Monday-God Told Me

If anyone speaks, they should do so as one who speaks the very words of God. If anyone serves, they should do so with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 4:11

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve head someone say “God told me.” Or there’s another version where people come out and tell us that “God showed me.” And then there’s those times when I’ve said it myself.

The good news is that God is alive and still does speak. How wonderful that the creator of the universe would want to live in and talk with us[1]. That Jesus would reassure his disciples and us that he will never leave us orphaned because God the Father will send the Advocate, his Holy Spirit to live within us[2].

Without a doubt, there have been times when the world was falling down all around us. Maybe it was what the doctor told you. Or it was what a loved one said as they left your life for good. It could have been a child that just unloaded a verbal nuclear bomb of hate and disappointment on you.

No matter what happens, God doesn’t change. He doesn’t change his love for you. He’ll never leave you. He’ll never abandon you[3]. We can run to him, and he’ll always, always, always receive and accept us. When we come and fully admit what we’ve done, he throws his arms around us. He welcomes us home[4]. There is such great comfort in these promises.

And then there’s those other times when we add the words “God told me” without thinking. We just sort of throw them onto what we’ve said or want. It’s like printing something on that neon pink paper just to make sure no one could miss it.

The problem with many of the “God told me’s” used today is that no one thinks to check it out. When the words “God told me” are used, it’s a verbal bulldozer that pushed everyone and everything out of the way. It’s saying that no one should dare to question what I said. If you do, you’re questioning not just me, but God himself.

Adding “God told me” pushes everyone else down while lifting themselves up. They have the absolute, exclusive spiritual and moral high ground. They ordain themselves as modern day high priests. There’s no way to even question them and what they’ve said. After all, if “God told them,” how can we question them or God? The implied answer is that no one can, so shut up and go away.

So, what are we to do? Should we just make a promise never to speak again? I’ve tried that particular promise many time and it just doesn’t work. First of all, we don’t have the power to stop talking. We’re so hard-wired to talk that we’d never make it.

Peter gives us the simple and powerful answer. When we talk, we need to do it with all the same care and power as if we’re speaking the very words of God. Picture it this way. As we’re speaking, God is standing right behind us. He whispers his words to us and then we repeat them.

Now, many are thinking that’s a nice word picture, but it doesn’t work like that anymore. But it does. Whenever we read God’s Word, the Bible, and repeat those words, it’s exactly the same. God has carefully and powerfully used people to write down his words so we can know him. That we can know we have eternal life[5].

Before we speak, we should carefully check out if what we think or assume are his words. Are they consistent with what he’s already said in his word? It goes something like this.

• We know that God has spoken to us in the Bible.

• We know that he never changes.

• We know that he’ll never disagree with what he’s already said.

• We know that he’ll never do anything against who he is.

• So, could it have come from God?

It would be one thing if this just applied to the words that fly out of our mouth. But I’m afraid there’s another place where we need to carefully compare God’s words with what we say. And that’s what we say on the internet. Does that post on social media agree with what God’s already said? With who he is? With what he’s done?

Without a doubt, there would be a whole lot less people saying “God told me” if we seriously took these words beyond our heads and into our hearts. That we’d carefully think about what’s about to go towards another person. What would be harm of not immediately say something or hit the “Send” button? Is it true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent or praiseworthy[6]? This is how God speaks to us, so we should speak the same way to people that Jesus came for. That he suffered and died for. That he rose again from the dead for. People that he loves like us.

Noodling Questions

• Describe a time when someone said something that just devastated you?

• What’s stopping us from comparing what we say and type with God’s words?

• List three tips that help you to pause before you say or send something.

[1] John 14:17

[2] John 14:26

[3] Hebrews 13:5

[4] Luke 15:20

[5] 1 John 5:13

[6] Philippians 4:8,9