Personal Position Paper

Running head: SPIRITUAL DISCERNMENT

Spiritual Discernment and Vocational Counseling

Shawn Fenrick

Liberty University

Abstract

This paper will present a personal view of the process of spiritual discernment and its implications on future vocational counseling. The paper will review my personal position, the past and present influences that have had an impact on me. And finally I will review a practical application of vocational counseling that incorporates spiritual discernment.

I. Personal Position

In reviewing the decision making factors survey in the article the usage of common sense is somewhat important to me as I would not discount common sense nor would I look beyond seeking God’s will to strictly adhere to a path of only common sense. I would find that to be in fact – not using common sense to only approach things from a factual or logical perspective and miss out on the path that God has for me or the joy in which I receive from my relationship with God.

The second question of consulting the Bible is a difficult one to response to given the choices. I would lean to a true response of somewhat important but feel in my heart that I don’t know the Bible well enough to find the knowledge that it contains to help me. I would like for this response to be more towards the important category but feel limited by my knowledge of the Bible. I have a working knowledge but have not attained the “worn Bible” level of familiarity that I hope for in my future.

Looking for doors and windows of opportunities are not important, to that question I am not certain if I fully understand the context. Do I look for doors and windows of opportunities to make decisions based on God’s will? To only view things from an opportunistic perspective? I responded based on not fully understanding the questions so my response then would naturally be somewhat limited.

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