Is God speaking to you?
I will put a big wooden spoon into the pot I’m stirring, but I do feel compelled to share an opinion. Feel free to stop reading at any time… that’s the beauty of this writing thing. I can write, you don’t have to read it.
Any whoo…. God speaking, what the heck does that mean? He’s already spoken, right? Through His word, this part is done and over with. Now, we can agree that I do not believe God speaks audibly… like I don’t hear Morgan Freeman’s voice in my ears (or James Earl Jones or even George Burns) NOPE… I don’t “hear” His voice. BUT… I see Him everywhere and know, that I know, that I know, that there are encouraging messages, and notes, and conversations, that come at the precise time I need to hear them. So, what is that? To an unbeliever, and even to the cynical among us, it is pure coincidence. A well-timed conversation or message we stumble across… nothing divine or special about it. But to me, in the midst of inner turmoil, to be bombarded with messages, situations, conversations that realign me with Him and His perspective is from HIM. {The caveat in all of this is, that one needs to know HIM intimately and truthfully to really see His perspective.} He will use rocks people… rocks. He has used an ass before (me… jk he literally used a donkey, look it up). I’m just saying, even though God doesn’t “speak” … HE does (just my definition of the word “speak” in this context, maybe different than yours). HE has spoken and HE will, and poo pooing on someone (talking to my brother’s and sister’s) for saying that phrase, “I felt God was speaking to me,” without YOU (the poo pooer) asking for clarification is a bit, ummmm crappy.
Believers… we all come from different walks of life. We all came to Christ at different stages of our lives. And most importantly, we are all different, just as any other family and its members are all different. We express ourselves differently.
So. STOP! If you hear a brother or sister in Christ tell you, “I hear God speaking to me.” Why don’t you clarify? One on one, with that believer, in love, and ask, “what do you mean by ‘hear’ God?” Ask the stupid question and stop assuming that your brother and/or sister is automatically a heretic.
Semantics is an issue in my marriage… English is not my first language and because I know what I’m trying to say, my thoughts don’t always exit my mouth in the most grammatically correct fashion. To add to our challenges, my husband is very literal. So, when we are discussing scripture, our talks get heated… because we are both passionate about getting it right. The funny thing is, that when we really unpack and dissect what (I’m usually the one that needs to explain and unpack) is being said, we are literally saying the same exact thing, just differently. What if… just what if… the division and separation between believers is due to the same minuscule (ridiculous) differences. Semantics.
What if, we are discarding a brother and/or sister in Christ because they didn’t perfectly regurgitate what we interpret scripture to say? Or, because a believer holds a different political view than us? Or, because a believer rather worship utilizing a different musical style? Who made you (or any of us) the authority to fully interpret what another human being means, without asking some clarifying questions? You don’t have the capacity to see their heart. We are told to judge the health of the tree by the fruit… the fruit isn’t necessarily what is being said but how a person lives. Sure… we should all speak and act in a way that most glorifies God. But sometimes we can stumble on the speaking part but still live lives that point to Christ constantly. Are we approaching these types of challenges with love?
All this to say… if you meet a believer but every little word that comes out of their mouth doesn’t line up with your personal view of what “should” be said and you don’t “feel” like asking questions or spending more time with this person because, “you’re not sure they are a believer”… well then, shame on you. You’re making us look bad, and your pharisee is showing. If they aren’t a believer… how are you displaying Christ to them by so quickly discarding them? If they are a believer, and are a little off-kilter, why aren’t you having that hard discussion? Why aren’t you, in love, correcting?
Believers… stop looking at your brother and sister with such a critical eye. If they are living God-honoring lives but say weird stuff… then, in love, ask questions. Go grab coffee with them and unpack what they mean when they say, “I heard God speaking” … well, what did they hear? Or, was it simply that they read something that encouraged them and they are communicating that experience to you by simply saying, “God told me…”? I’m just saying people, my siblings in Christ, we are to sharpen each other, like iron sharpens iron, why are we choosing not to do that?
God doesn’t do easy.
The hardest conversation you may have, the most challenging, may be with another believer whose theology or dogma doesn’t line up with yours. But that is a worthy conversation to have. Just be prepared… you may not know everything.