How do I handle a woman who says God speaks to her?
Question:
I got myself into a debate with this woman who kept going on and on about how God speaks to her and how God is angry at the churches and the pastors. Can you try to help me understand what she was talking about here? I can't tell if she's crazy or not. She just confuses me.
Answer:
I don't know if I can because she is delusional. I always start with some simple facts:
- The New Testament said that prophecy (God speaking directly to people) came to an end (I Corinthians 13:8-10). The Bible was delivered once for all time and for all people (Jude 3). Basically, God has said what needs to be said and has decided to say no more.
- The Bible has always said that anyone claiming to be from God is to be tested (I John 4:1).
- One test is that anything said about the future must ALWAYS come true. God is in complete control, so if He says something will happen, it never fails (Deuteronomy 18:20-22).
- The second test is that anything attributed to God is ALWAYS consistent. God never contradicts Himself (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).
Of course, claiming to prophesy when God said He was going to stop using that means fails the second test; but even when you skip that, every so-called prophet I've run across has failed the two tests in what they say.
The problem with these types of people is that they believe their own lies. They want to believe that they have some special power that no one else has and that they are better than others. In other words, it is an ego thing. "The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (II Thessalonians 2:9-12). You can tell them they are wrong, but they decide that you just don't know what you are talking about -- after all, they are the ones with special powers.
As with other false teachings, the way to handle it is to go back to the Bible. "I know you said, ... But over in ... God said ...." Then it becomes a matter of them arguing against God's Word -- an argument they always lose.
