Discernment is the process of recognizing where God is active in your life, your community, and your world, and listening closely to hear what God wants you to do. Prayerful discernment involves letting go of preconceptions about the direction that the answers will take, instead remaining open to the leading of God. The Wesleyan quadrilateral of scripture, tradition, reason, and experience can help us to test the questions we bring to the process against these important elements of Christian wisdom.
This week use Wesleyan Discernment to seek guidance on the following question: How is God calling me to grow in my personal spiritual life?
Begin with scripture. What scriptural passages shed light on spiritual growth? How do different biblical characters experience spiritual development?
Next consider tradition. How do Christian creeds, statements of faith, or other teachings address the spiritual life? What did Wesley teach about spiritual growth? What do your trusted spiritual friends or pastors say about deepening your faith?
Third, look to reason. What are your spiritual strengths and weaknesses? What opportunities for development are available to you? What are pros and cons to paths you may take?
Finally, weigh the question against your experience. How has God acted in your life in the past? What sense of calling do you feel now? What options warm your heart? Is there a response that leads you to feel closer to God?
What action is God guiding you to take in deepening your spiritual life?