4 Questions to Help You Discern God’s Invitation for Your Current Season
Faith Filter Series — Part 4 of 4
Have you ever noticed how many people are telling you how to grow spiritually?
- Read this Bible study.
- Try this devotional.
- Start this prayer journal.
- Listen to this podcast.
- Join this small group.
- Practice this spiritual discipline.
- Attend this conference.
None of those things are wrong.
In fact, many of them are wonderful.
The challenge isn’t the abundance of good resources.
The challenge is that they can all begin to feel equally urgent.
Before long, many sincere Christian women find themselves collecting spiritual advice faster than they’re cultivating spiritual discernment.
They aren’t lacking resources.
They’re lacking a way to decide which resources are actually right for them.
If you’ve followed this Faith Filter Series, you’ve probably noticed a pattern.
We began by asking:
What is God inviting me into?
Then we asked:
Which faith practice best supports that invitation?
Next, we considered:
How do I know if my faith is actually changing me?
Those three questions naturally lead to one final question.
How do I decide what will actually help me continue growing?
I believe that’s where discernment becomes one of the greatest gifts God gives us.
Good Advice Isn’t Always God’s Invitation
One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that not every good spiritual opportunity is necessarily God’s invitation for me in this season.
That’s true for all of us.
- A Bible study may be excellent.
- A prayer challenge may be biblical.
- A devotional may be deeply encouraging.
- A conference may be inspiring.
Yet that doesn’t automatically mean it’s what God is inviting you into today.
Sometimes He invites us to study.
Sometimes He invites us to rest.
Sometimes He invites us to serve.
Sometimes He invites us to be still.
Discernment helps us recognize the difference.
The Apostle Paul prayed that believers would grow in knowledge and discernment (Philippians 1:9–10).
Knowledge helps us understand truth.
Discernment helps us wisely apply it.
Both matter.
What I’ve Learned to Ask
Over the years, I’ve noticed that I keep returning to the same questions whenever I’m deciding whether to begin a new Bible study, adopt a new spiritual practice, or say yes to another opportunity.
Eventually, I realized these questions had become a simple filter through which I evaluated every invitation.
Today, I call them my Faith Filter™.
Not because they’re complicated.
Quite the opposite.
They’re simple enough to remember and practical enough to use every week.
The Faith Filter™
Before saying yes to a new faith practice, resource, or opportunity, pause and ask these four questions.
1. What Is God Inviting Me Into?
Everything begins here.
- Not with the newest resource.
- Not with someone else’s recommendation.
- Not with what everyone else seems to be doing.
With God.
Ask yourself:
“Lord, what are You inviting me into during this season?”
Sometimes His invitation is to deepen your understanding of Scripture.
Sometimes it’s to trust Him through rest.
Sometimes it’s to grow in prayer.
Sometimes it’s simply to slow down enough to notice His presence.
When we begin with God’s invitation instead of our own assumptions, everything else becomes much clearer.
2. How Will This Help Me Become More Like Christ?
This question changed the way I think about spiritual disciplines.
Instead of asking,
“Will I enjoy this?”
or
“Will I finish it?”
I now ask,
“How might God use this to transform me?”
Because the goal of every faith practice is the same.
Not simply to increase information.
But to deepen transformation.
- Bible study should shape how we think.
- Prayer should deepen our dependence.
- Worship should expand our love for God.
- Sabbath should teach us trust.
Every practice points us toward becoming more like Jesus.
3. Does This Fit the Way God Has Designed Me?
This question doesn’t ask whether something is biblical.
It asks whether it’s the right emphasis for you in this season.
God created each of us uniquely.
We all love Him with our heart, soul, mind, and strength.
But we don’t all experience those expressions in exactly the same way.
- Some women naturally connect deeply through reflection.
- Others through worship.
- Others through studying Scripture.
- Others through serving.
The goal isn’t to compare our journeys.
It’s to faithfully respond to God’s work in our own lives.
That’s one of the reasons I created the Faith Shape Quiz and the Faith Design Profile Experience.
Not to tell women what they should do.
But to help them better understand how God has uniquely designed them to grow.
4. Does This Fit My Current Season?
A practice that served you beautifully five years ago may not be the one God is emphasizing today.
- Life changes.
- Responsibilities change.
- Health changes.
- Families change.
- Capacity changes.
God’s invitation often changes too.
That’s not inconsistency.
That’s wisdom.
Discernment asks,
“What is faithful in this season?”
Not,
“What worked for someone else?”
The Freedom a Faith Filter Brings
Imagine approaching every new Bible study…
Every devotional…
Every conference…
Every recommendation…
Without guilt.
Without comparison.
Without feeling like you’re constantly falling behind.
Instead, imagine quietly asking four simple questions.
What is God inviting me into?
How will this help me become more like Christ?
Does this fit the way God designed me?
Does it fit this season?
Those questions won’t make every decision easy.
But they will help every decision become more intentional.
Faith Design Insight
Discernment isn’t about finding the perfect spiritual routine.
It’s about faithfully responding to God’s invitation one season at a time.
When we learn to filter every opportunity through our relationship with Christ instead of our fear of missing out, we stop chasing every new idea and begin walking with greater confidence and peace.
This Is the Beginning, Not the End
If you’ve journeyed through this entire series, I hope you’ve discovered something important.
You don’t need another formula.
You don’t need another checklist.
You don’t need to copy someone else’s faith journey.
You need to learn how to discern God’s invitation for your own.
That’s exactly what the Faith Design Framework is designed to help you do.
Not by giving you all the answers.
But by helping you ask better questions.
Questions that lead you toward a deeper relationship with Christ.
Questions that help you cooperate with the transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
Questions that help you build a faith rhythm that fits the life God has entrusted to you.
A Personal Invitation
If you’ve found yourself thinking,
“I want to grow this way, but I don’t know where to begin…”
I’d love to invite you to take the next step.
Start with the Faith Shape Quiz to begin discovering how God may have uniquely designed you to connect with Him.
If you’re ready to go deeper, the Faith Design Profile Experience provides a personalized roadmap to help you understand your design, recognize your natural strengths, and build intentional faith rhythms that support lifelong spiritual growth.
Because the goal has never been to become busier.
The goal has always been to become more like Christ.
Final Thoughts
Jesus never called His disciples to simply accumulate more knowledge.
He called them to follow Him.
That invitation still stands today.
As you encounter new resources, opportunities, and ideas in the months ahead, I hope you’ll remember these four simple questions.
Not as another rule.
But as a gracious reminder that spiritual growth is deeply personal.
God knows your story.
He knows your season.
He knows how He created you.
And He delights in leading you, one faithful step at a time.
Which of the four Faith Filter questions do you think will be most helpful the next time you’re deciding whether to begin a new Bible study, devotional, or spiritual practice?
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.
Be filled to overflowing,
DeneenTB
DeneenTB is a Christian Faith Growth & Work Alignment Strategist and the creator of the Faith Design™ Framework, helping Christian women build a faith life that fits the way God uniquely designed them. Through the Faith Design Profile Experience, she equips women to grow closer to God with greater clarity, consistency, and confidence so their faith transforms the way they live, lead, and work.
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