Jeremiah 23:32 See, I am against those who prophesy lying dreams, says the Lord, and who tell them, and who lead my people astray by their lies and their recklessness, when I did not send them or appoint them; so they do not profit this people at all, says the Lord.
Maybe you are not as concerned as Jeremiah and others in the Bible seemed to be with trying to separate true prophets from false prophets. It's not something that keeps me up at night. But we do wonder how do we recognize God's voice when we hear something? How do we know if we're following God's voice or just our own whims and desires? We don't have the burning bush experiences or the voice in our dreams, generally. So how do we know?
I like something in this verse as a measure: "they do not profit this people at all." So if you're trying to figure out whether something is God's will for your life or just your own, try out these questions: does it profit you? Is it good for you? Also, God says through Jeremiah that it should profit "this people" PLURAL. So... is the thing good for the community and not just you? If the answer to either of these questions is no, you can be sure it's not God's voice. It's not a definitive test, but some questions that point us in the right direction.
In Christ,
Pastor Seth
For more information about all of the ministries of All Saints, visit http://www.allsaintspalatine.org To share your story or your responses to this devotional, visit http://aslcdevotions.blogspot.com Worship with us this weekend at 5 pm Saturday or 9 am Sunday.
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