Spiritual
Discernment and
Decision-Making
pg. 10 — lightandlifemagazine.com
by Bishop Keith Cowart
Biblical Foundations
• Amos 3:3
• Romans 12:1–2
• James 1:5–6
• John 14:23–26, 16:13–15
• Acts 15:1–21
The Case for Discernment
• It is essential that we are about God’s business and not our own.
• We recognize our own frailty and acknowledge our susceptibility to self-will and personal biases.
• Decision-making that is rooted in confession, the setting aside of personal agendas/biases, and prayerful listening
to God greatly increases the likelihood of moving in the wisdom of God rather than the wisdom of man.
• We understand that both visionary leaders and people groups are capable of making good or bad decisions.
The process of spiritual discernment is meant to provide a prayerful environment in which the role of visionary
leadership, the contributions of other spiritual gifts, and the goal of broad ownership are held in tension.
• Agreement arrived at through spiritual discernment is more powerful and less divisive than a majority-rule
process. Once agreement is reached, we move forward together as one, equally celebrating success and taking
responsibility for failures.
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