Every now and then you will bump into Christians who would
say something like, “God spoke to me” or “I hear God saying”. Coming from
Pentecostal/Charismatic background myself, I can understand the zeal that spurs
us into thinking that God is speaking to us all of the time. In fact, preachers
do that quite often and the sheep … well, they follow. Now, I do not doubt that
God speaks but many times, I wonder whether it is God speaking or is it just
simply my ego!
My ego did get in the way! At least in the early years of my ministry. It feels so cool to be able to say, “God told me.” I don’t know how accurate I had been in discerning if at all God was speaking to me but being a pastor, if I told somebody something that is not true, I can cause damage! I cannot be presumptuous when it comes to dealing with people. It’s either God did tell me or He did not. And that brings us to today’s thoughts. How do I know if God is speaking to me? How do I know if God is the one giving me the word?
Ask a preacher/prophet this question: “How accurate are you in your prophesying?” If they answer, “70% or 80%” but not 100%, then maybe you should consider if you want to allow that person to prophesy over you. I mean, what if you fall into the 30% category where you receive an inaccurate prophecy? The preacher won’t take responsibility. If the word didn’t come to pass, it will always be assumed that you are in error, not the preacher. Scary huh? Well, what’s more scary is when Christians go around saying all the time that God is speaking to them and through them! Somehow it seems they hear God’s voice all the time and see visions all the time! Come to think about it, maybe I should hire them so I can know what God is saying about my friend who is struggling with cancer, or about that investment, should I or should I not?
Now I am not being sarcastic here. I do believe God speaks. I do believe in dreams and visions. But I am a bit wary with people who constantly profess that God is speaking to them and through them. What is alarming is they don’t take responsibility over what they say! If it didn’t come to pass, there’s always some excuse and it’s usually the recipient’s fault. And preachers … I don’t think they realize it but I think they are using this “God told me” mentality to “control” the audience. I have been a Christian since 1976 and have been in the ministry for more than 30 years and I dare say I have not yet seen a prophet in my life! I know there are many who profess to be prophets but really, I have not seen one true prophet yet! I’ve seen many who goes about prophesying, declaring God had revealed to them stuff, BUT no, I have not yet once met a prophet. At least not according to the credentials of a prophet as we see in the Bible.
So, the question now is … should I or should I not prophesy? Of course you do. The apostle Paul himself urges us to seek after the gift of prophecy. But in our desire to want to prophesy or proclaim “God told me”, let’s practice integrity. My personal preference is, if I cannot be 100% sure, then let me just not say "God spoke to me." And if God is speaking to me about stuff, I don’t have to declare “God told me”. If the information comes from God, I’ll just take it as wisdom and from here, I will counsel accordingly without the need to elevate myself before others in proclaiming “God told me”.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:26-28, “Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” Let me ask; did God spoke to the apostle Paul saying that Christians ought not get married but rather stay single? Or was it Paul’s opinion? Obviously it was Paul’s opinion, not God speaking for in the verse previous, this is what Paul wrote; “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.”
My ego did get in the way! At least in the early years of my ministry. It feels so cool to be able to say, “God told me.” I don’t know how accurate I had been in discerning if at all God was speaking to me but being a pastor, if I told somebody something that is not true, I can cause damage! I cannot be presumptuous when it comes to dealing with people. It’s either God did tell me or He did not. And that brings us to today’s thoughts. How do I know if God is speaking to me? How do I know if God is the one giving me the word?
Ask a preacher/prophet this question: “How accurate are you in your prophesying?” If they answer, “70% or 80%” but not 100%, then maybe you should consider if you want to allow that person to prophesy over you. I mean, what if you fall into the 30% category where you receive an inaccurate prophecy? The preacher won’t take responsibility. If the word didn’t come to pass, it will always be assumed that you are in error, not the preacher. Scary huh? Well, what’s more scary is when Christians go around saying all the time that God is speaking to them and through them! Somehow it seems they hear God’s voice all the time and see visions all the time! Come to think about it, maybe I should hire them so I can know what God is saying about my friend who is struggling with cancer, or about that investment, should I or should I not?
