Become like the children of Issachar! - NCCG.ORG Ning Network Archive 2008-10

1 Chronicles 12:32 And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment.

I had the privilege of spending time with a pastor and his wife who've been in the ministry for decades, and they shared with us some great wisdom. One of the words given was "be like the children of Issachar." Of course, I had to ask what this meant. So he referred me to 1 Chronicles 12:32.

The children of Issachar were men who "understood the times, to know what Israel ought to do." The Hebrew word for "understanding", "bee-nah", has a root which also means discernment, wisdom, perception and knowledge.

We live in a day and and age in which discernment is a sorely needed gift in the body of Messiah – and praise Yahweh, it's a gift which is freely given by the Ruach haQodesh! [1 Corinthians 12:10]

Why? Because the enemy of our souls is cunning and subtle, and a major sign of the times is the proliferation of "seducing spirits" and "doctrines of devils." [1 Timothy 4:1]

A.W. Tozer once stated, "The red corpuscles are like faith - they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body. The white cells are like discernment - they pounce upon dead and toxic matter and carry it out to the drain. In a healthy heart there must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of the life stream."

So how can we become like the children of Issachar? By building up our spiritual immune system! We need to ask for and develop the spiritual gift of discernment, not falling into the trap of spiritual laziness where we fail to discern truth from error, or to identify the enemy's spiritual toxins which could poison us.

Let's ask Yahweh for this important gift! Let's ask the Spirit of Truth to lead and guide us with discernment, every step of the way so that we become like the children of Issachar -- able to understand the times, ...and, to know what we ought to do!

Reply by Lahry Sibley on September 28, 2009 at 8:47am

Discernment is an invaluable gift. Amen.

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