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When God Truly Speaks

If there is something called confusing times, we certainly live in that time. Everyone claims to be a messenger of God. Some appeal to their dreams, while others claim they have been to heaven via hell to fetch that “fresh word” from the Lord. At the same time, we have many who claim to have the “prophetic” message for God’s people. Who really is speaking for God; what voice must we listen to? It’s not the first time I have asked this question. Just recently, on social media, I came across a discussion about prophets. And many people were appealing for people not to reject the “prophetic movement” because of some scandals, “because it not all prophets who are false”, they said. Yet my issue is – before we get to that – how can we know the difference between deceivers and genuine ones? Surely, there must be a difference between astroturf and natural grass, is it not? To my disappointment, the answer only amounts to something like “Well, you just have to feel within yourself if something is right or not.” I am sorry friends but that is not enough, in fact, it is dangerous because we can’t depend on our feelings to judge whether something is true or not. How then can we discern; what are the signs of the true word from God?

It is serious (It challenges/demands obedience)
Would you imagine someone like the prophet Elijah coming to the Israelites with a message from onhigh, then he begins by cracking a few jokes to get the crowd comfortable? Do you think anyone would take Him seriously after that? Certainly not, why should they, if his own demeanor says to them “Relax, what am saying to you is not that serious.” I have always been accused of being too harsh on the pulpit. Yet the reality is I am a very nice, kind person who can hardly hurt even a fly. However, when it comes to the word of God, I know what’s at stake. Some of the people that sit under my voice will live to hear me for the last time on this earth. How then must I address them? This is my biggest concern with most preachers today, including those who claim to be prophets. Their messages are well articulated, probably even well written, but they lack one fundamental thing, seriousness. Even a weather reporter can preach better than some of our preachers. Any true word of God, spoken by a man coming from the presence of God carries with it an oracular nature; a certain aura of fear and earnestness. Hence it’s only that kind of a Word that is able to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. It’s not about the truth spoken (even the devil can compile a good sermon) but the attitude that it’s presented in is all that matters. This is why our people continue on in immorality and laziness right inside our pews, no matter how long we preach to them. Why shouldn’t they if their ministers speak as if God is all about childish stories?

Speaking about the difference between a message from the Lord’s servant and that of a false prophet, God said to Jeremiah, “They say continually to those who despise the word of the LORD, ‘It shall be well with you’; and to everyone who stubbornly follows his own heart, they say, ‘No disaster shall come upon you.’”…But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds…Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces?” – Jeremiah 23:17-29

A true word from God doesn’t care about the number of nodding heads, clapping hands and social media likes. Its primary concern is what God has said, and how that message is to be communicated to God’s people as straightforward as possible. As I hinted last time; church time is supposed to be a time of reflecting internally; to think deeply about the serious issues of our souls; with life, death and eternity in mind. Those who live in sin become exposed under the true, soul-searching power of the Word. Yet, today, you can go to church and come out the same as you were, totally unmoved! Because those who claim to speak for God preach in such a way that demands nothing from anyone. Just jokes and more jokes. In fact, one of the fundamental attributes of God’s messenger is his persuasive ability. Think of it this way, a news reader speaks like a news reader, a soccer commentator speaks like a commentator, a school lecturer speaks in a lecturer fashion, how come preachers cannot speak like oracles of God? That is to stand up straight; open the Bible, read as loud/clear as possible, look at them in their eyes and let the Word fly.

Therefore, the next time you come out of a place where a supposed word from God was spoken ask yourself these words; how did that affect my heart? Did it rebuke my sin? Did it challenge me to be more committed? Did the preacher speak in a way that demanded our attention and showed that he is a messenger of God who means what he says and says what he means because he also believes it with his heart? Or it was just another “sermon” that was used to pass church time?

Conclusion
The reality is that a whole lot of what calls itself the “word of God” is not the Word of God. But it's just varieties of man’s opinions, worldly wisdom, satanic mysticism and God knows what else. We have so lowered the standard of the word of the Lord such that it’s now an oxymoron to label it as a “message from heaven.” The basic problem is that we don’t know God as we ought. Because if we knew Him, we would know that He is not all that talkative, He is not all that chatty, and He definitely is not all that funny. Rather, when He truly speaks – as He did at Mt Sinai – His words carry nothing short of authority, solemnity, truth, humility and fear. May the Lord remember Africa once more and bless us with voices that speak like oracles of God who are not called to pamper this soft generation so as to get likes and shares on social media. I live to see that dream fulfilled in my lifetime.


Sinothi Ncube


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