Glimpses of Truth

The Case of “Who Said It”

I have become weary of hearing people make statements like, “All of a sudden the Lord told me…,” so I try to refrain from such statements myself.  I’m afraid such statements could be misleading and are often even slanderous.  A few folks today seem to have all the answers.  They’ve become super spiritual, and they think they have the corner on the market when it comes to knowing God’s will and especially the future.

Don’t get me wrong.  I sense the Lord’s presence and leading almost as often as I look for it, and without the confidence of his guidance and wisdom, my Christian experience would be lifeless and limp.

But I’d rather not go around telling people “what the Lord told me to do or say, or where He told me to go.”  My own heart is too deceitful.  I’m too prone to try and force the mind of God into the shape of my desire.  I feel safer saying something like, “I sensed that the Lord was leading me,” or “I’m confident that the Lord gave me the peace of mind to …”

I must be careful not to suggest that my impression of the Lord’s leading, or my conscience, carries with it the weight or authority of the written word.  If and when I do that and then something is contrary to what I have said, then I have done tremendous harm and brought doubt and shame to the Name of Jesus.  We all must be careful how we express ourselves as believers, because we represent Him.

In making this point, I have not lost anything.  God is still very plain in His leading.  He has said to me in certain terms:

                        Be kind – Ephesians 4:32

                        Be honest – Ephesians 4:2

                        Love Me – Matthew 22:3–7

                        Love your neighbor – Matthew 22:39

                        Let My peace rule in your heart – Colossians 3:15

                        Live with a clear conscience – I Peter 3:16

                        Hate every form of evil – I Thessalonians 5:22

                        Do not quench the Spirit – I Thessalonians 5:19

These are the things that are very certain.  However, we must be very careful with those gray areas.

Occasionally I see at the end of a TV program a “disclaimer” such as, “Don’t blame the management of this station for everything you heard on this program.”  They say this because not everything in that program may represent the view of that station and management.

Now, there are times that we need to say something like this concerning our opinion of spiritual things.  After all, we don’t have all the answers.  And we must be careful when we listen to super-spiritual people who seem to have a pipeline to God.  It may be their interpretation only.  And it may be wrong.  It may not represent God’s view.  Let’s not stray from His Word!  It’s our only sure way!