God is saying to you…

I recently viewed a post in the world of social media that began with the words that title this blog. The font was bigger which strategically emphasized to the reader that the rest of the content was of a divine origin and should therefore be received without any critical thinking. After all, since it was “God” saying it, it must be good, profound, and nourishing to my soul. Right?

The words were followed with several statements bathed in positivity and equipped with an abundance of motivation for all those eager folks struggling through the day looking for any smidge of hope that they could hold onto for comfort and assurance that things were going to change for the better.

Even a greater disappointment was the plethora of comments that followed saying things like, “Amen,” or “Yes sir,” or the popular, “That’s my God,” and “Praise the Lord!” It is not my task to throw positive thinking into an early grave or to suggest that motivational words have no validity. However, I am advocating, and doing so strongly, that we not tell ANYONE that God is saying something to them unless we preface it or follow it up with a book, chapter, and verse from the Scriptures, EVER! Why is this? Well…

1. This is the only way we can be sure that what we are saying can truly be attributed to Him, and even then, it must bear out in grammatical and historical context.

If we are going to invoke God’s Holy Name and place it in front of the words we say, we need to be certain. As a preacher, called to minister the Gospel, I am very careful in this arena. I tell my congregation what God’s WORD is telling us, and I am keenly aware of my potential to get it wrong. That said, I am weary of saying to people that God is telling them something directly. I have a healthy fear of the Lord and do not feel comfortable speaking in His place.

2. The Scripture IS God’s Word to us!

The Bible is how God speaks to us and preaching, teaching, and personal discipleship with fellow authentic Christians is the avenue by which we learn what He is saying. If we do not have a biblical frame of reference derived from study and context, we can easily foul things up for others, inserting the things we desire to say. Then, out of desperation to get a point across, God’s Name gets placed in the front so others will take us seriously and listen to what we have to say. See, when it all comes out in the wash, it is really not about God at all. Oftentimes, it’s about the one speaking or posting, with a passion for popularity evidenced by likes and shares.

Can we hear God speak to us today? Yes, I believe we can. Simply open the Bible and read it. Can we hear God speak in an audible voice? Yes, I believe we can. Simply open the Bible and read it out loud.

3. This point is a re-statement of the first two but brings additional clarity…. Including the book, chapter, and verse brings needed accountability to the words and ideas we express.

Truth be told, we simply cannot trust something to be from God if it does not have Scriptural backing. My wife and I have been on the receiving end of many instances like those I have described. Even when people mean well, this is not an excuse to do it. It is misleading and reveals a lack of attention to the Text. Confusion gains entry and spreads like a cancer and before long we have a misunderstanding of who God is and another god has been fashioned in His rightful place.

The answer is to take what Paul told Timothy seriously when he wrote,

>> “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15

Put that together with another of Paul’s statements in the same letter, and the problem comes to the surface.

>> “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.” 2 Timothy 4:3-4

We must guard what we say very carefully, bring it to bear under the authority of Scripture, and then, and only then, let others know what God has truly “laid upon” the proverbial heart.

Until we are ready to spend time in the Word and make the efforts to understand what it is saying, we are probable better off erring on the side of caution instead of asserting our own thoughts into the lives of people regardless of how great we think they are.