A common "folk Christian practice" that is fraught with dangers

 

The Bible - it is the inspired word of God 2 Timothy 3: 16 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."

 

The Bible has a level of authority no other recorded utterance possess. That's the meaning of divine inspiration. There is no "extra-biblical" revelation that reaches this kind of inspiration. The scriptures are the authority and every other "word from God" is to be judged by it! We know we need to read it and study it - but how much time do we dedicate to the task and how passionately do we pursue biblical truth?

 

The "God-told-me" deception is a powerful bit of folk Christian practice today. If you preface your comments with "The Lord told me..." you set yourself up so no one can counter your comments. This practice is dangerous and can lead to deep deception. Be careful how you use the phrase "I have had a word from the Lord."

 

1 Corinthian 14: 29 says, "Two or three prophets should speak, and the others should weigh carefully what is said." Paul is speaking to the church at Corinth so as to bring correction and clarity to that church.

 

Paul's comment here holds a powerful principle - when someone speaks and declares they have a word from God - then that word should be able to stand up to the scrutiny of other mature people within the church.

 

Can you imagine a church or a body of believers where any one can stand up and say, "I have a word from God." But there is no one to bring any kind of accountability and if necessary correction? That would be a recipe for disaster and total confusion.

 

There are some who feel that their word from God gives them immunity from accountability - in my years of ministry I watched literally hundreds of people walk into deception, lose the plot and their destiny and wonder why it all went so wrong. If they had been open to correction, if they had been open to the wisdom of other godly leaders they would not have had such heart ache!

 

It was tweeted yesterday, "Submission to Godly leadership will always release the FAVOUR of God into your life."

 

Proverbs 11:14 says, "Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety."

 

Can your "word from the Lord" stand up to the scrutiny of other mature leaders; does it flow with the conventional wisdom of scripture?

 

Spiritual deception comes in when people are unaccountable or irresponsible. Through their own adherence to this folk Christian practice and their own immaturity people wonder why they lost their way, lost their passion and lost their friends!

 

They wavered from truth and swallowed a lie - they had a subtle shift in convictions from what the bible says to some flaky spooky bit of subjective experience.