The Lord told me (part 1)...

When we hear someone say that God is speaking to them we usually place them into one of two categories: 1) He is a deranged but charismatic cult leader, probably just about to order his followers to commit mass suicide or, 2) He is a solid Christian getting direction to specific issues in his life. That's a pretty wide range between # 1 and 2 isn't it? I'll postpone any comments on #1 for another time and will just focus in on #2. How do you make important decisions in your life, whether it be the choice of a career, a school to attend, or a potential spouse? Do you pray and intently wait on some supernatural guidance from God? Do any of these phrases sound familiar?: "God told me to...," "I have a peace about...," "The Lord opened a door for me...," "The Lord closed a door for me...," "I feel led by the Spirit to...," or "I received confirmation on..." Is any of that Biblical? I just purchased a study by Greg Koukl, from Stand to Reason, titled Decision Making and the Will of God. As I go through it I will be posting some highlights or salient points about his treatment of the subject. Suffice it to say here at the start that his argument is that, as a mode of normative behavior, the Bible does not teach that we are to receive special guidance from God on issues that pertain to our day to day lives here on Earth. If that doesn't sit well with you then all I ask is that you be patient and allow me to post further points on this topic. end of part 1, go to part 2