Now I am not being sarcastic here. I do believe God speaks. I do believe in dreams and visions. But I am a bit wary with people who constantly profess that God is speaking to them and through them. What is alarming is they don’t take responsibility over what they say! If it didn’t come to pass, there’s always some excuse and it’s usually the recipient’s fault. And preachers … I don’t think they realize it but I think they are using this “God told me” mentality to “control” the audience. I have been a Christian since 1976 and have been in the ministry for more than 30 years and I dare say I have not yet seen a prophet in my life! I know there are many who profess to be prophets but really, I have not seen one true prophet yet! I’ve seen many who goes about prophesying, declaring God had revealed to them stuff, BUT no, I have not yet once met a prophet. At least not according to the credentials of a prophet as we see in the Bible.
So, the question now is … should I or should I not prophesy? Of course you do. The apostle Paul himself urges us to seek after the gift of prophecy. But in our desire to want to prophesy or proclaim “God told me”, let’s practice integrity. My personal preference is, if I cannot be 100% sure, then let me just not say "God spoke to me." And if God is speaking to me about stuff, I don’t have to declare “God told me”. If the information comes from God, I’ll just take it as wisdom and from here, I will counsel accordingly without the need to elevate myself before others in proclaiming “God told me”.
Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 7:26-28, “Because of the present crisis, I think that it is good for you to remain as you are. Are you married? Do not seek a divorce. Are you unmarried? Do not look for a wife. But if you do marry, you have not sinned; and if a virgin marries, she has not sinned. But those who marry will face many troubles in this life, and I want to spare you this.” Let me ask; did God spoke to the apostle Paul saying that Christians ought not get married but rather stay single? Or was it Paul’s opinion? Obviously it was Paul’s opinion, not God speaking for in the verse previous, this is what Paul wrote; “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord's mercy is trustworthy.”
What happened here, God did not speak to Paul about this issue of staying single. It’s was Paul’s idea. But Paul’s idea was recorded into God’s Word so that makes it God’s word? Not necessarily so. Here’s my point for you to ponder. Yes, there are times God speaks to us supernaturally. AND being supernaturally born again of God and not of man, there are times we too like Paul, think God’s thoughts. So my point is this. When thinking God’s thoughts let us not say, “God told me”. Just because I can at times think my “wife’s thoughts” doesn’t mean that I can say “My wife said”. Paul made it very clear when he said, “I have no command from the Lord”.
I have seen damages done because Christians carelessly go around saying, “God told me …”. Most of the “word” given are out of context and do not bear the mind of Christ nor the fruits of the Spirit. Let’s be more responsible when we think we are speaking on behalf of God. We are all called into accountability and someday soon we are all going to stand before God. Did God really say it to you? Or are you just thinking God’s thoughts? OR are you just being presumptuous? It’s a problem with pride and ego.
I wonder. Did God ask me to write this article? Or did I simply just think God’s thoughts? Hmmm….
1 comment:
Exactly. Sometimes when I hear speakers went up to the pulpit and uses these words, I get a little suspicious as well.
The words "God's presence" is a little unclear to me. While God can appear in all His glory, He also spoke to Elijah in a small, still voice.
On another topic, in 2 Corinthians 13:5 Paul mentioned that Jesus Himself is in us. Doesn't this fact, together with the fact that we have received the Holy Spirit, already mean "God's presence" is with us? In Matthew 18:20, Jesus also claims that He will be in the presence of those who gather in His name.
Finally, continuing from the previous paragraph, have I been mistaken that the Holy Spirit will help guide us to follow God's path? This is because when I visit certain places of worship, I get an uneasy feeling as if something telling me to "Get away". Was it just my feelings?
Sorry for the long comment. Just feel confused.
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