Wednesday, February 22, 2012
God Said What?!
Ron Edmondson on ways to know if God is talking to you:
I can tell you way too many stories of harm, injury and other mischief that has come from those that "hear God speaking to them." But it is rare that I can cite such things from those that have grown in maturity in the Lord to the point where it's not about "hearing God" but about having been transformed to the point that their will is more or less aligned with God's will.
I have found over the years that it is best NEVER to claim to to have heard God's voice, through circumstance, reason, or miracle. Such belies a less than humble repose. Rather I have fund it best to always strive to hear Him, assume I have botched it to some extent and submit myself to examination both by others and by prayer.
I cannot claim to understand how the prophets or apostles were able to speak with such authority and get away with, I just know I have never met their kind in my lifetime. I presume and other-worldliness that will belie the authority with which they speak.
But until I meet someone like that, I cannot help but think it best to presume I cannot hear God clearly.
Every believer wants to hear from God. Why would you follow God closely if you didn’t want to know His voice or hear what He has to say? We want to know…Is this God?…Is this what He is telling me to do?…or…Am I being swayed by the circumstances of my life?Personally, the older I get, the more I have come to conclude that God generally speaks to use far more subtly than even Edmondson is talking about - and I think that is with good reason.
One thing I’ve observed is that we often listen for the grandiose voice of God. Sometimes God speaks that way, but many times God is more subtle than that. Often God speaks through those quiet moments, through other people, and through life’s circumstances. In a crowded world of noise and life distractions sometimes it’s hard to understand what God is saying. How do we take the circumstance of life, as mixed up and confusing as they can be, and figure out what God could be saying to us?
I can tell you way too many stories of harm, injury and other mischief that has come from those that "hear God speaking to them." But it is rare that I can cite such things from those that have grown in maturity in the Lord to the point where it's not about "hearing God" but about having been transformed to the point that their will is more or less aligned with God's will.
I have found over the years that it is best NEVER to claim to to have heard God's voice, through circumstance, reason, or miracle. Such belies a less than humble repose. Rather I have fund it best to always strive to hear Him, assume I have botched it to some extent and submit myself to examination both by others and by prayer.
I cannot claim to understand how the prophets or apostles were able to speak with such authority and get away with, I just know I have never met their kind in my lifetime. I presume and other-worldliness that will belie the authority with which they speak.
But until I meet someone like that, I cannot help but think it best to presume I cannot hear God clearly.
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