DISCERNING THE VOICE OF GOD

1 Kings 12:20-13:34; Acts 9:26-43; Psalm 132:1-18; Proverbs 17:6

“But the old prophet answered, “I am a prophet, too, just as you are. And an angel gave me this command from the Lord: ‘Bring him home with you so he can have something to eat and drink.’” But the old man was lying to him.”

“When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!”

Why did the old prophet lie? It is a sad fact of life that many things done and claimed in the name of Christ have nothing to do with Him. Most self-appointed prophets are more interested in filling their own coffers or elevating themselves than in preaching the true Word. People need to know when they are hearing Godly teaching, and when Satan is masquerading as an angel. Trust in those who say they are dedicated to the Lord is sometimes a gift given too easily.

On the other hand, like Paul’s early audiences, we can be too skeptical when it comes to accepting the Word from our peers, friends or relatives. Familiarity may not breed contempt, exactly, but accessibility and normalcy can make it harder to accept Yahweh’s direction from the mouths of those we know personally. After all, when they claim a better line of communication with Christ, we can get pretty jealous. But when we are blinded and deafened by sin or personal troubles, we actually need others who can effectively direct us back to the Spirit’s love and grace.

The question comes down to one of discernment. How can we separate the Word of God from manipulative emotionalism that will only disillusion and destroy faith? It’s an important question. More than a few Christians have been seduced by the allure of the charismatic “prophet,” preacher or counselor. Sometimes, we ourselves are seduced by religious spirituality into believing – or wanting too much to believe – that we have gifts the Lord has not really given. In any situation where a human substitutes for the true voice of God, isolation and anger are typical outcomes.

When Christians counsel, or open themselves up to the advice of others, we must always insure Christ, not any other result or object, is the ultimate goal. If security, personal health or even human relationships supersede the goal of aligning with our divine purpose and Creator, bad things inevitably will happen. How many of us have fooled ourselves into believing our desires were part of the Spirit’s plan, only to be left feeling stupid and exposed when it became obvious the Father had other ideas?

All teaching and counsel should be judged by how it matches up with Scripture (the primary source), Tradition, Experience and Reason. The Bible is a unique testimony to God's self-disclosure and the guide to our redemption. If we immerse ourselves in Scripture and open our minds and hearts to the Holy Spirit, we will be better equipped to make Christian decisions. The Tradition of the Church, not the "little traditions" of one denomination, can also help guide us into Truth. The cumulative understanding and beliefs of the whole Christian movement can provide a powerful pragmatic balance to the immediate emotion of supposedly “new” revelation. Similarly, Experience really is a great teacher. This includes individual experience and the experience of the Church (God's people), or even more simply, “what works.” While what has worked in the past may not work today, experience can still provide additional food for thought as we seek God’s Will. Finally, there is Reason. When we go to church, we must not check our brains at the door.

God made us thinking, rational beings. We are to love the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, soul and strength. If we do that better, better understanding of God’s Will certainly will result. That’s what God meant when He said we will find Him when we dedicate our whole self to finding Him. The Spirit still speaks. We just need to tune our ears to His higher frequency.