Posted on 09/07/2017 12:34:17 PM PDT by SeekAndFind
“God doesn’t want me to be unhappy.”
“God told me to (insert some violation of clear Scriptural teaching).”
It goes on and on.
Is the Scripture that says He does?
Exactly!
So you are trying to say that God never speaks to us except through His word?
I won’t say that. I will say this: If you claim “God told me X, Y and Z” I am not required to believe you, unless it’s a direct quote from Scripture.
This was a great exchange. Thank you both of you.
I had a friend who was put on the spot when he was trying to put on a church play and couldn’t get a committment for people to rehearse. They told him the did not need to, because “through G_d all things are possible.”
His response, with the Pastor looking on, was “then why did G_d have Jesus prepare for 30 years for a 3 year mission?”
The Pastor approved.
Poppycock. God speaks to us in many ways. If you say “God told me” but He didn’t, then you have a problem.
I always say “that’s so weird! God just told me the exact opposite!”
And Hannity was pretty much clueless on the subject, as he is in many matters involving the communist movement. This despite the many resources he has available to him. In fact, I don't recall him once even referring to Bill Ayers and the Weather Underground as being communist, yet Ayers openly admitted it then, and now. The WU openly bragged about who and what they were (communist revolutionaries).Yet people like Hannity are apparently too chickenshit, or stupid, to go there.
The Bible is an introduction into a living relationship with the living LORD. A relationship isn't one way, it's two ways. God does communicate to His children. What loving Father doesn't? He will never say or communicate to His children anything that contradicts Scripture. He will say things that are in Scripture, as well as give personal instruction and encouragement.
It is so much easier to live a sanitized, impersonal faith. Nothing ventured, nothing lost. One doesn't run the risk of looking foolish. One doesn't need to be responsible for anything that isn't naturally explainable. One can keep their reputation of being a spiritual leader and not need to produce anything out of the ordinary. Things are all very predictable and very safe. You think that you have Almighty God neatly packed into a little box that you can store under your bed.
Many today who say they hear from God likely do not. They think that their emotions are God. Maybe they have heard from a lying spirit posing as God. This happened many times in the Old Testament, with false prophets giving false words from God. The fact that there were many, many false prophets did not change the fact that there were real prophets. As Christians we are responsible to try the spirits to see what source they really come from, not live a life denying that God does communicate with His beloved children.
There were both true and false prophets in Biblical times, and I see no particular reason to doubt that the same situation exists today.
The Bible, is not at all mute on the subject. It warns us both to heed the words of prophets as well as to disregard the words of false prophets and those that would deceive. The advice as to distinguishing which is real has nothing to do with checking the date of the calendar to see if its modern times or not. Rather it is about validating the spirit that conveyed the message and whether or not it acknowledges the central truths of the Gospel. See 1 John chapter 4 for yourself.
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People have many “Gods,” who knows which one is telling them what?
When one says “Thus sayeth Yehova” one takes a great risk.
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JOB 33:14-18
For God speaks again and again,
though people do not recognize it.
15
He speaks in dreams, in visions of the night,
when deep sleep falls on people
as they lie in their beds.
16
He whispers in their ears
and terrifies them with warnings.
17
He makes them turn from doing wrong;
he keeps them from pride.
18
He protects them from the grave,
from crossing over the river of death.
GOD speaks to us through WORDS of KNOWLEDGE, interpretation of tongues, inspiration from the HOLY SPIRIT, even audibly. Not believing GOD speaks today is as troubling as those who attribute their own desires and wishes to Him.
It’s amazing. God always agrees with me. :)
So you do you know if it is Satan or God?
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“Sufficiency of Scripture” is a contradiction in terms!
The writings of every prophet violated “Sufficiency of Scripture.”
Prophets do exist, and their message is important, but not every person that says “The Lord told me” is a prophet, and I suspect that they would be hesitant to accept the Biblical punishment for falsely saying those words.
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I think there is a distinct difference between presumption and deception.
Those who presume that “God spoke to them” (when He didn’t) are in error.
