The other day I came across an article about an MLB player who was divorcing his wife. Not a shocking story nowadays, I know, but as I read on it got really ugly, really quick. You see, they had been married 22 years, had 5 children together, and she was recovering from brain surgery when he made this painful decision. As I continued to read the article, it went from ugly to hideous, as this man claimed to be a “devout Christian” who sought “God’s guidance in prayer” regarding the divorce. Hmmmm… So, we are to infer that the God of love, who created marriage to be a visual aid of Jesus Christ and His body, gave this man approval to leave his wife of 22 years, who was recovering from brain surgery, and their 5 children. Are we ever to believe that God’s guidance could be the exact opposite of what is clearly stated in His Word?

Malachi 2:16 “‘For I hate divorce,’ says the Lord…”

Mark 10:2-12 “And some Pharisees came up to Jesus, testing Him, and began questioning Him whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife.  And He answered and said to them, ‘What did Moses command you?’ They said, ‘Moses permitted a man to write a certificate of divorce and send his wife away.’ But Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your hardness of heart he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God created them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother, and the two shall become one flesh; so they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, no person is to separate.’ And in the house the disciples again began questioning Him about this. And He said to them ‘Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman commits adultery against her;  and if she herself divorces her husband and marries another man, she is committing adultery.’”

Is this blog about divorce or judging this man or negating the importance of prayer? As the Apostle Paul would say, MAY IT NEVER BE! We are all sinners (Romans 3:10-18), all stand or fall before the Lord, the Righteous Judge (Romans 14:4), and are all commanded to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The point of this blog is that the ONLY way for us to know who exactly is “talking” to us is by committing to know the Lord and His Word. If we receive an answer to our prayer, should we not be ensuring that this answer is truly from God? Or is it that we are rather content to hear what we want? Do we, sinful people that we are, prefer to get our own way and do what we want vs living according to God’s Word? I believe the answer is obvious and if we are honest with ourselves, we will all admit to being guilty of this rebellion against the Lord.

I have heard people say that God told them it was ok for them to live in a particular sin. They explain it away with remarks such as, “God understands me” or “It is not that bad… He is ok with it”. What I hear when they say such things is that God plays favorites, makes exceptions, and is partial. Again, this is the exact opposite of clearly stated Scripture.

Romans 2:11 “For there is no partiality with God.”

What I also hear is that these folks may not be reading their Bibles. I mean truly studying God’s Word, not just reading a daily devotional, the New Testament only, or sticking to Psalms and Proverbs. I mean faithfully reading the Bible, every day, year after year, cover to cover, over and over, seeking Truth with no personal agenda. The Bible is not a work of fiction open to our own personal interpretation, it is the actual thoughts of the Creator. In fact, the Bible says the Word IS God and is alive.

John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 

Hebrews 4:12-13 “For the word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 1And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him to whom we must answer.”

So, if we pray to the Lord for guidance and what we “hear” is diametrically opposed to God’s Word- what are we to conclude? Does God contradict Himself? Of course not.

Numbers 23:19 "God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?"

Last month’s blog titled, “Behind The Scenes”, discussed our enemies- Satan and the fallen angels, the world system, and our flesh. The Lord is not the only one “talking” to us. Our minds are polluted by our very own sin nature, the world is polluted by sin and under the control of Satan. All of these can and will be used to influence our thoughts.

Ephesians 6:16 “In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one;”

The Lord is Truth (John 14:6). If we love the Lord, we will obey His commands (John 14:15). The only way to know the Truth, know the Lord, know what He commands, and know exactly who it is giving us guidance is to devote our lives to our relationship with Him and His Word

Matthew 4:4 “But he answered, ‘It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”’”

So, the next time we hear “God” telling us that it is OK to do whatever we are currently trying to get away with, may we stop and ensure that it is His voice we are hearing. May we “test the spirits” by consulting the Word.

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”