
End in Prayer
Leader note: Close your time together in prayer. Pray that God would make your Community a people who recognize and obey his voice.