1. Discernment UNDERSTANDING THE DEEPER REASONS WHY THINGS HAPPEN.
Discernment vs. shortsightedness
UNDERSTANDING THE DEEPER REASONS WHY THINGS HAPPEN.

2. More definition
The quality of being able to grasp and comprehend what is obscure.
A power to see what is not evident to the average mind.

3. Discernment takes:
DISCRIMINATION stresses the power to distinguish and select what is true.
PERCEPTION implies quick and often sympathetic discernment. The ability to use feelings to perceive things that some can’t because of the lack of feelings.
PENETRATION implies a searching mind that goes beyond what is obvious or superficial. Breaking through the obvious.
INSIGHT suggests depth of discernment coupled with understanding and knowledge.

4. Step one
Pay attention
Keep your eyes and ears open so you can receive information needed to make good decisions. Unless we are alert to the facts around us, we may believe a lie.

5. Step two Stop and think: Do not presume anything.
Do not accuse without evidence.
Do not only use your personal experience.
Think beyond the surface.
What is the reality.

6. Step three Learn what you can:
Gather information so as to have better understanding, so you can make a better decision.
Process information through an unbiased mind so the facts are not jaded.
When you find a problem, look at the facts, define what is going on, and find best solutions.

7. Don’t forget the bottom line.
Our goal is to find the deeper reasons why things happen, without letting the surface issues confuse us.

8. Be careful Looks: can deceive: never go by looks.
Pain: pain is the symptom of a deeper problem.
Speech: talk can lure you to believe in the lie.
Work: people can hide behind their work. Stay busy as to bury the real pain, or hurt.
Family: the family can hide a multitude of problems.

9. Questions How do you know if someone is telling the truth?
How do you know if your assumption is real?
What lessons can we learn from this.
All of these questions can be answered with the character quality of discernment.

10. Things are not as they seem!
A Family of Writers
A man was telling his friend, “I come from a family of writers.”
What would you think?
He went on “My sister wrote books that no one would read. My brother wrote songs that no one would sing. My mother wrote plays that no one would see, and my father wrote checks that no one would cash.”

11. Look from a different angle.
C. S. Lewis What you see and hear depends a good deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.

12. The truth can be seen in a positive way or a negative way.
Ziggy You can complain because roses have thorns, or you can rejoice because thorns have roses.
Both are true but one serves a better way of thinking.

13. That which happens in life is not as important as how you accept it.
Things will always happen around us, but how we discern these things will determine how we respond to the things that come against us. Look for good in all things.

14. Filter system Allow time for information to process before reacting.
Think about the answer before giving one.
Ask yourself how your experience can influence the situation in a positive or negative way. (example: if you were beat as a child, does that effect your ability to discern through a similar situation that may or may not be true?)

15. More filters
Never assume what the other person is thinking. Always ask the right questions to get the facts. Questions can filter a lot of the untruth out.
Read between the lines, most people won’t just spell it out.
Observe what people say, and then watch what they do. Many times you can discern the real problem by doing this.

16. The painting
What we see when we look at things is the big picture. But the big picture is made up of little strokes of different colors, sizes, and shapes. Most will not look at the way the painting came together, they just look at the final canvas.
In order to change the final outcome, we have to go back in and change the strokes.
Someone needs to look at the deeper things so change can be made. (discern where the picture went bad)

17. Test your discernment
Pick a person in the group that has recent problems. Have them tell their story.
The rest of the group converse together and discern what the deeper issue is, and what to do. Where did the problem start?
This is not a counseling session, just a discerning session.