1 Kings 3:9 - Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?”

I am going to talk about :
DISCERNMENT
DECEPTION

First part is Spiritual discernment: Solomon was wise to ask for an understanding mind! With spiritual discernment, believers are able to detect good and evil, voice of God from the evil one! When you get updates from a third person about 'something or someone ' there is a risk of a deadly cocktail of fabrication and untruth. Only accept what you see and hear!

Use discernment always! If you are depending on your team member to give you updates about each individual, there is bound to be ‘nasty betrayal of truth’ in order to gain favouritism.  The leader has to be a prayerful person to gain ‘ inside knowledge, non-public information’ about the team. Living in a computer era, technology offers various avenues into getting into hidden private life.  Facebook and other social media platforms are commonly used by HR professionals and hiring managers to gain insights into candidates beyond their resumes and interviews.

Nevertheless, we as believers have the Holy Spirit inside us to help us navigate this journey of our life, a complex labyrinth with many difficult avenues and decisions. 

Let me explain a hilarious incident that happened recently.  We as a family were driving the car in a new town and after lunch we were getting back to the car.  My son and I exited through two different doors and were looking for each other in different directions; however, my other family members who had already reached the car were able to see both of us from a distance, standing near two different gates and looking for each other. We were not carrying our mobiles so all they do was clap loudly for us, laugh and then wait for us to get back.

After I got back to the car my sister explained how she could see both of us from a distance, frantically looking for each other, I said ‘ this is how God sees the entire picture!’ We need to also have this discernment, godly knowledge and insights to be able to perceive and detect lies, wickedness and betrayal. Hallelujah! 

Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV) advises, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”