making distinctions crucial to each enterprise. Spiritual discernment differs from both in the same ways. But it also differs—and this is what makes all the difference—because discernment of the will of God is not possible apart from the enlightening work of God’s Spirit. In other words, God Himself, in a special way, is always involved in the process. In defining spiritual discernment we may therefore say with a bit more precision that it is the divinely given ability to distinguish God’s thoughts