Hello, this is Dr. Don Ibbitson from Above & Beyond Christian Counseling.
I'm going to address in this teaching what for many might be considered a very sensitive
topic.
How might you respond when someone says God told me and you really question if that person
did.
(music)
I cringe frequently when someone declares God told me.
I hear it frequently, sometimes in sermons and teachings, private conversations and many
times and clients in my counseling office.
And I'm going to antagonize some folks with this article, with this teaching if you like
but please listen to it all before you fire off an angry phone call or an e-mail to me.
Look at sometimes the phrase doesn't bother me but in other instances the Holy Spirit
early warning alarm system in me emits an alert calling a dashboard alarm or a light
that requires attention or a response for me.
Now listen, do I think God speaks to people today.
Absolutely, He speaks through Scripture through the word.
That's his primary way of course.
But I also believe that the gifts of the spirit including the gifts of prophecy and words
of wisdom are in operation today.
God speaks to us that way as well.
Many of God's faithful, long to get a word cold, at least those of us in the Charismatic
and Pentecostal circles, believers will flock to conferences and line up in long lines often
times so a man or woman of God can reveal or confirm God's direction to them.
Now listen, I'm not against that type of ministry.
I've stood in those lines myself and will continue to do so.
And I've gotten good and valid words for people who have been able to accurately speak God's
heart over me.
Christians also seek the voice or seek rather the the the voice of the Lord, yes the voice
of the Lord in prayer but sometimes the flesh and yes even the demonic realm can be in our
spiritual ear also.
I've met with too many people, I know of too many people personally whose lives and marriages
or ministries have been shipwrecked because they acted upon the firm contention that God
had led them down a particular path.
Many times he did not seek counsel or confirmation and the results were devastating.
They believed sincerely but they were many times sincerely wrong.
So what's the problem, the phrase by itself, God old me.
That's a conversation killer.
When you hear it, you have several possible responses and here just a few, you can agree
in spirit and maybe even in Word with what was spoken.
Wow that sounds like God to me.
You can doubt and say nothing because you know the speaker or maybe you don't know the
speaker very well.
You can accept and say nothing because maybe you do know the person who is telling that
and you trust their discernment.
You can mumble, well that's awesome and not pursue the doubter believe track too far because
you really don't know the person or maybe you don't really have much interest in what
they just told you.
You can question the person, did you really, how do you know it was God?
Now you're on a fact finding mission and it could go well or it could go poorly.
You could also declare, hmm, you know that doesn't sound like God to me.
And you better be prepared to skirmish.
Let's be honest it does take courage to say anything that sounds questioning or negative
to really confront someone in this area.
You are really challenging that individual's assertion that they truly heard from God.
Now I have found that those who use the phrase frequently and typically often abuse the phrase,
they can have ulterior motives.
First of all they want to appear spiritually mature to their audience.
My conversation with counseling clients have convinced me that very few people truthfully
welcome or profess to hear from God in a very meaningful way.
Look at every serious believer longs to know the voice of God in His plan for every area
of their life as we talked about.
The issue is that we tend to put God hearers up on a pedestal and many are anxious to climb
up on a pedestal with them.
Second of all, people oftentimes don't want to entertain arguments that their viewpoint
may be flawed or erroneous or incomplete.
So because they just don't want to be confronted on it.
Now if as an example you tell your pastor that God told you that you were not to help
out in children's ministry right now, you have effectively derailed that conversation,
derail the invitation and ended the conversation, now he chooses to confront you.
No listen, what's the proper response when you do want to challenge what was said by
a person, someone you have a vested interest in, someone you care for.
When you hear the phrase and that Holy Spirit alarm bell goes off in your spirit it may
be time to engage.
Listen, you're going to need a comeback that will open the dialogue in a non-threatening
way so that you can make progress and not initiate a conflict.
You're going to want the person to examine the real motives of their heart and that takes
some thoughtful responses.
I just want to lay out a few possible suggestions for you to consider.
You could say, you know, how do you know it was God?
How do you know it wasn't just your flesh?
As anyone close to you or anyone else you've told is to challenge what you've heard, and
this is a big one�too.
Has anyone else confirmed what you believe you have heard or what you have heard rather?
You could say that you know that really doesn't sound like God to me because dot dot dot and
you should have a personal revelation to share or maybe a relevant scripture that you can
bring to their mind and to show why that really doesn't sound like God or you might just say
something like you know gosh for some reason that really doesn't resonate my spirit.�
Now the Holy Spirit alarm bell in you is ringing and you really may not know totally why.
But generally my experience is the warning is not to be ignored if you want to help this
person who is sharing with you and it certainly shouldn't be ignored as inside if this warning
bell is coming from your spouse or significant parent or relationship in your life.
Sometimes the alarm is apparent and the response can be quick.
Sometime back I had a client in my office who was convinced that God had told her that
it was OK to divorce her current husband and marry another man because she had really not
sought the Lord's permission in her first marriage.
Now I was able to counter that pretty easily by reminding her that in fact she was married
that God had put them together, they were together in the Lord's heart and will was
that her married union be healed and strengthened.
Now that type of scenario is frequently pretty easy to diagnose and to deal with.
But other times and the deception is just much more subtle and it's harder to wrap your
arms around.
And young men come into me one time who was convinced that the Lord had told him to quit
his full time job and help out with a homeless ministry.
He was involved with kind of step out in faith, OK.
What happened was he ended up losing his apartment.
There was�no provision for employment at the center and he had to take a lesser job
to avoid homelessness himself.
Now I don't know.
I just wasn't sure and I'm not convinced that that was God telling him to do that.
And so he wasn't convinced after the fact either quite frankly and truthfully there's
more to this story that I could share.
But I do believe in that particular instance and many others that the demonic realm or
maybe at least his flesh was the author of this plan.
It did not come from the Lord.
The demonic Kingdom purpose for our lives is to kill steal and destroy.
And in the case of this young man, they wanted to drive away from the Lord through disillusionment
and disappointment.
And you know that all most happened.
Fortunately, they were not successful.
And he did learn some valuable lessons going so that he could apply moving forward in his
life.
Now listen what if you are the one who is prone to playing the God spoke to me card,
God told me card regularly.
I have a couple of simple suggestions.
First of all why don't you just say you know I believe God told me.
I believe I heard the Lord say, instead say that instead, and leave the door open for
confirmation in your spirit or from others.
Personally I do not subscribe to the put out a fleece methodology that some use because
God is very able to make his will known to us if we seek it.
His sheep hear his voice.
John 10:27, that's of course a new testament scripture because we have the Holy Spirit
in this.
Even if you are sure or believe you are sure that he did tell you, you'll sound less prideful
to others and that can be a good thing.
I believe that when we get to heaven we're going to find out that the Lord did not initiate
a lot of the journeys we took in his name, his grace, His empowering presence, of course
will always go with us and he promises to bring good�out of every misstep that we
take, Romans 8:28.
�However we can really void much headache and make things that make life much easier
for ourselves and others out if we will just be much more certain and much more careful
with this use of the word God told me I'm much more certain of it.
When we are compelled to deal with those we believe are using God told me argument wrongfully,
let's do it in love and with wisdom so that the Lord's best purposes for that person will
prevail.
Hope that was a blessing to you.