WHEN YOU SAY, "THE LORD TOLD ME" -- ARE YOU SURE?

Before we begin, this message concerns believers who have accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and follow Him. I'm including myself in this, because none of us have reached a point where we no longer need to learn, grow, or have our understanding corrected by God's Word. We all need the Lord's wisdom and discernment, so let's consider this together with humble hearts, willing to learn whatever He wants to teach us.

Something we need to be careful about as we grow in the Lord is saying, "The Lord told me this," without considering whether He really did.

A lot of Christians make this mistake. That's why I try to be very careful of this. New believers, old believers, even pastors sometimes. We all get eager and think “I feel this so strong, God must have told me.” But that's not always the case. Even the devil tries to twist scripture in our minds, so we have to be very careful.

God does guide His children, and we should seek His wisdom and direction. But we must be careful not to assume that every thought, feeling, or desire comes from Him. Sometimes we want something so badly that we begin to believe God is telling us what we want to hear. But wanting something to be true doesn't make it God's will.

WE DON'T WALK BY FEELINGS - WE WALK BY FAITH

Our own thoughts, feelings, and desires can become so strong that we mistake them for the Lord's leading. Feelings aren't proof, and being convinced doesn't automatically make us right. We must diligently study the Bible and that doesn't mean just flip through the pages to find a few verses and then think we know it all. Bible study entails prayer first asking the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us into all truth and to help us interpret the scripture. Otherwise that devil can sneak in as well and twist scripture in our minds. You will know it's God's truths if it lines up with God's word.

Based on 2 Timothy 2:15, showing yourself approved, means making a diligent effort to faithfully and accurately understand, teach, and live out God's Word. It calls believers to work hard like a skilled builder who never needs to feel ashamed of their calling and work.

The original word means to be eager and give your best effort, rather than just reading casually. Or, half-heartedly.

WHOSE THOUGHT WAS IT?

Suppose you desperately want something to happen. You pray about it and begin to believe the Lord has told you it will happen. But did He really tell you that, or is it what you hope will happen?

There's a difference between saying, "I believe this may be what the Lord is leading me to do," and saying, "The Lord told me this." The first, expresses what you believe may be happening. The other claims that God Himself has spoken. However, we must be careful not to put words in God's mouth.

So how do we learn to recognize the Lord's leading?

First, we need to know His Word. God will never lead us to believe something that contradicts Scripture. We must also be careful not to take a verse out of context and make it mean something it was never intended to mean. We need to understand what God's Word actually says, not just what we want it to say.

Second, pray for wisdom and be willing to wait. We don't have to figure everything out today. Ask the Lord for understanding and be patient as you seek His direction.

Third, examine your heart. Are you seeking God's will, or are you looking for Him to approve what you've already decided you want? Are you willing to admit you might be mistaken? Listen when mature believers offer biblical correction, too. None of us knows everything, and none of us is beyond correction.

First Thessalonians 5:21 tells us, "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." We aren't supposed to accept every thought that enters our minds without examining it.

Spiritual growth takes time. We cannot rush it or assume that because we feel strongly about something, we must be hearing directly from God. A seed doesn't become a tree in a day. It needs time, nourishment, and care. Our walk with the Lord is much the same.

We grow through prayer, studying God's Word, listening and doing what He teaches us, learning from our mistakes, and allowing Him to correct our understanding. Even after many years of following Jesus, we can misunderstand Scripture, misjudge a situation, or mistake our own desires for God's direction.

That's why humility matters so much. It's perfectly okay to say, "I don't know yet. I'm still praying about it," or "I may be mistaken. I need to study God's Word more carefully." Those words don't show a lack of faith. They show a willingness to learn.

We don't have to claim God has spoken, about every decision we make. We need to use the wisdom He's given us, pray, search the Scriptures, seek godly counsel, and make responsible decisions without claiming a special message from Him.

We also don't have to prove our spiritual maturity to anyone. God isn't asking us to pretend we know more than we do. He wants us to walk in truth with humble, teachable hearts.

Before you say, "The Lord told me," it is best to stop and ask yourself, "Am I sure this is what God has said, or could this be my own thinking or something I deeply want to happen?"

Test your impressions against Scripture, consider wise biblical counsel, and leave room for the possibility that you could be mistaken. This doesn't mean we should ignore the Lord's leading or doubt Him at every turn. It means we should seek Him sincerely, test what we believe He is showing us, and avoid claiming certainty when we haven't discerned His direction clearly.

We must never use God's name, to give our own thoughts, the authority of God.

Our goal isn't to sound spiritually impressive. It's to know the Lord, understand His Word, obey Him faithfully, and grow in truth. We don't have to rush our progress. That comes at God's own pace, not ours. However, it's up to us to learn and grow in Christ by studying our Bible faithfully and praying before we even study scripture, asking the Holy Spirit to lead and interpret scripture for us, before we start reading it.

We are not to pretend we know what God is saying to us or through His scripture, if we do not...nor that we have all the answers. We definitely do not, and that's why we study our Bible. That doesn't mean pick up a Christian magazine that you're not sure where the source has even come from, and call that Bible study. We do not need any other source, to know the truth, except from God's holy word. He told us to read His Word, if we want to know the truth; not every other book out there, because it may have been written by someone pretending to know Christ, to just make money off their book.

It's far better to humbly say, "I'm still learning," than to confidently claim, "The Lord told me," when we haven't taken the time to make sure.

Let's love the truth enough to seek it, love the Lord enough to be faithful to Him, and love Him enough to be careful about putting words in His mouth.

May the Lord give us all wisdom, discernment, and humble hearts that are always willing to learn. ❤