How God Speaks to Me

Well what an interesting theological adventure I am having at the minute. Over the last few months God has really began to challenge me on some of my thoughts, some of the ways I hold my opionions and even how I live my Christian life.  It began with an off hand comment at church that I initially took umbridge with. 

The speaker then said something along the lines of, "You dont need to know everything. Or anything! You dont need to know what is going on or what it all means. You just need to believe."

WELL!!! 

Upon first hearing it, I first suspected a misrepresentation of Scripture. After all, there are TONS of scriptures in the Bible about learning, studying and understanding Gods word. Huff, huff, strop, strop. Sigh. 

ANYWAY... in the week that followed this, various other sources began to 'speak to me' further. 

Just a side note. I have quite often found God to be his most 'vocal' at giving me insight and understanding when I am reading books, both secular and Christian, when I watch shows, both secular and Christian, when I see YouTube videos, and even at times when I read a blog or substack, or listen to a podcast, again from both secular and Christian circles. 

And so the first thing that came my way was an episode from Wretched Radio/ Fortis Institute

 

The above video was based on the article from G3 Ministeries called Convictions and Charity: Perspectives on Eschatology. These two items really gave me pause for thought really gave me pause for thought. Am I high and mighty? Do I think my ways are right and look down on others?

The same week my podcast app popped up with this episode again from the Literary Life Podcast:  Witches, Wizards, and Magic, Oh My!! Which did a great deep dive into the concerns about exposing chuldren to these topics, showing how the underlying gospel message can and does shine through. It affirmed further for me the freedom we have in Christ not to judge the choices other sound Christians have made. 

Around Christmas time this video was sent to me and it gave me much thought. I have friends in both camps of this view point. It really made me think about my position again. I followed all the offered lines of research, reading for myself all the different resources and evidence. I ALSO looked at my Christmas habits; are they God-honoring and in-keeping with joy of the birth of our Saviour. In doing all this it reaffirmed the questions above. Checking my attitude, checking my heart position and remembering that there are many ways to 'Christian' which are still doctrinally sound.

The next thing that came along was an article called Are We Losing Focus? Red Heifers, Third Temples, and the Gnostic Drift in End-Times Thinking

This part was particularly thought provoking:

"The Gnostic Drift in Conspiracy Thinking 

Gnosticism (from the Greek gnosis, meaning "knowledge") was one of the earliest heresies the Church battled. It taught that salvation came through hidden knowledge available only to a spiritual elite. Gnostics believed the physical world was evil and that secret insight, not open faith in Christ, brought true deliverance. 

Surprisingly, many modern "truther" movements echo this ancient pattern as Gnosticism: 

"We know what’s really going on." 

"The masses are blind." 

"The system is a lie; only the awake remnant understands."

 These are not merely critical or discerning thoughts; they often carry spiritual elitism, fear, and pride. It distracts from the true gospel, which is public, accessible, and Christ-centered. 

It leads to deeper and deeper holes to travel down to learn more and more, all of which leads further and further away from the truth of the gospel. With every "new" discovery in this conspiracy world, there is now something else to discover, keeping the truther in constant search of something new, something hidden, something very few know. 

It's a carrot on a stick that can never be captured. When that conspiracy falls through, they change the timeline. Everything that happens has hidden meanings and agendas. Nothing is real anymore; keeping the believer a constant skeptic of everything and ultimately a skeptic of even the truth in Christ."

WELL!!!! 

Again the questions came. The subtle, small voice proding my conscience and asking me... Am I constantly looking at world events and trying to fit them to scripture? Do I think I know more or am better than those who know less (or choose to know/seek less)? Do I think I have more 'knowledge' or, worse, more "discernment" or "secret" knowledge- than others around me? Do I think things are obvious or that I can see things? It was uncomfortable reading

After another week this came up on my news feed.

 

It felt like another confirmation that I need to rethink where I am putting my energies. Revelation is such an interest to me so it was quite a surprise that it worked out that I should be hearing this.... Almost as if he knew me! Almost as if this video was JUST FOR ME! (as well as also being for everyone else. Obviously)

Then came this saying in a meme or some such quote:

In necessariis unitas, in dubiis libertas, in omnibus caritas

(In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity)

St Augustine

God, who already knows what's on my mind, who knows how I'll hear something that another person wouldnt maybe even think about teaches me always in this way. 

Finally, this week I read an article from Joy Clarkson entitled Not Everyone Is Everything. I don't usually read her content because it in a slightly different and more academic slant to my preference, but I felt compelled to read it. The part I felt spoke loudest was: 

"Now, I don’t mean to imply that people can’t have views or profound reactions to what seems to be a sort of lightning bolt moment in American society. But there’s something odd to me in the way that people suddenly take on the office of forensics investigator, judge, jury, and even executioner

We all have offices in life, people to whom we are accountable, relationships that constrain and motivate us. But we are not all, and do not need to be, everything. And I think there is something important in realising and accepting that. I think that when we forget this, and when we spend hours on the internet acting in the roles of forensic investigators, doctors, judges, ministers, or any other number of offices for which we are not trained and in which we are not accountable, we become distracted from thoughtfully and faithfully fulfilling the offices to which we are clearly called and which we do actually have a duty to fulfil."

It may seem unrelated to what else has been happening but what came to mind almost straight away was 1 Thessalonians 4:9-12, more specifically verse 11 but the whole thing gives more context. 

9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more, 11 and to aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, 12 so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.

And again it reminded me that I am not built to live in a global world...just the little bit of earth I am living in. I dont need to be involved in every little thing.

Coming full circle in the last few days it has been the following verse, which was everywhere: 

"and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven"."MATTHEW 18: 3  

And by 'everywhere' I mean it was in two bible devotionals, it was bought up by a person in our womens group, and it was on my bible app. This is how it often works: a verse will just be out there and when I already have things on my mind to ponder it will speak to me. Another person may not get much from it on the occasion of seeing it, still another will hear it, or interpret it in a different way or with a different slant. This is how the Bible works and how God works actually. 

In Conclusion:

I think it means for me: don't be looking at others and judging their journey. It means dropping any pride at the knowledge I have. It says don't care so much about being right; don't care so much about seeking and finding all the 'right' answers. I think it is saying to fully rely on God and not stress about all the external knowledge I have. I think it is saying I dont need to know everything. And I think I have to disregard all for the sake of coming to God without preconcieved knowledge and ideas but with a childlike heart: open and eager and accepting. I love how God speaks to me and shapes me using not JUST the Bible but also all parables and illustrations if you will, of media, storytelling and other great resources. 

As the top picture says, being old enough to read fairy tales again, to see the 'True Myth' (as Lewis and Tolkien would say),

And there you have it - a sermon preached to me in many parts.