Comments on: I May As Well Be Dead

By: The 380 and The 120 | LifeVesting

The 380 and The 120 | LifeVesting — Sun, 04 Apr 2010 07:34:51 +0000

[...] 120 talk to a living Christ. And they hear the Holy Spirit speaking back. It’s an ongoing dialogue. The 380 believe in a living Christ, but still relate to Him as if [...]

By: The Lion Dream | LifeVesting

The Lion Dream | LifeVesting — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:31:05 +0000

[...] believe very much that the Lord still speaks through dreams and visions today, and there are some people who have this type of experience all [...]

By: Andy Wood

Andy Wood — Mon, 05 May 2008 03:28:28 +0000

@Ivy – I really appreciated what you said about confirming things through his people. I’m a big believer that God speaks through the Body of Christ to individuals (Scripture bears that out as well, primarily in 1 Corinthians 12, 14). Often people see things in us, as they’re guided by the Holy Spirit, that we often don’t see in ourselves. Thanks, Ivy!

@Tree Newt – Amen, T-N! I think you and I have been in some similar places. We should compare notes. Check out Monday’s post for a follow-up on your reference to God’s Word being the ultimate authority to test what we’re hearing.

By: Tree Newt

Tree Newt — Mon, 05 May 2008 01:48:48 +0000

I’ve been in churches that were all “spirit” (lowercase-intentional) and I’ve been in ones that are “spirit-less.” I’ve seen guys tell girls that God told them that they should get married, and I’ve seen them bewildered at the response “well, He didn’t tell me!” I’ve seen people squelch an obvious move of the Spirit (uppercase intentional) because they’re afraid of the outcome. In both cases, the common thread is either ignorance of or misunderstanding of God’s Word.

I believe the Word of God is inspired, that it is “God-breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16), and that anything we “feel” God telling us to do MUST line up with what we find in the Bible. If God tells you to leave your wife, kid, and job to go to the mission field, I don’t think that jives with “love your wife like Christ loves the church, and gave Himself up for her.”

But God speaks to all His children today. We just have to listen. His Spirit dwells in us, as believers, and if the Spirit of the Living God can’t guide us and direct us, what kind of God are we listening to, anyway?

By: Ivy

Ivy — Fri, 02 May 2008 12:40:20 +0000

Great, thought provoking post, Andy. Yes, God does speak, but as you suggested, we must be cautious. There are nut jobs out there who do all kinds of weird things saying, “God told me.” And like Belinda, there are those that just don’t listen to when he does speak. Primarily, I find him speaking through the the scripture as I read it meditatively and pray. He will confirm things through his people as well.

For example, last night at our Christian Education meeting, one of the women announced she was entering into a time of discernment about ministry. She has visited one of the seminaries and is just waiting on the right time. All of us could affirm her sense of call. God has spoken to her and to everyone else. It’s obvious.

Take care Andy and thanks for addressing this. Peace.

By: Andy Wood

Andy Wood — Thu, 01 May 2008 23:20:21 +0000

@Mom and @Fran – Thanks for the insights and ideas. The Lord certainly does meet us where we are, which is actually what I think about “Wally” and “Cal.” God is communicating, even when Cal may call it something different, like insights, leadership, or wisdom.

And boy, do people get hung up on that audible thing! “Well did you hear an AUDIBLE VOICE?” Nah. But just as the five closest women in my life can say VOLUMES with an inaudible voice, I’m sure God can and does, too.

By: Fran

Fran — Thu, 01 May 2008 19:53:19 +0000

I absolutely believe that God speaks to us–through His Word, through gentle nudgings of our conscience (or sometimes NOT so gentle), through truths spoken by other Christians, and through a miraculous sense of actually hearing His (inaudible) voice. In my own experience, God has used all of these to get my attention–and I’m open to any way that He can and will communicate with me. All of us who are parents understand the personality differences in our children–well, I’m one of God’s children that likes to talk and listen to the response. I thank God for his approaches to all of us–sent to us in uniqueness and received by us as uniquely God’s.

By: JoAnne Wood

JoAnne Wood — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:48:41 +0000

I look forward to your comments on this. I personally believe that the Bible speaks to us and also the HOLY SPIRIT. iT’S certainly been true for me. Sometimes, I have to hear the message many times before It sinks in that it’s from the HOLY SPIRIT and not from somewhere else.

By: Andy Wood

Andy Wood — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:05:53 +0000

Wow! I’ve heard of “bibliolatry,” but that new kind of Trinity idea is strong! And I’ve seen it, too. Sort of goes along with the idea of, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who WAS, and WAS, and is to come.” We often miss God, I believe, because we have a past faith or a future faith, but not a today faith.

I also have to say how refreshing it is to hear somebody say, “I have never experienced this myself, but I believe it can and does happen.” So much of our interpretations of Scripture and beliefs in Christendom grow out of what we have or haven’t expereinced. Thank you for sharing your ideas.

By: carissa

carissa — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 07:15:20 +0000

this really puzzles me sometimes (if and when i think about it). i came from a church that basically taught that God ONLY speaks through Scripture nowadays – no voices, no dreams, no hunches or feelings, just the Bible. maybe not in so many words, but that was the idea. then i met a lot of Christians who do get “feelings” about things, or “hear” (not literally, usually) the Holy Spirit’s prompting in a specific situation (things like “leave your homework for a while and come spend time in prayer”), and even a few who receive a “word from the Lord” to exhort others with once in a while.

i don’t necessarily feel that Scripture alone is how God speaks truth to us. i certainly think it’s crucial to knowing God and his will. but sometimes it feels that it creates a new kind of Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Bible – that replaces the Spirit’s leading. i do believe that prophecy and dreams and visions CAN and DO exist today sometimes. still, i’ve never experienced any of these things myself, and Scripture has worked quite well for me without them.

hm.