Some Christians talk about getting personal direction from God. For example, they might say "I believe God wanted me to move to Wyoming" or to get a job at a certain place or marry a certain person, etc. Other Christians may tell of promptings, impressions, hearing God's voice or sensing a call, for example a call to preach or sensing the Spirit wants them to share the Gospel with certain individuals.
I think there are extremes on both sides of this issue. One extreme, among Protestants at least, is the idea that God only communicates through the Bible. Some allow for the fact that God reveals himself through nature. But as far as personal direction from God goes, they reject the idea.
Another extreme is where people feel bound and not free to make decisions unless they have heard some kind of word from God, got some sort of impression, dream, etc.
I would also throw in as an extreme, people claiming to get direction through 'signs' that don't exactly line up with what we see in the Bible, like trying to discern God's will by who wins a football game, or hoping to see God write an answer to their question in words made out of clouds in the sky. A word more literally translated 'cloud reading' is translated 'omens' in the passage about practitioners of forbidden arts Israelites were not allowed to go to.
In the Old Testament, israelites were specifically allowed to consult prophets to inquire about the will of God. Deuteronomy 18, which forbids going to soothsayers, diviners, mediums, etc. allows going to the prophet. Most of the prophecies we see in the Old Testament deal with national level events, events important for redemptive history and the like. But Saul's servant knew he could go to a prophet to ask where lost donkeys were. Saul later became king, but he didn't know he would at the time. Apparently, regular people could go to prophets about their concerns, which to us looking back now, might seem petty. Ahaziah was wrong to consult Beelzebub as to whether he would survive instead of consulting the God of Israel. He could have sent messengers to Elijah.
Apparently, there was also a way to inquire of God through the Urim and Thummim stones in the priest's breastplate, or at least through Thummim. It might have been considered legitimate to cast lots also. If not, Joshua still did it, and so did the apostles.
The Book of Job, possibly written about a conversation between God-fearing Gentiles in Old Testament times tells of how God speaks through dreams:
Job 33
“Look, in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.
13 Why do you contend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
14 For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.
(NKJV)
God speaking through dreams is a Biblical concept.
The angel of the Lord directed Philip, an evangelist, not one of the apostles, to go toward the way that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. Then the Spirit directed Philip to go near the chariot. This led to Philip sharing the Gospel with an Ethiopian and baptizing him. We also see in Acts 10 that Peter had a vision preparing him for what would happen at Cornelius' house. After an experience with an angel, Cornelius sent for Peter as an angel had instructed. The Spirit directed Peter to go with those Cornelius had sent.
So we see in the Bible people receiving direction through angels and the Spirit that led to winning souls to Christ.
One might say that these were important events in history. That is true, but from reading scripture, we see that seeking individual information or guidance from God is okay. It's not forbidden. All things are possible to Him that believes, and if we pray, we should pray in faith. It is not forbidden to seek personal guidance on who to marry, or where to move. And if we ask for guidance, we should pray in faith.
On the other hand, I heard one woman who had heard many testimonies of people getting individual guidance about who to marry make the assertion that if God doesn't tell you who to marry, you might marry the wrong person and have to get a divorce and find the right one. She put getting individual guidance above actual teaching of scripture. Paul wrote, "If you marry, you have not sinned." He didn't say you had to get a vision, dream, impression, etc. first.
I believe it is good to seek direction on major decisions like who to marry. So many people divorce these days, this is a decision where we should take the utmost care. It is good to pray about serious decisions. This passage seems especially important:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
If we acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, then we may find ourselves praying about decisions we make, especially major decisions. If we do as these verses describe, then we can expect that the Lord will direct our paths. There are different ways God directs are paths. It could be through the Spirit speaking to us. But it can also be through God giving us wisdom to make the right decision. God can direct through mundane means. If we read the book of Ruth, we can see God working through a seemingly mundane series of events. So whether God directs through speaking or communicating to us somehow, or through answering our prayers for wisdom to make decisions and directing events behind the scene, we can trust Him. God can even work in and through poor decisions people make.
Not making a decision is a decision. Sometimes, as responsible people whom the Lord has created, we do need to make decisions in our lives. We can study the Bible. if the decision is whether or not to leave someone you married (genuinely, and Biblically) and to marry someone else, the Bible settles that. Some decisions are really the responsibility of someone else, which could be your parents or husband/ A lot of other decisions are not clearly laid out in the Bible. For those, we can pray, trusting in the Lord and acknowledging him in all our ways, pay attention if the Lord speaks through the Spirit speaking directly to us, through prophecy. We can pay attention to see if God's grace is acting through giving other people wise council. If the Lord gives some specific direction, we can follow that. If not, then we can pray for wisdom and then make a decision in full faith.
I think there are extremes on both sides of this issue. One extreme, among Protestants at least, is the idea that God only communicates through the Bible. Some allow for the fact that God reveals himself through nature. But as far as personal direction from God goes, they reject the idea.
