Recently, I was having a conversation with my younger daughter where she argued about her friend’s age. Querying how she got to know, I asked her, “Did your friend tell you?” Her response was, “No. But God told me.” I asked her, “Are you really sure that God told you?” She smiled. Obviously, she had dragged God into such petty issues. Well, I lectured her on this “God told me” stuff.
Friend, stop dragging God into petty issues of life (Exodus 20:7). If you want God to trust you with eternal issues, be careful how you flagrantly use the statement, “God told me.” As much as it is expected that you hear God on matters of life and destiny, you must realise that God is omniscient, but He is not “omnispeaking”.
God knows everything, but He does not say everything He knows (Deuteronomy 29:29). God does not often intermeddle with petty issues. Stop bamboozling people with “God told me I should wear these clothes. God told me I should eat this food. God told me I should have sex with my wife. God told me to go to the toilet, etc.”
There are things that God would not say even though He has an opinion about them. God knows who would win the Champions League, but He won’t tell anyone. In a democracy, for instance, the outcome of an election is largely dependent on people, not God. God does not usually override the will of man (Deuteronomy 30:19, Philippians 2:12-13).
Wise and mature people have learnt to carefully use “God told me” when presenting their opinion, especially in public. God is not likely to tell anyone who the next president of a democratic nation would be. I am usually very careful about people who always have a word for everything. Most times, such people are either confused or manipulative.
One way to position yourself for wisdom is to not speak absolutely about something you do not have clarity about (Ecclesiastes 10:10, 15). For example, if you are going for counselling, stop saying, “God told me” on a matter you still need clarity on. It would help the counsellor to be free to counsel you. Like I normally tell people, “If you know that God has spoken to you, then what else do you want me to say?”
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria