...But A Preacher Told Me To Do It!

^{Imagine with me:}

^{God tells you, either audibly or by a strong undeniable leading, to tell someone in authority that they need to repent before God or they will be severely punished.  Would you consider it?  Well let's say you did.  You decide to confront the person but before you do, God speaks to you again and tells you to make sure you do not eat or drink and when you return home go a different way from which you came.  Would you agree?  Well let's say you did.  You confront the person and convince them of your reliability.  The person in authority, in utter shock, invites you out to eat, but of course because you remember what God said, you deny the invitation.  Hungrier than you've ever been, you start your journey home, just as God says, in another direction.  On your way home, a stranger stops you and tells you to join him at his house for a meal.  You immediately deny the invitation, remembering what God said, but you are pleasantly surprised to learn that this man is also a prophet and was told by an angel to invite you to his house for a delicious meal!  Would you go with him?} 

^{"God told me to tell you...", "The spirit of the Lord wants you to know...", "I can hear the Lord saying..." are all phrases that have been said to me.  Often by men and women of God who complete the phrase with a prophetic word.  By no means should these words be taken lightly, for they can truly lead to death or life, physically and/or spiritually.  But because of their lethality, these words should always be tested by what God has ALREADY said.  I remember the day someone told me to marry a former boyfriend because they had a dream I would get pregnant out of wedlock.  After the initial shock of what the person said, I knew this was not a word from God to get married, but a word from God to remain pure before Him.  At that point in my life, God had not spoken to me concerning marriage.  He had not given me peace about the future of the relationship I was in, so to take that word as the voice of God leading me would have been detrimental to my life.  However, God had been speaking to me about purity.  He had been convicting me about maintaining my chastity, and therefore that prophecy, as well-intended as it was, was not for me to obey.}

^{Yes! God speaks through prophecy.  But he also speaks through the Word.  He speaks through life circumstances.  He speaks through peace.  He speaks through Godly counsel.  He speaks through the Holy Spirit.  He speaks through confirmation and through any vessel He chooses (click here to check out the book "Seven Keys to Hearing God's Voice" by Craig Von Buseck).  So if you're wondering if what you've heard is from God, take what you've heard through the filters stated above and if they don't pan out, you've got your answer.  God may not use all the keys every time He speaks, but one should never be in conflict with the others.  When and if this happens stand still!  God grants each of us a relationship with Him and holds us accountable to know Him for ourselves.  Although He ordains spiritual and religious leaders, they are never to take the place of our personal relationship with the Lord.  God speaks.  Not just to a few, but to all who have an ear to hear.}

^{So the situation outlined in the first paragraph is actually one that is found in I Kings 13.  Unfortunately, the man of God who confronted King Jeroboam obliged the lying prophet, followed him to his house and ate a meal.  He paid a lofty price for disobedience, and God even allowed the lying prophet to scold him.  Read the story and let me know your thoughts.  Sometimes God's ways seem harsh, but He's always just and always equips us with everything we need to succeed.  Follow God not man.} 

^{"An ignorance of an hour in your life will cause a divine purpose to be delayed or even aborted." - Dr. John Tetsola}

^#walkthetalk

^-Sarah