tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13493923.post114847755292237764..comments2023-11-02T11:03:48.044-04:00Comments on HandMeDowns: I Guess That's That!Jeff A. Spryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12520991166166572854noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13493923.post-1148532374191621972006-05-25T00:46:00.000-04:002006-05-25T00:46:00.000-04:00I sometimes hear people use terms like "recieved a...I sometimes hear people use terms like "recieved a word of knowledge" or "recieved a prophesy" without a reference to scripture. This disturbs me.<BR/><BR/>I once fancied that God could reveal future events or precise direction in decision-making to me. I sought it, but God didn't give it. It's not that He can't, but that He hasn't. The truth is that He gives us what we need to accomplish His purposes, not our own.<BR/><BR/>However, I have also heard testimony to God's directly speaking to people with compelling results.<BR/><BR/>One example is from Western Avenue. Richard Current spoke of God revealing the identity of a person to Him while he was speaking in a church in Cuba. He recieved information about this person that he would not have known otherwise. The result was that he was able to minister to this person in a real way.<BR/><BR/>Another example is Ron Peters, a Christian from Weddington, NC, who was agonizing over a medical situation his son was undergoing. While mowing the grass, he was praying and asked God if his son would survive. He testified that an audible voice said, "yes". His fear immediately abated and he was able to minister to his family effectively as a result.<BR/><BR/>Yet another example is Pastor Craig Bollinger of Christ the King Lutheran Church in Charlotte. On a misson trip to an orphanage in Guatemala, He testifies that God drew his attention to a girl in the back of the room and audibly spoke to him, "Take your daughter home." God then proceded to open up doors through the red tape and logistical hurdles to allow him to adopt her and bring her home with him in the week-and-a-half he was in Guatemala. What a surprise to his wife - who wasn't with him on the trip. Nevertheless God had already worked in her heart to prepare her for another daughter.<BR/><BR/>I have a sense of distinguishing the difference between authentic aural theophanies or direct knowledge from God and claims of such based on emotion or desire. However, I haven't had much call to clarify my thinking on it. For myself, if it's not obvious then it's not of God and I must test every tempting thought against the solid hermeneutical evaluation of scripture.Jim Pembertonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01446388434272680014noreply@blogger.com