What if I told you that God has been speaking to me about an issue that I haven’t been able to put out of my mind?

Because you know me, you don’t think I’m claiming to have heard God speak in an audible voice. You assume that I have had an idea that I believe has the signature of God written all over it. So you decide to hear me out.

Listen to what I’m saying

You hear me say, “I’ve been praying about what we can do to reach more people with the message of hope and peace, and the Lord has laid on my heart that we’ve been too cautious. We need to believe God for miracles, take risks of faith, and commit ourselves to outreach projects that, admittedly, are beyond our ability to afford. After asking God for clear direction, He has given me a pretty amazing vision for an idea I want to talk to you about.”

As you listen, you try to keep an open mind, but are not able to share my enthusiasm. You think the idea sounds more like presumption than a way to show our faith. But you don’t say this to my face, because who are you to tell me that I haven’t heard from the Lord?

What are you to make of this?

What’s happening here? Why am I able to believe God for a miracle but you are not? Is it possible that I have a sensitive ear to the Lord’s leading while you are more inclined to depend on human logic? Or am I using “spiritual talk” as a cover for my own ambition?

These are not easy issues to talk about. None of us want our efforts for Christ to be motivated by human agenda. We want our leaders to be prayerful, spiritually sensitive, and responsive to what they believe God wants us to do. The Bible makes it clear that God uses people to speak on His behalf. The apostle Paul advised the Thessalonians, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies” (1 Thessalonians 5:19-20).

I’m convinced, though, that the possible misuse of spiritual-sounding language and “God talk” gives us reason to think carefully about how we use phrases like these:

 “God has been speaking to me…”

“I’ve been praying about this…”

“The Lord has laid this on my heart…”

“God told me to say…”

“I was led to come to you…”

“God revealed to me…”

“God reminded me of a Scripture…”

“God called to my mind…”

What are the motives?

Sometimes we talk like this to let others hear our desire to be in step with God. On other occasions we use such phrases as a way of writing God’s signature under our ideas to make it difficult for others to disagree with us. We sense, even subconsciously, that when people hear us talk about “what God has laid on our heart,” they will be less apt to ask questions.

We can’t afford to be gullible or naïve

After saying, “Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies,” the apostle Paul went on to say, “Test all things” (v.21). The apostle John also said in his first New Testament letter, “Test the spirits to see whether they are from God” (1 John 4:1 NIV). Both Paul and John reflect a caution that had been expressed earlier by the prophet Ezekiel. In the sixth century before Christ, he quoted God as saying, “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who are now prophesying. Say to those who prophesy out of their own imagination: ‘Hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing!’ ” (Ezekiel 13:1-3 NIV).

A subtle misuse of quotes

If we casually say, “God said to me” or “The Lord spoke to my heart,” we blur the lines between what we know God said in His Word and what we think He might have said through our inner awareness.

This erasing of boundaries is an important issue. Even under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, the apostle Paul was careful to distinguish between the Word of God and his own personal conviction (1 Corinthians 7:10,12).

At stake is our own discernment and the honor of the Word of God. If in normal conversation we speak as if what God says to us through our inner inclinations is equal to what He has said through Scripture, we are competing, even unintentionally, with the authority of the Bible.

Honoring the Word of God

So the question then becomes, “How do we speak for God?” After all, the apostle Peter wrote, “If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God” (1 Peter 4:11 NIV).

Our answer needs to be rooted in an honest and reverent respect for the difference between our thoughts and God’s thoughts. If we are sure that God has said something in Scripture, we need to quote Him accurately and with conviction. If we believe we are thinking in a manner that is consistent with His thoughts, then we need to say, “I think,” or “I believe this is a course of action that would please God,” or “I believe this direction is consistent with the teachings of Scripture.” The key factor is honesty.

The addition of “I think” or “I believe” may seem like a small matter. But the issue is big. It is the issue that God Himself expressed to Ezekiel when he said, “They say, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they expect their words to be fulfilled. Have you not seen false visions and uttered lying divinations when you say, ‘The Lord declares,’ though I have not spoken?” (Ezekiel 13:6-7). 

Dear Lord, Help us to be sensitive to Your Spirit. We want to speak in Your behalf. We don’t want to misquote You. Please help us to show complete confidence in what You have revealed, while being open to questions about our own judgment and opinions. —Mart De Haan