Another extreme is where people feel bound and not free to make decisions unless they have heard some kind of word from God, got some sort of impression, dream, etc.
I would also throw in as an extreme, people claiming to get direction through 'signs' that don't exactly line up with what we see in the Bible, like trying to discern God's will by who wins a football game, or hoping to see God write an answer to their question in words made out of clouds in the sky. A word more literally translated 'cloud reading' is translated 'omens' in the passage about practitioners of forbidden arts Israelites were not allowed to go to.
In the Old Testament, israelites were specifically allowed to consult prophets to inquire about the will of God. Deuteronomy 18, which forbids going to soothsayers, diviners, mediums, etc. allows going to the prophet. Most of the prophecies we see in the Old Testament deal with national level events, events important for redemptive history and the like. But Saul's servant knew he could go to a prophet to ask where lost donkeys were. Saul later became king, but he didn't know he would at the time. Apparently, regular people could go to prophets about their concerns, which to us looking back now, might seem petty. Ahaziah was wrong to consult Beelzebub as to whether he would survive instead of consulting the God of Israel. He could have sent messengers to Elijah.
Apparently, there was also a way to inquire of God through the Urim and Thummim stones in the priest's breastplate, or at least through Thummim. It might have been considered legitimate to cast lots also. If not, Joshua still did it, and so did the apostles.
The Book of Job, possibly written about a conversation between God-fearing Gentiles in Old Testament times tells of how God speaks through dreams:
Job 33
“Look, in this you are not righteous.
I will answer you,
For God is greater than man.
13 Why do you contend with Him?
For He does not give an accounting of any of His words.
14 For God may speak in one way, or in another,
Yet man does not perceive it.
15 In a dream, in a vision of the night,
When deep sleep falls upon men,
While slumbering on their beds,
16 Then He opens the ears of men,
And seals their instruction.
17 In order to turn man from his deed,
And conceal pride from man,
18 He keeps back his soul from the Pit,
And his life from perishing by the sword.
(NKJV)
God speaking through dreams is a Biblical concept.
The angel of the Lord directed Philip, an evangelist, not one of the apostles, to go toward the way that leads from Jerusalem to Gaza. Then the Spirit directed Philip to go near the chariot. This led to Philip sharing the Gospel with an Ethiopian and baptizing him. We also see in Acts 10 that Peter had a vision preparing him for what would happen at Cornelius' house. After an experience with an angel, Cornelius sent for Peter as an angel had instructed. The Spirit directed Peter to go with those Cornelius had sent.
So we see in the Bible people receiving direction through angels and the Spirit that led to winning souls to Christ.
One might say that these were important events in history. That is true, but from reading scripture, we see that seeking individual information or guidance from God is okay. It's not forbidden. All things are possible to Him that believes, and if we pray, we should pray in faith. It is not forbidden to seek personal guidance on who to marry, or where to move. And if we ask for guidance, we should pray in faith.
On the other hand, I heard one woman who had heard many testimonies of people getting individual guidance about who to marry make the assertion that if God doesn't tell you who to marry, you might marry the wrong person and have to get a divorce and find the right one. She put getting individual guidance above actual teaching of scripture. Paul wrote, "If you marry, you have not sinned." He didn't say you had to get a vision, dream, impression, etc. first.
I believe it is good to seek direction on major decisions like who to marry. So many people divorce these days, this is a decision where we should take the utmost care. It is good to pray about serious decisions. This passage seems especially important:
Proverbs 3:5-6
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart,
And lean not on your own understanding;
6 In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He shall direct your paths.
If we acknowledge the Lord in all our ways, then we may find ourselves praying about decisions we make, especially major decisions. If we do as these verses describe, then we can expect that the Lord will direct our paths. There are different ways God directs are paths. It could be through the Spirit speaking to us. But it can also be through God giving us wisdom to make the right decision. God can direct through mundane means. If we read the book of Ruth, we can see God working through a seemingly mundane series of events. So whether God directs through speaking or communicating to us somehow, or through answering our prayers for wisdom to make decisions and directing events behind the scene, we can trust Him. God can even work in and through poor decisions people make.
Not making a decision is a decision. Sometimes, as responsible people whom the Lord has created, we do need to make decisions in our lives. We can study the Bible. if the decision is whether or not to leave someone you married (genuinely, and Biblically) and to marry someone else, the Bible settles that. Some decisions are really the responsibility of someone else, which could be your parents or husband/ A lot of other decisions are not clearly laid out in the Bible. For those, we can pray, trusting in the Lord and acknowledging him in all our ways, pay attention if the Lord speaks through the Spirit speaking directly to us, through prophecy. We can pay attention to see if God's grace is acting through giving other people wise council. If the Lord gives some specific direction, we can follow that. If not, then we can pray for wisdom and then make a decision in full faith.
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