The Dreamers Playbook: Discernment.

Insight 84 | Last week's article was for those willing to wrestle with raw, real, and timeless truth. A principle anyone looking to safeguard their peace should be applying:

“Don't share your big dreams with small-minded people.”

While previously we defined the concept and analyzed just what makes a dream, today we are exploring the reality that goes hand in hand with this idea… Dreams are treasures. They need safekeeping.

There’s a word for this; Discernment. 

There once was a king, like none other before him, a man who trusted the Lord and was rewarded for it. This man’s name was Hezekiah. In the rush of an incredible high, he let his guard down, and his nation would one day pay the price for it.

Having survived a terminal illness (God chose to extend his life) as well as having success in war, it could be argued his ego had begun to get the better of him. As news of his healing and political standing spread, some envoys from the Babylonian empire came to visit him with gifts.

They were polite, impressive, diplomatic, and curious. Their seemingly innocent nature pierced King Hezekiah's defenses, and, in a moment of shortsightedness, he invited them to tour his facilities, palace, and storehouses. Scripture tells us there is not one thing he did not show them:

And Hezekiah welcomed them gladly. And he showed them his treasure house, the silver, the gold, the spices, the precious oil, his whole armory, all that was found in his storehouses. There was nothing in his house or in all his realm that Hezekiah did not show them. - Isaiah 39:2

Not long after they left, the prophet Isaiah came to inquire about their presence and activities. The kind proceeded to share all he had shown them, and Isaiah rightly predicted that his ignorance would result in all of these treasures being lost and carried away to the nation of Babylon.

The lesson here? It's easy to mistake attendance for alliance. People can show up, but that doesn’t mean they are there to show support. Often, they will take a peek, take notes, and then take advantage.

Using this account as our starting point, here are three guidelines we must keep in our tool kit when filtering for who we can share our dreams with. They are each rooted in scripture and reveal a deeper, timeless truth.

1. Check the Fruit (Good Trees Bear Good Fruit): We learn in Matthew 7:17 that “...every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.”

To know what kind of person someone is, simply analyze the kind of fruit they bear. While it may seem obvious that a healthy tree will produce good, desirable, and nutritious fruit, it's easy to fall into the trap of convincing ourselves that a small brown patch here and there doesn't ruin the whole thing. You might be right, but it's also true that one bad apple ruins the bunch. This is important to keep in mind.

Check the fruit that you’re producing and that of those you trust. Keep each other accountable, and work to be good trees that bear good fruit so that the world may see and give honor back to God for the harvests attached to your dreams.

2. Use Strategic Wisdom. Jesus endorses a certain type of wisdom accompanied by purity. A careful balance to strike. An understanding that Discernment is not secrecy but stewardship of information and calling.

He tells us in Matthew 10:16, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.”

We all have biases; we all like to believe what we want to believe. We often presume people are telling the truth. But reality shows that we cannot be this naive; we simply don’t have that luxury when what is at stake is so important! Instead, we are CALLED to be specific and yet humble in our pursuits. Who we choose to do life with ties closely with this. Sharing and trust are not the same. You can have one without the other, and relationships often benefit from varying degrees of each, given the context and the person at hand. Hence, the need to be like serpents and doves in a world of wolves.

Stay vigilant, be active in your audits, and don’t lose focus on WHO really matters. When working on your dreams, prioritize the Dream-Giver, and He will equip you with the Discernment you need to approach the rest.

3. Guard Your Heart. Who we are and who we are becoming begins with what we feed our souls and who we allow to water it. King Solomon so wisely writes in Proverbs chapter four verse twenty-three that we must, “Keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life.”

Another version reads “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Notice the imperative statement! This isn’t a light matter; it's of utmost importance. When considering who we allow into our inner circle, remember to guard our hearts. 

This last device is meant to safeguard the treasure God has entrusted to us. Why is it important? Because it would be irresponsible for us to leave the vaults unlocked and unprotected. 

Our callings are sacred; they are delicate and in need of safekeeping and care. If God has been so gracious as to entrust them to us, it is our responsibility to protect them while He waters them. We might not always know where the path leads, but we can rest assured that the Lord is who directs our steps.

—

These three guidelines provide a sound structure for discerning how we handle our calling and who we share it with.

1. Check the Fruit (Good Trees Bear Good Fruit.)

2. Use Strategic Wisdom

3. Guard Your Heart.

These three principles equip you with the discernment techniques you need to make those decisions.  To take it a step further, I encourage you to specifically ask the Lord for wisdom as we go about this week. Hand over your dreams and your questions, let Him take care of them. 

He tells us himself in James 1:5 that “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.” 

Lets Us Be Diligent, Stay Dreaming, and always pursue Discernment.

- Making The Most Of Being Curious

Daniel J. Cuesta