God told me … REALLY? Did he send you an email or text message? Or was it a phone call? Perhaps He communicated to you through His blog. Anytime I hear someone say, “God told me…” I cringe. I’ve heard pastors say things like, “In my conversation with God he said to me…” They say it so confidently, so nonchalantly as if they just got off the phone with Jesus.
I believe its presumptuous to say that you know exactly what God wants you to do outside of those things which God has prescribed in His Word. I can say without a doubt that God wants me to be holy; He wants me to honor my parents; He wants me to love my neighbor. I also know for a fact that there are things He doesn’t want me to do (i.e. lie, steal cheat, etc.) All these things are found in His Word.
For me to say that God TOLD me to move to New Jersey—no. An opportunity for me to move to NJ to do ministry may have opened. And since I’ve been praying for an opportunity in a new city, combined with advise of other believers and in accordance to God’s Word, I may strongly feel this is the direction God wants take.
I have had times in my life when I have strongly believed that I was doing exactly what God wanted me to do. I have believed that I was right at the center of His will or my life. But I hesitate to say that God TOLD me anything.
I’m not saying that we cannot know God’s will. On the contrary, I emphatically believe that through prayer, fasting, other believers, and His Word, God speaks to us. And with a HUMBLE heart we step out in faith believing that God will direct us.
So, next time someone says to you, “God told me…” ask them to see the memo or to hear the voice mail.
God told me…. that’s deep. I believe that God speaks to you in so many ways and guides you through life if you allow HIM to.
Thought-provoking. We Christians use language that we created for purposes of talking about God. Perhaps saying “God told me”is presumptuous unless we’re named Moses, Abraham, or Noah. Fortunately, God has His ways of giving us an inner confidence and assurance when we’re walking on the road He laid out for us.