Fake News and the Value of Discernment

Last week I watched, The Social Dilemma on Netflix—it’s a documentary that reveals the challenges that come with technology and social media. In the documentary, several former Silicon Valley executives explain the dynamics that are the driving force behind Fake News and the reasons why algorithms are determining the content we consume—regardless of whether it’s true or not. Living in a culture dominated by a 24/7 news cycle and social media feeds means some of the information we consume is true, some is false, and some is a combination of smoke and mirrors. I encourage you to watch the documentary and come to your own conclusions. One of the things I concluded from watching is we need discernment to navigate the times we live in.

Thankfully, the book of Proverbs isn’t silent on the topic of discernment. Discernment is the ability to distinguish between truth and error. It’s an inner knowing that allows us to decipher wisdom from foolishness.[1] Imagine the heartache and trouble that might be avoided for those with good discernment. Wisdom and discernment provide us the ability to see danger and avoid it. It also gives us insight into the situations we find ourselves in.

Here’s what King Solomon said about discernment:

Wisdom is found on the lips of the discerning, but a rod is for the back of one who has no sense. The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin (Prov. 10:13-14 NIV).

In the New Testament, the apostle Paul prayed for the believers at Philippi to grow in their knowledge and ability to discern what is best. He wrote, “This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ (Phil. 1:9-10).

As Christians, it’s not uncommon for us to take our needs to God in prayer. We ask for favor at work, for good test results when we are sick, for mortgages to be approved, for our children to do well in school, and for various other temporal comforts. Undoubtedly, we should ask God for these things—we’d be foolish not to. The Scriptures encourage us to “cast all our anxiety on him” (1 Pet. 5:7).

But what if we broadened our prayer request? What if we asked for more than temporary comforts? What if, like Paul, we asked for spiritual growth that resulted in valuable things such as wisdom and discernment?

The Scriptures give us permission to expand our prayer lives and encourage us to pray for our spiritual vitality. If we were to study the prayers Paul prayed at the beginning of the New Testament letters he wrote, we’d see he continually prayed for the spiritual growth of those he served. And Paul wasn’t the only one who prayed for spiritual vitality. James wrote, “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you” (Jas. 1:5). Spiritual growth and vitality are gifts from God—and we’d do well to ask for them. I’ll leave you with a couple of things to think about:

Thoughts to ponder:

What are your most frequent prayer requests? How can you broaden your prayer life to include areas of spiritual growth?

How might your life be different if you consistently prayed for spiritual growth in your life and those you love?

Are you confident these are requests God will be pleased to answer?

[1] Max Anders, Holman Old Testament Commentary: Proverbs, (Nashville, TN: Holman, 1984), 14.