#12 Stop Saying "God Told Me"

In this episode, I discuss the implications of claiming divine communication, particularly the phrase 'God told me.' I emphasize the importance of using language that reflects personal conviction rather than asserting divine authority. The conversation explores the risks associated with misusing such claims, the consequences of spiritual abuse, and offers alternative ways to express one's faith. I also provide insights on discerning God's voice through scripture, peace, wise counsel, and the fruits of the Spirit, ultimately encouraging listeners to approach their faith with humility and discernment.

• God does speak, but we must be careful with our language.
• Saying 'God told me' can be manipulative and risky.
• There are real-world consequences to claiming divine messages.
• We should express our feelings of guidance without claiming infallibility.
• Trusting in God involves submission, not just hearing a voice.
• Discerning God's voice requires checking against scripture and community advice.
• Peace is a sign of God's guidance, not the absence of fear.
• Using spiritual language can lead to misunderstandings and doubts.
• Faith is about being faithful, not just sounding spiritual.
• We need to focus on how God communicates through various means.

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Transcript

Hi everyone, welcome back to Carry Your Cross. If you're new here, hit that subscribe button and hit that like button so that reaches more people like you. Today's episode is called Stop Saying God Told Me. Now, before anyone hits pause, let me say this upfront. I'm not saying God doesn't speak. He absolutely does.

But we need to talk about how he speaks and how we talk about it.

So I want to really break this down into some main segments. So the first one is going to be the language we use matters. You've probably heard someone say, God told me to take this job or God said she's going to be my wife. Maybe you've even said it yourself. But here's the thing we throw around. God told me

air quotes, like it's a text message from heaven. And honestly, that's risky. Why is it risky? You might ask. Because if you're wrong, you're not just mistaken. You're saying God was wrong. You're putting words in the mouth of the Almighty. That's a big deal.

it really is. It's often a strong impression, a leading, a prompting of the Holy Spirit. And those are beautiful, real things. But they're not the same as hearing God's audible voice. I really want to make that clear. I get a lot of people, just a lot of friends and acquaintances that say,

God told me this or God spoke to me and they make it seem like they heard the actual audible voice of God and that's just not the case. ⁓ God did speak to people and there is scripture to prove it especially in the Old Testament. God did do a lot of speaking but

In the audible sense, that happens much more less than you think.

The question is, but doesn't God speak in the Bible? That's what a lot of arguing from the other side might ask. And honestly, that's a great question. So the simple answer is yes. God speaks all over scripture, but I want to break it down. So in Exodus three, God speaks to Moses through a burning bush.

That was literal, audible, miraculous. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah doesn't hear God in the wind or the fire, but in a still small voice. Some scholars even say the Hebrew implies silence, like a profound inner clarity. In the New Testament, Paul has visions, dreams, and the Holy Spirit

forbids him to go to Asia in Acts 16. Again, we're not told how. It could be a strong conviction, not an audible shout from heaven.

Again, so just in these three passages, you're seeing that sure, God does speak audible sometimes, the distinction is who God was speaking to. He was speaking to chosen prophets. So that's much different from just your average person. I don't believe God really ever intended to speak

audibly where you could hear his actual voice just to the average person. But in summary, so yes, God speaks, but most of us aren't Moses or Elijah, right? We're not getting burning bushes or booming clouds. More often, it's the Holy Spirit within us that nudges us

convicts us and gives us peace or a lack of it.

So I want to make this clear. There are consequences of saying God told me.

Because this isn't just a semantics issue, this has real world fallout and I want to expose that fallout for you. shuts down conversation. Number one, if I say God told me to move to Florida, how can anyone lovingly challenge that? It turns personal decisions into divine decrees. That's

manipulative, even if unintentional.

And number two, it risks spiritual abuse. leaders have used God told me to control others, sin or silence disagreement. That's dangerous. We should never use God's name to validate our opinions. And last but not least,

it damages trust when we're wrong. What happens when the thing God told you doesn't happen? People start to doubt, not just you, but God. That's spiritual collateral damage. We want to lead people God. We want to win souls to Christ. And by

falsely assuming that God actually spoke to you, you can lead people astray. You can cause people to doubt. And that's not what we want to do.

So what should we say instead? So I've given you consequences and sort of negatives words. But what should we say instead? So instead of God told me to take this job, we can try things like

I feel like God is leading me in this direction.

Instead of God said, she's the one, can try, been praying and I have peace about pursuing this relationship.

This kind of language acknowledges your faith, your prayer life, and your discernment without claiming divine infallibility.

So just remember what Proverbs 3, 5 through 6 says, trust in the Lord with all your and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, submit to him and he will make your paths straight. doesn't say, you'll hear a voice.

It says, trust, submit, and he will direct you quietly, faithfully, often without fireworks.

And guys, when I pray, I always pray for the spirit of discernment. So what I want to bring to the surface is discerning God's voice. And really the question that should be asked is, do we want to better understand how God is guiding us? So here are a few checks, right?

He guides us through scripture because he never contradicts his word. Peace is another one. It's another way. And peace is not the absence of fear, but a deep rooted confidence. Wise counsel is another way. Community members, you can talk to mentors, small group leaders, pastors, people like that. And then,

Last but not least, the fruit. Does the fruit align with the character of Jesus? Check Galatians 5 22 to 23.

So look, I get it. Saying God told me feels powerful. It feels spiritual. But faith isn't about sounding spiritual. It's about being faithful. And I'll probably do an episode on this, but when we start to feel spiritual and feel, I guess, spiritually powerful, that starts to creep into the New Age New Thought Movement.

And that's a whole nother episode that I don't have the time to get into now. But we're really starting to creep in and play with fire when it comes to the new age and new thought.

So I just want to hit this point home and that's that God speaks through people, through scripture, and through certain events. And that is what we need to focus on. So let this marinate, let this digest, pray about it. If

This is something that you struggle with. I hope I've given you a different, fresh perspective on the reality of saying the words God told me. And I hope that the Holy Spirit leads you into a new direction, a new thought pattern, new choice of words, and a deeper reverence for

our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Okay? So thank you all for listening and I'll see you in the next one. Bye.