Children of Issachar

1 Chronicles 12:32  (ESV)

Of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, 200 chiefs, and all their kinsmen under their command.

The children of Issachar were men who "understood the times, to know what Israel ought to do." The Hebrew word for "understanding", "bee-nah", has a root which also means discernment, wisdom, perception and knowledge.

We live in a day and age in which discernment is a sorely needed gift in the body of Christ– and praise God, it's a gift which is freely given by the Holy Spirit!

Why? Because the enemy of our souls is cunning and subtle, and a major sign of the times is the proliferation of "seducing spirits" and "doctrines of devils."

A.W. Tozer once stated, "The red corpuscles are like faith - they carry the life giving oxygen to every part of the body. The white cells are like discernment - they pounce upon dead and toxic matter and carry it out to the drain. In a healthy heart there must be provision for keeping dead and poisonous matter out of the life stream."

How can we become like the children of Issachar? By building up our spiritual immune system! We need to ask for and develop the spiritual gift of discernment, not falling into the trap of spiritual laziness where we fail to discern truth from error, or to identify the enemy's spiritual toxins which could poison us.

Let's ask God for this important gift! Let's ask the Spirit of Truth to lead and guide us with discernment, every step of the way so that we become who God wants us to be -- able to understand the times, ...and, to know what we ought to do!

Dear Lord, we pray that we would become like the people of Issachar. Help us not to fall into the trap of spiritual laziness. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.