When “God Told Me“ Must Be Tested
đź“– “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth…“
—John 16:13a (NKJV)
There can be something deeply persuasive about hearing another Christian say, “God told me.” The words carry weight because none of us wants to resist something God has truly said. Yet precisely because His name carries such authority, Scripture teaches us not to accept every spiritual claim merely because someone attaches God’s name to it.
Jesus called the Holy Spirit “the Spirit of truth.“
In John 16, Jesus was speaking directly to His apostles on the night before the cross. He had already told them, “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now” (John 16:12, NKJV). The Holy Spirit would guide these chosen witnesses into the truth necessary for their apostolic ministry and testimony concerning Christ.
We are beneficiaries of that promise because their Spirit-inspired testimony has been preserved for us in Scripture.
We therefore possess an objective standard by which spiritual claims can be tested.
God’s Word.
This protects us from something that can become spiritually dangerous: allowing another person’s claimed experience with God to exercise authority over our conscience.
Someone may say, “God told me you should do this.”
“God showed me that you are supposed to marry this person.”
“The Lord told me you need to leave that job.”
“God told me what His plan is for your life.”
Such statements may be sincere. The person speaking may genuinely believe what she is saying.
Sincerity, however, does not make a claim of revelation from God.
Scripture never requires me to surrender discernment simply because another person speaks confidently about what God supposedly told her.
The Bereans give us a beautiful example. When Paul taught them, they “searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11, NKJV).
They were listening to an apostle.
Yet examining his message by Scripture was called noble.
How much more carefully should we examine ordinary human teachers, social-media personalities, friends, family members—and even our own impressions?
Sometimes the person saying “God told me” is me.
That requires humility.
I may strongly feel that God is leading me in a particular direction. Circumstances may appear to line up. A thought may repeatedly return to my mind. I may experience unusual peace about a decision.
None of those things has the authority of Scripture.
Feelings can be sincere and still mistaken.
Circumstances can be interpreted incorrectly.
Peace can sometimes come simply because I prefer one outcome over another.
So instead of automatically declaring, “God told me,” wisdom may require more careful language: “I believe this may be the direction the Lord is leading, but I am continuing to pray and test it according to His Word.”
That posture leaves room for humility.
Scripture also protects us from another mistake: taking a biblical verse and using it to confirm something the verse never meant.
It is possible to open the Bible looking for support rather than truth. We already know what we want to do, so we search until we find words that appear to validate it.
But faithful interpretation asks a different question.
Not, “How can I make this verse speak to my situation?“
But, “What did God actually say here?“
Who was being addressed?
What was happening?
What comes before and after the verse?
What did the author intend?
How does this passage fit with the rest of Scripture?
Application must grow from meaning. We do not create the meaning through our application.
Jesus gives us another safeguard in the next verse: “He will glorify Me” (John 16:14, NKJV).
The Holy Spirit does not compete with Christ for attention.
That means spiritual teaching that continually directs attention toward someone’s special revelations, unusual experiences, spiritual status, or supposed access to information unavailable to ordinary believers should make us careful.
The Spirit glorifies Christ.
The women of the earliest churches needed this discernment just as much as we do. False teaching did not begin with television or social media. The apostles repeatedly warned churches about deceptive teachers, distorted doctrine, and spiritual claims that departed from the truth they had received.
John told believers plainly, “Do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God” (1 John 4:1, NKJV).
Testing is not unbelief.
Testing is obedience.
And that includes allowing my own understanding to be tested.
Knowing Christ means I do not need secret knowledge to walk faithfully with Him. I do not need another person to receive private instructions from God for my life.
He has given me His Word.
I can pray for wisdom. I can seek godly counsel. I can examine circumstances. I can make decisions carefully.
But when I want to know what God has actually said, I return to Scripture.
The Spirit of truth will never lead me contrary to the Word of truth, and He will always glorify Christ.
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, thank You for giving Your people the Spirit of truth and preserving Your truth in Scripture. Give me discernment when others claim to speak for You, and give me equal humility when I interpret my own thoughts, feelings, and circumstances. Keep me from attaching Your name to something You have not said. Teach me to read Scripture in its context, receive correction when my understanding is wrong, and test every teaching by Your Word. Through Your Spirit, keep drawing my attention toward Christ and establish me firmly in truth. Amen.
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