It is common for people to say that God told them something, showed them something, or laid it on their heart. Using that language can be confusing to the hearer if you have no intention to describe personal revelation. The intention is often giving God the credit for any enlightenment or improving result. Rather than…
It has been argued by some “Christians” that every time they get a hunch, God is warning us to pay attention to something important. One might easily confuse hunches and intuition as the “voice of God” communicating to us, especially after spending much time in prayer. A premonition is another word to describe this common…
The view taken that we can not be certain that we are doing God’s will without having personal guidance and revelation from God is a most comfortable belief. But, many are paralyzed by fear that they may not be hearing God accurately, whether they believe that he speaks only through the Word or through personal…
There can be no proper application without an accurate understanding of a passage in its context. We must realize that there is an intended meaning when the author wrote. His intended meaning doesn’t change with the culture or the reader, nor can a passage ever mean what it has never meant in the past. The…
The Scriptures are the voice of God. So, if you want to hear God speak, read it. If you want to hear God speak audibly, read it out loud (Jim Osman, p. 270). Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the word of God is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword. Osman explained, “When God…
Another complaint is that when we believe that God speaks only through the word, we put restrictions on God by putting Him in a box of our own making. However, our stated views do not advocate God’s inability to do anything He desires. We are only stating that when God has revealed his will and…
The most difficult hurdle to overcome in accepting the model of making decisions based on the written revelation of moral and wise principles is that it leaves God out of the process. This can’t be further from the truth. First, God has given a perfect living Word that is able to make us complete, thoroughly…
We have already pointed out that the biblical examples never point to anyone waiting to hear to make decisions. There is no example of inner feelings, voices, signs, promptings, peace, or confirmation before making decisions. Individuals made decisions without much delay. As long as they acted in harmony with the revealed will of God and…
Any decision that we need to make is not a bad decision or against God’s will as long as we follow those revealed moral and wise principles found in His Word. When we’have made the decision, and the first sign of trouble, we may begin to question whether we have made the right choice. But,…
Let’s examine this model by applying two biggest decisions we can make in life. In this way, we can illustrate the way we make decisions, today. The first decision we make where God has given us some principles to guide us is in whom we marry. We will start by illustrating the use of God’s…