Apparent Myth #2

Okay, I've been putting this off for a long time because I fear that my writing abilities will fail me as I attempt to put this mental wispiness into words.

Please know that the following is not in any way meant to shame or chastise anyone. I only mean to exhort believers (myself included) to be wary.

Here goes...oh, man, I don't even know how to word it, um, okay...apparent myth #2: A genuine believer in Christ doesn't take God's Name in vain.

By "taking God's Name in vain", I don't mean shrieking, "Oh my God!" when you see your friend's brand new car. Rather, I mean attributing messages or causes to God that do not have their origin in Him.

Now, instead of launching into a lengthy diatribe, I shall tell a tale whence the appearance of this myth hath sprung.

Years ago, we knew a young woman who had just become a Christian. (I'll call her Chrissy.) A couple of months after she began to trust in Jesus, she told me that God had told her to stop going to the college she was then attending and to start attending a different college nearby.

Intrigued that this new believer felt she was so clearly discerning God's voice, I asked her how God had conveyed that message to her.

"He just told me," she said. "It was totally obvious."

To tell you the truth, I felt a bit jealous. I'd been a believer for years at that point and had continuously sought God's clear direction in multiple situations, and although I could regularly see His blessings in those situations, I didn't recall having experienced anything of which I could honestly say, "God told me."

Well, Chrissy enrolled at the new college and before her first semester was over, she announced that God had now told her to go to yet another college. You probably see what's coming so I'll just cut to the chase: over the next couple of years, Chrissy never finished a course of study at any college, she went on a mission from which she returned early and she held a number of jobs for just a couple of months each and all of this was supposedly due to God's direction. Each time that she would announce the new turn her focus was taking, she would hold the "God told me" banner up high for all to see.

I understand that God's ways are not man's ways and that we shouldn't put God in a box, yet if one was to watch Chrissy's life, one was likely to think one of two things: either Chrissy was wrong about God's directives OR God was one confused fellow.

I bring this up today because I see similar (though perhaps not as drastic) instances of this regularly. People at times give God credit for things that I'm not sure He wants credit for. People often say that God told them to do something that might have simply been one honorable option among many.

Yes, yes, yes, God can do whatever He wants, including telling His people various and multiple messages in regards to anything. I simply think we need to be very careful what we attribute to Him, not throwing His name around like a logo or a stamp of approval.

Even if a "false prophet" has the best of intentions, (s)he is still prophesying falsely. I won't bother speculating on the reasons why we take God's Name in vain in this manner, but the results can be that God looks bad to others and God can become highly displeased because of our own careless words. The Old Testament is full of God's declarations against those who said He had said things that He had never said.

Instead of saying, "God told me..." or "God wants me to...", why not say, "I think God may be directing me to..." or "It seems as if God wants me to...". That way, if I end up being obviously wrong, then I haven't besmirched God in the process.

Stress in Discernment:

Recently, a woman told me that God had told her to do something. I wasn't trying to challenge her, but my curiosity spurred me to ask her straight out, "How did He tell you?" If He truly had told her, then it seemed her answer would be a ready one which she would be excited to share with me.

She seemed a bit uncomfortable with my query, but responded that He told her by telling her. (Yeah, I didn't quite get it either.) I didn't want to upset her, so I didn't push the question and I simply listened as she went on to detail the rest of her situation.

A bit later on in the conversation, she exhorted me in my own life with, "Well, Aimee, if God tells you to do something then you need to do it!"

Uh...yeah, but the question becomes, how do I know if God is in fact telling me to do something?

I know that I am to care for orphans and widows. I know that I am to pay taxes. I know that I am not to steal. I know that I am not to gossip. These things are all made perfectly clear in Scripture.

However, much of my day to day life is made up of activities for which there are no clear directives in Scripture.

I used to stress about this, thinking (for example), "God needs to tell me if I should plan our trip to San Diego or to Morro Bay!" I'd seek direction in this and receive no obvious directives. Our lives would be altered in various ways through either trip, so why didn't God make it clear so we'd experience the alterations He wanted?

It greatly relieved my mind when I heard, "Love God with all your heart and do whatever you want." I love this little phrase that some may consider trite.

We can bring a lot of stress on ourselves trying to figure out what God's will is for whatever situation we are facing. When we do this, our focus turns inward: What am I doing wrong that's keeping me from hearing God's voice? Am I in some sin that is stopping my ears? I must be doing something wrong because I'm not getting any clear answers.

God is to be our focus, not ourselves nor even our own ability to figure things out.

Yes, I pray for guidance in whatever I seek to do, but if the way is not made clear (which it very often is not) then I can do whatever honorable option seems the wisest and best and not worry about it! God promises to liberally give us wisdom when we ask for it (James 1:5). What is wisdom? Webster's says, "insight, good sense, judgment". Wisdom is His promise to us, not a big, blinking, florescent, arrow-shaped sign that will obviously point out the "right" option. (Remember: Love God and do what you want!)

I could ramble on a bit more (and after I post this, I'll probably want to rewrite the whole thing), but God's telling me that it's time to stop. (Just kidding.)

I'd really love to hear whatever any of you have to say about this, even if you think I've got it wrong--just please use Scripture to prove your points if you're adamant about them. I know that some of you have had to make some much bigger decisions than I ever have and therefore have more experience in discerning God's will. Just remember, though, that I didn't say He doesn't tell us things, I simply said we need to be very careful about proclaiming that He has done so out of respect for Him.