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Does spiritual discernment require the aid of the Holy Sprit or can it be acquired based on one's desire to learn what God wants by reading and studying the Bible?
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, I believe that the Holy Spirit then resides in your heart. Then when you read and study your Bible, the truth of God is made clear. Your desire to know Jesus, God, opens your heart to see what before was a mystery.
The more you read and pray and study, the more you understand. A passage you have looked at numerous times can be understood in a new way. At least that is what I have learned.