Instinct and Discernment: Radars of Protection

I am amazed at the programming in creation by our Creator. Mankind, being the pinnacle of His earthly creation, has the greatest capacity for logical reasoning. Animals including man also have instincts. Instinct is part of the intellectual design God “hardwired” into his creatures for them to survive in this world. Instincts are not things that need to be learned, yet they can be sharpened by experience and reasoning.

Animals are great examples of natural instincts causing them to react to various stimuli.

Horses spook easily at unfamiliar objects because they are prey animals. They have a tendency to run away from danger. Part of their training is to desensitize them from scary objects.

Dogs on the other hand are predators who are territorial. They usually confront and bark at potential danger.

All animals including man has the instinctual nature to stay alive, known as self-preservation. Wild animals will use extreme measures and strength to save their lives. Animals, regardless of their size, will fight tooth and claw to get away when threatened. This is true whether they are prey or predators.

Humans are instinctive as well. We are also intellectual and spiritual beings. Whether we realize it or not, we use our instincts for self-preservation. Just think about getting out of our car in a sketchy environment like a dark parking deck. As we walk from our car to a building entrance, we size up the folks we meet. We do this whether we are consciously aware of it or not. We call this situational awareness.

We live in an evil world! Don’t feel guilty about being aware of your environment and the people in it. It is not wrong to protect ourselves and our loved ones from harmful situations. Our duty and priority are to love and protect those we love. It is important to size up any threat and evade the danger if possible.

I once had to have a hard conversation with a father. His daughter was involved with this young man who had deep problems. The father was a compassionate guy, but he was not spiritually equipped to deal with the situation. It was admirable that he wanted to help but he was blinded about the danger for his daughter. I told him firmly. His rescue efforts of the young man was putting his daughter in harms way. He probably thought I was a heartless preacher. He was a blind father who was ignoring his paternal instincts and dismissing his priority to protect his daughter.

I am afraid we often dampen our instincts because we are afraid of being judgmental. We need to be aware. True, we do not need to see every stranger as a threat. But we need to keep our eyes open too. We need to help others while being vigilant of those we have a priority to protect. There needs to be a balanced approach.

We need to be open to new people. Kindness and peaceable consideration should be given to all. We need to employ the instincts our Heavenly Father has given us. We also need to use the discernment given by the Holy Spirit with our compassion.

Discernment is a word mentioned in the Bible that describes spiritual awareness. It does not come with specific information but is an inward tug telling us something is either good or bad. It is not full revelation of information but a simple determination between good and bad. So often it does not have any evidence except the pull of the Spirit within us.

Years ago, I had a Christian friend introduce me to a minister whom he was excited for me to meet. The guy looked fine. He said nothing out of the way or even unbiblical. There were no yellow or red flashing lights of external evidence to give me pause. Still, there was a sense in my spirit that this fellow was not good.

I learned a valuable lesson that has never left me. My first contact with this fellow was fine except for my spiritual discernment. At first, I felt guilty because my mind told me I was being judgmental. Time proved the God-given spiritual discernment was correct. This fellow went on to create spiritual havoc in the lives of many people.

Jesus said there would be wolves in sheep clothing. “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. / You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles?” (Matt. 7:15-16 NKJV).

If you are still not convinced, listen to these words from the Bible. “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NKJV).

Not everything is as it seems. Someone needed to hear these words today!

Do not override your inborn instincts and suffer harm. Do not dismiss the discernment given as a gift to believers. Recognize and detect the wicked pages hidden inside a beautifully hardbound cover. On the other hand, do not let the vision of your eyes reject a hidden treasure. There may be a wonderful book filled with wisdom and good, hidden inside a torn and dull paperback cover.

Yours on the Journey,

Harry L. Whitt