Those who TRULY use God’s name in vain are ones who are out and out LYING in order to gain power or wealth (personal gain)
I agree that TOO MANY people are saying God spoke to them when He clearly did not... but they really do believe God was talking. Unfortunately, It does far more damage than it does good, especially when the message itself does not line up with scripture.
At the same time, I do believe there are many who HAVE heard from the Lord... and God has instructed them to share the message with others. It requires discernment to be able to tell the difference, and that can only come from the Holy Spirit.
So where in the Bible should my daughter look to see if she and her children should ride out Irma in a shelter or her best friend’s home?
She needs to know soon.
Sarcasm/off
Sorry guys, but God talks to His children all the time.
Be like the Bereans.
Acts 17: 10-11:
10 The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. 11 Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so
“During the days of the New Testament, and the early church period, God’s audible voice, although rare, was connected to the redemptive plan of God in Jesus Christ. Once the Bible was completed, there was no longer any need for God to speak to people audibly or to provide direct (divine) communication. God has communicated everything necessary for faith and life, worship and service, in His sufficient Word. To use the ‘God told me’ language violates the sufficiency of Scripture. Simply put, it needs to stop.”
Wrong. The cessationists do not have Biblical grounds to definitively claim that God does not and can not speak to someone today. And I have first-hand experience otherwise.
Certainly the role of God speaking to the apostles and prophets during New Testament times was more necessary before the canon of scriptures were completed. But the Bible is GENERAL revelation. EVERY believer experiences personal revelation. After all, Jesus said His sheep hear His voice.
John 10:27
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.
The confirming work of the Holy Spirit who leads us is personal revelation. Being a believer requires this.
Romans 8:14
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.
And even within the New Testament we see personal revelation that is not limited to “the redemptive plan of God” unless saving the physical lives of believers counts as being His redemptive plan. See Acts 11:27-30 and Acts 21:10-12.
I have a friend who shared the visions that someone he knows experienced, and they were received long before Hurricane Harvey was expected to hit Houston and cause a major disaster. These visions gave dire warnings about the destruction that was going to come here. My point here is not to debate whether this person received a message from God. She acted on the warning and evacuated and was safe. I did not receive such a warning but still advised some of my family here to evacuate, not based on any visions or prophecies, but simply out of prudence.
But back to the subject at hand. The New Testament confirms that there are two witnesses who are going to prophesy at some future date, and this proves Biblically that prophecies have not completely and permanently ceased.
Revelation 11:3
And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.
But a day is coming in which prophecies will completely and finally cease.
Zechariah 13:3
It shall come to pass that if anyone still prophesies, then his father and mother who begot him will say to him, ‘You shall not live, because you have spoken lies in the name of the Lord.’ And his father and mother who begot him shall thrust him through when he prophesies.
But this day has not yet arrived, as we can see from the passage in Revelation.
And, as a confirmation to me, I have heard God audibly speak to me on more than one occasion. As a specific example, He spoke to me and told me I was about to meet some people who needed to travel to another city (He specifically told me the city) and that I should take them there. They did, and I did.
Now this has been an extremely rare occurrence for me. I wish that it was continuous or at least common, but it is not.
I certainly agree with the advice to use caution about buying into claims other people make about God speaking to them. If other people tell you to do something based on God speaking to them, you need to ask why God did not tell you directly. It is certainly possible that God might give someone else a message for you, as He did with Agabus in the passages cited above, but the Bible also clearly warns us not to believe every spirit, and to beware of false prophets, teachers, and even false Christs.
1 Thessalonians 5:20-21
Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.
I also cringe a bit when someone claims they heard from God, particularly when they are at the pulpit. I remind myself that the person may be trying to communicate how they experience the changes in their lives caused by the Spirit.
I know the Spirit may not be speaking in a voice directly to me but He is transforming me. If He is transforming my heart, my mind and my thoughts and I was trying to explain this to someone I might say he spoke to me. I usually say I was drawn by the Spirit to a particular scripture. For example, on this topic I was drawn to the following scripture:
2 Cor 3:18
And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
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