What God Told Me: About twenty years ago we lived next door to a very nice family of five. The husband pastored a Baptist church, and his wife stayed home with their children. They were kind neighbors, and we were genuinely sad to see them move away. One afternoon, while she was visiting with my wife, at some point she mentioned that the Lord had told her something. Without thinking much, I jumped into the conversation and made a comment about how easily our own thoughts can begin to sound like the voice of God. Looking back, I probably could have expressed myself more graciously.
But the interesting part isn’t what I said. It’s that the conversation stayed with me. Over the years I’ve found myself asking the same question of my own heart: How often do I mistake my own thoughts, convictions, or impressions for the voice of God? That question has made me a bit more careful about the language I use. One expression I have heard throughout my life is, “God spoke to me,” or, “The Lord laid this on my heart.” It is so common that we hardly stop to think about what we are actually saying. Perhaps that is why, whenever I hear someone say, “God has a word for you tonight,” my mind immediately becomes cautious, not because I doubt their sincerity, but because I take the claim so seriously.
If God has spoken, then we are not merely talking about a strong impression, an inward feeling, or a preacher’s conviction. We are talking about the voice of the living God. That’s really quite an extraordinary claim when you stop and think about it, and perhaps one we should slow down and consider a little more carefully. Scripture certainly does. Throughout the Bible, when God speaks, there is never any uncertainty about whose voice is being heard. His words carry His own authority. That alone ought to make us careful before claiming to speak in His name.
Before going any further, let me make an important distinction. Do I believe God governs every conversation, every sermon, every decision, and every event? Absolutely. I believe He works all things after the counsel of His own will. Ephesians 1:11. Indeed, God is sovereign over every conversation, every circumstance, and every decision. I believe that with all my heart. But that is not the same thing as saying He has given me fresh revelation to announce in His name. God’s sovereign direction of my life should not be confused with His verbal revelation.
To say that God is guiding me is one thing; to say that God has spoken to me is another. Those are not identical claims. For me, this isn’t merely a matter of semantics. It’s a matter of reverence. The reason I’m cautious isn’t because I have a low view of God’s activity. It’s because I believe God’s voice is far too sacred for any of us to confuse with our own. That does not mean I question the work of the Holy Spirit. Quite the opposite. I believe the Spirit is continually at work in the lives of God’s people. He convicts us of sin, comforts us in our afflictions, strengthens our faith, and opens our understanding of the Scriptures. But none of those precious works should be confused with God giving us fresh revelation. The Spirit’s ministry is to magnify the Word He has already inspired, not to add to it.
Yet this raises an important question. If God has truly spoken apart from Scripture, by what standard do we know with certainty that it was His voice and not our own? All of us know what it is like to have strong impressions, deep convictions, or an overwhelming sense that we are right. But sincerity, no matter how genuine, is not the same thing as divine certainty. That kind of certainty belongs to God’s Word alone. The longer I have studied the Scriptures, the less confidence I have gained in my own impressions, and the more confidence I have gained in God’s written Word. I have discovered that my thoughts can be mistaken, my emotions can fluctuate, and my conclusions sometimes need correction. But God’s Word remains the same. It has never required revision, and it has never failed those who have abandoned themselves to its truth.
This is one reason I believe the ministry of the Holy Spirit is so often misunderstood. The Spirit does not come to compete with the Scriptures He inspired, nor to supplement them with fresh revelation. Rather, He delights to glorify Christ by opening our eyes to the written Word that bears witness to Him. John 16:13-14. The more clearly we understand Christ through the Scriptures, the more beautifully the Spirit has accomplished His work. Luke 24:27.
God has not left His people dependent upon private revelations, inward impressions, or hidden messages in order to know His will. He has given us His written Word, breathed out by His Spirit, and profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. II Timothy 3:16-17. That does not make our walk with Him less personal. It makes it more certain. Our confidence rests, not in what we think we have heard, but in what God has plainly said.
Looking back on that conversation with my neighbor all those years ago, I realize my concern was never simply about the words people choose. It was about honoring the voice of God. Perhaps that is why I have become increasingly cautious about saying, “God told me.” It is not because I believe God is distant or inactive. Quite the opposite. It is because I believe He has already spoken with perfect wisdom and absolute authority in the Scriptures. If I truly desire to hear the voice of the Shepherd, I need not search for another revelation. I need only listen more carefully to the One He has already given. MPJ