Discernment is the ability to distinguish right from wrong, true from false—to "test everything; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil" (1Thess 5:21-22). On the past two Sundays, I've preached on the topic of discernment. In this short clip, I share a story of my lack of discernment when I was invited to be a guest on a tv show hosted by comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, known for portraying such characters as "Ali G" and "Borat."
I’m a follower of Jesus Christ. I live in Gaithersburg, Maryland, with an amazing wife and three wacky, fun kids. I'm a pastor at Covenant Life Church. I’m also a writer.
My friend Donald Miller shares a helpful tip for writers: get a kitchen timer. Don explains, "When I have two or three writing assignments I just make a list, then pick one, then set my little timer for an hour or twenty minutes or whatever amount of time that specific assignment will cost me. And then, while the timer is ticking away on my desk, I don't let myself do anything else....When the timer goes off, I decide whether I want to keep working on it, or move on. It's a simple tool, but it works." Read more.
Tim Challies asks whether he's ready to address his Google search history with God. "What would I say to him if he were to ask me about the things I have gone looking for online? Could I tell him with confidence that what I have sought is an indication of a heart that is aligned with his purposes? Or would I have to confess that my searches point to a heart that is drawn to what is evil and perverse?" Read the post.
15 Comments
Josh,
Thanks for that personal story demonstrating the importance of discernment. I appreciate your humility and your honesty. May our Father continue to well His Spirit in your life to magnify and display the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
God's grace to you,
Ryan
Hey Josh,
Ditto from me of what Ryan said. Thanks for being someone who shows their own struggles and the way God meets you in overcoming them.
God bless you, Mark
I think you would have handled the interview with grace. But yes, God was no doubt looking after you by thwarting that particular interview.
I'm not sure about the ethics of comedians assuming a persona and conducting an interview. Sometimes it works brilliantly, like when Steven Colbert interviews a senator who's trying to post the ten commandments in the senate. What happens is amazing:
gorillamask.net/colbert10c.shtml
Josh, I thought the funniest part of the whole clip was when you talked about getting back on the Metro and pondering how it could be that all your guys were back home praying for you and you weren't even on the show.......yeah, right. Exactly. Hindsight, a few months later, you realise you weren't on the show precisely BECAUSE they were praying for you!! (I suppose one could now make a case for failing to discern how it was your appearance was cancelled...). So amazing how God can, and does, work in spite of our foibles to preserve His good name, eh? I don't know who this Sacha chap is, but I've heard enough about Borat to have decided I won't be seeing it. And that the character who put THAT film together oughtn't be trusted to present anyone in a good light. Including the well known and famous Josh Harris!! (please look closely and observe the large lump in my left cheek from the tongue pressed hard into it from the inside......) Well done, and thanks for being vulnerable enough to share this story as it really was.....I suppose the worst part of the day was cleaning all that makeup off your face....along with the egg!!
Very powerful and thought-provoking.
great video on discernment, food for thought and funny all at the same time :-)
Pastor Josh,
Thank you for a terrific series on Discernment. My wife and I have been greatly challenged and blessed by your sermons on this topic.
Josh!
Thanks for posting up this YouTube clip. It inspired me to listen to your first Discernment sermon, and I loved it! Will you be my new Podcast Pastor?? :) Among a few others I must confess... You may need to write a book about Stop Dating Podcasts for folks like me... :)
Hey - I just read your Boy Meets Girl book recently and loved it. My friends told me to "be careful w/ Josh Harris... his views are extreme." But I found your views to be Biblical! And yes, to our culture the Bible is extreme. So, thanks for being extreme. I'm now diving into Kissed Dating Goodbye - haven't read that one yet, but so far, very good!
I lead a One Year Bible ministry online, and just fyi I posted up this same YouTube clip of yours in this post and a link to your MP3's to encourage folks to check out your stuff online. I'm sure some will. Thanks for your ministry!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. my promo of your sermons is online here: http://www.oneyearbibleblog.com/2007/07/july-17th-one-y.html
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Hey Josh,
Thank you for reminding me that what is best and what is not is not necessarily obvious. I believe this is the word in season for me now. This moment of my life. thank you Josh!
God bless,
Alex
Hi! This is a great example of how discerning we should be...but we can't always read through the lines and the hidden agendas of others. I pray often for our discernment as parents and for our children...to be able discern all things and choose to always walk in God's ways.
I want to persoannly thank you for your books! My oldest daughter has read *I kissed dating goodbye* and *Boy meets Girl*. Both of these books really reinforced the things we have been teaching our children all along. She loves these books and they have made a huge impact on her life. We are very grateful!!!
Thanks so much for your ministry!
Kim
Awesome! Thanks for sharing that, Josh. Thanks for being so transparent.
Hey, everyone!
Thanks for all the encouraging feedback. I agree with the comments that point out what a good reminder this story is that sometimes God's most wonderful answers to our prayers aren't always immediately obvious.
Thanks for visiting and for commenting.
Joshua
Amazing how God's grace prevented you from falling into AliG's trap.
Where can I download/find the entire sermon? I want to know more about discernment! Can you believe how lacking we are today on this critical subject?
Thanks!
Hey...look at that.
Found it:
http://www.covlife.org/resources/series/Discernment
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