My husband and I frequently give consideration to the need to receive the gift of discernment, one of the gifts of the spirit. In our opinion, receiving the gift of discernment is the only certain way NOT to ever be deceived.
Holy Ghost
The following scripture gives us the understanding if we follow Christ and don’t deceive God, we shall receive the Holy Ghost.
If ye follow the Son, acting no deception before God, ye shall receive the Holy Ghost.
2 Ne. 31:13
My husband and I believe when a person receives the Holy Ghost (some refer to the Holy Ghost as the Holy Spirit), the gifts of the spirit are also received. I wrote a previous blog that more thoroughly addresses the subject of the Holy Spirit and Holy Ghost if you would like to check it out.
The Beggar
My husband and I are committed and desire to help the beggar because we are motivated by the following scripture. However, we are somewhat handicapped because we haven’t received the full gift of discernment to decipher the beggars who truly need help from the imposters who are pretending.
And again, you yourselves will help those who need your help; you will impart from your goods to the needy
Mosiah 4:16; and you will not allow the beggar to make his request in vain, and be cast out to perish.
Lack of Discernment
Since we only have the gift of discernment sporadically, we are continually struggling to tell if a beggar’s motivation for money is authentic.
Despite our lack of discernment, we feel it is important to give to the beggar anyway. We don’t want to let any opportunity to help the needy escape us. However, it would be so much better if we had the continual ability to discern between good and evil motivations so we could give more money to those with legitimate needs.
Epiphanies: Beautiful eyes and evil eyes
I have mentioned in previous blogs I occasionally have daytime epiphanies, most often when I am meditating. Lately, I have been seeing beautiful eyes that evolve into evil eyes, eyes even as evil as Cruella DeVille’s.
I have pondered about these epiphanies and I believe I am being warned to beware of beautiful eyes posing as good people, but in actuality, they are evil people, I would comfortably refer to as lying pretenders.
Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil.
2 Ne. 15:20 or Isaiah 5:20
Conclusion – The Gift of Discernment
I have already had some prior experience with deception when I discovered the true history of my former religion of Mormonism. Now I feel I am being delivered the clear message to increase my petitions to God to be blessed with the gift of discernment so I can recognize all those with evil eyes falsely posing as beautiful and good people, or false prophets posing as sheep who are actually ravening wolves.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
Matthew 7:15
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