What's God and what's not

[Nessa]

'God told me....'
'I just feel its true in my Spirit..'
'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...'
'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'
'Oh well it says right here in this passage........'

How do you determine what is God and what is not as the bible itself can be twisted to suit ones purposes.

[RickD]

'God told me....'
'I just feel its true in my Spirit..'
'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...'
'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'
'Oh well it says right here in this passage........'

How do you determine what is God and what is not as the bible itself can be twisted to suit ones purposes.

Are you asking how to tell if it's God speaking to us?

[Nessa]

'God told me....'
'I just feel its true in my Spirit..'
'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...'
'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'
'Oh well it says right here in this passage........'

How do you determine what is God and what is not as the bible itself can be twisted to suit ones purposes.

Are you asking how to tell if it's God speaking to us?

Partly.

I am looking at how we can tell God's thoughts and will.

Alot of people speak on God's behalf who claim to know what God is like or what he wants for us. They may even use the bible to back up what they are saying yet can still be wrong.

So I am thinking what gives one person authority over another person to say what is God and what is not?

[Philip]

Part of the answer is that when people say God told them to do this or that. If it directly contradicts Scripture or involves pursuit of, or results in, sin - then we know God did not so instruct.

A few years ago, I came across two sermons that addressed the issue of knowing God's will. They were so good, that I made transcripts. But as for clearly having a sense that God was clearly saying, in a given moment, "Do this or that" - both of these pastors (who I greatly respect), said that such certainty is very, VERY rare. And these are guys who have seen it all, experienced so many situations with church members, etc. Much more, both said, finding God's will is principle-based - that is, we are given free will to prayerfully seek answers, but also to use our God-given brains to make good decisions based upon God's principles laid out in Scripture. For us, there need be no ONE answer or action - when we make decisions within God's instructed parameters, HE can then guide our path. But people act as if there is only one perfect answer that our success depends upon, that WE must make the right decision. But God can honor anything within His will and stated principles.

[patrick]

Part of the answer is that when people say God told them to do this or that. If it directly contradicts Scripture or involves pursuit of, or results in, sin - then we know God did not so instruct.

A few years ago, I came across two sermons that addressed the issue of knowing God's will. They were so good, that I made transcripts.

You wouldn't happen to have those digitized already, would you? I'd be pretty interested in reading those if it's not too much trouble.

[B. W.]

'God told me....'
'I just feel its true in my Spirit..'
'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...'
'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'
'Oh well it says right here in this passage........'

How do you determine what is God and what is not as the bible itself can be twisted to suit ones purposes.

Notice:

'I just feel its true in my Spirit...' is a statement of pride to justify self

'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...' is a statement of pride and manipulation to justify greed

'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'... is a statement of pride

'Oh well it says right here in this passage' ....can either be a simple statement of scripture facts like this:

"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." John 16:33 NASB

Or a statement of pride to justify, say, getting away with something...
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[Kurieuo]

'God told me....'
'I just feel its true in my Spirit..'
'Well, God gives people their hearts desires so it must be Him...'
'God wouldn't want me to be sad and his thing or person makes me happy'
'Oh well it says right here in this passage........'

How do you determine what is God and what is not as the bible itself can be twisted to suit ones purposes.

99% of the time it's not God, these spiritual-like statements are all self-derived.

Some people can be quite intuitive though. They can recognise things about others. They "feel" things internally, and then give justification to their thoughts through a "God is telling me..." They might even get off on it, looking more spiritual than someone else.

Anyway, I won't say much more, to avoid too much bagging out on such. Lets just say, if someone came up to me with such nonsense, my impression now today would be "red alert", "danger", "unsafe person", get away from me.

[Nessa]

If we take away the 'super spiritual' talk tho, people can fight over the meaning of scripture. So who has the authority?

For example the, black woman thread..Very different points of view. Can one person say they are objectively right?

[Kurieuo]

No one has authority, rather the better question is who has more warrant and justification for their interpretation or position. It's not a case, that just because someone has an opinion, that they should be listened to equally.

Re: The Shack, some just don't like Theological Narrative which is often fictional, especially when it strays too far from what a more rational systematic theology. Many concerns out there I expect are justified to some degree, yet the fact is that it's not intended to be broken apart in systematic fashion. So then, we can give some leeway in some respects to the artistic license that makes it more narrative, and accept it within its particular genre, but then we should also understand good Christian theology.

[B. W.]

The Shack...

Jesus prayed, Father Hallowed be thy name...

He did not pray: Mother, Hallowed be thy name....

Now in Revelation there is mention of a woman who led the world astray in religions... etc...

So people can decide on their own about the shack.

We do not new age mixed in Christianity,
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[Nessa]

Indeed.

Christianity is like a stiff drink, not to be mixed with other things as a lethal cocktail of God knows what.

[Philip]

Patrick: You wouldn't happen to have those digitized already, would you? I'd be pretty interested in reading those if it's not too much trouble.

Patrick, I sent the transcripts to you in a private mail.

Philip