The God Who Speaks -- Aug. 2008

Dear God-seeker,

Lately, a couple of friends each left me with a principle of discernment that suggested some important questions that we might present to the Father. I thought you might find them helpful too.

First, there is a principle of faith. It suggests that when God speaks, it will usually be a call to faith--a call either to greater or deeper trust in some aspect of who God is (e.g. greater trust in his faithfulness or his care for us, etc.) OR a call to follow God outside the boundaries of my personal comfort zone. This is challenging since our natural tendency is self-protection ... but the voice of God calls us beyond ourselves so that He can offer us as gifts to this world. Will we follow?

Two questions follow this principle:

1. God, what is it about you that you want me to believe in a deeper way? And why?
2. God, is there some kingdom territory beyond my comfort zone where you want me to follow you? Another way to ask this could be, "If you could offer me as a gift to the world, what would that look like?"

Second, there is a principle of fellowship. 1 John draws a direct connection between truly walking in the light, fellowship with Christ AND walking in fellowship with each other. Check this out:

"3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ. 5 ...God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin."

I believe this goes further than simply saying, "No lone-ranger prophets." Sometimes sincere seekers expend a lot of time, energy, travel and money to pursue a prophetic message from the "big guns" regardless of any relationship with them. Perhaps we feel validated by those words we receive from famous or popular or powerful ministers. Question: How's that working for us?

What I am getting at is that EVEN IF the prophets we follow are genuine, credible, accurate and specific--I mean TRUE prophets--there is a real issue of fellowship when it comes to how much authority we give them in our lives. What we hear from them can be very encouraging and comforting and confirming. But it ought NOT be our daily bread. The biblical norm is that walking in the light of revelation happens in community fellowship.

By following this principle, we refrain from setting the Christian celebrities on pedestals that we will later kick out from under them in our frustration or disillusionment when things don't go our way.

This principle is especially true when it comes to words of correction, discipline and rebuke. I've learned the hard way that the words that come as a blow ought to come from a friend. If I know they love me and watch my back, then the sword of the Lord can penetrate my heart without abusing it.

This leads to our third question:

3. Lord, where and with whom is my fellowship solid enough that I can receive both words of direction and words of correction? I.e. Where would you have me walk in the light of fellowship?

Blessings all!

Brad