When someone says, “God told me,” how do we know that’s true?

By Dean Collins

I get a little nervous when someone says, “This is what the Lord showed me or told me.” I completely believe God is always calling, speaking, affirming, clarifying, and helping us better know him. His desires are for us. He wants everyone to experience the life he created us for and to be filled with peace and joy. God also speaks through his Word and the Holy Spirit. He is light that directs our steps and guides us on the right path.

But I’m still sometimes uncomfortable when someone claims a specific message from God.

We’ve probably both experienced the overreaching words from friends and pastors when they try to confirm the future. I’m pretty sure the future is in God’s hands and not ours. We can and do make plans, but knowing with confidence what God has determined is a different thing.

We can and do make plans, but knowing with confidence
what God has determined is a different thing.

And like Amos the prophet told Amaziah, “I’m no prophet, my daddy before me wasn’t a prophet either. What’s in my blood and experience is farming. I know herds and crops. “ I can relate to these words. We sometimes get the wrong idea of prophets both in Biblical times and in current culture. Prophets proclaim God’s truth. They call people to God, to repentance, to service, to righteousness. More than 400 times the phrase “thus says the Lord “ appears before Bible prophecy. There wasn't any tentativeness in the delivery of the message. The prophets didn’t collect opinions or clarification from anyone. They sought no one’s approval nor made a profit from the message they delivered. They also never planned to be a prophet of God. It wasn’t their desire. It was an appointment, and they responded with obedience.

An unfortunate exchange

In Amos chapter 7 we read of an exchange between God’s prophet Amos and Jeroboam’s paid and politically motivated priest, Amaziah, who wasn’t of the lineage of Aaron. King Jeroboam had just heard Amaziah’s message, “Amos has conspired against you.” But Amos wasn’t conspiring; he was simply delivering God’s message.

From a political perspective, King Jeroboam had Israel running smoothly. However, he wasn’t determined to follow only God. He took a middle-of-the-road approach, a little Baal worship, a little God worship. And in Amaziah he had a priest comfortable doing whatever the king wanted, however the king wanted it. So it’s understandable when Amos showed up and pronounced God’s judgment of Israel that Amaziah would circle the wagons with the king and tell Amos to go home and prophesy elsewhere.

Amaziah didn’t understand or seem to care that Amos had been pleading with God to hold back his judgment. God had relented more than once. God knew what we sometimes forget. People mostly make decisions based on what they want. Jeroboam was running Israel the way he wanted but at a price that would mean destruction for many.

God spoke to Amos earlier and had him hold up a plumb line to see if Israel was squared properly. We know it wasn’t. Politics and priests had allowed what should have never been allowed. Judgment was coming.

God’s truth or personal bias?

So we should probably all get a little nervous when someone who claims to speak for God mixes God’s truth with their political agenda. Don’t be deceived. It happens on the right as well as the left side of the aisle and with a wide variety of issues.

The prophet Joel correctly told us that God would pour out his Spirit on his people in the coming days. We know that has happened. The apostle Paul says as much and that we should never quench the Spirit. But the rest of Paul’s message in 1 Thessalonians is that we should test everything, holding on to what is good and letting go of what is evil.

The trick is to make sure we take the approach of Amos and not the one of Amaziah. We can’t say it’s from God based on preferences or biases. God alone decides what is true. As Christ-followers we mustn’t create the exceptions we want and proclaim them to be God’s Word on the matter. Culture changes. Jesus doesn’t. If you want to pick one, I’d go with Jesus.

Your time with God’s Word
‭‭Amos‬ ‭7:1-16; ‭‭1 Thessalonians‬ ‭5:19-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Photo by Jackson David on Unsplash

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