What God Would Say
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I am convinced there is a critical spirit working on our culture. Not only is it clear there are deceptive and discouraging voices misleading many today, it is increasingly evident that fault-finding (judgmentalism) is a spirit that hovers and hangs in dark corners, like a tiger ready to pounce. And it can be found everywhere, even among believers.
The flesh untrained by the Spirit of God is so weak. If we react to what we hear, see, feel and touch, then it is likely we will be swept up in the torrent of discouragement, criticism, and misguidance that has overcome so many and that prevents people from hearing the Voice of Truth.
But for those who submit themselves to the training found in hearing the words of Scripture, as well as “words taught by the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 2:13), we will rise above disparaging voices that threaten to overwhelm all that is Good and Holy.
There is a story in 2 Chronicles 18 that illustrates this.
Jehoshaphat, originally a godly king in Judah, became temporarily lax in his spiritual fervor. When he had grown comfortable in the wealth and security the Lord granted Judah, Jehoshaphat compromised by forming an alliance with Ahab, the wicked, godless king of Israel. He even agreed to go to war with Ahab. But Jehoshaphat retained some of his former discernment by insisting on inquiring of the Lord before they went into battle.
Although King Ahab acquiesced to this plan, he only wanted to gather around him prophets that told him what he wanted to hear. For his own itching ears, Ahab surrounded himself with 400 prophets who had no motivation to seek a word from the Lord. Jehoshaphat, however, recognized that none of the prophets the king had called were speaking the truth. So, to Ahab’s annoyance, Jehoshaphat insisted on finding a prophet who would speak what the Lord had given him to say.
There was one prophet left whom Ahab had not yet called. His name was Micaiah, and when summoned, he assured the one sent to him, “As surely as the LORD lives, I can tell him [the king] only what my God says.” (v. 13) Micaiah bravely refused to bow to the pressures of 400 prophets and a wicked king who held the majority voice in Israel, even if what he had to say was bad news.
In contrast to the voices within our own culture, the story of Jehoshaphat, Ahab and the prophets who disagreed about what the Lord was saying included a message of destruction. Gratefully, Jehoshaphat called out to the Lord after this incident and repented of idle compromise. (See 2 Chronicles 18:31; 19:3-4)
The predominant voices we hear today bear messages of discouragement. To be honest, whether it is discussion about politics, climate change, or the state of the Church in the West, there are areas of negativity we could choose to focus on. But I have to ask, IS THAT WHAT GOD IS SAYING?
As ambassadors for reconciliation, as ministers of the Good News of Jesus Christ, are believers in Jesus speaking only what the Lord has told us to say?
God’s last word in any situation is always Restoration. The Gospel is still Good News no matter who dares to brings it.
This challenges me: Will I speak only what the Lord is saying to me and to the Church? I have been convicted through Micaiah’s example of steadfast commitment to see and speak what is going on in the heavenlies, to rely on God’s Truth for my own encouragement and that of others.
Will I do this in public AND in private? Will I determine each morning to open my ears to what the Lord our God is saying? Or will I close my ears to what He is saying because I’d rather not hear? The prophet Isaiah declared, “The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed.” Isaiah 50:4, NIV
The apostle Paul admonished believers to have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. (Phil. 2:5) Because out of the thoughts of the heart the mouth speaks…
Will we join the cacophony of disparaging, deceiving voices in the world? Or will we say, like Micaiah, “I can tell [them] only what my God says”? May God have mercy on us and help us to hear the Voice of Truth.
God Most High, we repent of listening to the critical spirits of our day. We choose to open our ears and to hear what You are saying to the Church today. Please awaken us to what You want us to say or not say, and please fill our mouths with messages from You. We call on You, O God of Restoration, and we surrender to Your ways!