Have you ever had anyone tell you, “God told me to tell you……..”? Or, “God’s Word says this…….”? Here is a little piece of advice on dealing with those situations. First, go to God’s Word and see for yourself. YES, dig into God’s Word and read it for yourself. HIS word is for everyone and sometimes, yes sometimes, people, including me, can be wrong about how we have interpreted God’s Word.
Second, go to God and continually seek HIM in all things. Allow God to be your first and GREATEST filter for all things. Today, at 53, with a continual marinating in God’s Word and daily SEEKING HIS direction for my life–His wisdom and NOT MINE, I desire to handle HIS Word carefully when I write, when I speak and especially in HOW I LIVE IT!
So today, if someone has a word from God for me and they say, “God told me to tell you…” My response is one of two things. “I don’t believe you because I just talked to Him and He didn’t tell me that!” because I do talk to Him all the time and I have learned to listen to Him carefully and sit still, Or I say, “Thank you. He already told me and He just confirmed it through you!”
Sometimes a word from someone else to you is God’s confirmation on something He has already told you to do, or not do, or something you asked him for. But BE VERY AWARE. Sometimes Satan can discredit the Lord’s work when well-meaning Christians or other people assume God’s role in your life. It’s very important for you to always know–people are not God! They aren’t. God is God. His opinion and His will supersede all humans. God isn’t going to tell you to sin!
These verses in Revelation 3:19-20 are great and written for all people. “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent. Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If ANYONE hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me” [emphasis added]. God eats and drinks with anyone who desires to “DINE” with HIM. HE is the one who will rebuke and discipline and LEAD. Our job is to be EARNEST in SEEKING HIM. GOD IS STANDING AT OUR DOOR KNOCKING. HE LOVES US.
Just as good parents do not want to give confusing directions to their children whom they love and they also desire only the best for their children, so is God the same way. He loves us and He desires to communicate directly with us… to give direction….and to be CLEAR! As I have matured in this area spiritually, I find there are three things for me to consider–guidelines if giving someone a word from God…or receiving one.
1. To be patient and pray. Most of the time God is wanting me to just pray for that person so that they are prepared for God to speak directly to them. MY JOB has been to pray and ask the Lord that they will HEAR HIS VOICE clearly. I am not the messenger! Sometimes I recommend a book or a sermon that I have learned from.
If someone has a word for me, I take it straight to God and ask HIM, “Is this from You?” Often I have found it is not. I do look at the “source of the communicator”. But when I am seeking God with all my heart, soul and mind, I usually know right away if it is from God. HIS VOICE IS VERY LOUD IN MY LIFE. That is my choice, and yours, to allow His voice to be loud…but YOU HAVE TO SEEK IT DAILY!
2. If I do say something, after much prayer and exercising patience, it might be along the lines of, “Have you considered this consequence?” Or, “Have you thought about how that action might be misunderstood if you follow through?” Most often if God has spoken a word to me for someone else, I look for a CLEAR OPEN DOOR to speak it. If the door doesn’t open, I remain silent and continue to pray.
3. Most of the time when God allows me to speak a word to someone or someone speaks a word to me that is from the Lord, it is without HUMAN intention. It is not a conscious action. Many times when I am just listening to a conversation, God speaks a word to me through others and they don’t even know it. When I watch a sermon, listen to someone speak or read a book often it is as though they were living in my mind. A word comes out that confirms what others don’t even know I am thinking or praying about. God used a stranger in a Chick-fil-A drive through to encourage me just the other day. They had NO IDEA of my morning prayers. Yes, God confirmed He had me through a generous stranger, an act of “kindness, not rude”.
I encourage you to be quick to LISTEN AND WATCH and SLOW TO SPEAK. GOD GAVE US two ears and two eyes but one mouth. Allow God to be your FILTER FOR ALL ACTIONS AND WORDS. He will gladly direct you on all paths. Proverbs 3:5-6. “Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart. Lean NOT on YOUR OWN understanding. In all your ways acknowledge HIM [filter it through HIM] and HE WILL make your paths straight” [emphasis added].
I Samuel 3:10, “The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, ‘Samuel! Samuel!’ Then Samuel said,
‘Speak, for your servant is listening.’”
May we all be good listeners today.
I did a prayer for myself to the Lord asking him to help guide me and open my mind and soul and I asked him what i should do to bettrr my self and I got a single reaponse. LISTEN. and that was it. I didn’t hear anything else. what does that mean.?